Divide the waist circumference measurement by 6.28. The result is the radius measurement. (I should have rounded it up to 11.5!)
Set the compass to the radius measurement
Draw a circle using the radius measurement
Measure the length you want your skirt to be. Mark this measurement all round the circumference circle.
Connect up the measurement marks into a big circle, which is the hem level for your skirt
Plot the seam allowance for waist area
and the side seam, also hem allowance, which needs to be narrow
Finished pattern for full circle skirt
Grainline affects the flare of the skirt. Flare develops along each side of the grainline, causing the skirt to flare out gracefully along its bias. Shifting the grainline controls the location of the flare along the hemline. Here are 3 standard grainlines you can use.
Grainline A: Placed at CF, it flares at Side & Side Front
Grainline B: Placed between CF & Side, it flares at CF & Side
Grainline C: Placed between Side & Grainline B, it flares at CF, Side & in-between
The above technique for drafting a circular skirt is what I worked with to create this CdG inspired circular skirt. It is 2 circles attached together
Many a designer has worked with the circle as an inspiring shape. Italian born Pierre Cardin, for one, states his circle inspiration as, "...they are infinite. Everything in life is a circle; the world, the moon, the sun. When I design, what comes first is the shape, then the matter that expresses the volumes, fluidity and suppleness. Colour is the final touch."
Circles, highly evident in his work... all very 60s.
A later Cardin creation, but cool circles still create the cut.
Lovely Issey Miyake has also produced wonderful work with circles. In a 1989-90 'Pleats Rhythm' collection, the circle is highly evident.
The garment on the left is actually from the Japanese Edo period (1600 - 1867). It is stored in the Kyoto Costume Institute. I have searched high and low for an image of it being worn but cannot find anything. The yellow garment is from Issey's 1989 -90 'Pleats Rhythm' collection.
These wonderfully flat looking garments are also from the above collection and the one on the left is very similar to the above yellow one.
Here it is, on a mannequin figure. It comes to life in the most wonderful way, which is the genius of Issey Miyake.
In 1989 Vogue Patterns produced an Issey Miyake Individualist Designer pattern, which provided this wonderful circle cut top. I loved it.
Here is a view of the circle aspect of the top, as it is laid out flat. The circle part you view is the Back section with the sleeves stitched in the side. The smaller circle is the neckline. Great design/pattern work.
The construction sheet shows a better view of that Back circle top section. It's great fun to construct.
Another wonderful Miyake circle garment is his series of "Flying Saucer" dresses from a S/S 1994 collection. It must be fabulous to wear, and pack away!
There is a fantastic pattern-cutting book, 'Pattern Magic Stretch Fabrics', by Tomoko Nakamichi. If you are into pattern making, it is a very very cool book to possess.
It features 2 cool circular type tops, referred to as Full Moon and Crescent Moon, which both reflect aspects of the cut of my Vogue Pattern Issey Miyake top.
Circles are very cool to wear.
Another great designer who works with the interesting circle, is wonderful Dutch designer, Maria Blaisse.
Maria Blaisse enjoys working the space around the body by using materials that amplify or distort it. She creates moving sculpture, or performance pieces, often with the assistance of dancers. Neoprene rubber, foam polyamides and laminations have all been materials of Maria Blaisse's choice. In 1996 she produced a wonderful work titled 'Black Circles'. It is so wonderfully sculptural. I love the movement and shapes that are produced when the body is paused.
Here is another example of Maria Blaisse's wonderful circular creations.
Take in this video link, it is an interesting documentary about Maria Blaisse. She talks about her art, her design approach; and, the occasional 'circle' does appear.
Blaisse has also designed some cool semi-circular boots
This is always an interesting cut, because it creates a lovely draped result when straightened out and worn on the body. 'Pattern Magic' also demonstrated this technique via a pair of pants. When worn, they produce a lovely draping/wrinkling effect on the leg, sort of ruching without ruching.
Shelley Fox, a hard working British designer, has also worked with cool circle shapes in many of her collections
Shelly Fox has a very cerebral approach to her design work, as she experiments with materials and fabrics to produce what are considered highly original results.
Fox trained in both fashion and textiles design. Geometry is a common feature in her silhouettes. Tops and skirts create circular shapes. Fabric is rounded from the collar into the shoulder, then comes round the elbow to meet the lower arm area, which creates a cool circular shape against the body.
One interesting garment Fox put together which displays this feature, is her contribution to SHOWstudio's 2001 project 'Outsize?' Fox used the circle as her principle form in pattern cutting, instead of the traditional block. She attached fabric circles together, overlocking the edges and then slashing curves to create arm or leg openings through which fabric underneath could be pulled. You can observe the circle in the below garment. It has no particular front or back, so the wearer can experiment with however they wish to wear it.(RK has often expressed that concept concerning clothes from her CdG collections.)
This is a link to Shelley Fox's web site. Have a look around it, you'll see some of her circular creations, particularly if you take in the 1999 Autumn/Winter collection
I love this image. It shows a Shelley Fox circle skirt and CdG top and shoes, but it could just as easily be a CdG skirt....
...like this one, from the CdG Spring/Summer 2009 collection, "What is the future of black?"
This was a collection that was very geometric in its' style. "Hexagonal, geodesic and cocooning', as described by Sarah Mower.
The wonderful dress in the above image was produced as this skirt.
which inspired my take on it.... it is a circle and it is a skirt..
And of course, there is Junya Watanabe's circles skirt from his fabulous S/S 2015 collection
and the top with circle sleeves
and my go, up-cycling a t-shirt. The finished effort is in my blog side bar.
Talking about Junya Watanabe and circle skirts, he delivered a nice take with a circular skirt in his A/W 2005 RTW collection, a red mohair plaid skirt with a cool PVC bodice.
He also showed a black version of the same circular skirt and bodice.
Junya Watanabe provided the pattern for this dress in the wonderful 'Showstudio' collection of pattern downloads.
If you go to this site you should be able to download the pattern.
Now, here is a cool CdG take on the circle skirt...the cut for the skirt pieces, F & B, is simply a circle, and the constructed skirt can be worn in a variety of ways, as you can see.
I'm going to have a go at this CdG skirt. Take a circle pattern, and cut it out of the fabric. Twice.
Here I go, with a circle pattern I have used previously for a cape type creation. I have cut out the circle shape, and placed it on the mannequin, as it could be worn.
It looks like it will work....so I need to get to it!!
And, done! I think this will be a fun skirt to wear in summer.
Now, from cool circle skirts to cool circle shirts.
A circle shirt from Maison Martin Margiela SS 2002 collection
It was revised/reprised in 2012 for an H & M collaboration collection.
This is a CdG take on a circle shirt. It looks another bit of fun to create and wear!
I've cut a pattern, to give it a go. I think, once again, it'll be great for summer
The finished result.
And another look at a rather amazing CdG circle shirt
All the seams of this shirt must be convex curved, even the CF opening, for it to take on this 3D "ball like" form. That button up section is very interesting, the way it is curving...love to give this a go..one day.
Now, I will finish with "A Little Sewing Circle"....(see my side bar)
SewRound@yahoo.com
share the craft, it's good for the soul!
SLTSLTBsigning off .
P.S. Xmas time dressing from my Tutor Group!
Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you for reading my blogs over the year, and hopefully you got something from each one!
|
