When the pattern pieces for a jacket or a pair of shorts are cut out, the spaces between the pattern pieces leave behind shapes of their own. I design garments from those shapes.
In mass production, several layers of fabric can be cut at once. Each gap in the layout produces a stack of matching offcuts. Before cutting begins, I can look at the layout, measure the shapes, and calculate how many pieces the production run will yield. Then I work out how many panels I need to make another garment.
The construction draws on traditional panel skirts and dresses. Sewn edge to edge, the pieces can form a cylinder or a truncated cone, depending on their shape. The layout for the first garment gives me the panels for the next one.
I made the dresses shown here from fabric I pulled out of a dumpster in New York City. The offcuts were still in stacks of identical pieces. In the jacket layout, you can see where those panels came from: the space between the jacket front and the undersleeve.
I teach fashion designers how to work with these shapes during pattern layout, while there’s still time to plan what to make from them. I’m available for online consultations, in-person studio sessions, and factory visits. Fees are negotiable. To discuss a project or arrange a session, email lockwoodartist@gmail.com.
Faculty Art Exhibit · Creating with Pattern Layout Waste Fabrics
The exhibition shows how the shapes left between pattern pieces can become the starting point for another garment.