Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Posts: 89Title says it all. Pattern testing is a seemingly endless cycle for me, I started wondering how other artists feel about it. I'm about to start version 4 of a pattern, and I feel like I can't see the end of the road at all, hahaha.
desertmountainbearI have done very little pattern testing over the years. I make the bear of fur. I take notes as to what I would like to change next bear. That has been the best way for me to work. Bears in the fur look very different from bears made of plain fabric.
Posts: 89Have you kept track of how your patterns have changed over the years? That would be really interesting to see. (I'm a big fan of your work by the way and the tutorials on your blog have been an invaluable resource, thank you so much for making them)
I'm a ludicrous perfectionist and reluctant to commit my designs to good fabric until they're PERFECT, which as you can imagine, never happens. BUT I've finally found something of a happy medium, I recently got some upholstery velvet samples that have the right backing and behave beautifully, but aren't quite as nice as Sassy fabric or mohair, ect. That makes it a lot easier to shrug off things that don't turn out exactly how I wanted.
Yeah, the difference between fur and plain fabric has definitely pattern testing a bit difficult (or unreliable at least). I've been making my pattern tests out of muslin or felt, which leads to a totally different silhouette. I'm getting tempted to try making pattern tests from cheap faux fur, but that stuff is usually has a knit backing rather than woven. I want to develop a lion pattern and I can't see any other way to work out the mane. Maybe I can back it with muslin to reduce the stretch?
desertmountainbearI have all the patterns as they have changed over the years. I used to make major changes, and draft a whole new pattern. I keep them in an envelope with the bears name on it. Once I had it pretty much figured out, I just changed one or two pieces and take the old pieces out. I still do that. I usually change something with just about every bear I cut.
All of the faux fur I use has the woven back, but some of it is looser than others. I use Solvy, it is a water soluble stabilizer. If you follow the directions it tells you how to dissolve the sheet in water and then you can paint it on the back of the fabric. I have given the looser woven fabrics a couple of coats of this stuff letting the first dry and then doing another. It helps a lot with the give and the stretch.
Thank you for the comments on my bears and my blog. I am glad it could be of help to you.
Posts: 89Oh thank you, that's a great tip!
