THE WEIGHT CHARACTERISTIC SCALE

METHOD

The fabrics used in the book were weighed (20 cm square) on an accurate Tanita Cal-Q-scale calculated to 0.1 gm.

Thickness

Fabric thickness is so variable each fabric has to be judged individually. Fabrics that appear thick can be highly compressible, other fabrics have uneven thickness that may be unevenly distributed. Very close fitting garments will require extra case allowances unless the fabric has stretch and recovery qualities. Most thick garments are adapted from the easy fitting blocks. Particular pattern cutting techniques have to be used where there is gathered of pleated fullness to reduce the bulk. Thick fabrics with low-draped and low-shear characteristics can give exaggerated and stable geometric outlines. Extravagant but soft shapes can be achieved with thick fabrics and high-drape qualities.

Fabric thickness is extremely difficult to measure. Technical laboratories measure it under pressure and it is recorded with a ‘load; reference. This is fine if you are comparing small changes in fabrics of an even structure, but pressure is hardly relevant when comparing fabrics with very textured or uneven woven or knitted structures for pattern development purposes. A method of assessing the fabric visually was devised. If the thickness is variable because the surface is very uneven, a measurement records both the thinnest and thickest points (e. g. ¼).