2
4
CONTENTS Line-ups ..................................................... 6 Female Garment 1 .................................... 12 Female Garment 2 .................................... 20 Male Garment 1 ........................................ 28 Male Garment 2 ........................................ 36 Male Garment 3 ........................................ 46 Female Garment 3 .................................... 56 Female Garment 4 .................................... 64 Female Garment 5 .................................... 72 Male Garment 4 ........................................ 78 Male Garment 5 ........................................ 86 Male Garment 6 ........................................ 94 Female Garment 6 .................................... 102 Female Garment 7 .................................... 108 Female Garment 8 .................................... 118 Male Garment 7 ........................................ 126 Male Garment 8 ........................................ 134 Male Garment 9 ........................................ 142 Final Evaluation ........................................ 150 Bibliography .............................................. 152
LINE-UP FRONTS
TOILE LINE-UP FRONTS
8
LINE-UP BACKS
FEMALE GAR 1
12
RMENT
STAGE 1
I changed the design of this leotard after the first toile of the original style, I was unhappy with the simplicity of the wrap body suit and therefore decided to take inspiration from Pattern Magic (Nakamichi, 2010) in attempting to incorporate a basket weave made up from panels on the front of the garment. Nakamichi used woven fabric when creating garments with this design feature, I decided to challenge myself with the use of jersey fabric on a leotard front.
14
STAGE 2
Working out the pattern was the first challenge, I made a number of adjustments and re-toiled several times in order to achieve the correct ratio, angle and length of the cut out weave lines. There was a great deal of hurdles to get across during the toiling process of this garment, from the construction and finishing methods to the over all fit. The basket weave design had to be placed and woven together on a mannequin and then hand tacked in place before continuing with the construction on the four thread overlocker, this meant that the garment was extremely time consuming to continuously re-toile.
STAGE 3
Due to the method of creating the woven front it was difficult to recreate the exact same fit each time, this made fittings hard to carry out. The wrapped back of the garment was also a challenge to get right, I devised a method of the belted waistband to wrap around the front through a small opening in the waistband. I am pleased with this feature as it allows a smooth finish to the waist of the garment. During the toile review I realised that the back panels gaped out, although my model was extremely petite I felt that this was a pattern cutting issue rather than due to model size, I therefore suppressed that back panels to reduce the gape. I am happy with the final garment and the finishing methods used as I feel they were the most appropriate for the fabric and design. Although this was just a jersey leotard, I feel that it was the most technically challenging garment in my collection due to my complex pattern design.
FEMALE GAR 2
20
RMENT
STAGE 1
Taking inspiration from Pattern Magic (Nakamichi, 2010) I chose to feature a large hole in the side of my dress with a cord adjustment inserted. I did the pattern differently to the way suggested by Nakamichi; I used the dress block and added width to the chest, which I then tapered out further to either side of the wide asymmetric hemline. I then drafted two semi circle shapes from the side of the front and back of the body, making the front circle deeper for a more forward positioning of the cord pull feature. I also created an asymmetric neckline, which tapered from just above the bust point on one side, to a few centimetres higher on the other side. This would have spaghetti straps attached and the band, running across the top edges and around the shoulders.
22
STAGE 2
Upon the first toile I realised that the shape I had cut from the side for the cord adjustment was not dramatic enough, I therefore made it a much larger rounded cut out on the front and back pattern pieces. It took a number of attempts to get the correct size and position of hole on the side of the dress, however when I was happy with this I decided that the hemline needed adjusting as it did not drape as effectively as it had potential to. I then had to supress the pattern a number of times to rid the top half of the dress of the excess fabric, as the baggy top half was unsightly when the cord was pulled tight. This alteration took rather a lot of pinning and re-toiling, however I feel the end result of the shape was worth the time. After some adjustments to the width of the top band I was happy with the over all fit.
