Hems, Seams and Zips Workshop

Today me and two others had a workshop in some of the basics of pattern drafting and garment making. We focused on hems, seams and zips. I found this workshop to be incredibly informative and what I learnt will inform the making process of my final piece. We explored a range of different seams, two types of zips and button holes. I created a range of samples for my technical diary.

Tutorial: Lisa Porch

I had an amazing tutorial with Lisa Porch today. I've completely changed some of my ideas for my works. We both weren't feeling the blue was working on my samples and worked out that it was because it was really bright and took away from the texture. She described it that to really enphasize the texture you need to limit the colour. So from looking at my source images of architecture it seemed obvious to use both Black and white tones. Also she suggested a better way for me to add the colour parts. Instead of printing the colour onto the white, I could piece the coloured parts in like patch work. This would be much easier than trying to get a perfect print and wasting a lot of fabric if it were to go wrong.

Colour Trend Spring '14

Now that I know I would like two colours in garment I've been looking at currrent trends of colour for spring 2014. I have done some research and found that Pantone was a reliable source for advisers of season's colour trends.

I think I'm most interested in the white with placid blue additions or placid blue with violet tulip. I wanted to keep my colours pale and pastel as I think too strong a colour would distract or take away from the form. 

I have been in the workshop for the last two days learning how to dye fabrics. I've been playing with the concentration of dyes in order get a match closest to placid blue. 

Adding Colour

I've been exploring the addition of colour to my samples. I am mostly interested in my sprouting fold samples, so I have chosen to experiment with colour on these. I have considered adding colour to the whole fold to stand out from the rest of the adorning item, colour on the outside leaving the inside of the fold blank and colour on the inside of the fold leaving the outside blank. I think the addition of another colour is really interesting and adds another layer of texture, picking out the form in the fabric. I was most impressed with how the colour on the inside turned out. I liked how from some perspectives you can't see the colour but also see the colour reflect on the white fabric, almost like a glow. I quite like this addition to my work that it changed from the different angles in which you look at it. I believe its the same with the form too, that the way it looks can be changed from the angle you are facing it. I only screen printed these with a stencil so the print quality is quite poor. For the real thing I would have a screen exposed to get a perfect print of colour.

Sprout Waves

I have arranged to half of each sprout oppositely in three channels to make a wave with the folds. I flipped round some sprouts and moved them over to be diagonally crossing in the same direction. I find this piece rather interesting but I don't see it on the body, I do however could see it with multiples of folds and as a wall piece or framed. I may reconsider with it on the body but with not as many, possibly just a chain of two waves.

Multiple Angled 'Sprout'

Today I carried on from my 'Spouting' sample where I had changed the angle and made a new sample with the same technique but this time I've created a line of multiple. I'm really fond of this technique and the way it looks when it curves and bends. I've been looking at current trends and strong geometric folds are very popular right now in S/S14 collections. These types of samples are are going to fit in really nicely.

Fabric Search

Today I have focused on what type of fabric I may want to use for my final piece. I know that I will need thick fabric as I have found from my samples that they have worked better with the heavy calico than the medium calico as the heavy material holds its shape better. I went to the workshop to look through fabric samples and to the local fabric shops to see what they had to offer. I had no luck with the fabric shops but had a few fabrics I was considering from the fabric samples from Whaleys, they had at the workshop. I will have to dye my fabric the colours I want it but I am much happier doing that as I can ensure that I get the colour I want rather than having to use a found coloured fabric.

Sample Placement Ideas

I spent all day working with my samples, placing them in different positions on my mannequin and documenting each idea I had for where my fabric shapes could be placed. I came up of all sorts of variation and different places. I found myself in the end mostly interested in placing things on the shoulders or hips. These are a select few of the images I made with them.

Angle Change on 'Spouting' Sample

Today I followed on from my 'Sprouting' samples. I reworked the pattern and changed the angle that the fold comes out. It comes out to more of a point this time. I'm rather fond of this sample, and again I want to create a line of multiples of this to see how they sit together.

Tutorial with James

I had another tutorial with James today. We talked about what my plans were for the rest of the time before summative and what I can achieve within the time. We also discussed the problems I've been having with documenting my work and designing. I was recommended to take lots of photos. I should pin my samples onto a mannequin in places to spark ideas of where they could go and this will feed into my designing. I showed him my new samples and it seems like I'm really on the right tracks to something good.

Revised and Diagonal Tucks

I wanted to revisit my previous work of tucks and again create multiples all straight and uniform. This time when I made the tucks I didn't sew each fold, I folded it first and then sewn a line of straight flat fabric along the folded edge to keep the folds secure. Inspired by my 'Sprouting' samples I wanted to try two lots of tucks diagonally coming together into a point. I was interested by how it would form and whether it was possible to put two lots of tucks together. I was very impressed with how they came out its worked very nicely.

Sprouting Samples

Today I have been working on a new type of sample, moving away from the fabric cubes. Looking through the pattern magic books again I found a style they called 'Sprouting' or 'Nyokitto'. From looking at the images it didn't look like much. I just looked like extra fabric hanging from the body. However when I tried it for myself I was quite surprised and excited by what I had made. Using only two pieces of material I made fold that grows out of the flat fabric. From this one sample I needed to try multiples in a row, I knew that it was going to work so well together with multiple lines of folds. It was much more difficult to make a multiple line as the pattern curves round in a circle with too many of the folds. I think 5 or 6 would be the most I could do without the pattern going over itself. I could probably rectify this if i wanted more by cutting the pattern into pieces and having seams on the insides of the folds to be hidden. I want to play with this some more, move the folds around see how the fit together with other folds in different positions and change sizes and lengths.