Week 26 - Skirt 3

Making

As no-one was offering to decide or buy any fabric this week, i brought in my fabric file and as a group we decided to use clear plastic. I asked everyone how many metres they wanted before i went out and bought it.

As we had a workshop in this weeks lesson i took the oppurtunity to speak to tess about how best to use this fabric, although i had already decided i wanted to work on shape as the plastic was quite stiff and held its shape well.

I did my normal experimentation and melting the plastic was most successful but i didnt want to carry this forward as i had tried this out on the chiffon on dress 2.

I also carried out research to gain more ideas....



D&G

Abbey Lee Kershaw for I-D magazine

Richard Nicoll

In the workshop we discussed putting in pin tucks to gain some texture into the fabric, also creating many pockets to hold photos was an unusual idea, we also discussed trying to print onto the plastic, i have previously done some printing onto plastic so this is the idea i carried forward.

I did some tests to see how long the iron needed to be left on, i also used weekly supplement magazines for the prints as these types of magazines don't have the ink sealed on them.

I created my own home made heat press, baking paper for the bottom layer, i tested and found it worked best plastic first then magazine on top otherwise the heat wouldnt set it enough and it peeled away once cooled, finally another layer of baking paper on the top.

I left the iron on for a good 5 minutes over each page, as it took alot to set the print.

After hours of printing the 2 metres i used warm water and a sponge to rub the paper off leaving the print underneath.

As the print was so successful i didnt want to detract from this, after along time of deliberation about what shape would best, from a skater skirt, a layered skirt to a plain pencil skirt, i  pattern cut the basic skirt block, taking it in towards the bottom to give a really fitted shape.

As the plastic wouldnt sew on my machine at all, i stapled the shape trogether, i then made a waistband using the instruction sheet from trouser 2 and stapled that on, but when on the body i felt like it was missing something so i began playing around with different shapes, see pic below.  I settled on the right hand shape as i felt it mirrored and accentuated the curve of the hip.

I cut a slit up the back from the centre bottom upto the zip to give a sexier,  more feminine feel, stapled in the zip and to give it a better finish, i bound the edges in a lilac as i felt this complimented the print and brought out the colour and fun of the garment.

Improvements;

The whole technical side of this was a disaster, i considered it may be difficult to sew but i never considered it wouldnt sew at all, when i tried to sew it the sharpness of the needle cut into the plastic, tearing it. I tried to get around this problem by melting the seams together, but this proved very difficult keeping to the seam allowance and in some places it peeled apart once it cooled. To attach it together i had to staple it.

The thin plastic also ripped easily, trying a different gradient of plastic may prevent this.

Also, i was told it may have sewed together using a teflon foot, this is something im going to try.

Other Findings;

How well did it work as a garment?

This by far is my favourite garment and material to work with! I know the rest of the group hated it but i feel i produced an innovative, quirky garment. I loved how well the print worked, and as a garment it worked really well other than the problem of the staples. This is an idea i feel i can really develop and if i could overcome the technical sewing problems i feel it would be a really strong garment. This is something i definately want to develop for my final piece.

Is it fashion?

Personally, i think it is fashion as it has all the elements of a fashionable garment, interesting print and shape. From showing it in class it had peoples attention, people were curious and interested and i think a big part of fashion is the shock factor, making people sit up and look. On the other hand i understand its not a garment you may find readily on the high street and i feel it would be considered more 'fashion' if it could be sewn together in a more traditional way.

What was the fabric?

plastic

How much did you use

2 metres

How much did it cost?

£2p.m

where was it sourced?

Fabric world, Shepherds Bush

FINISHED GARMENT

Week 25 - Trouser 2

Making

For trouser 2 we are using a black PU leatherette.

I have decided to carry forward and develop ideas from trouser one as i feel it was a strong idea and has many other design options to explore, with this i did some research into current designers. I found this image i really liked from moschinos AW12  collection, using different panels in different colours works really well.

I used the patterns pieces cut from trouser 1, cutting the top and bottom panels from the black leatherette, for the centre knee panels i used the same navy leatherette as in dress 2.

Through the module i have tried to test and experiment with fabrics, going against the grain of what they should be used for sometimes not knowing the outcome as i feel the module allows this...

. I know that its very difficult to pattern cut chiffon and that jersey is best for draping, but what happens if you cut, rip, burn, pull or crease materials?

With this i sat (for hours!) pulling apart the layers of 2 metres of the navy leatherette, the outcome was a really interesting patchwork effect (see pic).

I also attempted a pocket and a wasitband for the first time, for the waistband i used an instruction sheet given in a different module and for the pocket and looked at my own trousers for shape ideas.

I wanted to develop my finishing of my garments, after researching different techniques, i tried hemming web for the first time,  i was pleasantly suprised how successful it worked, although i dont feel this is a very long term solution as by the time of the show some of the hems were coming undone.

Its really easy to iron on and use and good for quick solutions.

I also used it around the pocket to give a better finish, i cut strips to size and sandwiched the fabric and web in place inbetween calico as when i ironed the sample, the leatherette melted to the iron, ooops!

Improvements;

Sewing this material was a nightmare! As it was so thin it made an unpicking near impossible without it ripping as the pic shows.  Also, as i sewed the waistband on last it started off easy to sew and looked well done but it got harder as i sewed around by the time i reach the other side it gathered up and when i tried to unpick it, it ripped again.

Plan out what to sew first in future.

I think i should have used a teflon foot on reflection as this would have helped the material pass through the  machine easier as it bubbled up really easy, as above.

