Friday 26th November - MMU FASHION GOES GUERILLA!

Photos taken on the day which highlight my shirt dress (orange and white one featured)

14/11/11 - Realisation Week 3 - FINAL WEEK!

Monday:

I think today is the first time Ive realised how time has flown by since the start of university! I cant believe its half way through november and I have just over a month left! Today I constructed my 2nd toile and was pleased with the fit and shape! Just hope other people are too. The dying went well and I bought my fabric 'cotton satin medium' some interfacing as it is a bit soft, buttons, bias binding and dye bucket! I met with Alison (contextualising practise seminar leader) for 5mins to discuss my essays. I really need to give them all a little start this week and it'll make next week so much easier! Bring on tomorrow pattern cutting this thing for real, wish me luck!

Tuesday:

After completing a set of sample dyes on my 2nd toile, I have descided that I love the rosewood red shade as it gives a birtn orangey/red colour that defies the shades autumn/winter trends always give us. Today I spent my time carefully making final tweeks to my pattern (learnt from my 2nd toile) and cutting it out. I tried my best to ensure it was on the grainline, rightside of the fabric and I was efficent as possible to create minimum waste in material. After cutting the fabric, I took it home to dye my fabric panels, I had to search a while for a domestic large bucket but found one, this made sure my work was clean throughout. By doing this at home I was able to be completely watchful over the dye and treat it the best I could. I then left this overnight to lead to my main contrustion day tomorrow...

Wednesday:

Today is the main contrustion day to my garment! Cant believe all this research, design and toiles have lead up to today, but I cant believe how clearer and more confident my head is about it now Ive gone through that process with complete dedication! I took my time today ensuring that I was high on quality control, therefore I was very grateful that the workshop shut at 6:30pm! I was happy with my garment when I left, I dfound being patient on the overlockers still something I need to address and the busyness of the workshop very stressful, but managed to keep myself together. All I need to do now is add the buttons (as buttonholes are done!) buy dust/lint remover, dress bag and hanger!

Thursday:

Today was the knit workshop! We we able to work on the dubied machines with the double beds! Surprisingly they were a lot easier for me to get my head around after using the domestic machines the other week. I was surprised to not see as many people there as last week, but I suppose it is deadline week, but I made sure my work was done so I could come today! We learnt ripple knits, more laddering, wavy laddering, how to make a tube (front bed then back bed), how easy it is to swap colours etc. I am LOVING these knit workshops! Need to get myself down there next week!

Friday:

I came in early to fit my buttons, press my garment and neaten the edges a little before tutorial. It was a nice tutorial to finally see people's work come together and see the whole process piecing up as a whole. Going through the tutorial, Sarah told us some of the areas we were missing or had to revise. My 'to-do' list for this afternoon (before work 10-5am) is; take photos for shop report in town, sew buttons, produce A3 boards of workings drawings x4 (including one final design sheet), Annotate and title boards and sketchbook, go to library for journals (contextualising practise) and write conclusion sheet off moodle. So proud of myself for getting it all sorted and my work fully organised before work! I have the weekend to sort out any final problems and perfect my work.

07/11/11 - Realisation Week 2

Monday:

As part of our contextualising practise lecture this week, we were made to choose a collection in order to research for our final essays. The lecture had great variety from the special collections, here at man met. library to the film archives which had an eye opening film on fashion in the 40s/50s on cotton in fashion. I was really cool to see the differance between how muted a fashion show was then by only having a few buyers to how popular culture has made it the phenomeon we know today with bloggers, magazine editors to celebrity. I ended up choosing the journal collections as I really want to find vogue from my birthday as I know Kate Moss was on the cover, hairstyles by James Brown. Or any other that catches my eye. I'm scheduled for 10am on Friday 18th November for my collection meeting.

Tuesday:

Today was crunch time in pattern cutting. With my final idea and a long fresh batch of calico I went to finally get my head around how I would make my rather complex design. After I arrived I instantly regretted designing something of such complexity, but if I'd of gone for the ultra-symplistic route I would not feel that sense of achievement or satisfaction with my design in the end. My final fabric will hopefully be cotton organdy (at £12.50 a mtr), which is rather expensive but hopefully with give it the luxurious feel and quality I desire. I managed to get a very clear view of my pattern plan after explaining my ideas/plan to Robin, which gave me a good start and direction. I made all my pieces and cut them out ready to sew at 9am tomorrow so I get a good table!

