Draping Mallard

First off, take a moment to embrace this colour. It is the most gorgeous green and I cannot wait to see what it would look like under the stage lights.

However apart from the colour this leotard is all about draping. If you have never draped before ..... hmm.... all I can say is it's definitely a labour intense experience.

As you will see I've gone for one side with draping and the other side predominately flat.

To create this look I completed the draping with three different mesh size cut outs.

-The largest cut out does the whole front, including the flatter section.

-Where the middle size cut out only functions to form part of the skirt. Seen a little at the front and then continues towards the step at the back.

-However the smallest segment is at the front, just where the top lace meets the black mesh in the middle.

Technique wise to create "the drape" you are going to need lots and lots of pins! I definitely suggest to pin every fold and then it is up to you to make the decision either to hand sew or to machine sew the segments into to place.

However in all honesty I prefer to hand sew, especially in the folds.

For example the small section in the middle near the black mesh, I have actually sewn down points with an extend thread. This decreases the amount of movement, but doesn't put a complete stop to it.

Adding the lace is also a help for this draping. As this drape is broken into three segments the lace is use to hide where the different part intersect. Thus giving the appearance that it is all one.