Black Leather Gauntlets in Etsy Shop

Nash finally had some time this past week to make a few pairs of black leather gauntlets that were so popular at AZ. We actually sold out last month which was a lot of fun. It's nice to see a particular design is well accepted. The smaller size is $18.00 while the larger size is $20.00. Hopefully I will get to see more awesome fights and theater cosplay as a result. Very fun and durable pieces.

Happy July 4th weekend everyone!
May your dreams and fireworks have fun!

Beautiful Custom Clothing: Part Two: Fitting the Canvas

                         After you finish doing the first mock-up or canvas, you have your first client fitting. This is important as especially with unusual body types, you will need more fittings. 3-5 fittings is typical for the industry. The most I have had to do is 12. Robyn required two canvas fittings here and she was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. You can see the first set in her hands. It generally takes 15-45 minutes for a fitting. Typically it takes me longer...I'm weird in that I like to make corrections on the fly and hand them back to the customer when drafting the master, but some clients DO NOT like to wait at all.
                         The major advantage and reason people do this  is how much better the finished look turns out. Most experienced patternmakers will bluntly refuse to make high-end garments without fittings. This is where you shave off the extra 25-30 lbs a tailored garment will take off of a ready-to-wear garment and reduce ease for a slimmer and taller look. A shirt you buy in the store will have an extra 4-6 inches to it. A tailored suit will have only 1-2, but move just as well. I'm giving Robyn the master block I created for her so perhaps we will get to see some more skirts on her in the future. I love skirts...I really think that they are something that most women could make at home provided they got a patternmaker to draft the master for them. If you notice the back, I put in side vents to flatter her waist and help her move better. Alright, next up...working in real fabrics.
 

Beautiful Custom Clothing: Part One Drafting the Master Pattern

             Alright, I've been really good for weeks holding my excitement and joy about this project in. My favorite comic book characters growing up were Batman and Wolverine. Nash is in the process of expanding the front office with a real drafting table and tools which means I can finally do custom women's clothing, including unusual designs and body types as it gives me space to work out the math. As a result, I hope to show you more beautiful clothing as tailored clothes make people look 25-30 lbs lighter and 2-3 inches taller. My way of adding beauty to the work. For there are many more beautiful women and men in the world than our modern short-cuts recognize. So this week we are showing you a project I loved doing which was making a custom Two-Face outfit for a client who was unusually well endowed. One of the frustrating things for women with larger than average curves in modern times is it tends to make them look fat or matronly instead of beautiful. Or really trashy. Sometimes you don't want to look like a hooker or a blob, but you...a really nice version of you. And that's when you come to see me.
              First, I take a bunch of measurements to determine your overall bodynshape. This is still an imperfect system as posture requires tweaking as few people stand the same way, but it's always a great place to start. Then I have to draft the master block pattern. There's probably 200 different major pattern systems out there, they all get you through the basics which includes a technical sketch, measurements, rulers, and drawings. You can also drape the piece, but I normally start with the flat pattern math and then adjust it to reality. Next you draw full scale patterns on oak paper in preparation to cutting out the first mock-up. This may also be called a canvas, blank, visual prototype, and several other names depending on what you are making. But the math is the important part.

          Once you do the math, you have to translate it into fabric because paper will never be an exact match for fabric. This part is normally straight forward and involves several hours of cutting and sewing to produce a finished piece or pieces. Seam lines will often be marked on them as well as any button placements. In my case, I did not mark the buttons as I plan to put them on last at the final fitting with the client wearing the outfit as it ensure the best possible fit. You see this in higher end outfits, but larger scale operations and lower cost places the buttons are marked and assembled before the final end to save time and cost.
           Just a note, block or masters will be saved in large houses and used from decade to decade. They are much easier to sew and change than home sewing patterns. That's why few industry houses ever bother with home sewing patterns. They're just too much work compared to real patterns. 

Nash's Dream Project: Norse Goddess Metal Helmet

      This week we're giving into Nash's geeky side and working with metal. Specifically, he's welding a Super Hero helmet for Loki's wife. While we normally do sewing projects on here, it seems right with DragonCon coming up in a few weeks to do some fun projects for the blog. Many people have been asking for requests to see some design and sample work the office does. So, here ya go.
     The process for welding sheet metal into a helmet is similar in many ways to sewing if your needle is a spot welder. First you sketch your design. Ideally it should be a technical sketch. I am snagging Heather's picture here because she did such a good job putting this together as a starting point. My friends are awesome. Drawing abilities get you a long way in custom design work. Next, you cut a test cut in oak tag on the model to test how it looks. You can move the pieces around by holding them together with magnets before finishing any corrections. If you like how it looks to proceed to the next step, working in your real substance, in this case Nash is making his sample in steel next. This is mostly because steel is easier to weld than aluminum.
     One important part of custom work is the need to make samples to test and discard for quality control. This is a large part of what drives up design cost for me is the fact that I have to go through several iterations before settling on a final design. Nash is much the same way. The whole measure twice, cut once type. It's especially important when your final material may be expense or you only get one shot to do it right. Have a great day! Next up, sheet metal.