We love the fantasy and beauty of fashion, a love that borderlines on being a helpless addiction for some and why shouldn't it? It's art and nearly the ultimate expression of the beauty and love of life itself. But what many of us dedicated fashionista's, stylists and fashion designers may not know is that fashion is one of our biggest sources of pollution.
As much as I hate to admit to it it's true, but the reality is taht if we love our planet as well as our fashion we need to look at how fashion pollutes so we can stop it and help save both our planet and our continuous creation of fashion.
How does fashion pollute? What are the factors we need to put an end to?
Take a look...
natural fibers (example: cotton and flax)
Pollution caused
- pesticides and fertilizers used in crop production pollute water systems and often effect the bird and bee population
- non-biodegradable bleaches, dyes and finishing chemicals used in textile production that again pollute water systems
- fossil fuels used in the production and transport of textiles and fibers
synthetic fabrics (example: polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex)
Pollution caused
- sythetic filiments produced to create polyester, acrylic and other synthetic textiles are basically polymers, leaving us with the same pollution problems as we have with plastic production, after we've thrown our clothes away we'll have a surplus of these waste materials in the environment for 1000s of years to come
- chemical additives, dyes and finishes as well as special chemical treatments, all non-biodegradable, used in their production, polluting water systems around manufacturing facilities
- fossil fuels used in the production and transport of textiles and fibers
As with the other textiles that are in between natural and synthetic such as rayon, they also have similar pollution creation factors attached to them.
As for wool, leather and fur we've got the pollution factor of methane gas, a major green house gass associated with the production of livestock for commercial use) as well as serious animal cruelty issues we don't want when it comes to the treatment of sheep and the killing of animals for their hides.
Now this is not to say we should put fashion in the closet for good for the sake of our planet, this does mean though that we need to put an end to how we pollute throught the production of fashion.
In my next blog post we'll look at the possibilities and solutions necessary to create a new fashion industry using sustainability concepts.
Showing posts with label eco friendly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eco friendly. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Eco-Friendly Fashion Solutions
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the pollution caused by the fashion industry.
This issue can be frightening to anyone in the fashion industry and might even at one time been a reason for some industry professionals or even prospective fashion career enthusiasts to turn their back on the fashion industry in favor of the environment and our future but not now.
We've got hope now thanks to the growing number of caring industry professionals and their corresponding resources manufacturers and scientists dedicated to environmental sustainability.
There are many sustainable resources available for us fashion designers, in every area of clothing design and production. We've got organic natural fiber textiles, natural and eco-friendly fabric paints, dyes and dying techniques as well as a growing availability of organic and eco-friendly sewing notions and even fully bio-degradable polyester thanks to the fibers and textiles supplied by the Ichimura company in Japan (using DuPont's 'Apexa' polymer resin).
Over the next few weeks or so I'm going to develop a resource list of the websites, companies and online stores where fashion designers all over the world can have acess to affordable eco-friendly products and keep up to date and informed about chemicals and textile manufacturers that are serious about providing strictly environmentally friendly products.
As fashion designers and consumers alike, we've got the power to turn our industry into a sustainable practices only industry and we don't have to do it tomorrow, we've got the resources to do it today.
I've got to drop some names here for you to look out for but don't worry I'll be providing more info in my up coming eco friendly fashion lens.
Kitamura (bio degradable polyesters)
Summer Rayne Oakes (the world's first eco-friendly model)
Victor Innovatex launched Eco-Intelligent Polyester (perpetually recyclable, chemical free polyester)
Climatex® Lifecycle biodegradable fabrics made from organic wool and ramie and dyed with 16 different safe non-toxic dyes
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
This issue can be frightening to anyone in the fashion industry and might even at one time been a reason for some industry professionals or even prospective fashion career enthusiasts to turn their back on the fashion industry in favor of the environment and our future but not now.
We've got hope now thanks to the growing number of caring industry professionals and their corresponding resources manufacturers and scientists dedicated to environmental sustainability.
There are many sustainable resources available for us fashion designers, in every area of clothing design and production. We've got organic natural fiber textiles, natural and eco-friendly fabric paints, dyes and dying techniques as well as a growing availability of organic and eco-friendly sewing notions and even fully bio-degradable polyester thanks to the fibers and textiles supplied by the Ichimura company in Japan (using DuPont's 'Apexa' polymer resin).
