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Articles & Columns

Here is where you can exercise your eyes and increase your theoretical fashion and textiles knowledge. In our articles section we post essays written by students for school, biographies of designers, opinion pieces, history, and anything else that is not a tutorial, interview, or review. Below you will find our ten most recent articles. You may also navigate via category:
        Being an Entrepreneur   ( 1 Article )         Fashion and Textiles History   ( 2 Articles )         Garment and Fabric Care   ( 1 Article )         Industry Opinion and Careers   ( 1 Article )         Other Articles   ( 1 Article )         Patternmaking Theory   ( 1 Article )         Product Development   ( 3 Articles )         So You Think You Can't Draw   ( 3 Articles )         Technology   ( 2 Articles )         Textile Sciences   ( 4 Articles )



Designing for Different Body Shapes and Sizes
Sunday, 14 February 2010 in Product Development by Annie Jackson
Originally written for my personal blog, www.AnnieJackson.me I have this absolutely amazing book. It is called The Science of Sexy and I feel like every dressmaker, Etsy seller, and designer who plans to design for niche groups should have it. It's... Read more...
Demystifying Pants - Patternmaking Process and Theory
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 in Patternmaking Theory by Anna Brit
A lot of people struggle with developing patterns for pants. There always seems to be problems: The crotch sags, the butt sags, the waist rides up, the crotch rides up; no matter what they do they just can not get that pattern to fit properly. What... Read more...
The Dior New Look
Monday, 01 February 2010 in Fashion and Textiles History by Lucy Natek
Needles to say, World War II did nothing to contribute to the development of fashion: fabric had to be rationed, Europe was in turmoil, and dressing the part was probably not the first thing on any-body's agenda. It was in spring 1947, when... Read more...
Product Development 101 - Part II
Sunday, 10 January 2010 in Product Development by Sarah S.
Hey guys. This is part II of my Product Development 101 – Beyond Design column. Last time we were talking about finding inspiration, making mood boards and conducting some research in order to find out whether or not our target group would... Read more...
Brief Intro to Haute Couture (videos)
Monday, 04 January 2010 in Fashion and Textiles History by Annie Jackson
I stumbled upon this series of videos from the old Expert Village yesterday and I wanted to share them with you.The designer, Lauren Bradley, gives a brief explanation of haute couture covering all aspects from body type to purchasing to haute... Read more...
Leatherworking
Monday, 14 December 2009 in Textile Sciences by Julia Nolan
Materials used for sewing leather, including heavy weight upper thread, leather working needles, and medium weight textured leather. Working with leather is quite easy to do, once you have an idea as to how leather differs from standard cloth. ... Read more...
Future of Fashion: Video and Lights
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 in Technology by Julia Nolan
I will admit that some of my love of “light up” fashion is that I am still a five year old at heart who is incapable of resisting anything that shines or glows. However, “light up” fashion has already come a long way from Santa Lucia... Read more...
A Wool Primer - Step-by-Step from Animal to Fabric
Monday, 23 November 2009 in Textile Sciences by Lauren Keyser
“When you consider the buttery softness of flannel… the smooth gloss of broadcloth… the rich depth of velour… it is difficult to imagine that all these textures and hundreds more could come from one fiber –Wool.” I’m in Textiles class... Read more...
Your Sewing Machine is a Ferret, and 9 other Tips for New Sewers
Sunday, 22 November 2009 in Other Articles by Whisper
I've learnt a lot in the past few years of seriously starting down the seamstressing path. I've tried to boil down this list to the ones that you won't find in your machine's instruction manual, basic sewing book, and such, but will give you easy... Read more...
Corset Care and Cleaning
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 in Garment and Fabric Care by Sidney Eileen
With proper care, any well-made corset should last for years of regular wearing. Even if it's not worn regularly, caring for a corset properly is very important.  It can be very disheartening to pull out an expensive item like a corset, only to... Read more...
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