I have always loved sewing and at the age of 16, when I first left school, I worked on a factory line making children's clothes for Marks and Spencer. I soon got bored of stitching collars on all day or over locking cuffs on all day and I was looking to broaden my horizons. I found myself working in small industrial unit making 'one off' designs for a company called 'Anna John Fashions'. This was a little more exciting and we actually made jackets for Michael Jackson's roadies on his 'Bad Tour' amongst other bits and pieces. The problem was, we still rarely got to make a whole garment we just took responsibility for making a certain part of the garment. Hence, I never really became competent or confident at making clothes. I ended up working for many years in a 'Soft Furnishers' making sofas curtains and cushions. These, I can make with my eyes closed, but clothing - well that is a totally different ball game.
25 years later, the lack of dressmaking experience has come back to haunt me. I am currently running a GCSE Textiles course in a Kent Secondary school and will also be teaching AS Textiles from September. Many of the students want to make clothes (and have some very fantastical ideas) so I have had to face my fears!! I have made a couple of skirts and a tunic top recently but have not yet tackled the dreaded dress! The purpose of this particular blog series, is to create a resource for these students. I want them to follow this particular journey from the conception of an idea, through the trauma of the need to make constant decisions and changes without really knowing if they are going to be the right ones!! Hopefully, this will encourage my students to be imaginative, creative and most of all realistic. For me, I hope to achieve a reasonable conclusion and a wearable, interesting dress.
So, this is how day 1 went in a visual diary form (with a few words of explanation)
Ok, so first, I had to look through my fabrics and find a selection of approximately 5 - 10 different fabrics that might work together (forgot to photograph the bundle - great start!!)
I love the idea of recycling and found this dress which I intend to chop up and reuse.
I then started draping different fabric pieces together on the mannequin to see what colours and shapes could work together. I found this very frustrating and could not make decisions about what actually did work. The problem is that at some point, these largish pieces of fabric need to be cut down so that they can be pinned together but I didn't actually want to cut them down prematurely only to find I had cut the wrong shape or too small. At some point, a decision needs to be made.....
I soon realised that I needed to shape the bust but was not sure where to start. I checked out my wardrobe and found a shapely Joe Browns dress. I placed this on my mannequin and drew around the bust shape onto the mannequin using chalk. I added an inch around the top of the bust as the dress is cut a little low for my taste. I also chalked out the top section at the back of the dress onto the mannequin.
**NOTE TO STUDENTS - Of course, unlike myself, you will have produced a number of designs prior to making your garment so you will have very strong ideas about the shape and style of your garment. My ideas are all in my head and made up as I go along. I can get away with this as I do not need to keep a sketchbook like yourselves to show how my ideas have developed. Sorry, I know that is cheating but I need to get on with the 'making' so I can show you how to do it!! **
Working from the chalk lines on the mannequin, I made a pattern for the 2 curved bust shapes. I then selected 2 fabrics and cut them. I added 3 tiny pleats at the bottom of the cups to allow for female curves. I top stitched the seam joining both curves together with the seam facing downwards to ensure the curve sat nicely across the bust and to add extra strength to this area. So far, so good - 3 hours work so far. Phew!!!
I then cut the 2 back panels after making a pattern with scrap fabric and joined them onto the front panels. Then I began draping fabric again to figure out what to do with the skirt part of the dress. I quite like the shape this front panel creates, especially with the extra length at both sides but it is just to much of the same fabric for my taste and also a little to 'safe'. I want to create lost of small, tattered sections.
I looked back to the Joe Browns dress and considered the shape of the main front panel. I made a pattern for it, pinned it on and then decided to disregard it for this particular dress, I felt it was the wrong shape. Instead I added a similarly shaped piece onto one side of the bodice which curved down to the hips. A more flattering shape, I decided, although I need to start reducing the panel sizes if I am to achieve a more 'patchwork' effect.
I picked up a small offcut of the Chinese fabric and realised this could be the first step towards 'patchwork land'. Time for a little more draping and to introduce more of that teal blue dress. The colour needs to be integrated more with the green silks and I intend to do this by adding braids and lace which will flow down from the bodice to the skirt. The teal colour piece will probably end up lower down than where it is currently pinned but I am liking the shape the frills on the bottom are creating. Total working time today; 7 hours.
** NOTE TO MY STUDENTS - HOWEVER LONG YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE A GARMENT - DOUBLE IT AND DOUBLE IT AGAIN!!!! *