Over the next few weeks or so I'm going to develop a resource list of the websites, companies and online stores where fashion designers all over the world can have acess to affordable eco-friendly products and keep up to date and informed about chemicals and textile manufacturers that are serious about providing strictly environmentally friendly products.
As fashion designers and consumers alike, we've got the power to turn our industry into a sustainable practices only industry and we don't have to do it tomorrow, we've got the resources to do it today.
I've got to drop some names here for you to look out for but don't worry I'll be providing more info in my up coming eco friendly fashion lens.
Kitamura (bio degradable polyesters)
Summer Rayne Oakes (the world's first eco-friendly model)
Victor Innovatex launched Eco-Intelligent Polyester (perpetually recyclable, chemical free polyester)
Climatex® Lifecycle biodegradable fabrics made from organic wool and ramie and dyed with 16 different safe non-toxic dyes
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Slow Progress, But That's How Things Are
Okay, so I've gotten into fashion pattern making now, I'm still doing freelance writing on the side because I'm not getting paid yet for my drafting gigs. If you teach yourself and you've got no experience and credentials, that's reality, you've got to do work for free to prove yourself. If you're dedicated it's not a real problem, but you still need to make money to live, especially important if you've got 2 kids and 4 cats, they don't stop needing stuff, so I'm choked. But, ONWARD! You know what Benjamin Franklin said? "Up with ye sluggard, there's time enough for rest when you're dead." I just love that, don't you? Goes hand in hand with my "Just do it!" motto I live by.
Wish I could keep up with my blog like I want too, nothing much has happened so far really, well, that's not quite true, I've managed to:
- land a few non-paying clients (everybody likes free labor don't they?" one in Illinois, a girl in Florida and another one right here in Vancouver, all by using the fashion industry network and craigslist, hmm, didn't think to use kijiji though, I'll do that too
- come across this awesome site for designers to upload their fashions, get exposure and even get their garment made and sold (and earn a profit from it, too cool huh? the site url is: http://www.garmz.com/ great team, great quality site, you got to love them and check it out
and I've come to realize that I better get Connie Amaden Crawford's book "pattern making made easy" so I can further professionalize my work, the lutterloh pattern making system has some nice "blocks" you can work from, but they're pretty poor on marking and labeling so I need another resource as well, I'm thinking Connie's book should do it. Maybe I should have done that first, but I'm starting to shun procrastination big time and wanted to get started. Face your fears, let nothing stop you, when you jump out the plane you've got to hit the ground running!
Anyway, wish me luck, I want all of you to succeed in your dreams, let's make a happy, eco-friendly world!
Eco Friendly Fashion Designers Resources page
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
Wish I could keep up with my blog like I want too, nothing much has happened so far really, well, that's not quite true, I've managed to:
- land a few non-paying clients (everybody likes free labor don't they?" one in Illinois, a girl in Florida and another one right here in Vancouver, all by using the fashion industry network and craigslist, hmm, didn't think to use kijiji though, I'll do that too
- come across this awesome site for designers to upload their fashions, get exposure and even get their garment made and sold (and earn a profit from it, too cool huh? the site url is: http://www.garmz.com/ great team, great quality site, you got to love them and check it out
and I've come to realize that I better get Connie Amaden Crawford's book "pattern making made easy" so I can further professionalize my work, the lutterloh pattern making system has some nice "blocks" you can work from, but they're pretty poor on marking and labeling so I need another resource as well, I'm thinking Connie's book should do it. Maybe I should have done that first, but I'm starting to shun procrastination big time and wanted to get started. Face your fears, let nothing stop you, when you jump out the plane you've got to hit the ground running!
Anyway, wish me luck, I want all of you to succeed in your dreams, let's make a happy, eco-friendly world!
Eco Friendly Fashion Designers Resources page
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Don't Be Afraid Of Challenges
Okay, if you're like me you may be doing both a job you don't like and working toward learning how/doing one you love. For me this means being a freelance writer for hire while really wanting to pursue/indulge and dive into a fashion career. Somedays, I can't work on patternmaking, it's true because deadlines, articles need to be done at certain times. Being a ghost writer too, means that you're letting more than one person down if you don't complete your deadlines. Your direct client and their client, no a good thing.
