VOGUEpatterns A MAN WHO EMBROIDERS WITH FURY AND A WOMAN WHO DESIGNS NECKWEAR FOR ALL | MODERN SMOCKING | COUTURE TIPS FOR FINISHING A CARDIGAN JACKET | NEW SPRING LOOKS AND MORE meContents Vogue Patterns Magazine April/May 2013 Mem aea) Pamel Designer Directions Sete eer eee eee row Sa See meron Sc reiDEPARTMENTS ‘ADance of the Hands 42 Eidtor’s Note § The at of tormbou itibutors 7 embroidery and beading, by Robert Haver Haves 10 ‘COUTURE CORNER aig Designer-nspired Details 46 How custon SEWBIZ Industry | Mokuba 14 i Mii FASHION HISTORY Boutique | Pat's Custom Buttons Storied Stitches 50 and Belts 16 ‘Sewing With Nancy 18 Experimenting With Lines 66 From tape te ribbor TIPS & TOOLS ‘ Embroidery : Maintenance 22 Rise curered ch y Kathryn Brenne wth Stylish Smocking 70, Larry Shackleton Atouch of tradition Tools for Fine Werk 26 5 STYLE STRATEGY by kathryn Brenne AA Fashionable Approach to Embellishment 72 by Moni Brione MASTER INSTRUCTION Traditional English ‘Smocking 30 Anole-faehioned tech> One Garment | Two je wth modern appeal Looks 76 7 Kathn Brenne Fabric Matching 74 ‘A Japanese-Inspired THREAD TALE Flourish 36 ore cn organza Setting Life's nae Lessons 96 Ay BiCHNIQUEMORE ONLINE > eee Sd mstrucions for tetas siehes trom vogue crremecal magazine MASTER TECHNIQUE Traditional English Smocking An Old-Fashioned Technique With Modern Appeal BY KATHRYN BRENNE. Smocking is a form of embroidery that was developed during the Middle Ages to gather in fullness and give shape to garments that were cut from rectangular pieces of cloth, During the sixteenth century it was worn by farmers and laborers on theit work clothes, or smacks (hence the name). Today the word smocking is likely to conjure images of sweet litle gingham dresses, baby pajamas, or Christmas wreaths and orna- ‘ments, But when applied strategically where full- ness is gathered—at necklines, cus, waistlines, and yokes, or as a small, blocked inset (see page 70)—thie folksy technique can add an unex- pected, contemporary flair to a variety of gar- ‘ments, In fact, many of the designs that graced the 2013 runways, from Nina Ricci to Valentino, clegantly incorporated it. While smocking looks intricate it actually comprises a few basic stitches worked over pleat ced fabric that can be combined to form a myriad of easy-to-learn patterns. The trick to master ing it is in the details and requires patience and practice. Whether you're looking to add a turn- of the century detail to a vintage gown or acon- ‘temporary gather on a spring dress, here you'll find the basis for endless smocking options and designs. FABRICS “Typically smocking is worked on woven fabrics, but lightweight knits can also be used. Light- to medium-weight cotton, rayon, wool, linen, and silk are all good choices, as are broadcloth, voile, gingham, batiste, challis, organdy, satin, charmeuse, corduroy, Vigella, chambray, and vel- vet. Just remember that the pleats add bulk to a garment, so choose fabrics that drape well and have a smooth even texture. Each type of fabric wll pleat up differently, depending on its weave, weight, thickness, and sometimes even the color. Dark solids, for example, can be difficult to pleat on a pleating machine, as can dark red, burgundy, and navy- blue fabrics. One theory for this is that the dye saturates the fabri, making it difficlt for the pleater needles to penetrate. Sot, limp fabric on the other hand is easier to pleat and manage fit is starched first. How much fabric to use? As a general rule, three times the finished width will work for most medium-weight fabrics. A lightweight fabric wll pleat up more than a medium-weight fabric; therefore, you'll need more lightweight fabric than you would a heavier fabric. ‘Always work a sample firs, applying starch if needed, before beginning on an actual garment, in order to figure out a ratio forthe fabric as well as to test different threads and stitches: Cut sample thatis 20° (51 cm) wide, Pleat up the fabric, using one of the basic stitches. Pull up the pleats so that they are almost touching each other. Tie off the pleating threads, Measure the pleated fabric. Divide the original width by the finished width to work out the pleating ratio. For example, if you begin with 20° (51 cm) and the sample pleats up to 5" (13 cm) divide 20 by 5, which equals 4, giving you a ratio of 4:1, For every 1" (25 mm) of finished smocking, you'll need 4" (10 em) of fabric. Ifthe garment is very full and the requirement is wider than the fab- rie, narrow seams can be added before pleating If the garment will be laundered, prepare the fabric by washing, drying, and ironing first. ‘Trim off the selvages. Straighten the fabricalong the crosswise grain. Fabric will hang best if it is pleated on the crosswise grain.) To straighten the fabric, pull a crosswise thread, and cut along this line. Align the grainline on the pattern pieces with the lengthwise grain of the fabric. THREAD ‘Most smacking is worked with embroideryCOUTURE CORNER | THE Designer-Inspired Details How to Apply Custom Buttonholes and a Chain Trim ‘Two of the finishing touches T've seen on Chanel jackets are the custom button- holes and—one of the most famous Chanelisms—the decorative chain trim. In this final installment of a sixcpart series on detailing a designer cardigan jacket, we look at how to apply these ‘embellishments with cou- ‘ture perfection, ‘THREAD BUTTONHOLE Used on the sleeve cuffs and atthe front opening of a self- fabri lined jacket, the thread buttonholes are made by embroidering the cut opening with buttonhole stitches and a silk buttonhole twist after the facing or lining is applied (E> Make a sample but- SF tomol tis to ‘experiment with the stitches ‘and to check the lenath and thread color, then pin the ‘sample