STAGE 3
I chose to bind the inside seams of my final fabric as the chiffon was so fine and seethrough it rendered many finishing options difficult to achieve efficiently, also a French seam was not an option due to the opening of the cord-pull design. I feel that the binding works well and ties nicely with other garments with the same finishing technique. I created a number of samples in order to work out how to finish the opening of the cord-pull channel. Unfortunately, when trying the finished garment on a female model, I realised that the grain line of the fabric was causing the longer side seam of the dress to taper more forward down to the hem. I also appreciated too late that I had forgotten to insert the cross back straps into the dress; I decided to change my working drawing rather than alter the dress, due to time constraints. These issues aside, I am still pleased with the resulting garment as I feel it is an innovative design and that the finishing techniques used worked well.
MALE GARME
28
ENT 1
STAGE 1 To create this garment I used the male shirt block; mirroring the front to create one piece and opening the back to create the desired design feature. The first toile of the male satin vest was lacking the desired shape; to improve the design I added width to the side seams on the pattern to create more flow and a larger silhouette. I was happy with the new shape of the garment, however I decided to adjust the neckline in order to create a wider and straighter neck opening. I also brought the shoulders in on the outer edge to create a narrower shoulder and more casual feel. I was unhappy with the depth of the armholes, as they looked restricting and brought the bottom of the armhole down to create a dropped sleeve opening, adding to the casual feel of the shape.
30
STAGE 2 Now happy with the fit, I proceeded to consider finishing options. I experimented creating the garment with French seams and no facing, however I was unsure of how to create a good finish on the outer edges with the back fastening straps. Before testing binding the back fastening straps and outer edges I created a full facing for the garment. The facing worked well in finishing the garment nicely, however I was advised that it is unusual to line or fully face a male top. I therefore tried facing the back edges and back fastening as one. This worked well and I proceeded to use French seams for the inner seams and to bind the neckline at the front, as well as the armholes. I chose to double turn the hem as I feel that this was an appropriate choice to flow in to the facing at the back.
32
STAGE 3 I am pleased with the final manufacturing of this garment and I feel that the colours of the binding and the print combine well together. However, in future I would make the back fastening straps slightly wider as I feel they would then fit the belt slider better and provide a more flush finish.
34
MALE GARME
36
ENT 2
STAGE 1 I used the male trouser block to create the first toile of my jogger bottoms. I created a wider pattern in the legs and waist and dropped the crotch a considerable amount. I then proceeded to make the garment from jersey fabric with fully open slits on the outer leg sides, joining with elasticated cuffs at the ankles and the waist. Once this toile was put on the leg mannequin I discovered that the garment was far too tight in the legs, hips and waist. I therefore added width to the pattern at these areas to achieve a better fit. As well as fit issues, the join of the slit on the outer legs of the first toile was too open, I therefore decided to adjust this by over-lapping the two edges of the slit with one another to minimise the open gape of the slit.
38
STAGE 2 These adjustments, while making a slight improvement, did not render the pattern complete. The legs and waist of the garment were still too tight and the slits in the legs continued to gape open too much so. In order to fix these issues I adjusted the pattern width more so and I created a satin triangular panel for the top of the leg slits, which would join them at the top into the waistband, covering the wearer’s modesty. The fit of the garment was now suitable, however the satin panel was not to my taste. I decided to create the panel from the same jersey fabric for a smoother look and a more casual feel. This worked far better and with some slight adjustment in making the panel wider, sat flush and hung well.
40
STAGE 3 During the toile review I was advised to create the jogger bottoms from a sweatshirt material rather than the jersey, as the jersey fabric is rather thin and therefore could create a pyjama feel - unsuitable for outside wear in male trousers. I took this advice forward and sourced cotton sweatshirt fabric in white. I then worked in the dye lab to dye the sweatshirt the same mauve shade as the final jersey fabric in my collection. I also dyed cotton 1x1 rib fabric a slate grey colour in order to match my knit fabric for the jogger cuffs and waistband.
42
STAGE 4 Although the process of dying the fabrics for the jogger bottoms was time consuming and physically hard work, I am pleased with the results as the fabrics feel nice and match the rest of the collection well. I am also happy with the baggy fit of the joggers, however if creating them again I would shorten the leg length as they seam to be too long for most men I have tried them on. I would also choose a sweatshirt fabric with slightly more drape ability for a softer look.
