Samantha Abraham 201023984 Garment Technology DESN2661 Personal Research and Construction Journal
Introduction Beginning my womenswear project in level 2 I will be focused on the certain pattern construction skills needed in order to enter this pathway in future jobs. By conducting research on all parts of the garment will enhance my knowledge of various pattern cutting skills as well as the skills for construction, giving me an advantage to when I come to creating these elements myself. Within this project, I am required to create a dress to the specification, creating construction notes each week containing the information gained from each session. In addition to this, research sheets on the construction, fabric and pattern cutting in order to further my knowledge.
Contents
1. Research: Yoke 2. Research: Sleeve 3. Research: Eyelet and Drawstring Fastenings 4. Research: Zips 5. Research: Hood with a Gusset 6. Research: Fabrics 7. Specification Drawing 8. Week One – Measurements 9. Week One- Drafting the Bodice Piece 10. Week Two- Drafting the Bodice Piece 11. Week Two- Drafting the Sleeve 12. Week Three- Drafting the Hood 13. Week Three- Drafting the Hood 14. Week Four- Mocking up the Hood 15. Week Five- Tracing Off & Lay Planning 16. CAD Lay Plan 17. Week Six & Seven- Making the Hood 18. Week Eight- Attaching the Yoke and Zip 19. Week Nine- Fitting Yoke into Front Piece 20. Week Ten- Adding the Elastic Channel 21. Week Ten- Making the Sleeve Binding 22. Week Eleven- Inserting the Sleeve 23. Week Eleven- Adding the Cuff and Facings 24. Final Photos & Conclusion
Yoke
A yoke forms part of a garment, in which it is normally situated at the shoulder seam of a bodice and from the figures below, it can be seen as a ‘horizontal panel’ (The Cutting Class, c2017). A yoke is usually used for ‘shaping, since dart values can sometimes be absorbed into the seam line’ (The Cutting Class, c2017) as well as providing extra support. Yokes can also be added in for decoration, for example the figure on the right below uses quilting on the yoke to cerate texture and detail. A yoke can be cut as one pattern piece which will allow the front and back to be connected at the shoulder seam (The Cutting Class, c2017). In regards to the dress I am making, there is a dropped shoulder and therefore two separate pieces will be needed ’in order to retain the curve of the shoulder line’ (The Cutting Class, c2017).
Sleeve For the dress I am making, a dropped shoulder is being used instead of a normal set in sleeve. The sleeve will be changed so that the ‘vertical seam for the armhole will be created to go somewhere between the shoulder point and the top of the arm’ (The Cutting Class, c2017) which means that the bodice and the sleeve share the shoulder curve (The Cutting Class, c2017). The use of the dropped shoulder allows room for more movement and flexibility which is a key requirement in sportswear garments. The best way to create this type of sleeve is to: 1. ‘Draw the required style line on the crown of the sleeve and notch the new seam line’ (Campbell, 2014). 2. Trace off these sections and then add them to the armholes on the bodice blocks, matching the armhole notches (Campbell, 2014). 3. ’Smooth off any uneven areas on shoulder lines with a curved line’ (Campbell, 2014).
Eyelet and Drawstring Fastenings
Eyelets and drawstrings are being used in this dress on the hood as well as around the hem. An eyelet is made of two compartments, with one side having a ‘barrel that is inserted through the gap in the material’ (Kumar, c2017) and the other part has a ‘flange that extends into the barrel’ (Kumar, c2017). To force these two pieces together, a hammer can be used to hit them into place or the use of grommet pliers can also be used (Johnson, 2017).
Zips The front the dress has a zip in order for the dress to be removed easily for the wearer. Zips are a form of fastenings and have ‘interlocking teeth called chain zippers’ (Textiles School, c2017) that are connected to strips of fabric. To open and close the zip, a slider with a tab is used and the materials used for a zip are mainly plastic or metal for strength (Textiles School, c2017).
