What is the collective noun for shirts?  Herd of shirts?  Gaggle?  Flock?  Bunch?  Oh well, it really does not matter, three shirts are not enough to deserve a collective noun.  I will figure it out after I make a few more.

Anyway, during finals week last semester I made a shirt for my presentation in my fashion industry class.  I made another two in the next few weeks.  My plan was to make at least three more before posting pictures here, but then classes and work got in the way.  I had time to make one shirt for work, but I will not be showing you a picture of that one yet.  You will have to wait until I make a few more work shirts, and then I will post pictures of all of them.  In the mean time you will have to content yourselves with these belated pictures of the three shirts I made in June.

I wore this shirt for my fashion industry class presentation.  I started it using an industrial machine at school, but the lab closed after classes ended, so I had to finish it at home.  I began work on this shirt after finishing the one for my sewing class.  This one is a little nicer, which reinforces the point I keep making about the importance of experience.  The shirt is heavyweight unbleached muslin.  I like this fabric a lot; I will dye some blue to use for shirts for work.

This was my fifth long sleeve tailored shirt, although only the third one to be completed.  My technique still needs a lot of improvement, but I do now know how this pattern works.  I wanted to add something to this shirt, so I made box pleat pockets with pocket flaps.  I think these pockets add a nice bit of character to a shirt.  I may add epaulets to the next shirt I make with this fabric.

The moment I saw this print I knew I needed to use it for a shirt.  This is the shirt that got me insulted at Jo Ann Fabrics.  I am still annoyed about the implication that men do not sew, but I now enjoy this shirt even more.  By wearing this shirt I feel I am shouting out, “fuck you” to everyone who says only women sew.  On a more technical note, I should point out that that the left placket could have been better.  It is well made, but the print does not line up.  I prefer attached plackets to folded in ones, but with this type of print a folded in placket would have been more appropriate.  Mistakes are how we learn.

The next shirt was well made, but I am not sure if it is aesthetically pleasing.  I bought two spools of multicolor thread because they were on sale, but I did not know what I would do with them.  I thought maybe a black shirt with green, yellow, orange, and red topstitching would look good.  Now I do not know.  Is it fetching or hideous?   I will have to wear it and see what sort of comments I get. 

I think multicolor topstitching is more appropriate for women’s wear and that it would work better with denim.  If my sister ever sends me her measurements I will make such a shirt for her.

Tags: shirts | pocket | multicolor thread | muslin | balloons

The third garment I made for my apparel construction class this semester was a shirt.  My instructor felt that the shirt was the most difficult project of the semester.  I had a little experience making shirts and none making pants, so I had more difficulty with the pants.  I think the hardest part of making a shirt isn’t the actual sewing, it is understanding what to do.  I already knew how to make a shirt, so as my classmates struggled to figure out how to make plackets, collars, cuffs, and all the other odd bits I was able to concentrate on getting everything made well.

I think I did a very good job with this shirt.  It is far from perfect, but I see consistent improvement with every shirt I make.  I had a lot of trouble with sleeve plackets and cuffs on previous shirts, but now those two seem easy.  My collar stands are getting better, but they still need a lot of work.

Unlike the previous two projects for my class, this one did not require a fit muslin.  We did a tissue fit instead.

The torso fit well, and my pattern had neck sizes marked in inches, so those two areas presented no problems.  I thought I would have to lengthen the sleeves, but after pinning my pattern to me my instructor said the sleeve length was good.  I should have lengthened them.  The sleeves on my first shirt were too short and I did not have enough fabric to make new ones.  I was ahead of schedule, so instead of making giant cuffs I made a new shirt.

I need an unbleached muslin shirt for my fashion industry class.  My plan was to make that shirt after I finished the broadcloth one for apparel construction, but after I gave up on the broadcloth shirt I decided to use the same shirt for both classes.  I used a heavyweight muslin that looks quite nice for apparel. 

I am not sure where the idea came from, but at some point I found myself thinking that as much as I liked my natural color shirt I would like it even more tie-dyed.  Once an idea gets lodged in my head I cannot shake it.  The local stores did not have a great selection of dyes, but I think the colors I chose work well together.  I am almost done with an undyed shirt for fashion industry.