44
MALE GARME
46
ENT 3
STAGE 1 I began the pattern for the male felted coat using a male casual jacket block. For the main shell of the coat I extended the length and added slight width to the body and sleeves so that it would gather effectively when elasticated. Once I had sewn elastic on to the cuffs and hem in order to replicate the final rib, I decided that the coat needed more width in the body. I then created the pattern for the a-symmetric collar, drafting a separate piece for the long side and the short side with the back. Upon toiling I realised that the collar was not working, I adjusted the pattern to make the panel sit straighter and created wide pleats on the centre front seam to match the design. As well as this issue, the added width in the body was not baggy enough; I therefore proceeded to add more width. 48
STAGE 2 The shape of the collar was still not as desired, I therefore decided to make the coat body from the pattern and to drape the collar solely from my final fabric; after testing this method with thinner sweatshirt toile fabric.
STAGE 3
Prior to purchasing my final fabrics the supplier ‘Cloth House’, London sold out of my woollen coat fabric. This proved to be a major issue for my collection as it was a statement fabric for my outerwear garments. Upon discussion with the knit technician, Rob and my lecturers I decided to hand felt my own fabric over the top of a loose structure knitted fabric I had a sample of. This was an extremely long and time consuming process, however I had experience of hand felting fabric from high school and knew that the results would be beautiful. The process took over 40 hours in total for enough fabric to just cover my male coat and my female coat from outfit five; which was under four metres. The new fabric for my male felted coat draped differently to the one intended as it was less bulky, I therefore could not use the draped collar pattern and re-draped the collar using the final fabric. I decided to take the pleats out of the collar as they were too much made from the busy fabric.
STAGE 4
For the finishing methods of this garment, I chose to press the seams open and topstitch either side before trimming the excess. This created a casual feel and looked aesthetically pleasing on the inside of the garment with the contrast of the outer surface having been felted and the inner surface being the original knitted fabric. I chose to fasten the coat using black metal poppers, also used in other garments for continuity. I decided upon in-seam pockets as I feel the discrete appearance of them was the most suitable style for this loud coat. I feel that this garment is successful in bringing new texture to my menswear and a more casual feel, I am therefore happy with the result and with my execution of the unusual fabric. If I had more time and energy I would have felted the fabric more so to match the thickness of the womenswear felted fabric, however I am still proud of the look. 54
FEMALE GAR 3
56
RMENT
STAGE 1
For the chiffon off-the-shoulder top I used the women’s blouse block as a starting point. I used the front and back of the body to create a pattern plan cut off above the chest and cropped at the waist. I then extended the width of the sides to create a more boxed shape so that when elasticated at the bottom it would gather nicely. I then drafted a band the width of the arms and body to go around the front and back, attached along the top of the garment. I soon realised that I had drafted this pattern wrong; the top of the garment also required elastic in order to stay in place on the wearer and allow movement. To achieve the desired effect I added width to the top of the body panels and remade the garment with an elasticated top and bottom.
58
STAGE 2
The body of the top was now working well, however the strap was far too tight for the wearer’s arms. I added a great deal of width onto the top band after measuring a classmate’s arm and body circumference. Once the arms holes were wearable I realised that there was a fit issue with the back of the garment, as I had not tapered the back height down further than the front height in order to fit a female body appropriately, it was too baggy at the back. I therefore redrafted the back panel with a scooped down back. The new toile worked well, however at the toile review I realised that the arms were still too tight to be worn while moving. I therefore adjusted the top strap further to create a more comfortable fit before attempting in my final fabric.
60
STAGE 3
The final printed chiffon was tricky to work with, as it was so fluid and fine. I therefore spent a lot of time on this garment, determined to get it perfect, as it was a small piece so I felt that the detail was even more important. Once I had finished the machine embroidery across the top band I realised that the band would have to be lined with a plain fabric rather than the printed chiffon as the darker lines would show through to the front. I used some of the lining from other garments in the collection, which conveniently worked nicely colour wise. I am very happy with the results of this garment, it was the first piece I completed in my collection and I was therefore able to spend more time on the garment, not yet having reached such a frantic stage in the sewing. I am proud of the finishing methods and quality of the garment and would therefore not have done more to the piece if I had more time.