There are 2 main types of zips: closed-ended zips and open-ended zips. Close-end zippers are ones that do not open at the end of the zip and therefore ‘doesn’t allow complete separation of the chain’ (Textiles School, c2017). These types of zips are ideal for trousers, bags and shoes (Textiles School, c2017). Openend zippers have a ‘box and pin mechanism provided on the lower end of the zipper’ (Textiles School, c2017) which allows the zip to separate. These zips are most common on outerwear such as jackets (Textiles School, c2017).
Hood To create the hood, the use of Winifred Aldrich’s metric pattern cutting was used to develop it. By using a metric route, the overall outcome will be more precise due to exact measurements being used. The method works from creating measurements between steps such as points 1-2 ‘measurement of front and back neckline’ (Aldrich, 2004, p.149). Another example is points 0-8 being ‘half the measurement of 06’ (Aldrich, 2004, p.149). Using this method allows a more personal result instead of using just block patterns and adapting them. With this, the client’s measurements will be accounted for properly for an accurate fitting hood. For sportswear, it is necessary to have a proper suiting garment to allow appropriate flexibility in movement as well as for the hood to not be to0 big or too small to inhibit the wearer.
The hood in the specification is a hood including a gusset. A gusset is ‘a piece of material sewn into a garment to strengthen or enlarge a part of it’. This is particularly useful for sportswear clothing as this allows more room for movement as well as making the hood more durable.
Fabrics AIRTEX MESH
Ripstop Weave
RIPSTOP
The fabric used within this dress is a form of Ripstop fabric. This fabric is a ‘thin, lightweight and waterproof fabric’ (UK Fabrics, c2017) in which it is also a type of woven fabric. The fabric is ‘similar to basket weaves, which are produced by combining warp and weft ribs’ (Eryuruk and Kalaoglu, 2015, p. 208). The fabrics properties are: • Breathable • Resists tearing • Water resistant This fabric is ideal for the dress being made due to the ‘raised squares in the fabric to prevent it from ripping’ (UK Fabrics, c2017), therefore making it great for sportswear and outdoor use.
I have used Airtex in my dress, which is a ‘thin, lightweight, breathable fabric’ (Reem Clothing, c2017). When creating this fabric it was due to experimentation with aeration in order to keep warm but also aid in sweaty conditions (Reem Clothing, c2017). Because of this, this fabric is perfect for sportswear due to being versatile and breathable as well as the choice of pink complimenting the navy ripstop and making it stand out more.
Specification Drawing
Week One- Measurements Before starting any pattern cutting, we had to interpret the measurements of each part of the garment, which we then will use to aid us when creating our pattern pieces, however making adaptions when necessary. To help us, we used tailoring tape to roughly mark on the bodice where different elements would go. This helped in order to get an accurate, life-size view of the garment and therefore helped to make more reliable measurements.
35cm
34cm
33cm 55cm
19cm
110cm
47cm 100cm
23cm
31.5cm
33cm
Circumference- 132cm
Week One- Drafting the Bodice Piece To start off with I drew a line down the side of my dot and cross paper that is the length of the back of the dress. I placed a bodice block of the back onto this line and then traced around it. I then did the same for the front bodice, however for the front I had to alter the bodice block to open a shoulder dart in order to create a princess seam. I used the pivoting method to close the bust dart which then opened the shoulder dart and then stuck this down over the original traced bodice block. For the princess seam, I drew 2 smooth curves from the shoulder dart to meet the bust point in the centre and then drew a line between this point and the waist dart to show where the princess seam will be. In order for my dress to fit the specification I needed to alter the neckline and shoulder of the bodice to accommodate the hood and have the dropped shoulder. At the neckline, I made the neckline 2cm wider at the shoulder and then 1.5cm at the centre front and back and using my pattern master, I created a smooth curve for the neckline. Dropping the shoulder is similar to this where I added an extra 2cm to the shoulder, however I had to reshape the armhole so that the underarm was not affected. Therefore using the pattern master, I draw a smooth curve that reached to the armhole notch, which this will not affect how the underarm sits on the body. In order to accommodate the dropped shoulder, I then had to adapt the sleeve block. Drawing a straight line along my pattern paper, I placed my pattern block on this so that the grain line met and proceeded to trace around it to create my draft. I then shortened the top of the sleeve by 2cm where it will meet the shoulder of the bodice and created a smooth line. Referring to my chosen measurements, I drew where I think the yoke should sit on the pattern. The main problem that I incurred this week was figuring out the measurements of the dress in order for it to meet the specification. Using the seamstress tape did help a lot with this aspect, however it still took longer than I expected to try and get accurate measurements.
