Lesson 2
EVALUATION
My design was inspired by the view
from the bottom floor of college to the top. I liked the vortex and infinite
like appearance it was giving. I decided to take some photos and to work with
that. I also took photos of shadows along the way home, capturing silhouettes
all around, my favourite factors of design actually.
Initially my design was quite structured and came away from the body creating a sort of spider/candle arbour like appearance, which I liked, as I worked with the design it slowly began to be taking the shape of a figure hugging strappy bondage type piece.
I decided to make a few cardboard samples from my collection of images of shadows, I did like the theatrical larger designs, but thought about trying a design I wouldn’t normally do.
I took the shapes from tree shadows, patterns within them and made amazing silhouettes, I find I always steer back to any inspiration to creating a unusual or eccentric contoured design.
Initially my design was quite structured and came away from the body creating a sort of spider/candle arbour like appearance, which I liked, as I worked with the design it slowly began to be taking the shape of a figure hugging strappy bondage type piece.
I decided to make a few cardboard samples from my collection of images of shadows, I did like the theatrical larger designs, but thought about trying a design I wouldn’t normally do.
I took the shapes from tree shadows, patterns within them and made amazing silhouettes, I find I always steer back to any inspiration to creating a unusual or eccentric contoured design.
The cardboard was a great way to get
the shapes to become alive, layering up in certain parts with pattered paper.
The final idea coming back to the body hugging design was confirmed sticking
with my notion to practice something new. The cardboard cut out was then made
into a fabric sample. I really liked how it was looking…at this point I was not
to know how much tweaking and changed would occur due to stretch and
dependability on fabrics, dictating how the garment would sit.
My calico sample worked great, but I stumbled across, factors I didn’t consider, one being I would need some stretch as the fabric was figure hugging, and that my whole design was to be bagged out consisting of only 4 pattern pieces. This seemed to suggest the construction would be simple, but it proved other wise. The bagging out meant I had to configure a strategic and specific route to ensure I was able to get all the parts sew correctly. As the some of the straps over lapped one another this ruled out as a simple sewing around the edge of the garment.
My first toile led me to adding a choker like strap which added a more high fashion look than high street, which made me happy, I love how you can have a design idea and the fabric and construction of a garment can birth its own ideas and pathways it wants to go down. I find you must trust this system as the design its self is communicating with us and adding to its own design process. A beautiful thing actually, sometimes frustrating as can cut out more work than desired, but in some cases maybe less.
My calico sample worked great, but I stumbled across, factors I didn’t consider, one being I would need some stretch as the fabric was figure hugging, and that my whole design was to be bagged out consisting of only 4 pattern pieces. This seemed to suggest the construction would be simple, but it proved other wise. The bagging out meant I had to configure a strategic and specific route to ensure I was able to get all the parts sew correctly. As the some of the straps over lapped one another this ruled out as a simple sewing around the edge of the garment.
My first toile led me to adding a choker like strap which added a more high fashion look than high street, which made me happy, I love how you can have a design idea and the fabric and construction of a garment can birth its own ideas and pathways it wants to go down. I find you must trust this system as the design its self is communicating with us and adding to its own design process. A beautiful thing actually, sometimes frustrating as can cut out more work than desired, but in some cases maybe less.
With adding the choker to the toile made me then realize that straps would be needed too be added to the garment to stop it from falling down as it was backless, thankfully these straps could come from the chocker to middle back of the shoulder adding some really nice detail to the piece. It was really taking on a clean cut look, quite erotic in a way,
I made yet another toile and had to make new pattern pieces as now there were shoulder straps a choker. For some reason when I put my garment on the mannequin it didn’t fit, I sooner realised the 12 size was a different from the previous 12, this was a bother as I could get my design to fit, we realised that the mannequins were labelled 12 but the manufacture was different. Anyhow as the design fitted differently I decided to change the back buttocks part, moving the zip seam from middle back to putting 2 mini zips on either sides, another nice formation not expected, but made a really nice feature. As the design was bigger I had to reconstruct the idea and it was actually looking really good.
So back to the pattern/construction
sheet, I made a new one with new zip placements, labelling all the parts and
creating code/referencing. So finally getting to which I was hoping last toile,
I made pinned it all on the mannequin block, and I was relived it was the final
toile, collectively creating 4.
I decided on a black suiting material to keep it classy and sharp, no print just jet black. Feeling hesitant to place my pattern on the fabric and cut it out due to making so many toiles, I took the plunge. Remembering I needed so me stretch due to the figure hugging design, I cut I tout on the bias… only to find out I was 2 inches short of creating another main bodice piece. Smiling in awe as I was so close yet so far I and trying to keep positive, I managed to get the same material that day and succeed in getting it all cut out.
Easy part done, it was not time to sew the garment together. I had clearly numbered each notch, this was essential as some pieces over lapped and some wrapped around, and with the design being x2 for every piece could of got confusing. I machined each number to each other, only to find it didn’t work with the choker being sewn on anywhere near the beginning stages. So the un-picker came out and was back to the drawing board on which piece to bag out at what time.
I decided on a black suiting material to keep it classy and sharp, no print just jet black. Feeling hesitant to place my pattern on the fabric and cut it out due to making so many toiles, I took the plunge. Remembering I needed so me stretch due to the figure hugging design, I cut I tout on the bias… only to find out I was 2 inches short of creating another main bodice piece. Smiling in awe as I was so close yet so far I and trying to keep positive, I managed to get the same material that day and succeed in getting it all cut out.
Easy part done, it was not time to sew the garment together. I had clearly numbered each notch, this was essential as some pieces over lapped and some wrapped around, and with the design being x2 for every piece could of got confusing. I machined each number to each other, only to find it didn’t work with the choker being sewn on anywhere near the beginning stages. So the un-picker came out and was back to the drawing board on which piece to bag out at what time.
I unpicked the choker off and then
had to do around 7 inches at a time and turn inside out to carefully monitor
the process to see where the next and best area was to me machined next, I
found it quite a struggle, the machining areas where very small, and I had to
get into the corners with the stitching really precise to make sure once it was
turned inside out the edges were at a strong clean 90 degree angle.
Finally the laser cut design ( laser design process) was the
last part to be added, as my garment was very fitted I needed to place the
laser on in a careful way as not cover up all the hard work I had done to
create the shape and structure. Over all I had learned the importance of
notches with this design and new techniques in bagging out when a design is
more intricate,
