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History of Dressmaking and Tailoring

The document discusses the history of dressmaking and tailoring tools and techniques. It traces the evolution of needles, scissors, buttons and other tools from early versions using bones and animal skins to modern steel implements. Patternmaking evolved from simple rectangles to tailored designs for different garments. Tailors and garment producers specialized in certain areas over time. Key developments included the rounded patterns of the 1800s still used today and the addition of the gusset to address tightness in clothing.

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391 views2 pages

History of Dressmaking and Tailoring

The document discusses the history of dressmaking and tailoring tools and techniques. It traces the evolution of needles, scissors, buttons and other tools from early versions using bones and animal skins to modern steel implements. Patternmaking evolved from simple rectangles to tailored designs for different garments. Tailors and garment producers specialized in certain areas over time. Key developments included the rounded patterns of the 1800s still used today and the addition of the gusset to address tightness in clothing.

Uploaded by

Deadly Mamba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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History of Dressmaking and Tailoring

It is important, but complex to understand the creation


and evolution of tools, patternmaking, and dressmaking, but
that is what this writing explains. With the use of the first
mediums- first animal skins, then fabrics, it is interesting to note
that skins began as a rectangle. The first piece of the puzzle
comes from the needle which allowed tailoring as well as the
ability to join together. The needle and thread is the reason we
can have more than just draped garments. A needle began as a
bone, then evolved to steel, but hardly changes in shape or
function. Scissors are also an important tool, and it says that
some master tailors hold the act so highly that they bless
themselves before cutting. Scissors began as knives held
together by springs and measurements were taken with hand
width and arm width and then kept for future purposes by
marking that measurement on a string. Another item was the
button. They could serve a functional or decorational purpose
from the beginning. More of any material, skin, fur, or fabric the
has always come with a higher price. Having “draped”
generously fabric on your clothing always presents as more
affluent because of this fact. And although this fact might not be
true so much anymore, there are additions like layers and the
fact of many more than the necessary amount of garments in
one persons closet. The gusset, a square insertion of fabric, was
in response to the tightness in the arm and shoulder. Two key
people that evolved in this industry were tailors and garment
producers. Tailors started as people who mended ripped
materials, and the garment producers always had their
specialties in certain areas, never just general for all types. They
did find hardship, when their trade was hardly considered a
profession, yet the designers were highly respected for their
“art” but would never know how to actually sew a button. There
were two different designers for men and women, and patterns
were only to be distributed down inside of the family. In the
1800’s, patterns became rounded, which is still in use today.
Calico talks about the evolution of making a garment. He says
that drawings are the most important, and then there are fabric
swatches, a muslin sample, which turns into the actual fabric
sample, and then there is retouching and finishing until the
garment is perfect. It is also key to remember that a tailor needs
to know the human anatomy, and the client, and know how to
enhance the good and down play the bad. They must use a 2D
medium in order to cover a 3D body, and know how to use any
given fabric, and that is the simple job of the tailor, although not
simple at all.

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