So when you need to make the money with the job you don't care for, you need to face up to the fact that this is about daily/weekly priority fluctuations. You've got to be patient and avoid being reckless with your time. Think about your time priorities, if you've got an extra tight deadline to meet (4 articles need to be done by the day after tomorrow for example) then get those out of the way before working on your heart's desire (patternmaking practice). However, when you have a breather in the form of no current projects or a distant deadline, don't go slack. DON'T PROCRASTINATE!
If working on patternmaking or anything else that you really want to do that takes time and effort, don't steal time away from your dreams by taking it easy. Get up and fight for what you love and get busy working on it. The little problem that keeps us from doing that is wanting our undesirable work to be easier right? Like, if we just relax and take some time off doing nothing, than the 'other work' won't be so depressing and stressful right?
If this is happening to you, put your foot down with yourself and remind yourself that if you work on what you love anyway it's the only right way to invest in yourself and your dreams. Even if by doing so you keep your not-so-fun work on a constant fairly tight deadline, at the end of the day, you still know that you're working toward your goal, you're getting somewhere. It's like what they say in the fitness industry, "no pain, no gain".
If you'd like to find out more about the fashion industry, schools, work, inspiration or anything else related to fashion visit my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
So when you need to make the money with the job you don't care for, you need to face up to the fact that this is about daily/weekly priority fluctuations. You've got to be patient and avoid being reckless with your time. Think about your time priorities, if you've got an extra tight deadline to meet (4 articles need to be done by the day after tomorrow for example) then get those out of the way before working on your heart's desire (patternmaking practice). However, when you have a breather in the form of no current projects or a distant deadline, don't go slack. DON'T PROCRASTINATE!
If working on patternmaking or anything else that you really want to do that takes time and effort, don't steal time away from your dreams by taking it easy. Get up and fight for what you love and get busy working on it. The little problem that keeps us from doing that is wanting our undesirable work to be easier right? Like, if we just relax and take some time off doing nothing, than the 'other work' won't be so depressing and stressful right?
If this is happening to you, put your foot down with yourself and remind yourself that if you work on what you love anyway it's the only right way to invest in yourself and your dreams. Even if by doing so you keep your not-so-fun work on a constant fairly tight deadline, at the end of the day, you still know that you're working toward your goal, you're getting somewhere. It's like what they say in the fitness industry, "no pain, no gain".
If you'd like to find out more about the fashion industry, schools, work, inspiration or anything else related to fashion visit my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
An Adventure Awaits In Patternmaking
Hmm, sometimes you got to jump in headlong, don't wait around and think too much. That's if you can actually take action though. Turns out, a friend of mine has offered to give me her dressform, I'm very thankful for this. And it also means that I'll be able to get started much sooner than I expected. This Wednesday my brother is going to pick it up for me and I'll start working on my 'master block' set made from the dressform. Because I think I better try to get some writing work done as I'm switching over to patternmaking, this process may take me a month, but that's okay. I'm going to start putting together my patternmaking ad, a new that is, and than think about a delema I'm having.
I've done a bit of work for two designers now, with some really great pictures from one of their completed collections. With permission of course from the designer (Joneien), I'll see if I can post links to the garmets I worked on for her as examples of what I've done. What I'd love to do though as well, is draft the patterns of my own designs, sew up some muslins of them and take photos to post as examples of my work as well. And there's the delema, which is really about time and money I guess. I'll have to wait to get a new camera as my old one is hopelessly broken and wait till I've got enough money made to buy eco-friendly, organic cotton muslin fabric for my designs. I'm just not going to buy anything that isn't eco-friendly. For now than, I'll just have to settle for those links and pray I can get permission to use them. I think she'll let me though.
A while back I put together a great little squidoo lens on eco-friendly fashion design resources, nice list of shops, however, I've got to add another online store that happens to provide a nice range of organic fabrics, and not just cotton either. It's Fabric.com, I typed in 'organic' and chose quilting to narrow my search, than sorted by 'prices (ascending)' and came across an olive green fabric for just under $6 a yard, sale price. Soon as I get a chance to buy some fabric, I'll see if I can get a bulk order of something like that for my muslin samples. And they take paypal too, so that's totally awesome.
