Fabric finder

Sarah Codlin’s face lights up when she talks about her love of fabric. “I look at it and it speaks to me. It’s all about the possibilities.” Living in Picton generally means traveling to find fabric. When she was young, a family trip to Nelson necessitated an expedition to Spotlight. Now she’s more likely to go to Auckland to find what she wants for her Stray Birds garments. “I need to see the colours in real life. I’m extremely picky so I need to feel the fabric, to see how it falls and how it feels on my skin. Would I like to wear it? Is it breathable? I need to get a true sense of it, also to get an idea of how it’s going to make up into a garment.” Once these fabrics are chosen – natural fibres wherever possible – Sarah sketches her designs on paper, then uses a variety of pattern- drafting techniques, depending on the garment’s design. This includes a Japanese technique called Shingo Sato, which is a way to convert conventional darts into free- flowing artistic panels that give the appearance of no rigid construction. Sarah also might mix conventional patterndrafting with draping: after pattern drafting, she makes a prototype and makes further adjustments on the mannequin to achieve the most flattering cut. Final design touches include full silk linings and French seams.