Week Two- Drafting the Bodice Piece The specification shows that the front of the bodice is not tight around the waist and the bodice block used would be fitted at the waist and therefore we had to adjust it. To do this, I traced over the bottom of the bodice from the bust to the right of the princess seam. Using the slashing method, I slashed this piece open down the middle and then placed the side seam corner back in place and opened the pieces to make this section bigger, taping it down in the necessary places. In addition, the specification shows that the back of the garment will be gathered and therefore to accommodate this, the back bodice needs to be made bigger. Using the same method as previously mentioned, I slashed once through the neckline and then once through the shoulder and swung each section open by 4cm to make the bodice bigger. With this, I ensured that the pattern stayed flat and the same at the neckline. From here, the hem and side seams of the front and back had to be drawn in. Using last weeks measurements, I drew in where I believed the side seam of the front should end at 59cm and compared it to where the hem was. Looking at this, I did not think that it met my specification so I adapted it and added 3cm to it. I did the same measurement for the back of the garment it seemed like it would create the nice curve. Using my pattern master, I attempted to draw the curves in for the front and back hem which took a few times to get right. After this, I drafted in where the pocket would go at the front, only drawing in half of it due to it being cut on the fold. Using the measurements from last week I drew it in roughly and then adapted it to make sure it was proportional to the yoke and where it sat across the body. At the waistline at the back, I added in where the elastic casing will go which was a width of 5cm. The main problem that I incurred this week was drawing in the hem of the back and the front. I had to adapt many of the measurements that I took last week in order for the pattern pieces to look similar to the specification. I had to keep experimenting with how long the side seam should be so that there was still a nice curve and that the front and back corresponded in regards to the back being longer than the front. By experimenting and using my specification as a close guide, I managed to create more accurate measurements and draw out my front and back pieces.
Week Two- Drafting the Sleeve
Due to last altering the sleeve so that it was a dropped shoulder, I had to check that the sleeve still fitted the armhole. To do this, I measured the four portions of the sleeve, from notch to notch. I then compared these measurements to the armhole on the back and front pieces and made the necessary changes to ensure that the pieces fit. To adapt the sleeve, I had to make the curve flatter in order to get a smaller measurement as my armhole was smaller. We then started drafting the cuff of the sleeve where we measured the original block to see if that would be a reasonable length considering that we would have to roll it up the arm. I made the cuff 4.5cm deep which made the cuff 25cm in width. From this, I used the back notches to help identify where the opening of the cuff would go and drew a line 10cm up from the cuff to show this. To create the proper draft of the cuff, I used more pattern paper to draw it out including all the necessary aspects of the cuff. Knowing that the cuff had to be doubled in depth due to it placed over the end of the sleeve, I made the depth of the cuff 8cm and then continued to have the cuff being 25cm in width. I marked on notches to where the opening of my cuff will be and on this side which is the back, I added 2cm to the end as this will be folded under to accommodate a button. Furthermore, I marked in 1cm at the other end to show that this will be taken away due to binding being used. To create the tab, I measured how much would be needed to hold the fabric which came to 23cm. I added in where my button would go and as well as where I would fold the tab. With this aspect of the project it was relatively easy to adjust the pattern pieces to ensure that they all fit, however when trying to figure out where the tab would go took longer than expected since it was a lot of experimentation. Once I marked on where the elbow would be by folding the paper so the cuff would reach the shoulder, it did help a lot more and I had more of an idea on the measurements.
