Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Senior Secondary 2
Adaptation of blouse pattern
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Adaptation of blouse pattern
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Subject: Garment Making
Class: Senior Secondary 2
Term: 1st Term
Week: 7
Theme: Adaptation Of Patterns 1
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Collar adaptation is a specific type of blouse pattern adaptation, as collars are integral style features of many blouses.
Pattern adaptation is essential for several reasons: Fashion Trends: To incorporate current fashion elements and design trends (e.g., new sleeve styles, necklines, hemlines).
Personalization: To create unique and custom designs that reflect individual style and preferences.
Fit and Sizing: To adjust patterns for specific body measurements that may deviate from standard commercial sizes, ensuring a perfect fit.
Fabric Properties: To accommodate different fabric types, as some fabrics require more ease or different design treatments (e.g., drapes differently).
Design Variety: To develop an extensive range of garment styles from a single basic block, saving time and effort. A basic blouse block serves as the foundation for all blouse pattern adaptations.
It typically consists of: Front Bodice: Includes bust dart, waist dart (or equivalent shaping), neckline, shoulder, armhole, and side seams.
Back Bodice: Includes shoulder dart (or ease), waist dart (or equivalent shaping), neckline, shoulder, armhole, and side seams.
Sleeve: Usually a basic straight sleeve block, which can then be adapted into various styles. These basic blocks are usually drafted without seam allowances, ensuring flexibility during adaptation. Darts are essential for shaping a flat fabric to fit the three-dimensional curves of the body. Dart manipulation involves moving, combining, or converting darts into other design elements.
Principle: The "pivot method" or "slash and spread/overlap method" can be used. The principle is that the amount of fabric taken up by a dart must be maintained, but its location can change.
Example: Moving a Bust Dart from the Side Seam to the Shoulder: Trace the Basic Front Bodice Block: Place pattern paper over the basic front bodice block and trace all outlines, darts, and grainlines. Mark the bust point (BP).
Draw New Dart Leg: From the bust point (BP), draw a new line to the desired new dart position on the shoulder seam (e.g., mid-shoulder).
Cut (Slash): Cut along the new dart line from the shoulder seam almost to the bust point (leave a tiny pivot point).
Close Original Dart: Pivot the pattern paper, overlapping the original side seam dart legs until the dart is closed. Tape this closed dart.
New Dart Opening: The cut along the shoulder will now open up, creating the new shoulder dart.
Redraw Dart Legs: Square off the dart legs from the dart point to the edges of the dart opening.
True the Seams: Smooth out any jagged edges along the shoulder seam and redraw. Trim the dart point slightly (about 1.5 cm) from the bust point to prevent a pointy bulge when sewn. The basic round neckline can be adapted into numerous styles.
Example: Adapting a Round Neckline to a V-Neckline: Trace Basic Front Bodice: Trace the front bodice block onto pattern paper, including the original neckline.
Determine V-Neck Depth: Decide on the desired depth of the V-neckline from the centre front. Mark this point.
Determine V-Neck Width: Decide on the desired width of the V-neckline at the shoulder seams. Mark these points along the original shoulder line.
Draw New Neckline: Connect the centre front depth point to the shoulder width points with straight lines to form the V-shape.
True the Neckline: Smooth any angles, especially at the point of the
V. Back Neckline (Optional): The back neckline can also be lowered or widened as desired using similar principles.
Custom Tailoring and Local Fashion Boutiques: In Nigeria, many people prefer custom-made garments to ready-to-wear, especially for special occasions (weddings, naming ceremonies, church services) or for everyday office wear. The ability to adapt blouse patterns allows tailors to create unique styles that fit perfectly, cater to client's specific design requests (e.g., different sleeve lengths for modesty, popular peplum styles), and work with various local fabrics like Ankara, Adire, or lace, which are often used for blouses. This skill directly translates into a profitable business opportunity for students. Fashion Entrepreneurship and Brand Building: Aspiring fashion designers can use pattern adaptation as a core skill to develop diverse product lines for their brands. By mastering adaptation, they can efficiently create seasonal collections of blouses with varied necklines, sleeve designs, and silhouettes without having to draft entirely new patterns for each style. This reduces development time and costs, making their businesses more competitive in the Nigerian fashion market. For instance, creating a collection of Ankara blouses that feature different interpretations of a basic style for a local market. Costume Design for Cultural Performances and Film: Nigeria has a vibrant entertainment industry (Nollywood, music videos, traditional dance troupes) that often requires unique and culturally specific costumes. Pattern adaptation skills are invaluable here, enabling designers to quickly modify basic patterns to create period-appropriate blouses, elaborate performance tops, or specific ethnic attire that might feature distinct collar, sleeve, or hem adaptations.