Draping Princess Colour

Working from my collaged research pages and line drawings I draped Princess Colour. I decided not to put the corset on the mannequin because I was afraid it would get damaged by all the pins, so I just carefully padded out the mannequin.

The Bodice:

I started first with the bodice. I haven't ever done female draping on the stand in University before, aside from a few exercises beginning of second year, so this is a new process for me. I learn the importance of having the right shaped mannequin and making your original design lines as neat as possible the first time so it is clear when you are tracing the pattern off again later, where the right lines are. But over-all I am very pleased with the result.


The Skirt:

While gathering my research I came across a pattern instruction to gather the back of the skirt and pleat the front, this is the basic principle I used when making the underskirt. Although you will never see it, I think it is a nice idea to have it grounded in historical research.

The Sleeves:

 When it came to thinking of the sleeves I knew it had to be light and flowing. By using organza I think I'll be able to really judge the shape and flow of the sleeve in the fitting. And since it is a basic one piece sleeve I also might be able to use it again as the base for the real one.

The Tabs:

Creating the tabs was a huge experiment that really paid off. When I had to begin them I was unsure, I much prefer if I can pattern something first then drape it. But by making up the shapes I was able to see how they all hang differently and about what size looks more appealing. I'm not sure how to proceed from here, though, after my fitting. I'm not too sure if I will want to pattern them from the draped bits or draft whole new ones. From this little experimentation I can really see the dresses taking shape.