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pattern design
The activating of heuristics through the design process is perhaps less evident in the
normal approach taken to pattern making. However, in this project even this remained
open to intervention and creative ‘re-thinking’. 68
As my designs were developed on dress forms, I sometimes used the same draped calico
pieces for pattern making (instead of calculation and the marking of brown paper).
However, in the case of the black garment designed for Entrapment, the practices of
draping and manual pattern making were integrated into a discursive process. In this
design I was interested in a seamless garment that might be shaped only by the
manipulation of darts. I achieved this by manipulating the brown paper and draped calico
on the dress form. Thus, the demarcations between these processes were blurred; paper
came up off the table and was manipulated, and fabric came off the dress form and was
sometimes laid out on the table as a form of template. This integrated processes of
draping and manual pattern making meant that I was able to find an unique way of
negotiating the subtle use of darts, enabling me to create an outcome that was as
seamless (and inescapable) as the system that entraps women in the trade. 69
substrate design 70
Many of the designs in this thesis required renegotiations of fabric so it spoke more
effectively of the concept underpinning the work. These included distressing surfaces,
designing and developing knitted textiles and applying finishes (including theatre makeup
and dyes to existing substrates).
At the outset of the project, however, my primary concern was with collecting fabrics
nd other material t held a degree of resonance within the world of the lal batti.
71
a tha
68 Normally, after final refinement in a draping process (involving checking the fit, fall, openings, and
form) patterns are cut on brown paper. Accuracy in cutting and marking the pattern is very important.
Considering grain line, notches and drill-hole marks are also key features of effective pattern lay out and
marking indication on real fabrics.
69 The only unwanted features in this design were darts on center-back seams, but without these the round
shape of the hip was not achievable.
70 I use the term substrate here as something differentiated from fabric. Substrate may be defined as any
base, or a substance that is acted upon (Chambers, 1986).
65