I big mistake i made was cutting the left, front centre panel the wrong way around, which lost alot of the detail i worked so hard on, i didnt realise until the day before the show when i was sewing it together, i didnt have time or enouight leather to recut so i used some of the offcuts and hand sewed a panel over. It help retrieve the intrecacy of my work but looked unprofessional.

One thing i feel i concentrated on and vastly improved was my pattern cutting and seam allowance as, on skirt 2 ended up being a size smaller due to accidentally sewing loads more than the seam allowance, as the pic shows above i worked hard to change this.

Other Findings;

How well did it work as a garment?

I thought it worked well as a garment as the design idea was thought out and i feel this helped the make and it was clear to see i had been considered. The only problem in relation to the wear of the garment was it didnt fit well on the waist, it needed a button above the zip to help the waistband fit, also because i took the darts in at the back to gain a better fit i didnt adjust the waistband which made it bigger.

Is it fashion?

Again i feel this is fashion as i have researched designers and used this as inspiration from there catwalk collections there creating right now. Also my use of experimentation worked particularly well this week, how i have encorporated it selectively into my design as oppose to over doing i feel also contributes to the fashionablilty.

What was the fabric?

PU leatherette

How much did you use

1 metre of black leatherette and 2 metres of my own navy leatherette

How much did it cost?

black leatherette - £3p.m

navy leatherette -£6 p.m

where was it sourced?

walthamstow market - black leatherette

shepherds bush - navy leatherette

FINISHED GARMENT

V&A Visit

V&A

Here i visited mainly the textile archive of the v&a to see another side of fabrics, alot of the textile section was made up from embroidery and tapestrys from across the world, from the middle -east through to europe.

From this i learnt how using complimenting colours can change a whole design, i also gained many ideas for prints.

Brocade silk

This reminded me of aztec and tribal patterns, i think theres a so many ideas here to develop a screen print pattern from.

I was drawn to these because of the vivid colours, theres so much detail and so much to look at, i love how they tell a story.

Walking around the V&A i came across various pieces that caught my eye, the cape below i thought was the most impressive, the unbelievable amount of detail and work gone into to create this is breathtaking, i also saw some more ways of designing and embellishing, sequins, beads, rhinestones, embroidery, tassles all things to be considered.

WEEK 24 - DRESS 2

Dress 2 - Making

Charlotte bought the fabric in advance this week, giving us more chance to experiment. We have tried to stick to using the different types of fabric asked of us, with only wool and denim left, this week we used a simple black chiffon.

My first idea was to continue developing fraying of materials that i have used on quite a few on my past garments, i experimented with fraying, bleaching and burning the fabric. On reflection fraying and bleaching were the least successful so i carried through the burning technique.

From past experience i knew chiffon was a nightmare to try and pattern cut, as i wanted to carry on building my pattern cuttings skills i paired the chiffon with a navy leatherette.

I used the basic bodice blocks and worked with dart manipulation, i cut and closed the basic darts and moved them to the side of the bust (see pic)

On reflection i wish i had cut the front on the double to avoid the seam line down the centre front, as i think it looks more professional.

Back cut on the double

As i wanted my dress to have no sleeves or top part, i cut away the top part of the bodice and cut in a sweetheart neckline

Instead of using the chiffon how it is best used, in a draped form i tested the fabric in bleach as i thought about dip- dying it, i then burnt the fabric, this presented me with a really exciting and interesting outcome, the chiffon jumped up and charred giving a texture i had never seen before.

I spent 2 days burning mostly my fingers, as well as the 2 metres of chiffon, intended on creating a puffball skirt with the chiffon.
I used a long strip of leather around the inside of the bottom of the skirt to create the gathered puffball look.

Before sewing it all together i tried out different shapes, on reflection the one shoulder design is my favourite but i went with one alot like the top right with a halterneck

Improvements;

Firstly,  i ran out of chiffon to create the fullness i wanted for the puffball skirt, as i gathered it more to make it fuller i quickly ran out, i need to consider this in future.

Also i needed to test and work on the tension on the machine as the stitches didnt sew smoothly, thesy created a bubbled effect, see pic.

The top bodice part of the dress came out alot bigger than orginally intended, making the fit quite poor on top, i didnt realise at the time but i feel now this happened but i cut away the top part of the basic bodice block, i cut away the darts from the shoulders that make it fitted, i know now i need to add darts into the top somewhere to regain the fit lost.

Finally, to enable the model to walk easier in the skirt i should have used elastic instead of the strip of leather to sew the chiffon onto at the bottom, i firstly tried a running stitch all the way around, which created a lovely gather but it wasnt strong enough to hold it and and kept breaking. I solved this by using the leather strip.

Other Findings;

How well did it work as a garment?

I dont think it worked great as a garment, as it turned out alot too big on the top around the bust and when i put it on the body it was alot shorter than i expected, it was wearable but the fit was poor.

Is it fashion?

Yes i feel it is fashion as it can be worn, i think it is more of a party type of dress, i think if the design was developed it would work well as a fashionn piece.

What was the fabric?

Chiffon and navy leatherette

How much did you use

2 metres of chiffon and half a metre of leatherette

How much did it cost?

chiffon £3p.m

leatherette £3 for half a metre

where was it sourced?

chiffon - southend

leatherette- shepherds bush

FINISHED GARMENT

I attatched the bottom of the halterneck by pulling it through one of the burnt holes i then hand sewed it into place.