I finally get why they say to start with the fabric first

For years I just sketched shapes and then hunted for material that looked close. Watched a video last week where a designer from Portland said she picks the fabric, drapes it, then draws. Tried it with a silk chiffon I got on sale. The way it moved completely changed the dress idea I had in my head. Ended up with a way better design in about 2 hours. Anyone else switch their process around like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_wood3d ago

Ever try to force a fabric to do something it just... doesn't want to do? I spent a whole weekend wrestling with this stiff brocade, trying to make a flowy skirt. It looked like a lampshade. A really angry, pleated lampshade. Switched to a linen and the whole thing just fell into place in an afternoon. Sometimes the material really is the boss.

robinp893d ago

Oh man, that lampshade image is perfect. But I'd push back a tiny bit on the idea of "listening" to the material, at least at first. Sometimes you have to fight it a little to learn its rules, you know? That brocade disaster taught you exactly what it wouldn't do, which is just as important. The real skill is knowing when to stop fighting because you're wrong, and when to push through because you need a specific effect.

alice_allen53d ago

Totally see this everywhere after working in a bakery. You can't force buttercream to look like fondant, right? It's like what @logan_wood said about the brocade. Trying to make a cozy wool sweater from stiff cotton yarn just gives you a sad box. The best stuff happens when you stop fighting the material and start listening to it. My best cakes came from asking "what does this frosting want to do?" not the other way around.