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Subtraction Cutting School

Copyright 2008 by Julian Roberts

Published by
Center for Pattern Design
1734 Scott Street
St. Helena, CA 94574
www.centerforpatterndesign.org
All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Other Julian Roberts publications:
Against the Grain (DVD)
JULIANAND Design Portfolio (CD)
Julian Roberts Subtraction Cutting Patterns
See further descriptions on the back page.

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Examples of Techniques

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The Liverpool Dress

Julian Roberts Re-Cut T-Shirt

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Cutting, off the top of my head.

I have experienced cutting on a bigger scale.
cutting for my classmates, cutting for
projects,
for prizes & certificates,
for collections, for shows,
for industry, for press,
for individual clients, for celebrities,
for real creativity & dreams,
blind ambition cutting, cutting out of my mind,
my head in knots, telling the whole world,
talking to audiences, demonstrating,
freestyling, passing it on,
put into performance,
broadcast on tv, on the web,
in magazines & newspapers,
cutting in words & diagrams,
translated live by interpretors into Russian,
French,
Chinese & Japanese.
i've cut for classes,
private tuition,
art colleges & universities,
hired help to sort out problems,
inspire, raise confidence, get them going.
I've cut to spread the word & influence.
My techniques eclipsing my ambition.
Growing to love them in a different way,
through other people,

amazed faces, spun minds,

a round of applause at the end just for
showing them the way.
So touching and real.
When you can stand up in front of a group of
complete strangers,
or an audience that don't even speak the
same language,
and sum up pretty much everything you know in
just one hour,
and still make it click,
because you have practiced, streamlined &
made easy every step,
broken everything down to near absurd
simplicity,
and you pass the point at which your method
can be roughly demonstrated using
a t-shirt, duvet cover & 6 dinner plates,
then you know that your style of cutting is
likely to outlive you,
cross boundaries of understanding, cultural
divides, generation gaps,
because you have relinquished ownership of it
and set it free,
that it is bound to run away from you and
become influential to other peoples work,
whether they like it or not, because you have
made it memorable,
and it is not something that people can easily
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forget or un-learn.
And all i'm left wondering from this exchange
is:
where does my technique go now that it no
longer needs me with it,
when will it be used, when will it die, when
will it
resuface, when will a machine be built
to automate it,
and where do i go from here now that i am free
from it's responsibility?
jX

Other Julian Roberts publications:

Against the Grain (DVD) is the music video seen
during performances for the 2008 Us Subtraction
Cutting Tour. It shows highlights of Julian Roberts
designs during his many London Fashion Week shows
and a medley of cutting demos, textile graphics
and other artistic projects over the years.

JULIANAND Design Portfolio (CD) is a series of

portfolio photos of Julians designs with
construction, fabric and coloration shown in great
detail; excellent for further study of his
techniques.

Julian Roberts Subtraction Cutting Patterns,

a series of dress developed from each of his basic
techniques. Sized in Small, Medium and Large but
easily adjustable for individual figures. Patterns
include lining, instructions and layouts.
To purchase, please see:
www.CenterForPatternDesign.org

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NOTES