Week 3 - Trousers 1

Material: Silver Crushed Velvet (100% Polyester)

Cost Per Meter: £3.99

Amount Used: 2.5m

Sourced From: Fabric Land

I tried to be different this week by making the garment required but making it in a way that it can be worn other ways elsewhere on the body. With this fabric i found it hard to pin and cut the pattern out because it is so slippery and it curls/mis-shapes really easily. So to overcome this i pinned the fabric down then applied the pattern to a flat smooth fabric.

I used a pattern i created last summer for a set of interchangeable men's shorts made out of cotton drill and pig skin leather which really contrasts with this velvet which is so soft. I have noticed that using the same pattern but different materials has given dramatic differences. The 2 pockets constructed on the hips kept coming out so maybe i need to attach some weights into the seams to make it hang right.

I also attempted a different seam detailing to previous garments. I did french seams all over and just to be cautious as i have never done this seam before i did it larger than average. But overall i think it was a success as it is so neat.

The zip i used goes round to half way up the back seam and this is the detail that makes this garment transformable from trousers to a cape like top with the slashed sleeves/legs. I think having a big expanse of fabric to flow is a perfect use of this material as its lightweight and picks up the wind.

Hip pockets become a structured shoulder piece.

Zip ending halfway up the back seam to allow for
a flush fit across the back.

Fabric shopping in Central London

On Friday 3rd February i went into Central London fabric shopping and to collect samples from the likes of "Cloth House", "Broadwick Silks" and "liberty".

All samples/pictures/details can be found in my fabric file among other fabric retailers from other locations.

Adam Andrascik

 When Visiting Selfridges, i visited the "Bright Young Things" section in the womens wear department and one designer really stood out from the rest for me. the simple torn sections of these garments makes it seem as if they are made from paper and are so delicate.

When up close i saw that around each tear there is a single line of stitching about 0.3mm away from the raw edge to keep the fibers secure and in place which i thought was an interesting drtail.

This is something id like to try but not in the fabrics used by Andrascik, maybe a heavy woven material, tweed even?

Pictured above is S/S 11, below is S/S 12

Week 2 - Dress 1

Material: Clear PVC

Cost Pet Meter: £2.99

Amount Used: 2m

Sourced From : Fabric Land (Basingstoke)

 This week it was my turn to buy the fabric and i thought that to actually learn something you jump in at the deep end and use a difficult to work with material and this PCV is such a pain to work with as it stick to its self and puckers all the tim in places you dont want it too.

 I created a pattern with 20 curved seams to see what would happen and i wont do it again. Trying to get the curves nice and smooth was not going to happen with a normal seam that you would sew. So, through research i learnt that in rubber clothing you don.t do the right2right side/wrong2wrong side, you over lay wrong2right side to create a layered flat seam. I had added 1.5 cm all the way round each panel so the overall overlap was 3cm which in an ideal situation is not good as your wasting a lot of fabric so i would only put on something like 0.5cm in future. It also left lots of ridges where the curved seams puckered which gives a great texture.

As with rubber clothing you would clean then glue the panels together, i thought no to that idea, and decided to see what would happen if i applied heat as i thought it would melt and stick together. To my suprize it actually worked. When heated with an iron (paper under and over to avoid stickage) the 2 layers fused together to create a strong bond with NO STITCHING!!!!

Due to the nature of the pattern i created there were seams that stuck out, and to make them visible i used black satin bias binding to create a silhouette line as with the hem and bust line.

On the back i tried a new fastening idea. A corset. which i thought would work well as it would be hard to squeeze into something tight, whereas this left room for ease.

In terms of fashion i think this is a predictable style associated with PVC (raunchy and sexy) but using the heat fusing brings it into a modern context.

Week 1 - Skirt 1

 Fabric: Cotton Drill (100% Cotton)

Cost Per Meter: £3.50

Amount Used: 1m

Sourced From: Shepherds Bush

When i first got the material i had no clue what side was the right/wrong side, but by working with it i soon realized which was the right side because it collected all the dirt/cotton thread on one side so i just assumed that i was doing it right.

It was such a pleasure to work with as it didn't slip around/was easy to cut the pattern out and didn't fray when cut which resolved in less seam allowance needed.

Intentionally i had i mind for the hip cut out to stand out with some structure underneath like a sew in interfacing. But i decided not to and once sewn i didn't like the way in hung. i had already built into the pattern a section to be gathered up on the side. But i totally ballsed it up because when it gathered up it left a little flick at the bottom. I then realized that because the skirt was only 1 panel the straight grain on the side seam ended up being on the bias so therefore curling when gathered.

Although not intentional i really like the shape of the skirt, with a simple elasticated waistband and 2 welt pockets (1 fully made with pocket bag and zip opening, the other just a fake with no bag and sewn closed which i have never made before so totally chuffed with the outcome) and bias binding finishing really give this skirt a sporty minamalistic aesthetic which i think makes it a fashionable piece. Something i could see made by the likes of "Acne".

Next time i would ensure that both pockets are fully made and are even, and also sort out the hem line, although nice with a raw edge, its not very professional. Maybe stitching details/hem/bias binding?