 

Every year the apparel design instructors at my school meet with industry representatives to evaluate the program.  The most recent feedback they received was that Stout graduates are skilled in the technical areas of apparel design but have difficulty with presentation, communication, and technical writing.  The department will try to work on those areas.  Most classes will now require students to make some form of presentation.  Instead of a final exam for apparel construction, we had to make portfolio pages and present them to the class.

I never made a portfolio page before, I do not know how to use the software usually used for portfolio pages, and there was only one brief lesson in class about how to make a portfolio.  My pages for this class did not have to be up to professional standards; the purpose of this assignment was to introduce us to portfolios and presentations.  I included photos of the shirt, samples of fabric and notions, and flat drawings of the shirt and some of its more difficult parts.  I think my instructor was pleased with my portfolio.  Tomorrow I get it back and find out what I did wrong.

Tags: shirt | tie-dye | portfolio | muslin | cuffs | collar

My apparel construction class began work on our shirt this week.  I have made shirts before, so I expected to have no problems with this project.  As my classmates were still working on collars and front plackets all I had left was cuffs, buttonholes, and hem.  My plan was to have the shirt finished by now so I could spend the weekend and the last week of class studying and working on other projects.  My optimism was foolish, but at least I have time to make another shirt.

I ran into two problems.  My fabric is a polyester/cotton blend, and my iron was too hot.  The heat setting was fine for pressing the fabric flat and pressing open seam allowances, but my front plackets became horribly distorted.  If the crinkled plackets were the only problem I might have been able to turn in this shirt, but I ran into a bigger problem with the sleeves.  Instead of making a muslin for the shirt we just did a tissue fit.  I thought my sleeves were long enough.  They weren’t.  This problem could be fixed with huge cuffs, but then the shirt would look silly.

I need a greige goods shirt to wear for my final project presentation in my fashion industry class, but I did not plan to have that shirt finished by the time my apparel construction shirt is due.  Now I will have to use the same shirt for both classes.  So the shirt I made with fashion fabric is my muslin, and the shirt I will make with muslin is my finished product.  At least I am getting a lot of experience making shirts.

Tags: tailored shirt | shirt placket | pressing | sleeves | polyester | muslin

In part 1 of my semester review I wrote about what I needed to know for my final exam. All of that will be useful as I progress through school, but some of the other things I learned this semester are much more important. I did not take this class for the credits; I will not be transferring them to UW-Stout. I took this class to confirm that this field is the right one for me and to gain a little experience before I start my studies in earnest. I now know that I chose a good major. I love sewing. I am excited about my upcoming studies at Stout and my eventual career in the apparel industry. The lessons taught in class were important, but the other things are learned are what really matters most.

Experience counts - Practice, practice, practice. What is difficult at first becomes easier over time. Sew a lot and your sewing will improve. Complicated procedures become easy with experience.

Muslin is cheap - Play around with it. Sew stuff. See what happens. Make stuff in muslin first to learn how to do it. Big mistakes in muslin are no big deal, but big mistakes with expensive fabrics may make you cry.

Sewing requires a lot of attention - If you become distracted as you sew you will probably need to rip out some stitches. Pay attention. I often listen to my iPod as I sew. Classmates are more distracting that music.

Mistakes happen; it's OK - My seam ripper may be my most important tool. I tell myself that every mistake is a learning experience. It is a good idea to have some extra fabric. Remaking a small piece is sometimes easier and less time consuming than ripping out stitches.

Sergers can screw you - A mistake on a serger can cut your fabric. Stitches sewn in error can be torn out, but cut fabric may be beyond repair. A lockstitch can put a needle through a finger; a serger can cut off a finger tip. Sergers are fun, but please be careful.

Don't sew angry - Sewing angry as just as bad as sewing distracted. Relax. If I make a small mistake I deal with it and keep going. If I make a big mistake, or if I continuously make the same small mistake, I will stop work and take a small break. I leave the lab and eat a bag of Skittles. After I calm down I can think about what I learned from my mistakes, and hopefully they will not be repeated.