62
FEMALE GAR 4
64
RMENT
STAGE 1
For the pattern of my oversized trousers I used the female trouser block and made some significant adjustments to the fit. I widened the leg size so that it was more than double the original width all the way up and brought the wider hip size straight up to the waistline so that it was a box shape from the hip upwards. I then extended the leg length so that the trousers would trail when worn. With an elasticated waistband in the trousers I felt that the first toile was going in the right direction but needed some alterations to create more gather and exaggeration, I therefore added more width to the entire outer sides of the trouser panels and tapered this out at the hem for more of a flare.
66
STAGE 2
The fit of the garment was now as I had intended and the elastic had been adjusted to create a tighter waistband in order to allow to trousers to sit at waist level. However during the toile review I was advised to put splits in the fronts of the trousers, swapping this style aspect from the men’s flared trousers in outfit four. I therefore decided to create two separate panels for the trouser fronts, which would be joined together until the mid thigh point before opening up in a straight split. I was very happy with this look when toiling and found it satisfactory to sew, however when moving in to my final fabrics I realised this would be a very difficult garment to construct from silk velvet and silk lining. The two fabrics moved a great deal when sewing and even when hand tacked before hand the stitch lines were not as intended. The facings were the most difficult part of the garment as the shape was fiddly at the join of the split.
STAGE 3
The waistband was also difficult; as with the male velvet shorts I attempted a number of finishing methods for the joining of the waistband including; turned up and topstitched, overlocked and topstitched and finally settling on binding the overlocked edge. This was a difficult decision as the velvet did not suit many of the finishing techniques and made them more difficult, especially as it was an elasticated waistband. I feel that the binding worked well in creating a high quality finish, although I would have done a better job of it had I not been under such strict time constraints. This garment caused a lot of frustration and questioning of my sewing ability. I feel that I managed the fabrics as best I could and am happy with the final result, the trousers are stand out and bring a bold oversized look to my womenswear. If I had more experience with silk velvet I would have made a more professional job of the garment, although I am still pleased with the results.
FEMALE GAR 5
72
RMENT
STAGE 1
For the female knitted wrap I used the sweatshirt block and cut across the arms and body on the pattern plan to create an off-theshoulder style. I then cropped the body to the waist and drafted the front into two separate wide panels to allow them to tie together at the centre front. It took me a few attempts to get the right shape on the body. I tested different levels of pull with the elasticated edges and eventually decided upon using rib to finish all of the edges except the ends of the front panels. After trying the toile on a female size 10 I was happy with the fit, however, I adjusted the pattern to have wider front panels so that they would hang more so when tied.
STAGE 2
As with the male knitted jumper in outfit four, the knit fabric was heavier than expected. This resulted in the garment hanging off the body rather than holding in place in the off-theshoulder fashion. While I was unhappy with this result, during the fashion show selection panel I was advised to keep the garment, as when worn purposely hanging in a relaxed style it looked intentional and casual. I was disappointed that I was unable to hand embroider the garment in time as I had used the technique of doubling the layer of knit fabric in order to hide the underside of the stitches, however this is something that I can do post hand in for my personal satisfaction and future portfolio.
76
MALE GARME
78
ENT 4
STAGE 1 In order to create this garment I used the technique of entirely draping on the stand. I used a 38-inch chest size male mannequin and draped twill toile fabric over the neck, pinning where shape was desired. I was basing this design on a development I had draped and developed on a half-scale mannequin during the design process. I created the initial full toile with a high cowl front neck, pleated front shoulders, cut out sides and a belted waist. I then continued to develop and adjust the toiles further through draping, creating narrower shoulders, more uniform pleats, a wider hem, as well as various trials of the sloping shapes from the waistband to the hem line on the front and back.
80
STAGE 2 Once content with the draped shape of the garment I trimmed the excess and transferred the panel shapes on the pattern paper. The garment proved difficult to replicate once in pattern format. I had to re-toile a number of times to achieve the right pattern aspects such as the pleat positions; open side sizes and the shape of the hemline took several attempts.
