A Pattern Cutting Revolution

The pattern makers craft – take a flat piece of fabric and turn it into a three dimensional piece of clothing that fits and flatters the customer and honors the designers inspiration – then make it successfully from size 6 to size 26 – how difficult can that be?

A great deal easier, quicker and more accurate thanks to Anastasia Vouyouka and her Telestia method. Developed over the past 30 years from pioneering work by her couture dressmaker mother it incorporates real old-school dressmaking skills of good fit and garment construction (which we’re in grave danger of losing in today’s world of Lycra) with up-to the-minute tools and technology.

Last week at Fashion Enter Anastasia and her team of uber dressmakers and pattern cutters wowed course students with the speed and precision that could be achieved in both drafting and grading using the Telestia methodology and tools.

Students created blocks for all kinds of garments from simple T-shirts to close fitting bodices and elegant trousers and skirts and then developed them into a multitude of styles by hand and using Telestia’s CAD system. The patterns created hung beautifully on the body and fitted perfectly – first time!

Students with Anastasia’s team

Anastasia talks about how she introduced the e-Telestia system to the group…

“Firstly I tried to make the group forget the process of copying completely irrelevant patterns in their practice. I suggested that they open their minds to the fact that people are individuals that should be respected and catered for as individuals in their dressing needs.”

“I then showed them that the technology can and should respect these needs. Our simple methodology the Telestia that we have developed throughout tens of years, respects both art and craft skills, but also the technology that is readily available today. The intensive crash course covered subjects like the issue of personal and industrial sizing, basic fitting blocks, accurate technical design specs for both designers and pattern technologists for accurate style interpretation, and finally grading -another long-suffering area which hampers accurate fitting styles.”

“I have learned more in 5 days than I have in 5 years of education and 20 years of practice.”

Nicola Ridd-Davies comments on her experience of the course:

“In order to communicate effectively it helps to speak the same language. Telestia provides for the Fashion Industry a coherent, accurate, proven pattern making and design methodology, which allows an articulate dialogue between the designer and the pattern cutter. Telestia is the result of a century of research and development into perfect fit and balance and is available in many mediums, including books, CAD, online courses and taught courses.

“When the results of the Telestia way begin to be recognised by industry, academia and the consumer, ‘The Revolution’ will happen without effort. It was an absolute honour and a privilege to be part of this. I’ve met incredible people, made solid friendships and learned more in 5 days than I have in 5 years of education and 20 years of practice.”

“Telestia feels like a long overdue wake-up call to the fashion industry, once experienced, never forgotten.”

Paul Markevicius adds:

“A wonderfully succinct introduction to possibly the best defined and created methodology for making garments ever produced. Telestia’s exacting standards, clear to see but easily and intuitively adopted, stem from the originator, Anastasia’s own lifelong dedication to creating a ‘teaching-based’ methodology for pattern design and combines the collective knowledge of numerous global industry specialists (including her own mother’s couture skills!) Telestia feels like a long overdue wake-up call to the fashion industry, once experienced, never forgotten. It comprises a set of tools, based on a far superior methodology that can redress the slavish perpetuation of ill-fitting, inferior garment production from inadequate blocks, based on an approximation to designs that bear little relation to them – or worse still the individual, whose actual measurements are never fully taken into account within the creation of the block in the first place. Elementary, fundamental and yet revolutionary in its far-reaching benefits.

“Telestia, for all its exquisitely intelligent applied thinking to the pattern making process, is non-elitist and remarkably easy to adopt. Using it demonstrated process step by process step, how even the most experienced pattern cutters can benefit from seeing ‘professional work-arounds’ rendered unnecessary and ultimately inadequate by a methodology that can be tracked back, every single time, to show precisely why and how the best results can be achieved without exception. Telestia is so cleverly thought through that it can teach the complete beginner professional standards from the very first use of the genius-engineered template tools without them feeling daunted or inadequately prepared. In fact, they have only good habits to learn by starting with Telestia – not old ones to unlearn!” 

Alice Prier, a Senior pattern cutter was also enthused by the teaching she said:

“I’ve bought several kits from Anastasia to use with my evening class home dressmaker students, some of whom are very skilled dressmakers – which will also give me a chance to practice!

Ill fitting clothes be gone – designers, pattern drafters and graders let’s get back to creating garments with a real understanding of the body beneath. Our customers will love us for it!”

 

Fashion Enter will be holding more Perfect Pattern Cutting courses from Levels 1 – 5 incorporating the Telestia system at their new Fashion Technology Academy opening in January 2015.

To reserve a place or to find out more please contact: education@fashioncapital.co.uk