to a bulletin board. Many times I've changed the thread color after discover ing from a few feet back that it was a shade off 41. Locate the buttonheles as indicated on the pattern or ‘on your fitted muslin 2. Mark each buttonhole ‘opening with thread. (A) Begin the buttonhole as you ‘would a straight buttonhole. ite fare raves OFS badly when cut fuse BY CLAIRE SHAEFFER a small piece of lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric before stitching ‘around the opening 13. Set the machine stitch length to 1.25 mm (20 stitches per inch. Beginning at the end away from the jacket edge, stitch "hc" (15 mm) from the marked line. Overlap one or two stitches at the end. (B) ‘4, Cut the opening precisely ‘on the marked line. Use an awl to round the end near the opening to create a keyhole. (C) Trim away the stray threads, qe. To prevent fraying, FF tees tocrpckto aiy white gu othe cut tages toy retarcant wl Also wor Bus ile more aii to contr STRANDING Stranding—the process of laying one or two strands of thread along the sides of the opening—adds strength to buttonholes. It also improves the appearance by covering the fabric under the buttonhole stitches and creating a nice ridge around the opening, While several techniques for stranding ‘exist, the one outlined below is my preferred method because it’s easier to control the thread strands and keep ‘them from rolling off the fabric and into the opening, While silk buttonhole twist works best because of its sheen, which emphasizes the stitches and gives them definition, you can use top- stitching thread or a heavier ‘machine-embroidery thread rade of polyester (abetter color selection does exist in those threads). Wax and press ‘whichever thread you choose, to make it stronger and less Iikely to curl and snae 5. Begin by anchoring a double thread with a waste knot about 1" 2.5 cm) from the end away from the jacket ‘opening, to avoid weakening the keyhole. 6. Lay the strand over the machine stitches on one side of the buttonhole. Take a short stitch at the keyhole end and ay the strand over the machine stitches on the other side of the buttonhole. ‘Take a short stitch past the end. (D) 7. To make the buttonhole stitches, use a single strand of thread that has been waxed and pressed. Cut the thread long enough to avoid piecing it midiray. 8. Begin the buttonhole stitches at the end away from the opening with the needle under the fabric. Bring the needle to the right side just outside the stitched line. Wrap the thread around the point of the needle as shown (E); then pall the needle through to make the purl or knot close tothe edge Pull the thread straight up and perpen- dicular to the fabric so the knot son top ofthe fabric Inetead of inthe opening, 9. Continue making stitches to the end, then around the end and back to the begin- ning. Make asmall thread barat the beginning end and cover the bar with bit tonhole or Blanket stitches (F, G) Fasten the buttonhole thread and cut the ends of the stranding thread > To fasten the thread {ES atthe end, take the needle trough othe wrong Side, and make several stitch es in one place. Then insert the needle un it between the layers, and pul it out about 210 @O mi), Hold the thread taut and cut coset the fac ing 50 the thread end disap peats between the layers, DOUBLE BUTTONHOLE, Aversion of the double but tonhole first used by Charles Frederick Worth, the father of haute couture, is used on, Chanel jackets that have a contrasting lining, to mask the underside of a thread Duttonbole, It consists of a handmade thread buttonhole ton the face side ofthe jacket andis paired with a faux but- tonhole on the lining side. 1. Make a thread buttonholewna joe sourasr apeupuay 200 472 LEIGH Nt indréss Kanellopoulos isn't your aver age embroiderer. Known for incorpo: rating found objects into his work— such as bits of foam, rubber band, and spray-painted paper ages to end up with a piece of needlework that can only be described as classically beautiful Like most vule-breakers, Kanellopotilas comes from a background rich in tradition, He was born in Greece, where generation after genera tion of women has worked in every variation of needlework, preparing elaborate trousseaux as partof their wedding ceremonies. His grand ‘mother was known for her crochet work, and his smother had similar talents, which she used to trun a business tailoring and repairing clothing Both of them had such gifted hands. he says. They passed it down.” tage nineteen, Kanellopoulos went to fashion: he nevertheless man Shiny Fury jopoulos MAN design school in Athens and, after graduation, quickly began working for two Greek haute- couture firms—Polatof and the now-defunct ‘Anna Katramatou. But Kanellopoulos wanted tomake it to the global center of fashion, Pat so he enrolled in University of Paris-X Nantes (now called Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defence) to study art history. A few months into orbonne his courses, he transferred into the Nouvelle (also known as Paris IID) theater pro: ‘gram, a major that in France is ess about drama and acting, and more about the literary theory behind these art forms. The intense intellectual workload was worth it. Kanellopoulos realized that the elaborate—and often historical —cos tumes of stage production were his calling His first big break came in England, Through 4 friend, he was given a job as an assistant designer at the Royal Opera House in CoventSTYLE STRATEGY 74 yoouepartemnsSubscribe Vogue Patterns Magazine ‘SUBSCRIBE TO ENVOY: convenience Shop at Home Convenience discounts Great Pattern Discounts Top-name Designer Patterns at Your Fingertips forecasts Forecasts on Seasonal Fabrics & Trims Informative Articles on Construction & Fitting 30% FF Cover Price