Week Three- Drafting the Hood Starting with the main piece of the hood, I drew two lines adjacent to each other to square off and marked the top left corner as 0. To find the height of the hood, I measured the nape of someone’s neck to the top of their head and added 4cm for ease and marked this point down from point 0 (30cm). Using my bodice draft, I measured the front (14cm) and back (10.7cm) neckline in order to figure out how much I needed for the whole neck and then took away 3cm to accommodate the gusset. I drew this line across from point 1 and then marked this as point 2. I then squared up to make point 3. To make points 2-4, I traced off the front neckline and compared it to the back to see the drop between these points for when the shoulder-neck-points are placed together and then connected point 4 to point 1 (5.1cm), as seen in the far top left figure. From points 14, I marked on the length of the back neckline minus 3cm which gave me 7.7cm. To make this sit properly on the shoulder, I raised the curve 0.5cm from points 1-5 and then lowered the curve between points 4-5 by 0.5cm-1cm and adjusted to ensure it fit back into the neckline measurements. This week I found relatively easy due to the fact I like using measurements when making up pattern pieces. However, one part I found difficult was attempting to make sure that the different pieces would definitely fit back into their relative pieces. It was a lot of experimenting and re-measuring which took longer than I thought.
Week Three- Drafting the Hood For points 6 and 7, I found out 1/5th of the measurement between 0-3 (4.4cm) and then squared down to 7. To find point 8, I halved the measurement from points 0-6 (8.7cm) and marked this on. For point 9 I found a quarter of points 0-1 and added 2cm (9.5cm). To the left of point 9 I added 3cm to create point 10 and then down from point 6 I added 2cm to make point 11. From point 11, I added 2cm to the right to make point 12. From the points just added, (1,10,8,12) I drew in a neat curve to connect them all to form the back of the hood. To create the curve at the front of the hood, I halved the measurement of points 6-7 (14.75cm) and marked this as point 13. I then estimated 7cm to be the front neck part of the hood and added this up from point 4. Then, I drew in the front curve using points 12, 13 and 14. My flat drawing shows that a facing is needed around the front of the hood so I made the facing 4cm in width and added this to the draft. I marked on my draft where my zip would go to show that this may be taken away as well as adding in where my eyelet will go.
For the gusset of the hood, I drew a rectangle that was the length of the head curve (48.7cm) with a width of 6cm. To get point 2, I found out 1/3rd of the measurement from 0-1 which is the length of the hood (16.2cm) and squared this across to make point 3. From points 2 and 3, I added 1.5cm to the left for point 3 and then to the right for point 3 and marked these as points 4 and 5. Using these points, I drew in the gusset curves and then measured these to make sure they would fit back to the main hood piece without too much ease. From the top of the gusset, I drew a line 4cm to show where the facing will go, in order to match the facing on the main part of the hood.
Week Four- Mocking up the Hood Due to the hood using a more methodical approach and we had to adapt it to match up with the specification, I made a mock up of the hood. To start with, I traced my drafts out of the hood pieces and then added a 1cm seam allowance around all the pieces. For the mock up, I decided to not include the facing but it was only a toile. I then placed the pattern pieces on some calico, making sure the grain lines went the right way and that I did not waste any fabric. Once that was done, I simply matched the side panels of the good to the hood gusset and sewed a 1cm seam, ensuring that notches were matched.
Once the hood was drafted up, I tried placing it on a mannequin to see how it would fit along the bodice so that I knew that my measurements were correct and it was not too big or too small. I took into consideration the height of the hood as well as the front of the hood where the zip will be placed. This was to make sure that when the zip was fitted, the front of the hood would still be big enough to fit around the wearers neck.
When making up the hood, I found it quite difficult to ensure that when the side panels met the gusset, the curve was nice and smooth. When I make up the final hood, I will ensure that I will go slowly on the machine so that a smooth curve is created, which will stop any misshaped parts of the hood.
Week Five - Tracing Off & Lay Planning Once that all the pattern pieces had been drafted off, I went over them to make sure that notches were added in the necessary places, such as where the front yoke would meet the front bodice. I also marked where the tags would go on the sleeves as well as where the pocket will go on the dress. I then traced over each of the separate pattern pieces from the drafts onto different dot and cross paper. In addition to this, I added a 1cm seam allowance around the necessary parts excluding the opening binding and some of the edges that were being cut on the fold e.g. the centre front and back. In order for me to easily know which piece is for what, I labeled each pattern piece with the necessary information such as the grain line, how many times it will need to be cut and whether it will be cut on the fold. This will help me when lay planning so that less is wasted and that the fabric all goes on the correct grain line. Furthermore, using the notch puncher and drill, I marked on the notches clearly as well as where the pocket and tab will go. Lay planning was the next step, where I attempted to ensure few fabric was wasted. With the ripstock fabric, both selvedges were folded into the middle to in order to have two folded edges for the pattern pieces. A main problem for this week was making sure that the pattern pieces matched up with one another as well as the notches matching up. There was a couple of times that I had to redo a piece as well as add in more notches to ensure that there will not be any mistakes when making up the dress. Another difficulty was figuring out the right lay plan for my pattern pieces so that little fabric was wasted.