I want to learn Industrial sewing techniques as well, so my samples will be professional. What I'm actually planning on doing, if I can squeeze in some time, is to cut out some great Lutterloh patterns for myself, use my old fabric stash and refer to the step by step instructions in my book "Sewing Secrets From The Fashion Industry" and check out Threads DVD on Industrial sewing techniques that they have at the Vancouver Public Library. You've got to love your library if you have one, such a wonderful resource.
If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
I've done a bit of work for two designers now, with some really great pictures from one of their completed collections. With permission of course from the designer (Joneien), I'll see if I can post links to the garmets I worked on for her as examples of what I've done. What I'd love to do though as well, is draft the patterns of my own designs, sew up some muslins of them and take photos to post as examples of my work as well. And there's the delema, which is really about time and money I guess. I'll have to wait to get a new camera as my old one is hopelessly broken and wait till I've got enough money made to buy eco-friendly, organic cotton muslin fabric for my designs. I'm just not going to buy anything that isn't eco-friendly. For now than, I'll just have to settle for those links and pray I can get permission to use them. I think she'll let me though.
A while back I put together a great little squidoo lens on eco-friendly fashion design resources, nice list of shops, however, I've got to add another online store that happens to provide a nice range of organic fabrics, and not just cotton either. It's Fabric.com, I typed in 'organic' and chose quilting to narrow my search, than sorted by 'prices (ascending)' and came across an olive green fabric for just under $6 a yard, sale price. Soon as I get a chance to buy some fabric, I'll see if I can get a bulk order of something like that for my muslin samples. And they take paypal too, so that's totally awesome.
I want to learn Industrial sewing techniques as well, so my samples will be professional. What I'm actually planning on doing, if I can squeeze in some time, is to cut out some great Lutterloh patterns for myself, use my old fabric stash and refer to the step by step instructions in my book "Sewing Secrets From The Fashion Industry" and check out Threads DVD on Industrial sewing techniques that they have at the Vancouver Public Library. You've got to love your library if you have one, such a wonderful resource.
If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
My Lack Of Patternmaking Tools - I Can Cut It
Working on those patternblocks, aiming to having everything (at least my slopers) complete by the end of December.
I'm taking stock of which tools and rulers I use most often and I have to say that my curve square and L ruler are in biggest demand when I'm drafting my patterns. If I had that flexicurve ruler though I think that may change depending on how well it keeps its shape. For now I'm just stuck using my trusty old tape measure. I'm going to get that curve square replaced though as the one I have has a few serious cracks in it. If you don't know the tool I'm talking about here it is:
I consider this delicate thing indespensible and the only place I can find it online is at this UK store, here's the link:
http://www.sewessential.co.uk/Category.asp?CategoryID=776&NumPerPage=5&Page=1
You'll find it at the bottom of the page and it's not called a "Sew Easy Curve Square".
The other thing I wish I had was that thing called an awl, a little hole poking device for marking dart points and 'walking' sleeve blocks into armholes. Instead I use a soap smoothed point on a safety pin to facilitate dart transfer like this (I usually have two fingers supporting the raised paper underneath while I'm making the hole):
I manage to 'walk' my sleeves by taking what ever bodice/torso block and 'walking' the sleeve onto it tiny pinch by tiny pinch. This can be a distance of about a 1 cm to 1 inch depending on the curve area. I'm making due alright.
Was doing a little 'window' shopping online for what I've got in store when I want to make patterns for my own collections. As I'm not going to use non-eco fabrics for my designs (or their development) it leaves me with a number of pricier options. I'll probably get most of my fabric from Near Sea Naturals, they've got dyed and plain organic cotton wovens for around $10 and up and organic cotton knits starting from $12 and up. Not great, but not too bad either. If I want to get cruelty free wool, they've also got that (not at all an easy thing to come by trust me) it'll be quite a bit more costly with their most affordable options being their black and fawn solid color wool wovens for $55 per yard. Now if I want to get some satin, I'll have to go to GreenFibres and get their undyed cotton product for around $26 a yard (13 GBP that is).
