Draping

For the draping exercise, I cut out a square of calico measuring 70x70cm on the bias. Cutting on the bias meant that the fabric had more stretch and would therefore be able to drape comfortably. I pinned the fabric to the stand, smoothing out the volume towards the neck. Snipping the fabric at the waist helped the fabric to lie flat. The fabric could be pinched at the shoulders and followed round the neck to produce a cowl. I repeated this until the cowl neck had as much volume as I desired and cut off the excess. Then I continued to experiment by producing different shaped necklines.

To construct a pattern using the stand, I started at the centre front, pinning on panels of calico. Pencil lines marked where I wanted the seams. I pinned the next panel to the last seam, and so on. It is a good method that shows exactly where the seams will be on a garment.