Lay Plan
Week Six & Seven – Making Hood For the hood gusset, I decided that I wanted this to include the mesh material in order to add colour. For this, I tacked on the pink mesh to the ripstock fabric. As with the mock up of the hood, I matched the side panels to the hood gusset and sewed a 1cm seam allowance. I overlocked the seams together as well as around the hem of the hood. In order to attach the hood to the yoke, I had to make up the yokes. Doing the same with the yoke pieces as I did with the hood gusset, I tacked the two materials together. I then overlocked around the neckline as well as down the centre front. To attach the hood to the yoke, I matched the necklines to the front of the hood and only sewing 6cm along this. Due to doing a mock of the hood already, this part was easy, with the main difficulty being tacking the two materials together because they are very slippy fabrics. To improve on this, more pins would be necessary as well as going slower on the machine.
Week Eight- Attaching Yoke and Zip In order to make sure the zip was the right size for the dress, I measured from the top of the hood where the zip will start to the bottom of the yoke where it will end. Using this measurement, I also took away 2cm and trimmed my zip down. Using some ripstock fabric, I cut a rectangle the width of the zip and the length of 4cm. I placed this piece on the bottom of the zip at the half way point and sewed along the middle. I then folded it over on itself, and sewed over it again. Placing the right side of the zip onto the right side of the fabric, I used a zip foot to sew close to the teeth of the zip. At the point where the hood and the notch meet, I added notches to the zip so that the seams line up when it is zipped up. I then did the same to the other side of the zip, sewing it in place. I decided to top stitch my zip so that it would stop the fabric getting caught in the teeth. Fitting the zip into place was tricky especially with this fabric as it kept slipping away, and therefore next time I would use more pins to keep it in place. To add to this, top stitching the zip was also hard because I layered my yoke and the mesh material was hard to lay flat.
For the facing of the hood, I attached three pieces together, with the small gusset facing in the middle. I then placed right sides together, making sure the gusset seams match with the shortest side of the facing being attached. On the curves of this seam, I sniped into the seam to allow a smooth curve. In addition, I top stitched the facing to the seam which has helped to keep the facing in place.
Week Nine- Fitting Yoke into Front Piece With the front piece of the dress, measure 1cm from the corners where the yoke will be placed. This will be a guide to ensure that when the yoke is inserted it will be sitting correctly at the corners. Pin the yoke into place on one side of the front piece, using one pin to mark where the corners will meet. Sew a 1cm seam and when at the marked point, snip into the corner, stopping before the point and then pivot the fabric to sew the next section of the yoke onto the front piece. Do the exact same as just stated for the next corner, making sure to snip into the corner to allow ease. With the pocket facings, fold the long sides down by 0.5cm and top stitch this in place. For the pocket, place the facings onto the side of the pocket piece and use a 1cm seam allowance to sew them into place. Using the drill marks from the pattern piece, place the pocket onto the fabric to match these points. Pin the pocket into place and top stitch the pocket, leaving out the entrances to the pocket.
When attaching the yoke to the front piece, it was difficult to ensure that the corners were the same on both sides so that it was not wonky. I had to redo one corner twice to make sure it was perfect, with snipping into the corner a bit more in order to help with this.
