Pattern Magic - creative pattern making

[gius]

These first few posts will be about the book by Tomoko Nakamichi called Pattern Magic
but feel free to post about other books/sites/etc that speak about creative pattern making !

description by sew-mad on flickr

unusual ways to cut a pattern apart, insert pieces and to alter patterns to a one of a kind look.

--

the new edition
Volume 2

amazon.com

 

[gius]

some snapshots of Vol 2
from designerslibrary

 

[gius]

some more from the two books..

 

[gius]

i wanted to add this for comparison
by Marni

credits to sew-mad on flickr,
designerslibrary, amazon, style.com

 

[daniellat]

it is a very cool book gius! ive been working lately with a sleeve pattern i found on vintagesewing.info

this website has a lot of cool vintage patterns, back from the 1800s to the 1950`s
id like to do a variation of this...but seems a lil complicated

 

[Hanne]

This thread made me think of Helena Hörstedt

 

[Feline]

Patterns are just the start of loads of fun. Mixing flat patterns with working on a stand is really good. You have to think in 3d (well, I do cause I'm not good at maths & how I do it) and use your imagination

 

[educo]

I have the first book. I'm going to get the 2nd one, but I really need someone to translate it for me!! Or does anyone have a really good, FREE online translation website for japanese?

 

[MUXU]

helena horstedt's work remind me of this book more
i flipped through it and it was great. cant find any pictures though

amazon

 

[gius]

that's a really awesome book, muxu

educo i think http://babelfish.altavista.com does a translation
and also you could try Shodouka and NJStar
http://mason.gmu.edu/~aross2/japanese.htm
it's been a while since i used these programs, so i can't remember exactly how each works
but if you can read japanese, you type in the letters into the dictionary (Jim Breen's online). are there tiny letters on top of the 'chinese' characters? it's easy to put those in the translator since the alphabet is not too many... but those chinese characters are like 10,000 or something in the alphabet so it would be nice if you could scan the book and it would recognise an odd character...

hanne i was just checking horstedt's work thank you for the link
the only thing i feel about hers is exactly like that book muxu posted...
like they are manipulated fabrics and then "applied" on top of a dress
but the works in the pattern magic and in the marni dress are completely one with the dress... cut in a way that it is formed with the same fabric
in a sense, it feels less "surface decoration" for me and maybe more sculptural...

daniellat that's such a great resource thanks
i will be looking through those little by little

 

[gius]

by the way educo is the second book harder to understand by the pictures??
you really need the text?
or maybe some of the text...

 

[dior_couture1245]

I ordered both books and they are fantastic...so inspiring.

What's interesting, is that when you first flip through it, it is extremely daunting...but after staring at the diagrams and pictures for days, many of the patterns began to make sense. I've made several pieces already just with some bleached muslin to practice...I can't wait to incorporate many of these techniques into my own designs!

 

[xing]

^ that makes sense.But I was wondering, if erm... i'm not as talented and have never sewn a single piece in my life, will I understand? also, if it technically difficult or is understanding the patterns the hardest part?

 

[educo]

by the way educo is the second book harder to understand by the pictures??
you really need the text?
or maybe some of the text...

I haven't purchased the second book yet, it's on my birthday list..so I wouldn't know. But I heard the second book is a lot more interesting/complex than the first one so we'll have to wait and see.

I WISH I could scan the book, copy and paste and it automatically translates, why don't those computer geniuses address this problem, lol??

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^The second book is much more technically challenging.

^ that makes sense.But I was wondering, if erm... i'm not as talented and have never sewn a single piece in my life, will I understand? also, if it technically difficult or is understanding the patterns the hardest part?

Understanding the pattern is the hardest part, really...because all the patterns are based off of simple (really simple) blocks. So once you figure out how they've manipulated the simple block into the new pattern, it makes sense and all of a sudden it becomes incredibly easy (for many of them, at least)!

 

[xing]

^thanks. i'll try my local kino and see what comes out of it.

i really do like helena horstedt's work. are there any other patterns making book(for origami/serious drapery typed patterns) out there. I'm on say absolute dummy level.

 

[gius]

Julian & Sophie's -School of subtraction cutting

Here is something else...
from the U.K.

Experimental pattern making ideas/instructions by Julian Roberts

The site gives you the basic theory of pattern making
and experiments to try out yourself
http://www.blowpr.co.uk/JULIANandSOPHIEsite/school/bananamilkshake.htm

more info on the persons behind it
if you click Julian Roberts name at the top of this post

attached is the theory|

 

[gius]

Here is the page (7) of "The Basics"

the summary|
check the site for pg.8 introducing the techniques

 

[gius]

the techniques & samples

links
1. Tunnel Technique
2. Plug Technique
3. Displacement Technique

samples
Eliza Wheeler | Emily Parsons |
Monika Spahl | Vanessa Rolf | Yujin Jung |

attached are work using the techniques from students
@ the Royal College of Art in London

 

[secretforest]

thanks for all you have posted gius!