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Madeleine Vionnet book – pattern scale?

Elizard | Posted in Patterns on

I’m considering making a dress from Betty Kirkes book about Madeleine Vionnet. Does anyone know what scale the patterns are made to, or does it just vary?
I’m considering #8 or #28.
Thanks 🙂

Replies

  1. jjgg | | #1

    the book from what I've been told is not to scale, the Japanese book is much better

    1. Elizard | | #3

      Yes, that was what I thought as well, but can I at least assume that within each individual pattern they are the same scale? (or is that to much to ask for :P )

      Edited 3/19/2008 1:59 pm by Elizard

  2. BernaWeaves | | #2

    I have that book.  It's inspiring.  The author had the difficult task of having to go backwards from a garment that was already made and try and make a flat pattern out of it.  Since the garments were originally draped and hung on the bias, it was difficult to come up with an original "flat" pattern.  You will probably want to take the pattern shapes as suggestions and drape them on your own dressform.  Any fabric you choose will certainly differ from the original garment and thus hang differently on the bias.  If I remember correctly, even the designer used to hang the fabric, weighted, on the bias before draping it on the dress form.

     

    Which dress are you interested in making?  

    The early flapper dresses look much easier to make than the later ones with all the weird shaping.

    Berna

    Edited 3/19/2008 10:16 am ET by BernaWeaves

    1. Elizard | | #4

      That makes a lot of sense. I guess I should have a go at it myself.
      I mentioned earlier that I might be doing #8 or #28

      1. BernaWeaves | | #5

        Yow!  Tricky ones.  Let us know how it goes.  I'm still trying to picture how the Mobius top twists and wraps.

      2. NY2NZ | | #6

        I've photcopied a couple of those patterns from the book and from what I can tell, it looks like most of them are approximately 10-15% scale. (When I compare them to the patterns that I print out from my Pattern Designer, which are 25% scale, meaning each square is 1").

        What I am going to do is enlarge the ones I photocopied up to 25% scale and work with the 1" square grid and see what transpires (in calico first of course).

        For those two patterns, what you might consider doing, and it does involve cost, is to take the book to a printer, and see if they can enlarge them for you.   I would try 80% enlargement, which means they would have to use really large paper.

        I went to my local PrintStop (here in NZ) and I figured out that to do that, with the patterns, I'd need to have them put the patterns on A1 or A0 paper.  Offhand I'm not sure the US/Imperial equivalent size.

        edited to add this link on paper sizes:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size  (A4 is a rough equivalent to US Letter size)

        Good luck and let us know how it goes....

        Nancy

        Edited 3/22/2008 4:59 pm by NY2NZ

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