82
STAGE 3
I realised my final fabric choice of silk velvet for this garment would prove to be difficult. I experienced issues with ease when sewing the panels together as the velvet had a great deal of movement. To overcome this I decided to tack some of the seams together to aid my machine sewing. Once the shell was complete I created the facing and lining patterns. Sewing the lining fabric to the velvet was very problematic, the two fabrics moved a lot even when tacked beforehand. The lining finishes the entire garment, including the inside surface of the belt strap. Although I managed to sew the lining in to the outer shell I am aware that it is not a flawless job, however as I found this a very challenging garment I am pleased with the final outcome.
84
MALE GARME
86
ENT 5
STAGE 1 To create the pattern for the male flared trousers I began using the male trouser block with a size 32-inch waist and a 33-inch inside leg. In order to create hip height trousers I lowered the waistband a considerable amount. I also lengthened the legs while drafting exaggerated flared legs with split fronts, through the method of cut and spread down the length. Once I toiled the first pattern I decided the slits in the legs were too wide and the flare width was too narrow. I therefore made adjustments to the legs on the pattern and retoiled.
88
STAGE 2 After a few attempts I was happy with the shape of the trousers. However, when I tried them on the leg mannequin I realised that the waistband was too low and needed about 7cm more height in order to cover the wearer appropriately. I also had trouble with the shaping of the waistband, but upon re-toiling I discovered it was due to thickness of the fusible I had used on the previous toile, as well as the low sitting waistband. Once I tried this toile on a medium sized male model I decided to bring the leg split up higher so that it was mid thigh, rather than above the knee and added 1cm to the hip width on the front and back of the garment for a better fit. Now pleased with the garment it was ready for the toile review. In the review it was suggested that I should take out the splits in the male flared trousers and create splits in the female trousers in outfit 3 instead. I therefore re-toiled the male flared trousers without the splits and was happy with the results.
STAGE 3 When sampling pockets for the final garment I struggled with the double jet back pockets, however with practice I proceeded to make the final pockets in the trousers with good end results. I feel that the fabric worked well with the shape of the trousers and I attempted to pattern match wherever possible, including in the pockets. I used the same black metal poppers for the fly of the garment as were used in my male coats, I feel that these created a nice running theme and worked well on the garment for something different to a zip fly. I am pleased with the over all finish of the garment, however if making them again I would reduce the hip size as they seem to be slightly too large for most of the men I have tried them on.
92
MALE GARME
94
ENT 6
STAGE 1
For my male jumper pattern I began with the sweatshirt block, cropping it to waist length and cutting a semi-circle shape from the front in order to create the high hem in my design. Once sewn together, I decided that the section cut from the front of the pattern was not big enough. I therefore made this shape higher and more rounded to create a more open shape, closer to that of my designs. Once happy with the shape of my toiles I attached elastic to the sleeve ends, neck and hem of the knit in order to represent the rib I had chosen for my final garments. I re-attached the elastic a number of times to achieve the desired amount of gather before finalising the toile shape. I decided that I would double up the knit in order to build more bulk in to the garment instead of a chunky knit, this technique would also enhance the hand embroidery I had planned as the stitches would therefore not be seen on the inside of the garment.
STAGE 2
I worked with the knit technician Rob to come up with my final requirements for the machine and decided to have the body of the jumper and the individual sleeves knitted as tubes to reduce seams. Once the knit was washed, I used the four-thread overlocker to sew the tubes and rib together at the raw edges and used the coverstitch machine with one needle to sew the finished edges together.
98
STAGE 3 I am pleased with the over all shape of the jumper, however would have liked to have had time to link the panels together rather than overlock the garment, however as the jersey garments in my collection have also been overlocked I feel that this finish is appropriate. I was unable to hand embroider the jumper as I did not have time, I made the decision of omitting the hand embroidery prior to the draw up of my final illustrations as this would revert the issue of inaccurate illustrations. I was unable to have my fabric knitted in the yarn intended as they required more than was available, I therefore had to chose a Shetland wool, this yarn was very harsh and I am consequently unhappy with the feel of my final garment, however with a long soak in fabric conditioner the wool feels slightly softer to the touch.
