Fashion design Principles

Design

What I intend to do in this unit

Create a final design including toile and fabric samples, sketch book work and presentation boards. With finished garment construction.

Plan of work

- Research – present initial ideas and theme research
- Customer and market research
- Trend , Fabric and colour research
- Developed ideas presented in a sketchbook, deciding on theme, customer, and trend research
- Design ideas relating to research
- Developed design ideas showing a range of possible outcomes, including fabric swatches
- Experimentation of fabrics and decoration
- Fabric samples and materials of tests
- Final design with fabric swatches and flat drawings
- Pattern research in selected shapes
- Create boards to present research
- Create final boards to present final design including fabric swatches, illustration and flat drawings
- Elaborate patterns ready for construction
- Make a toile from patterns
- Fit toile on stand or modal to check size and fit
- Cut selected fabrics using toile and patterns
- Construction and fitting of the garment with special attention to detail and finish

Hand inconstruction and sketchbook work.

My thoughts on this unit

The first assessment for my portfolio of project work was quite disappointing. To start with I found it difficult to show my ideas in a sketch book. I enjoyed making the mood boards and presentation boards as I like playing with colour and design. Also I enjoyed illustrating my ideas but found it hard to use my research to inspire my drawings. Since the assessment iv found working in a sketch book much easier and I feel I have greatly improved, I found a way to manage my work and am now enjoying this area much more. I have tried to research in much more detail and have learnt how to take inspiration for design ideas. The current project were doing seems to be much more enjoyable as I have my work organised and I have focused on my presentation more.

Pattern cutting and Construction

What I intend to do in this unit

Pattern cutting

-I will create a set of patterns for a variety of garments
-At this stage I will be helped step by step by staff to create accurate patterns
-I will also gain experience in modelling patterns and toiles of each garment on a stand.
-I want to elaborate a range or patterns to show quality control processes.

Construction

-I will learn how to sew and finish garments in a variety of fabrics. For example creating hems, folds, topstitches etc
-I will make samples of everything learnt to refer back to when making and constructing garments.
-I will learn how to place patterns on to fabrics, then cutting and preparing for the construction of garments.
-I want to build confidence with sewing machines and pressing to construct garments to a high finish.

After completing the unit

I enjoyed the first unit Pattern cutting and Construction. Found pattern cutting quite simple and I understood and learnt basic skills. However after assessment realized I could have taken more time to make it neat and tidy. I didn’t enjoy construction as much as I was frustrated with the machines at first but after a couple of weeks I improved quite a lot. Again I needed to pay more attention to detail and make my work neater and more professional. I was happy with my assessment mark but don’t want to consider specialising in these areas as I found them quite difficult and that made it harder to enjoy. I feel that I have learnt a lot from these lessons however and look at garments in a completely different light now that I know how they are prepaired and constructed.