Page 126 - CITS - Fashion Design Technology - Trade Theory

FASHION DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY - CITS

Module 4: Garment Construction

LESSON 13-24 : Draping terminology

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you shall be able to
• introduction and principle of draping
• terms and tools used in draping
• draping techniques and methods.

Introduction:The process of positioning and pinning the fabric on a dress form is called draping.
Draping terminology is an important part of fashion design .Draping is a technique used to make a 3-dimensional
dress pattern with the aid of a dress form figure by pinning and placing fabric against the form to create a garment.
Typically designers use muslin, which is cost-efficient and offered in a variety of weights.
Draping can be used to create the basic pattern or to design organically by playing with the fabric on the form.
Draping is used to create both custom and mass-produced garments. It is an essential step in fashion designing as
it helps get the perfect fit and shape for garments. Draping is one of the oldest methods of garment construction,
and it started as a way to fit clothing around the body without using patterns. (Fig 1)

Principle of draping

• Straight grain should always run perpendicular to the floor and cross grain parallel to the floor.
• The body lines such as bust line, waistline, hipline etc should be parallel to the floor.
• Use good quality pins that do not loose shape easily.
• Establish seam lines on the form
• Tear the muslin piece instead of cutting
• Check the balance of the warp and weft
• Mark grainline on muslin; mark cross grain at the fullest part of the dress form
• Place the muslin on the form as per the marked lines, place it in position with pins
• Pin the fabric to the form at the seams.
• Never pull the fabric and distort the grain
• Darts, pleats, tucks etc need to be pinned

• Drape all pieces of the garment
• Mark all lines clearly
• Mark curved seams with small dots at frequent intervals.
• Mark darts, pleats and tucks where they cross seam lines with a X mark

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