100
FEMALE GAR 6
102
RMENT
STAGE 1
The female bodycon dress was designed after I had toiled the original long sleeve top and bodycon mini skirt. I realised that the gap between the end and beginning of the two garments was unnecessary and broke the flow of the outfit and decided to make the garments as one dress. The dress was a relatively simple pattern; I chose to keep it simple as I have a number of technically difficult design details on other garments throughout the collection. The original design plan was to have the front of the dress fully hand embroidered; unfortunately due to the exceptionally time consuming production method I ran out of time to do the hand embroidery. I used the female knitted dress pattern and created a short polo neck using a rectangular shape and created cuffs to be gathered and made in to frills at the bottom of the sleeves. 104
STAGE 2
During the toile review I was advised to remove the frilled cuffs, I was agreeable in this decision and therefore decided to roll edge and stretch the sleeve ends as I had used this technique in the male top in outfit 6; I chose to finish the hem of the dress in this style as well. I feel that although simple, the dress is flattering and effective in the collection, as the minimalism is needed amongst the detailed garments. If I had more time I would have kept the pattern and finishing methods of the dress the same, however completed the hand embroidery on the front panel.
106
FEMALE GAR 7
108
RMENT
STAGE 1
As with the male tunic top, I created this dress through the method of draping on the stand. The drape design was based on design development carried out with scraps of fabric on a mannequin. I therefore tried to replicate this as closely as possible, making a number of adjustments to the drape in the beginning. I decided to remove the shoulder pleats from the dress as I felt that the cowl neck was simplified, yet still effective enough without the pleats. Before tracing the draped toile shape in to a flat pattern I made adjustments to the side pleats to increase the drape across the front of the dress. Once I began working with a flat pattern it was difficult to replicate the draped shape exactly. I realised that there was excess fabric in the front sides and the back cowl of the dress and re-toiled several times in order to resolve this; using the technique of pinning on the stand and suppressing the pattern. 110
STAGE 2
The process of achieving the correct fit was long, I also attempted the dress in a stretch fabric to experiment with the drape and fit achieved, and this was not as aesthetically pleasing as the woven fabric. To solve the issue of excess fabric on a garment that featured no fastening, I suppressed the front panel more so and I cut and spread the back panel to create a deeper cowl. This allowed the dress to be slipped on over the shoulders of the wearer while fitting appropriately. The toile review highlighted the fact that the dress did not have as much drape in the front of the garment as the illustration implied, I therefore cut and spread the front panel in order to create a deeper cowl.
112
STAGE 3
Using the same silk velvet and lining as with the male tunic garment, I found this dress very difficult to sew. The lining pattern was very challenging to draft; with help from the sewing technicians we decided that I should replicate the outside shell in the lining, including the pleats. We chose this method as the shape of the pattern was so unusual that it would be very time consuming and difficult to eliminate the pleats from the lining pattern. However, once sewing the lining and facings in to the dress I realised that the section cut away from the top of the lining to allow the cowl neck a more flush join was ill fitted. The lining was far too small in width for the velvet fabric; I assume this is because of the amount taken from the top of the lining. In future, as this is a draped garment I would have draped the lining on the stand, or under strict time constraints not have removed any fabric for the attachment to the grown on cowl facing. 114
STAGE 4 As a result of the ill fitting facing I had to hand stitch the lining to the outer shell, I chose to do this as the fabric was so difficult to machine stitch the ease in, that hand stitching seemed my most available option; as if did not have time to unpick the rest of the lining or enough lining fabric to cut a new panel. Although this dress was very difficult to sew, I realise that I made it harder for myself by not toiling the lining pattern before sewing it in. I feel that the over all look of the final garment is beautiful and I am proud of the dress, despite the mistakes make.
116
FEMALE GAR 8
118
RMENT
STAGE 1
I used the male casual coat block for the starting point of this pattern. I cropped the jacket to below waist length and boxed the sides for a more oversized look. To create my front ties I made two large rectangles similar to those on the female knitted wrap jumper which I attached at the side seams on top of the front panels which were now curved from the centre front below the chest to the side seam hem. I did not attach wadding to the first toile, as I wanted to check the shell shape first. Upon trying the coat on I realised that the front flaps looked strange hanging loosely from the side seams, I therefore decided to stitch them to the front panel across the body and tapered along the curved front, creating a nice gather. I re-toiled the garment with the wadding inserted. The wadding created a better shape, however I could see that the arms were too wide so I tapered them in slightly. I decided to tack in between the gathers on the front flaps at this stage as it gave a better drape.
