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Folds can seem complicated, but they are always combinations of simpler parts. A piece of cloth that has been folded once is a simple fold. If a simple fold is folded a second time, so that it is now a fold of a fold, it is called a compound fold. Combinations of simple and compound folds are called complex folds. In clothing, similar patterns of folds always occur in similar circumstances. Folds never have to be mathematically perfect; they just have to look reasonable and attractive.
The size, number and angularity of the folds will vary depending on the type of material used, but the rules governing how folds form are universal. There are standard folds that occur in any material subjected to the same forces. But when drawing different types of fabric, the standard folds have to be modified. For instance, gravity will cause thinner fabrics to droop more than thicker fabrics will. Stretchier fabrics will stay close to the body and have smoother, more rounded folds. Stiffer fabrics will resist folding and form larger, more angular folds. An analogy can be made to human anatomy: we all have a very similar structure, but each of us has unique proportions that create the wide variety in peopleās appearance.
Cloth retains its surface area whether it is pulled flat or is bunched into folds. As compression moves the edges of cloth closer to each other, the āfootprintā of the cloth is made smaller, but the total area of the actual cloth does not change; it simply becomes subdivided into the various surfaces of the folds that have formed.
All folds are combinations of smooth curves, flat planes and sharp direction changes. In any single small area of cloth (or leather, paper, foil or plastic) there are only a few things that a piece of material can do. The default state of an area of fabric is to lie in a plane, which is how it was woven or knitted.
Compression causes folds to form. There is even compression, where two areas of cloth are pushed straight towards each there. There is also uneven compression, in which two areas of cloth are pushed towards each other as they follow an arc centered on a nearby point in the cloth. And it is also possible to have compression in more than one direction at the same time, where even or uneven compression is occurring in two different directions, and this creates more complicated folds.
Folding a piece of cloth over onto itself creates a fold. When clothing is worn, it isnāt usually such intentional folding that creates folds: folds in clothing are normally caused by gravity and the actions of the figure.
Planes, Cylinders and Cones
Any pliable material can be draped to lie perfectly smoothly over only three solid shapes: flat surfaces, cylinders and cones (Figure 1.1). Cloth adopts the shape of the shape it is on: it can lie flat in a plane, or be cylindrical or conical. Examples are a carpet lying on the floor, paper towels on a paper tube, and a napkin wrapped around an ice cream cone.
A flat surface is not necessary for cloth to flatten: all that is necessary is that it be pulled evenly from all four sides. If two areas of a piece of cloth are pushed evenly towards each other, the cloth begins to arch into a cylindrical shape. But if two areas of cloth are pushed towards each other using uneven pressure, the cloth will begin to arch into the shape of a cone.
The terms cylinder and cone are used here with the broad definition that is sometimes employed to include cylinders and cones that are partly flattened or opened on one side. You can easily roll a cylinder or cone from a sheet of paper to prove to yourself that they can be slightly flattened without losing their smoothness and lack of additional folds.
These are the only two families of folds: those based on cylinders and those based on cones. The folds that are related to cylinders are parallel folds, and the folds related to cones are radial folds. In clothing folds usually occur in groups with members of both families interlocking with each other.
Parallel Folds
Parallel folds are created by compression resulting from even pressure. Their shape resembles a cylinder, and they are called parallel folds because the straight lines that run along their length are parallel to each other. They do not usually form a complete cylinder. An important characteristic of every parallel fold is that it stays the same size along its length. Often two or more parallel folds are also parallel to each other, for instance when they form an S-shaped curve. Any part of an article of clothing that lies over a cylindrical form (such as a thigh) can lie very smoothly.
Radial Folds
Radial folds are created by compression caused by uneven pressure. Their shape resembles a cone, and they are called radial folds because the straight lines that run along their length all radiate from the same point of origin. They donāt usually form a complete cone. Radial folds start at their tips from nothing and grow higher and wider along their length.
Compound Folds
Any parallel or radial fold can become a compound fold if it is folded a second time. A fold starts as a simple or first-order fold. If an existing simple fold is folded onto itself, then a second-order or compound fold is created. In other words, a compound fold is a fold of a fold. The actions of the figure often force folds in clothing to fold a second time. At the edge of the second fold there will be a sharp direction change, so a compound fold has a ācornerā to it that a first-order single fold does not have. The indentation at the corner is called the eye of the fold, and makes compound folds easy to recognize (Figure 1.2).