Press everything - Press your fabric before tracing your pattern pieces, after you cut them out, and again before you sew. Press open seams as soon as you finish sewing them. Press everything, then do it again. This brings us to my next point...

Irons are hot - We all know this, but it still needs to be mentioned. Be careful, but no matter how careful you are you will still occasionally singe your finger tips. First degree burns are part of sewing. Stop complaining and just deal with it.

Industrial machines are fast - I learned to sew on a home machine. At the start of the semester industrial machines intimidated me, but now I love them. I need a lot more practice, but I will eventually become adept.

Work at your own pace - We have deadlines to meet, but if you go too fast you may screw up. It is better to spend a few extra seconds sewing slowly than minutes making repairs.

Machines have personalities - I am not referring to the differences between different makes and models. Every machine is different. Find one you like and try to use it as much as you can. I used a few Juki DDL 5530N machines at school. One of them is my favorite machine in the lab, one I hate, and the rest are OK. If you are using a machine for the first time you should spend a few minutes getting used to it.

Sew on a piece of scrap first - Before starting work you should test your machine on a piece of scrap fabric. The machine may not be threaded correctly, the tension may be off, and there may be other problems. The scrap should be the same type of fabric that you will be using.

Watch your bobbin - No matter how much thread you think you have on your bobbin you really have less. It is not fun to have a bobbin run out of thread halfway through a seam.

Help your classmates - Maybe someday you will be on Project Runway, but until that day comes you should not think of sewing as a competition. We are all in this together. All of us need help at times. Today you help a classmate and tomorrow someone helps you. Play nice.

Watch your tools - Share your tools and supplies with your classmates. Sooner or later you will need to borrow something from one of them. But keep an eye on your stuff. You will spend a lot of money on equipment; try to not lose things. This semester I had to replace a clipper, a seam ripper, and two rulers. They were not stolen, I just left them behind. Write your name on your stuff.

Pins are your friend - There is no such thing as too many pins. Difficult seams become simple with lots of pins. It is easy and quite tempting to sew over pins, but you should not do it. You can usually get away with it, but the first time your needle hits a pin you will understand. Keep the pins away from the seam line if you are using a serger.

Don't give up - Some things are easy, some are not. Ask questions, seek help, and keep trying. Even the most difficult tasks become easier with experience.

Sewing is fun - You should enjoy what you do. You need to love sewing in order to devote enough time to it to become proficient. If you hate to sew this might not be the right career path for you. Perhaps you are better suited for a different area in the fashion industry, or perhaps a different industry entirely would be best for you. Fortunately I find sewing to be exhilarating and enjoyable.

I learned a lot of other things too, but these were the ones that came to mind as I wrote this blog entry. The two most important pieces of knowledge I gleaned are the first and last ones mentioned: Experience counts and sewing is fun. Tasks that at the start of the semester seemed impossible are now easy. I am confident that as I take more classes my skills will continue to improve. This was one of the most the most enjoyable classes I have ever taken, and I am excitedly looking forward to my future in fashion.

Tags: bobbin | industrial sewing machine | pressing | lockstitch | muslin | pins | seam ripper | serger | sewing lessons

We are finally starting work on our final designs for my tailoring class. I'm completely exhausted today, since we now have two projects going on in one class. I just finished a 7-hour homework session, and boy does my back hurt!

Anyway, I wanted to post some photos of the beginning stages of my work. One of the most important ways to be a good designer is to know how to edit -- to know when to start/stop adding to your design, to be able to step back and get a good look at it, instead of being constantly close up working on it.

This is the first 3-d manifestation of my design thus far. As you can see it's still collar-less and sleeveless. I'm thinking I need to edit my skirt pattern.. it's just not what I had in mind yet. I like how it subtley gets longer as it winds around toward the back, but then in the middle of the back it's far lower than I wanted.

But, that's why we make it in cheap muslin before the fashion fabric! More to come later this week, when I'll hopefully have made further progress!

Love, Elizabeth

Tags: patternmaking | tailoring | muslin | mock-up | design