STAGE 2
The toile review brought up the issue of the arms being too short and I adjusted them by 10cm and also added 20cm length to the front ties of the coat. I decided not to re-toile this pattern before using my final fabrics, as these adjustments seemed minor. However when I cut out my fabric I realised my mistake; I had tapered the arms in when adding the length and they could no longer fit a hand through them. I therefore made the decision to keep the arms the original length in the main fabric and attach a long rib cuff on the ends. I am pleased with the results of this decision as I feel that this feature makes the coat more casual and urban.
122
STAGE 3
Another issue I faced when cutting the fabric was that there was not enough for my pattern pieces. As explained during the section on the male felted coat, the new choice in fabric was extremely time consuming for me to felt by hand, I therefore decided to adjust the front of the coat pattern, taking out the bottom half of the front panels so that the front tie would attach to the jacket by means of one seam, rather than layered over the top, in order to save time and money on felting more fabric. This alteration means that I had to think of a new way of finishing the inside of my coat. I decided to line the front ties with the original knit fabric (pre-felting) and had this meet a curved facing and lining. The fabric was ok to work with, although the bulk proved difficult when anchoring the lining; I did this by hand to resolve the issue. I feel that the end results are good and I am happy with the quality of the sewing and the effect of the hand felted fabric.
MALE GARME
126
ENT 7
STAGE 1 I used the unisex knitted top block for this pattern, adding width to the body and the ends of the sleeves. I also added length to the sleeves and created a high polo neck using a straight band shape. I discovered after a fitting that the body and arms were too wide and the neck would not drape the way intended, sitting boxy. I removed the excess from the body and sleeves and attempted to correct the neck shape by creating a shaped pattern piece with tapered in edges to create a more fitted top of the neck. The fit of the garment was now as desired, however the neck was still not sitting right.
128
STAGE 2 I tested a number of different techniques for the neck pattern with various different shaping ideas. Eventually I created the neck pattern piece through the cut and spread technique, designing one piece for the neck which when connected at the side created a nice draped effect, imitating my design drawings.
STAGE 3 I decided to finish the hem and neck with a roll edge stitch, stretching the fabric as I went. This created more drape and movement in the garment. The inside seams were sewn on a four thread overlocker as I felt that this was the more standard method for jersey garments even at the market level intended. I am happy with the over all shape and finish with the garment, it fits well and looks as I intended it to. However, I am disappointed with the fabric manipulation on this garment. I had intended to hand embroider a design on the garment, but unfortunately did not have time in the end as this is a very time consuming process. In my design development I had designed both the front and back of the garment to be embroidered fully, this was then reduced to just the front of the top by the illustration stage and eventually only a partial amount in the make stage. Although this was regrettable I feel like there is enough fabric manipulation and detail within my collection to make up for the loss.
MALE GARME
134
ENT 8
STAGE 1
For the male velvet shorts pattern I began with a size 32inch waist male trouser block. I brought the waist height down slightly so that the shorts would sit just above the hips. I also widened the hips and legs slightly and cut the legs off at knee length. In addition to this I dropped the crotch to a distance in between the original height and that of the dropped crotch on the male jogger bottoms. Once toiled, I realised that I had not added enough width to the male trouser block to give the baggy silhouette desired, or to make use of the elasticated waistband. I therefore added a significant amount to the hips and the inner and outer leg of the shorts in hope of the shape required. Upon re-toiling the garment, I realised that the silhouette was still not right; I attempted a number of versions of the garment with various widths on the hips and legs until I was happy with the final baggy shape. 136
STAGE 2
Post Toile Review I decided to take 6cm off the hem of the shorts as they appeared too long on the model. I also took the bottom of the legs in by a total of 4cm on each leg and tapered this up to the hip, as I wanted a boxier silhouette. The main shape of the garment was reasonable to sew from the final silk velvet fabric, although upon completion of the shell I realised I had cut and sewn the garment upside down; this resulted in the velvet running the wrong direction on the shorts. After some advice from a lecturer I decided to continue with the shorts the wrong way and cut the oversized patch pockets the correct way in order to create a contrast in the light and texture of the fabric. I went ahead with the finishing on the garment; I overlocked, turned and top-stitched the inside seams as I liked the style of this when sampling and felt that it matches the finishing methods of those used on the male felted coat seams. The blind hem machine created a nice finish on the hems of the shorts, which I topstitched the pocket over afterwards.
