Fortuny 2.0: the cutting

I could cut the tension with a pair of scissors but held off because you did can’t undo a cut.

Last week I lost a good bit of length in the pleating process, shrinking my 8 yards to around 6 1/2. After a week of letting the fabric “relax” it stretched(?) back out to a final length of 7 yards, 11 inches.
blue pleated fabric draped over a dress form

So Sunday I spent about 2 hours draping it on my dress form (calibrated to my height and dimensions) to see if I had enough for 4 lengths. In the end, I had just enough. I maybe could have done it with a bit less than 7 yards but I want the dress to be long enough to flute out over my feet the way you see in some displays.

Each length is roughly 1 yard, 29 inches. I can only estimate because the pleating gives the fabric a “springy” quality that also makes it difficult to mark and cut it perfectly straight across. Good thing I have a little extra length to work with!

Next week: the assembly (or the start of it).

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Allison Thurman

Raised on a diet of Star Wars, Monty Python, and In Search Of, Allison Thurman has always made stuff, lately out of words. She lives in a galaxy far, far away (well, the DC metro area) with too many books and not enough swords.

One thought on “Fortuny 2.0: the cutting”

  1. All those lovely pleats and crinkles … so pretty! And very glad that letting the fabric relax for a bit gave you more yardage to play with. Honestly, this had the same suspense as awaiting somebody cutting steeks for the first time! (an action that is simultaneously magical and terrifying; one’s second and all other after steeks are just blasé)

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