The Taping Technique

The taping technique can be used to create personalized patterns for fitted garments. This technique is especially handy when making bodices or footwear.

Materials

To perform a taping you will need the following...

• the person to be taped (this is *not* something you want to do to yourself)
• duct tape
• t-shirt (one that you don't mind cutting up)
• craft scissors
• rubbing alchohol & rag (to clean the tape guck off the scissors)
• permanent markers
• clear plastic sheeting
• pins

How To Proceed

First off you should have a basic idea of how you want the garment to look. Have the hearty soul who's going to be taped put on the t-shirt with nothing on underneath. Be sure the t-shirt is big enough to cover the entire area that the finished garment would.

Begin placing strips of duct tape on the person, using the t-shirt as the base. Yes, it's that simple. Wrap them in strips of tape until the "tape suit" is the shape of the garment you want. Be sure to cover more than just what you think will be the garment area with tape, you'll need the extra coverage when figuring out where exactly to put the pattern lines.

Get out your permanent markers and draw the lines for the pattern pieces on the tape suit. Remember that fabric doesn't mould to the body the way tape does, so judge carefully where you put your seam lines. Once the pattern is drawn, you can then cut the person out of the taping. If you're doing a torso taping, I suggest just cutting along the back seam. If your pattern is symetrical, then discard one half of the the taping and use the half that looked the best to create the pattern pieces. Cut out each tape piece using the lines you drew.

To create the pattern pieces lay out the clear plastic sheeting and pin it down so it will stay in place. Then lay out each tape piece and pin it to the plastic. The tape pieces should be squished down flat, but not stretched. Trace the tape pieces with permanent markers on the plastic, and don't forget to add seam allowances and label each piece. Cut out the pattern pieces from the plastic and you're finished making a custom fitted pattern.

Now, keep in mind that this is a technique that takes practice. Chances are the first taping you do will turn out to be a huge disaster. The only way to learn to do it right is to see where you went wrong the last time and use that knowledge to make your next attempt better.