This is the first of three videos about creating a leather pattern for a pair of gloves. I have divided the process into three parts and I describe in detail how I create my glove patterns. This video covers the trank, this is the bit that covers most of your hand. The second video creates the thumb piece and the third video looks at creating the fourchette, the bit that goes down between the sides of the fingers. The videos will be released weekly.
This is not a quick process. It is really important to take accurate measurements and take the time to draft your pattern. Whether you are making a pair of gloves for yourself or for a friend I would always advise making a mock up of the gloves to check for fit first. Always take the measurements yourself whenever possible. I would also advise using a leather that is similar to that you plan to use on the gloves. I like using lamb nappa for my gloves.
Note for when you reach 17min and 55seconds in the video: I mention 0.65cm and I forgot to explain how I reached that measurement. I am very sorry about this. My index finger has a depth of 1.3cm, half of which is 0.65cm. The 0.65cm is then added on so that when the pattern as opened out the depth will be 1.3cm against the index finger. (The glove folds around the finger at the trank. At 17min 55secs, if you look at the paper pattern you will see I've drawn an extra line to the left of the index finger and made a mark with an additional vertical line by my fifth finger. As there is no fourchette on the outer index or fifth finger we need to accommodate the depth of the finger within the pattern and then distribute the remaining excess as explained in the video. Once I started to work out how to distribute the excess I wanted to add an allowance that balanced the pattern adding a similar allowance to all fingers, so added the same figure to the fifth finger too.
If you have larger hands you may find it helpful to add additional length to the fingers to accommodate the depth of the finger. For example, when I reviewed my mock up pair and pattern this was an additional 0.6cm to my middle and fourth finger. When drafting your pattern make sure you push right down into the base of the finger webbing as this can also affect the length of the finger. For example, if too shallow when drafting, the finger will feel too short. I did end up moving the base of my fingers down a few millimetres when I reviewed the pattern too. (You can always trim an excess when fitting and making the glove, but can't you add it on).
After creating the pattern, the next set of videos will focus on how to cut out and construct the gloves by hand stitching them together. I will show you my tips and tricks to make the construction easier.
Thank you for watching. I run online and face to face glove making workshops, details on my website thesmartstitcher.co.uk
Happy pattern drafting.
28 сен 2021
