Merchant & Mills Gyo--Spatial Relations Problem

July 17, 2019 5:47 PM

I'm rather confused by this cutting layout for the Merchant and Mills Gyo dress pattern which seems to contradict the labels on the pattern pieces and the dire warning not to cut the pieces out of the proper orientation. Pictures and more details inside.

The instructions say quite sternly: It is very important to follow the cutting diagrams carefully especially with regard to the instruction on the pattern pieces: RSU (rightside of the fabric uppermost) and WSU (wrongside of the fabric uppermost).

Both pattern piece 1 and pattern piece 2 (the front and back of the dress) are cut flat on unfolded fabric and are marked RIGHT SIDE UP. According to the instruction, this means face up (presumably) on the right side of the fabric (per the instruction).

The cutting layout diagram, however, shows both pattern piece 1 and pattern piece 2 face down on the wrong side of the fabric. My spotty grasp of spatial relations says face down on the wrong side of the fabric is essentially face up on the right side. But I keep second-guessing myself and am now thoroughly confused. Am I reading this wrong? Missing something? Should I cut face up on the right side of the fabric? Or face down on the wrong side?

I've found only two reviews one two of the pattern on the internet and neither discuss this rightside up, wrongside up issue.

Merchant & Mills show no errata on their page. They do often catch grief from US folks for having confusing instructions, but I've not encountered an issue with their patterns before now.

posted by crush to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

Best answer: Yep, face down on the wrong side is the same as face up on the right side. If you’re nervous about it, turn the fabric over and put them face up on the right side! As for why the cutting diagram is like that, it has to show how all the pieces fit together, and some of them need to be face down and others face up. Usually you don’t have to think about this since most garments are symmetrical so you cut one face up and one face down and never think about it.
posted by mskyle at 6:09 PM on July 17, 2019

Best answer: Yes, their instructions appear to me to be consistent - they have the RSU pieces face down (aka WSU) on the wrong side of fabric. Two wrongs make a right.

Cutting Diagrams in general show a simple layout that can be cut all at once from a set length of fabric off a bolt. If you have extra fabric and don't mind extra time, you can ignore the cutting diagrams and lay each piece out face up on the Right or Wrong side of the fabric, following the instructions on each pattern piece and matching the grain lines to the fabric, then cut each one at a time; or cut all the RSUs first then the WSUs.
posted by muddgirl at 6:12 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

...and just to be extra clear, if you ignore the diagram and lay it out yourself, you would lay out the RSU pieces with the fabric right side up and the patterns face up on top of it. Then lay out the WSU pieces with the fabric wrong side up and the patterns still face up on top.
posted by muddgirl at 6:14 PM on July 17, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks for the reassurance that I was parsing that correctly. I've got just 1 3/4 yards of 58 inch fabric to work with (it calls for just over 2 yards of 55 inch) and I'm going to have to fiddle (and cut the facings of something else) to see if it will work, but at least I'll be working with the proper orientations!
posted by crush at 6:28 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]