There have been many things keeping me from my lovely blog. BUT, I am back, feeling refreshed and ready to think, share, and type.
I've accomplished quite a few things in the past months. I'll highlight my favorite here.
I was inspired and challenged to recreate a Han dynasty article of clothing called a shen-yi. It is a crossover dress that wraps around the body numerous times. It has beautiful lines, and was a NIGHTMARE to draft patterns of.
note: while i like to link to wiki - my resources for the history and construction of this garment include MANY books and websites including:
Smith, Bradley and Weng, Wan-go. China: A History in Art. Doubleday & Company, 1976.
Vainker, Shelagh. Chinese Silk: A Cultural History. New Brunswick: The British Museum Press, 2004.
Xun, Zhao and Chunming, Gao. 5000 Years of Chinese Costumes. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, 1987.
Yingchun, Zang. Chinese Traditional Costumes and Ornaments. China Intercontinental Press, 2003
So, I started with the patterning. I had been given a digital pattern for the garment a long time ago. It was found posted on a Hanfu forum website. It was a good pattern, with one huge problem: all the annotation was in Chinese. I spent months and months doodling on it, turning it in different directions, trying to understand the cuts, the grainlines, and how the pieces went together to make the form.
then one day it came to me. truly. it just clicked. I doodled in my notebook, re-checked my measurements, pulled out my drafting paper, and it was ON!
I did all this work, then pulled my fabric. I cut, did a loose fitting, then had to re-cut. For some reason a couple of areas were just really loose or baggy or didn't fit quite right. I thought I had it down, so I started serging pieces together. I had the whole thing together (with edges unfinished) and tried it on. It fit weird. The neckline was HUGE and the angle of the cross accross the chest was too much, making the whole front hang badly.
i took it apart. i cut and serged and trimmed. I cut the sleeves off the top to cut in shoulder seams - so I could take it in more and make it fit better.
Once I had it fitted well I had to decide how I was going to do all the trim. It was hundreds of inches of trim. I decided to just use the reverse of the fabric. It was done in period, and looked great. In the end, I decided that the only way to make the trim lay correctly and have the whole garment look good would be to HAND STITCH the whole trim and hem.
it hurt to do. but i did it!
there it is laid out on my living room rug.
this garment was an intense project. In the end, there are quite a few things I'd do differently. I haven't cut up my paper pattern yet, because I want to manipulate it again so that it will be perfect. Next time, I'm making one for my man - because he doesn't have hips or boobs - those things complicated the whole process!
me at March 2008 Outlands crown list.
5 comments:
Hello, Riri, I was searching online, and found your blog. I am happy to find an English speaker 1hanfu fans. I speak both Chinese and English. I made a hanfu blog too and posted some photos there. I have no academic knowledge of pattern drafting, sewing, and tailoring. I really just guess, guess and guess. I look at my pajamas for reference for arm circumference, shoulder width, and waist, etc.
Appearantly my first sewing hanfu needs lots of correction and improvement. I hope you can give me some suggestion.
Thank you very much.
p.s. I joined a SCA yahoo group of Asian costume, not sure if you heard of the group or may be you are already a member.
I don't think I am ready to make Shen-Yi yet. You mentioned about the digital pattern. I saw some hanfu pattern online, but I cannot comprehend them.
Hello RiRi,
How are you? So ready for Halloween yet? I mean you going to wear what kind of costume to any Halloween event? or prepare by the door to handing candies to cute little kids?
Me?...I am still trying to figure it out the collar...any suggestion? Yeah, sorry I don't really understand what you mean about "...I found that I had to cut the seam that attaches the fronts to the back differently, in order to lift up that front angle and keep it from drooping like that..."
How are you?
Enjoy the Halloween? what did you dress up as?
You wouldn't still have the digital pattern, would you? And perhaps be willing to share? Normally, once I work out a good method or pattern, I share it on my website for others to use, and will do the same if I am able to work this one out. I like to share the Garb Love :)
Thanks!
Jacqueline
justcordelyaKILT at gmail dot com
(lift KILT to remove spam protection)
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