12/5/15- Pattern Cutting

Today I began pattern cutting for my skirt. I started with a basic skirt block that I cut out and using my models measurements altered. This basic shape is for me to build on top of. After talking to Becca I am going to create the pleats and ruffle details on a band to be put over the top of the skirt as this is the best way to add all the detail without affecting where I can put a zip and without it being too bulky. I also decided that I was going to add a printed panel to the front of the skirt instead of the part of a suit jacket as this was also proving to be too bulky and I would like to include the print as I spent the time designing them.

I think the pattern cutting went quite well today, I feel a bit more confident with it and I also feel I understand pleats now which I didn't know how to do before. I also feel that developing the garment on the stand is helping me understand what is working and this is why my ideas have changed. Today I also went to get fabric for my skirt, I have decided to use a cotton drill for the ruffles as has some body and will hold its shape and a fairly thin cotton sateen for the pleats as it will mean they will as well as hold their shape will drape too. For the printed section I am using a fleece as it has a really nice texture when heat pressed and I think I can use it to hold the shape which will be reminiscent of a suit collar using interfacing to stiffen it. I am still stuck on what fabric to use for the main body of the skirt as I think I need a shiny fabric possibly to bring back to richness I have been looking at. I am going to look at more fabrics tomorrow to decide.

Tomorrow I need to carry on making my skirt starting to construct it properly as well as finishing my toile. I need to remember to record my process as I am working as I am finding I am changing my mind quite often. I am also going to print out my final fabric samples as well as the panel for the front of my skirt.

(My skirt toile progressing, authors own, 12.5.15)

11/5/15- Developing Print and Duvet Coat

This weekend I have spent my time developing my prints, correcting the trap lines and experimenting with scale and experimenting with colour. I think I have improved with print in this project I have a better understanding of repeating them and using the offset tool as well as what works well in the print. I think from further developing the prints I have found that using a background colour completely changes the look of the print, it can lift it or change the mood to be more cold/ dark etc. The two prints below are my favourite, they combine the different elements of the project but have moved on from my initial designs and feel more interesting. I think I could improve them by playing with scale more thinking about how they would work on garments and how the size of the print would look. I also need to think if I actually want to use them on a garment because I'm not sure whether they are ready for being put onto a garment as I don't think I have developed them enough onto designs so I think I will just print them as final samples and put them on a board for presenting with my work.

Today I began draping my duvet coat. I dyed it yesterday using Dylon and sadly it came out more of a silver shade rather than a pewter but I am going to work with this and mix it with dark colours so it has a greater contrast to the rest of the look. At the end of today I am also not happy with how the shape has worked out, it looks quite lumpy and I think I need to re-drape it to see if it can look better possibly trying to bring back more volume to the coat. I like having the velvet sleeve with it though which is a developed from my initial idea and I think it brings a contrast and an element of the rich into the duvet. 

Tomorrow I need to create a toile for my skirt so I can know how much fabric I'll need so I can buy it and start making it. I haven't decided completely what fabrics I want in my skirt so this is something I also need to decide tomorrow. I am getting quite worried at the moment with the amount of time I've got to make the garments but I know I can do it once I have the pattern pieces sorted. 

7/5/15- Design Development

Today I continued to generate design ideas working with my designs from yesterday and finding the shapes which work the best. I have also been trying to add flats into my designs so I think about the technicalities of my designs and how they are actually constructed as this is a very important part in understanding the clothes that I am designing. I think from drawing flats I am getting better at them but I could do with being more accurate at times and precise so that I ensure my proportions are correct. Doing this is also allowing me to think about where features such as seams and zips are being placed meaning my designs have greater detail. 

From today I am starting to figure out shapes that are working such as coat silhouettes and skirt combinations but I think I need to go back into my research and early development and work on some more ideas particularly of tops or different details I could add to create different mixes and so when I put together my final small collection there is excitement going through all the looks rather than just the same details repeated. To do this I can try and extract from the wealth in history that I looked at and also details from photographs I have taken such as of homeless people I have seen or details from buildings like the National Gallery which I visited. I also need to go back and develop my prints more, correcting the trap lines and possibly playing with background which I didn’t do before. This will give me more to work with when deciding on my final collection. 

The next step is to go back into my research and just quickly draw down the interesting details which I can then develop into details for tops and skirts etc. I am also going to focus this weekend on constructing my duvet coat, I first want to work out the final shape by draping it on the stand till I am happy with it so that I can then dye it before sewing it together. If I can get this done by early next week it means I can focus on constructing my skirt which I haven’t physically experimented with or sampled yet. 

(Sketchbook pages, authors own, 7/5/15)