Wednesday:

Today I got in at 9am so I got a good table and a good headstart! my first 'toile', or should I say toile 0.5 was made by around 11. Then i hade to create the otoshiana (drop hole) process (found in the pattern magic book) which requires me making the hole out of a flat and tubular shaped calicos and fitting i into a hole in the dress. I then drew on my seams to the dress to create odd angular shapes. I then translated the cut calico pieces to pattern paper (around 10 additions to the pattern) and added 1cm seam allowance. Then I cut the pattern out and designed and made a collar (i want to experiment with a rounded collar) all cut out to sew together as my officall 1st toile tomorrow then I have my first knit workshop! I managed to go into town to abakhan to get my cord for my piped seams just in time too!

Thursday:

Today I was really keen to get on ith my first toile after having all my pieces cut and cord etc. As I was creating the garment it did seem like i was creating three seperate shirts, but I wanted to stick by my design and attempt to reflect what I have come up with in the process. From the whole week of pattern creating, cutting and sewing once I was near the end of sewing, I placed my toile on the stand to see that its fit was terrible, the otoshiana (drop hole) was completely flat and overall the design looked terrible! I had the knit workshop at 1:30pm, yet I knew Robin was around, after being informed he had just left the workshop at 1pm I e-mailed him for help as I was left lost and disappointed with myself and went to the knit workshop.

The knit workshop really lifted my spirits after my design made me feel like a failure. We firstly learnt and recieved samples of differant types of knit, sampled finger knitting and differant types of weaves. One of the workshop technicians called Sue showed us the right and wrong ways to steam set our samples as most types of knit curls and needs to be flattened. Then we got a go on the domestic hand knitting machines! They were tricky to work at first but then i was soon trying out all the techniques Dr Annie Shaw showed us. I just need to find time to come and practise randomly so I can get better! I need to finish hand knitting my hat for winter too!

Luckily after the workshop at 4:30pm I found Robin in the corridor. I showed him my design and my toile. I wanted more volume in the very flat drop hole which would require me adding panels to the back and inbetween. After deliberating this, and showing him some of my designs, he admitted and I thouroughly agreed that it should be kept simple like my original puzzle dress I created a few weeks ago. I will extend it to a more modern 3/4 length, add blocks of colour (burnt orange/red), add a grandad collar (full collar will be strange) and a long placket down the back!

Friday:

Up bright and early again to pattern cut the new design before tutorial. This time I had no hitches and had just enough calico for my pattern (phew!). In tutorial I explained my meeting discussion with robin about my first toile and fortunately Louise agreed that my work did have too much going on, and after showing her my puzzle dress and ideas for final design she said it would be a good idea to make it. Just need to dye my panels for monday stitch up and buy final fabrics! Phew!

31/10/11 - Realisation Week 1

Monday:

Today was a lecture on time for contexualising practise, I thought it was good to evaluate time in terms of desig and quality control. Also how time binds us together as a world in habits and things we arange together.

Tuesday:

In pattern cutting today we learnt how to create a yolk on a garment (getting rid of the dart with keeping the volume, regularly found on jeans etc), how to add volume to a pattern and experimenting with sleeves. I really enojyed it this week as I was able to visualise and half create a lot of the outcomes we did with flat pattern cutting. Plus we got to sew together the shirt blocks which I love doing!

Wednesday:

The lecture on print was this morning. I am really interested in making print a big part fo some of my future designs. Its not cheap to digitally print fabric, but can look amazing! One of my favourite designers Mary Katrantzou used prints so beautifully I can definately see a inspirational project coming soon! Im eager to create designs using print to express and exaggerate colour shape and volume! So excited for this! I love colour and print lets you use it wholeheartedly :D

Thursday:

I had my last ever sewing induction today! To be honest i really have enjoyed being taught step by step sewing/construction techniques as I never really have before, Ive jsut got on with it as its one of those things people never tend to teach in GCSE or A level. After this I wanted to try my hand at designing a short suit for myself. I found the jacket very straightforward, yet the shorts a little bit harder! I think I need to make a pattern from ones I have at home to get them the perfect fit for me.

Friday:

I think this was the first ever tutorial that my work really spoke for itself. I was confident about it, knew my market, targets, design ethic and pathway etc and I think it showed in the way I presented it to Louise today as she finally got what I meant all this time! She helped me realise that next week I need to start making my first toile in lightweight calico, then creat the final in see through organdie. Cant wait to get paint sampling for my colours either. Gonna try and making it very christopher kane! Definately a 'realisation' week for me!