18th Century Dressmaking: What does it mean to "cut shapes"?

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Is the skill of "cutting shapes on the body" the missing link between being able to make 18th century gowns that look good and gowns that look GREAT? Let me know if you've tried making a bodice block or sloper, and what methods have worked for you - or what you'd like to learn to do better?

[@godschildyes]

This is so wonderful! Loved the Music too! I'd love to have toe process explained! This is just amazing! Thank you!

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@skirtedgalleons]

Great video! Very clear process, thank you.

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Glad it was helpful!

[@janetsingperry775]

My goodness! I have to say that it will take me a while to wrap my head around this. I really want to understand how you do this. I need to watch it a couple more times before I can even ask an intelligent question. Thank you so much!

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

You're welcome! On your side of the pond, Burnley & Trowbridge have been teaching 3-day workshops teaching people how to do this, for a number of years. I took the workshop last March, having watched it being done in person several times by Abby Cox and Brooke Welborn. Studying the shapes from extant gowns suggests that every mantua maker seemed to develop their own way of doing it. I drape the front in a similar way to Abby but the back as I was taught by Brooke! 😄

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

@Mirage Sur I am sorry you did not like the music. I like Celtic-inspired music so there's a lot of that on my channel - and yes, Celtic melodies do tend to repeat and build on particular themes. (Mozart did the same!) This particular video is a demonstration, not a tutorial - hence no voiceover. I do give full explanations when cutting shapes on a client and when teaching this method in a workshop, and I've talked about this in other videos.

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

@Mirage Sur No offence taken! Impossible to please all the people all the time, as the saying goes. The music I most want for my videos would get me copyright strikes and kicked off KZbin, so it's a compromise all round. Thanks for engaging with me on this. I'll definitely try harder to avoid too much repetitiveness in future. In some videos, I've switched it up with several different pieces. That may be the way to go as a general rule?

[@ThePetticoatedSwashbuckler]

I am IN LOVE with this video, I’ve now watched it thrice in a row! Thank you so much!

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Thrice?! Please don't blame me if that music is now stuck in your head on endless repeat for 3 weeks! LOL

[@ReinaElizondo]

This is fascinating. How do you decide how far forward on the body the shoulder and side seams are?

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Hi, Reina. The final placement of the seams is determined by the body (angles and proportions more than size), the fabric (fibre and weave will determine how it curves and drapes), the cut (how the fabric behaves on degrees of bias) and of course the fashion desired. I've been immersed in the 1760s the past six months and that definitely influenced where I placed the side seam in this demonstration! Shoulder strap placement likewise comes from a mix of all those factors, too, with precision in the fit being the most important but the other aspects definitely have their say.

[@holisticivory]

I made my first basic bodice block quite recently, following a method I found on KZbin (which showed me how to calculate my own measurements and draft them onto paper to make the block). I then made a blouse from the bodice block, adding a collar and long sleeves. It fits me very well, to my surprise, with no adjustments necessary. I haven't tried the 'shapes' method shown in the above video but it looks like a great technique to obtain a precise fit.

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Oh yes, bespoke for the win! Different methods for different times... back in the 18 century when all the value was in the fabrics, gowns were made with the intention/expectation right from the beginning that they would be altered, updated, even completely un-picked and un-made. So it made sense to make the foundation fit, then build a gown over the top of it with as little cutting as possible - hence all the pleats! I'm not sure the same draping method works so well for modern clothes - different tool for a different purpose? Draping these days tends to be for design elements, more than fit, and not so concerned with mirroring the exact contours of the body underneath the completed garment. What do you think?

[@holisticivory]

@@TimesmithDressHistory Oh, that is very interesting. I can now appreciate why eighteenth century gowns were shaped the way there were, with fitted bodices and billowing skirts, to ensure a flattering silhouette whilst also preserving, intact, the ample and generous skirting material, in anticipation of possible future recycling into new garments, as and when required. When I did my politics degree, back in the day, we briefly touched on fashion (which is politically driven, like everything else). I learned that wartime skirts (WWII) were typically pencil-shaped so as to ensure very little fabric was used in the making of them, because material was rationed along with all other rationed goods. When Norman Hartnell's 'New Look' full-skirted fashion came in, just after the war, it was a celebration of the end of rationing and women were, once again, able to be extravagant with their fabrics, hence the voluminous skirts of the nineteen-fifties.

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

@@holisticivory Oh, yes, economy in cutting was also of keen concern for mantua makers, as they didn't own the fabric and couldn't waste any!

[@allangradus1917]

Would they really waisted so much fabric in the 18th century using this moulage technique?

[@lizziejsfoulon3624]

I'm looking forward to some face-to-face classes!!

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Me, too!!

[@Rotten_Ralph]

Me three!! 💜

[@HMQOLAYRAQUEENforacause]

nice to meet u i wish you can make dress for a queen thanks

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

That's very kind. My order book is full right now but if there's anything I have already made that you wish to purchase from my shop, the link is in the video description. Thank you.

[@katherinemorelle7115]

18th C bodice block, but from draping instead of measurements. If only I had either a helper, or a dress form...

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

No doubt about it, what I've demonstrated is how a trained mantua maker would have started a project for you. It's not something you can do on yourself. But once those shapes have been cut for you by someone, it's so much easier to go make your gown! You certainly could drape a dress form, but if it's not *exactly* your body double, there's no point. And if it *is* your body double, then you can simply drape your garments, and don't need shapes cut in the first place. :)

[@Rotten_Ralph]

I’m watching, I’m seeing, I’m not comprehending what is happening in front of me. Will watch more

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Hi Darcy - it's a demo - full explanation would be a multi-day workshop - as indeed is available. Do feel free to ask questions once you've watched through to the end. 🙂

[@Rotten_Ralph]

Timesmith Dressmaking oh I watched to the end it was pretty much magical to my site... I have the American duchess book. I plan to reread the sections that discussed shapes, and watch the video again. A full workshop in person would be ideal, but in the less than ideal times I will keep trying to muddle through

[@lorisewsstuff1607]

Yes, human models are steadier on their feet. But they scream a lot louder when you stick pins in them. I really do need to get a custom mannequin so I can cut shapes that are my shape. Thanks for the video.

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

Totally agree

[@Ventura0404]

This music is irritating. Ugh. Love watching you but I can’t with the music

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

I am sorry that my choice of music irritated you. When re-launching my channel this summer, I took the decision to not have ANY background music at all in future videos. All the best.

[@Ventura0404]

@@TimesmithDressHistory Oh that sounds great we really wanna watch what you do you don’t need the background music it takes away from what you’re doing. Can’t wait