STAGE 3
The blind hem machine created a nice finish on the hems of the shorts. The waistband of this garment proved troublesome for me. I intended to sew it as a normal turned up waistband with elastic inserted, however this proved difficult and messy in the velvet fabric. I then considered overlocking the waistband to the shorts, turning up and topstitching but this created too much bulk. The next trial was binding the overlocked edge; however the binding I used on the male vest did not suit the maroon velvet. I therefore cut my own binding from my printed satin fabric, this looked effective however was extremely difficult to position and sew neatly as the fabrics were both very fluid. I am happy with the achievement of this garment, considering it caused a lot of stress. However, if time were not an issue I would have adjusted the patch pockets and reduced the width at the top of the pockets to lessen the natural drape of the shape.
MALE GARME
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ENT 9
STAGE 1
I used the male casual jacket block as a base for this quilted puffer coat. I made the width of the garment slightly bigger for a more oversized style and created a standing collar and front flap for fastenings. I toiled this with wadding and was happy with the shape of the main body, although decided the shorten the height of the collar slightly and make the front fastening flat wider and longer in order to extend to the bottom of the jacket finishing with the elasticated hem. I then adjusted the elastic in the channel of the hem and sleeves to make them tighter.
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STAGE 2
During the toile review it became evident that the sleeves were too short and the body of the jacket was too wide, more so in the back than the front. I therefore lengthened the sleeves by 10cm and took some width out of the side seams of the body. However this did not resolve the problem, as the excess width seemed to be across the shoulder width only. I attempted a number of adjustments to the side seams, sleeve hole seams and the arm widths, with no successful results. I eventually solved the issue by adding back in the width taken out from all areas and instead moved the armhole further in on the back piece of the jacket; this pulled the arms back slightly when sewn in and reduced the excess fabric for a better shape. In order to create a more full look in the back I also added another layer of wadding to the lower back only.
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STAGE 3
I found it difficult to position the quilting lines in order to avoid the machine embroidery text; in future I would draw the quilt lines on with chalk before embroidering the satin fabric. I am happy with my lining and with the black metal poppers as the fastening choice, I did however sew the lining to the front of the jacket with no facing on one side, this was due to time issues and would have been corrected if possible before applying the poppers. As well as this I used black elastic in the coat, I did not realise until I stood back from the finished garment that the elastic was showing through the wadding and the satin, I would therefore have changed this to white elastic if I had time. I am pleased with the execution of my quilted welt pockets on the coat, this is something I had never attempted before and I would certainly use again in the future. Overall I am very happy with the results of this coat quality and style wise and although it is a menswear garment I feel that a lot of women would wear this as well, including me.
FINAL EVALU Throughout this year I feel that I have pushed myself to the limit through every aspect of the programme and have improved immensely from third year and feel that I have done my best through my construction methods. My collection stands out from the crowd and features a number of interesting technical and style aspects. I am therefore very proud of what I have achieved during my time in the workshop and feel that although I faced a number of challenges and made mistakes through my sewing methods, I have accomplished a great deal and have resolved these issues as best I could. I have learnt a great deal from this experience and recognise it has helped my reflective practice and self-evaluation skills develop.
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UATION
BIBLIOGRAPH 1. Aldrich, W. (2006). Metric pattern cutting for menswear. 4th Ed. Oxford: Blackwell. 2. Aldrich, W. (2008). Metric pattern cutting for women’s wear. 5th Ed. Oxford: Blackwell. 3. Hawkins, D. (1986). Creative cutting. London: Dent. 4. Nakamichi, T. (2010). Pattern Magic. London: Laurence King. 5. Nakamichi, T. (2012). Pattern Magic : Stretch Fabrics. London: Laurence King.
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