-----GENERAL GARMENT-MAKING STRATEGIES (no particular type of garment)-----

[Ian]

Go to http://rubberist.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=165
I printed out the articles by Wetseal and this in itself forms a relatively thick book on making latex clothes from basics to advanced.
Don't try something complex to start as you will need practice and will get discouraged.

[Wired]

Hi all,

Welcome tempo_tempori,

I would echo the advice offered by suzy and Ian, download and study the Wetseal guides they are excellent, within one year of reading these guides I am confident enough to call myself a pro fabricator . Putting together the tools and materials is perhaps the hardest part of making your own latex garments so try and locate vendors in your country who stock the tools required and latex sheet stockists who will sell you small amounts of latex. You can practice on these and get a feel for the process by making smaller garments like shorts and t shirts before you try a larger project such as a catsuit etc.

In the RubberDex there are comprehensive listings of worldwide vendors of sheet latex,tools and adhesives and if you find one that we arent aware of feel free to submit it for inclusion.

If you cant find what you need to know in the How To's or Library section you are welcome to post your questions as there are a plethora of experts present here at IAR who cover every aspect of the latex fetish.

Have fun with it and let us know how you get on,
Regards,
Wired.

[tempo_tempori]

suzylatex, Ian, Wired, thank you very much for your kind replies.
I guess it is a learning process, so I'll have to invest some relevant text in my brain, prior to proclaiming triumph of mind over matter (in this case - latex matter :-) ) !
Once again, thank you for all the suggestions!

[Steffy]

Hi,
Joels (wetseal) methods were excellent. I was priviledged to have known wetseal personally and we discussed ways and means of latex assembly a fair amount. I have reached a conclusion which might put the method in perspective for you all.

If you can make the three dimensional item work and fit in PAPER then the latex will take care of the rest. Since paper is basicly TWO dimensional with no stretch, you should be able to configure it to give you the basic shape. Joints and critical dimentions just need to be observed. I tend to think the way a panel beater does and make the parts so that they can be stretched into three dimentions after the flat pieces fit at the joints. Paper is cheap so you can try many different configurations of part until you are satisfied that it will work for you.

Another method you might want to consider is to buy some cheap fabric and sew up a "dummy" garment to use for pattern development. You can put this on and alter things until you are happy with the look and fit, then take it appart to give you the patterns for the latex parts. Once you know that the patterns are "right", the rest is just wrestling with the latex to get your seams joined nicely.

STEFFY :ca:

[freespirit]

Hi Steffy you have a lot of experience , has anyone tried using cling film to make patterns ? A covering of cling film should be the perfect fit , the proposed seam line could be marked with a felt tip pen then the film carefully cut off along the seam lines . Any bumps on the film would indicate that a dart or addition was required . An allowace for joints would have to be considered . Any thoughts on this idea ?

[Blackice]

Hi Steffy you have a lot of experience , has anyone tried using cling film to make patterns ? A covering of cling film should be the perfect fit , the proposed seam line could be marked with a felt tip pen then the film carefully cut off along the seam lines . Any bumps on the film would indicate that a dart or addition was required . An allowace for joints would have to be considered . Any thoughts on this idea ?

I'm still trying to sort footwear and I thought of doing that technique and then taking cm's off in the right places for tigher fit.

I have a basic flat soled shoe - no idea of name - and then will wrap leg to knee on clingfilm, mark connection area and then cut it off.

M

[Steffy]

Never thought of trying that idea. You could go one step further and cover the shrink wrap with a strong tape. Anything along these ideas should work to provide you with the three dimensional information you need.
STEFFY :ca:

[Claustrophilia]

Cling wrap might work but you would need many layers and it would be hard to get it not to bunch up in places....otherwise it would stretch and make your measurements useless.

Check out this page on making a model of yourself using only tape and plastic wrap (and stuffing)....actually they use a T-shirt as the underlayer in this site, but no matter....as long as something keeps the duct tape from touching your skin directly. Since I made a model of (parts of) myself with this method it has been much easier to make paper patterns and measurements without being a contortionist. Plus it was fun in our own special way since I may have put on the tape a little tight .

[Gord]

Never thought of trying that idea. You could go one step further and cover the shrink wrap with a strong tape. Anything along these ideas should work to provide you with the three dimensional information you need.
STEFFY :ca:

Hmmm, so what would then be involved in reducing the sliced 3-D model to a flat paper pattern?
Gord.

[Wired]

Hi all,

Hmmm, so what would then be involved in reducing the sliced 3-D model to a flat paper pattern?
Gord.

I've used this method, the credit for which originally rests with Glaftex - using cling film/saran wrap and duct tape to produce the patterns stocking/catsuit feet.I would just go with one layer of film, secured at the edges with sellotape. Then cover the area with silver duct tape this will stop the film stretching and give you a true next to skin measurement when you come to trace it out, again using as little tape as possible. Then draw on the seam lines with a permanent marker. Use blunt ended scissors (be careful not to cut yourself) to cut down the seam lines. Get some thickish paper and lay out your duct tape 3D pattern as flat as you can. You can also use masking tape to secure the edges to your pattern paper to make them flatter then trace around the edges. When tracing round curved edges you'll find that the pattern wont want to lay flat even with tape so a certain amount of artistic license will be required here. Just try to stay as faithful to the curve as possible. It may take a couple of goes before you get it right but it's possible to make a pattern of intricate body parts like feet for example fairly easily.

Regards,
Wired.