Creating a fashion silhouette with handwoven cloth. (Homestead crafts).

SUSAN LILLY
THE WEAVING ROOM
3733 SE 35TH PLACE
PORTLAND, OR 97202

One of the joys of home weaving is the creation of simple, fashionable outerwear for family and friends. For thousands of years weavers have produced simple, functional garments made from cloth straight from the loom. We live again in a time in which this simplicity of cut and construction in outerwear is appreciated. Thus it is easy to copy the lines of loose-fitting, contemporary clothing. The following is a guide to this process.

1. Find a loose-fitting commercially produced garment that fits you well, and lay it out flat (Fig. 1). Take stock of these critical measurements:

A. The distance from the shoulder to the underarm (M-L, at least 12").

B. The sleeve opening width (M-L, at least 5").

C. The chest measurement.

D. The length.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Simplify the lines, and put in seams to accommodate the width of your fabric. Keep the silhouette of the commercial garment, but completely redefine construction. The sleeve underarm must join the body with more than a 90[degrees] angle or have a small curve at the underarm if the sleeve is to lie flat when you wear it. This curve takes the place of the ancient gusset. We have removed the sleeve cap, so we put the fullness back under the arm (Fig. 2).

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

2. Block out and draw up your ideas on graph paper.

3. Create a paper pattern, using both loom-width and garment shape as your guides. Add half-inch seam allowances around each pattern piece. One-eighth inch will come off with the serger, and you will use three-eighths inch seam allowances in construction. Be sure to take full advantage of selvages as finished edges, and as outside topstitched seam treatments. Inside the garment, the serging will look like embroidery. Use a four-thread serger, with the stitches set close, and as wide as possible.

4. Using the paper pattern, construct a garment out of muslin, checking it for fit and drape. Make necessary changes in the muslin, and change the paper pattern as needed.

5. Lay out the handwoven fabric in a single layer, and pin the paper pattern to the handwoven fabric. Cut, serge, press and assemble as instructed.

General notes on sizing

Since there are no means of standard sizing in our garment industry, it is best to stay with the general and forgiving categories of small, medium, and large. I have culled these generalities from a number of catalogs, and I advise that you add generous ease to each garment. For a vest or light jacket, add 4"-6" more than the chest measurement. For a coat that will go over a sweater, add 8" or more. For a long coat that goes past the hips, add 10" or more. For handwovens, you want a roomy fit. The drape of the cloth is its greatest attribute, and one which will do much of the fitting over the human body for you.

Size     Chest    Sleeve length
Small    33-35"       29"
Medium   36-38"       30"
Large    38-40"       32"

Length of a garment is often determined by fashion, so keep an eye on what is going on at the time of your design. Measure from the shoulder to the hem. The lengths that are common in the early 21st Century are:

1. 22" for a cropped jacket

2. 24" for a day jacket

3. 30" for a stadium coat

4. 47-50" for a long coat

General construction rules

The rules are general and are made to be broken, once in a while. They highlight techniques that do not work well for the non-tailor. I went to fashion shows and saw what did not work for handweavers and designed it out!

1. No darts

2. No interfacings

3. No buttonholes

4. No sleeve caps

5. No hand sewing

6. No padding 

7. No linings

8. No kidding!

General notes on fabric widths

The wrist to wrist measurement for the average person is 60". Therefore, the fabric widths that work the best for this method of construction for the average person, are the twenty inch, and the thirty inch. A small person will have a 58" wrist-to-wrist measurement, and a large will be 64". Take your own wrist-to-wrist measurement to determine the best fabric width for your work.

Twenty-inch panels can be placed side by side to build the body and sleeves of the garment. The side panels are sized to accommodate the chest width plus ease (Fig. 3).

[FIGURE 3 OMITTED]

With a 30-inch panel, one can create an ample body for a kimono, with the sleeves made out of two half-widths. The appropriate fullness of the sleeves can be determined by a fitting in the muslin stage. The sleeves are fuller in this long coat than in the stadium length jacket. This is in keeping with the proportions of the garments. A 15-inch wide panel will also work for this design (Fig. 4).

[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]

The 24-inch panel is good for a medium-sized jacket body. Raglan sleeves work well with this fabric width. For a wider chest, add side panels and change the angle of the sleeve seam (Fig. 5).

[FIGURE 5 OMITTED]

Everything that I have outlined here can be manipulated with creative piecing. Bands of contrasting fabric can be pieced to sleeve caps or cuffs to get the appropriate sleeve length. Side panels can be added or widened.

With a 24" loom, one that can fit comfortably into the corner of a room, you can weave fabric for most designs. A 24" loom will yield 20" fabric. A 36" loom will yield 30" fabric. You can even make the patterns that call for a 30" panel by sewing together two 15" panels, or the 24" panel with two 12" panels. There will be a light, almost invisible seam down the back of the garment.

Weave in colors that are favorites, colors that are in style, with a studied understatement so that the garments do not overpower their wearers. Weave with the idea that you are creating someone's favorite jacket. It is the jacket that one can proudly wear with anything, and anywhere. It will have a touch of style, with a timeless beauty.

The process described here has been the basis of 12 patterns that I have created and then combined into a book, Clothing Patterns from the Weaving Room. Pictures of garments made from these patterns are on my web site at www.weavingroom.com.

Best wishes to you in your journey of design and discovery.

Susan received her Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Theatre, Clothing and Textiles, and Art) from Oregon State University. She was a Costume Designer and taught Costume History and Costume Design at Willamette University for eight years. Before that, she worked in the film and television industry in Los Angeles as a costumer.