Week Ten- Adding the Elastic Channel
Using the notches on the back piece of the draw a line with tailors chalk to connect them. Find the half way point and then mark 16cm either side of the halfway point. Cut a piece of elastic around 20cm long and sew each side at both ends of the 16cm points. With the elastic channel pattern piece, press down 1cm along the top and the bottom. Place the mesh fabric where the notches are and then sew along the top across the line until the start of the elastic. Here, ensure that the elastic is not caught up in the stitches and continue sewing this in place, moving the elastic in order to flatten the navy fabric. This creates the gathering. Do the same for the bottom half of the elastic channel.
The first attempt of the elastic channel was not that successful, with the fact that I pressed under too much on both sides of the channel. This made it harder for me to fit the elastic inside it so I redid it and made the folds smaller.
Week Ten- Making the Sleeve Binding Fold over one side of the binding piece and press it down and do this for the other binding too. Pin the unfolded part of the binding to the bottom of the opening of the sleeve, right side of binding facing wrong side of sleeve. Getting closer to the top of the opening, move the binding out in order to allow a pivot. When sewing this in place, keep the same distance from the edge of the binding throughout. When you get to the top of the opening, keep the needle in place and then pivot the fabric to sew the other side down. Fold the binding over to the right side of the sleeve doing the same as previous step and top stitch this in place. Pull the binding to the wrong side of the sleeve and then do a row of stitching in the corner as shown in the photo below.
To attach the front and back pieces, match the shoulders at right sides together and sew a 1cm seam allowance. With the hood facing, flatten it to the inside of the hood and top stitch it in place to allow the cord to be thread through.
With the sleeve binding, I was finding it very difficult to apply it due to the fabric being very hard to work with. To make this easier, perhaps an alternative fabric could be used such as the airtex.
Week Eleven- Inserting the Sleeve In order to make the tabs on the sleeves, I put the right sides together of the tab pieces and then sewed a 1cm seam around them, leaving out the top. Trim the corners in order to create a smooth curve and then turn the tab to the right side. Press it down to make it flat. Using the drill marks on the wrong side of the sleeve, match them with the corners of the tabs, and then sew the tabs on, sewing a rectangle around the top as show in the pictures to the left. To attach the sleeves to the dress, match the notches, with right sides together and pin in place. Sew a 1cm seam, allowing ease in certain places. Overlock the sleeve seams, and then match the side seams up all the way to the cuff of the sleeves. Sew a 1cm seam and then overlock these seams. For this week, sewing around the curves was difficult, which meant that I had to redo it a few times. I found it easier to create a better curve once I trimmed the curves and then it allowed me to press the tabs properly.
Week Eleven- Adding the Cuff and Facings
With the cuff pieces, figure out the right sides, then fold and press down 1cm from the top of the wrong side. Fold the cuff in half, with right sides facing and then move the front with the folded edge 1cm down. Sew down both sides of this with a 1cm seam allowance. Press the cuffs in order to flatten them. Match the cuffs with the bottom of the sleeves wrong sides together, matching the notches so that the extension is not included in this and use a 1cm seam allowance. With the extension, on one side of the binding and on the other sleeve it is on the opposite part of the binding, helping to create a symmetrical look. Fold the cuffs to the right side, and place the folded edge just over the stitch line and top stitch this in place. Attach the front and back facings together at the sides, and then overlock the bottom of it. Pin the facings to the hem of the dress (not the overlocked side), right sides together and then sew a 1cm seam. Fold the facing to the inside of the dress, and top stitch it into place. The facings were the main difficulty for me here, with me at first using the matte side of one facing. The next time, I started sewing the back facing to the front and therefore wasted time unpicking this and redoing it. In addition to this, I sewed the bottom of the facing to the hem of the dress, but also overlocked the other side which I then rectified and finally got it the correct way. However, due to cutting into the seam to help with the curve for the previous attempt, it was difficult to top stitch it in place.
Final Photos
Conclusion Looking back at this project, the parts that were easiest were the ones that I had researched beforehand because it allowed me to understand the construction as well as pattern making before attempting it myself. This helped with my time management as well as cutting down the amount of mistakes I made. The Airtex fabric that I had chosen compliments the navy Ripstop fabric and therefore it has created an aesthetic dress as well as it being suitable for the function. If I was to do this project again, a lot more time would go into ensuring the quality of the dress, such as making sure I overlock the correct pieces as well as take my time when using difficult fabrics.