For me Saturday is a half way house between the working week and the weekend; I start late, have a proper breakfast while I check the headlines, check social media then I set about having a leisurely tidy up and start to think about some new projects.
Without the structure that I impose Monday - Friday I tend to get on to the little sparks which haven’t quite germinated into proper ideas yet. One of my goals for January is to finally settle on my Spring / Summer designs. I have some sketches and vague notions of frills, linen, and some colour palates but nothing is set in stone. Saturdays are perfect for settling down at my desk with pens, pencils, and paints ready to get those fancy notions down in ink and paper.
Essentially, Saturday is a day of ideas and I am content just to make mental progress without having to end up with a finished product at the end of the day.
Drawing patterns has been a new experience for me. The amazing designs that inspire me so much seem so effortless with sweeping lines and drafted female forms. When it comes to making my own my first attempts were shockingly bad and I was more than glad that they were just for my eyes. I have since done some research online and have found so many amazing resources to help budding designers like me.
Step 1 - Get a template form, known as a croquis, and use this for every design, this will keep your designs consistent and will ensure that you’re covering all aspects of your design in each set of drawings.
You will need to find a croquis that suits you and the designs that you are making. There are two styles that I have found, one uses regular person proportions and the other is a more ‘catwalk’ style which elongates the form, this is supposedly better for showing off your designs. You can find templates and inspirations here: (NB: I don’t have any affiliations with these sites I just found them useful)
How to draw your own croquis
Get some ready made templates
Once you have your template you can be modern and make your designs digitally, or, like me, use regular pencils, paints, and pens for your designs. I have my forms on paper which I then trace when I make a new design.
Once I have a drawing that I like I go back to the drawing board and consider how to make this design possible. What fabrics will work to create that particular drape, how will the pieces be joined, how practical will the finished piece be to wear? My final designs come in three stages; the pretty croquis, the blue print style diagram with exploded detailed sections, and, finally, the pattern pieces sketches with basic joining instructions.
Over the next few weeks I hope to have my new designs penned and I will be happy to show these to you. As ever I would be interested in hearing from you about your experiences of drafting, designing, and of making your own clothes. Thanks for reading, SJ.