Well I've got an idea of the price range at least. It'll be a while till I can get started to be sure, but it will happen. Just got to some patternmaking work and experience with clients.
By the way, when I 'shop' for fabric, I just go straight to my Eco Friendly Fashion Designer Resource Page. One of the reasons I made it, when I need materials to get started with my collections I'll have everything there in one place and in a great way that everyone else can use it too with it's selection of eco fabric sources, dying informatios, eco-friendly fabric paint, notions and more. Here's the link if you're also interested:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
I'm taking stock of which tools and rulers I use most often and I have to say that my curve square and L ruler are in biggest demand when I'm drafting my patterns. If I had that flexicurve ruler though I think that may change depending on how well it keeps its shape. For now I'm just stuck using my trusty old tape measure. I'm going to get that curve square replaced though as the one I have has a few serious cracks in it. If you don't know the tool I'm talking about here it is:
I consider this delicate thing indespensible and the only place I can find it online is at this UK store, here's the link:
http://www.sewessential.co.uk/Category.asp?CategoryID=776&NumPerPage=5&Page=1
You'll find it at the bottom of the page and it's not called a "Sew Easy Curve Square".
The other thing I wish I had was that thing called an awl, a little hole poking device for marking dart points and 'walking' sleeve blocks into armholes. Instead I use a soap smoothed point on a safety pin to facilitate dart transfer like this (I usually have two fingers supporting the raised paper underneath while I'm making the hole):
I manage to 'walk' my sleeves by taking what ever bodice/torso block and 'walking' the sleeve onto it tiny pinch by tiny pinch. This can be a distance of about a 1 cm to 1 inch depending on the curve area. I'm making due alright.
Was doing a little 'window' shopping online for what I've got in store when I want to make patterns for my own collections. As I'm not going to use non-eco fabrics for my designs (or their development) it leaves me with a number of pricier options. I'll probably get most of my fabric from Near Sea Naturals, they've got dyed and plain organic cotton wovens for around $10 and up and organic cotton knits starting from $12 and up. Not great, but not too bad either. If I want to get cruelty free wool, they've also got that (not at all an easy thing to come by trust me) it'll be quite a bit more costly with their most affordable options being their black and fawn solid color wool wovens for $55 per yard. Now if I want to get some satin, I'll have to go to GreenFibres and get their undyed cotton product for around $26 a yard (13 GBP that is).
Well I've got an idea of the price range at least. It'll be a while till I can get started to be sure, but it will happen. Just got to some patternmaking work and experience with clients.
By the way, when I 'shop' for fabric, I just go straight to my Eco Friendly Fashion Designer Resource Page. One of the reasons I made it, when I need materials to get started with my collections I'll have everything there in one place and in a great way that everyone else can use it too with it's selection of eco fabric sources, dying informatios, eco-friendly fabric paint, notions and more. Here's the link if you're also interested:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and ResourcesTuesday, December 10, 2013
Using Delays As A Time For Planning Ahead
Okay, it's time to work on the knit wear pattern blocks. Actually, I'd skipped those chapters during my studies on account of just not being able to do them before. (The whole selection is strictly drafted using a dressform.) I'd actually forgotte about these, that's okay though, I'll read through them over the next few days and get this area of patternmaking tackled too. Can't wait to discover what's different about drafting for knit designs.
When I have the time I like to read, but when I don't have time, reading can be a painful chore even if it's to learn about something I'm really interested in like these instructions for drafting knit wear patterns. I've always loved learning how to do things. The way I take on the task though, is simply to read the material aloud, preferably into a recorder, but if I don't have one, without works okay too. The recorder just helps me remember better even if I don't actually listen to the recording after.
Now the other day I was talking about organic and eco-friendly fabric resources I would use when I start drafting my own patterns. I forgot something though, a buddy of mine and myself had been working on a quilt and fabric project site a while ago (the site has to undergo some repairs before we start working on it again mind you) but he'd introduced me to a great online fabric store a while back, called Fabric.com and I thought I'd go see what their new organic and eco friendly fabric section had to offer. (I thought I might have seen some better prices but I'm wasn't sure) Turns out if I order my fabric from them I can get atleast a dollar or more off per yard of material than I can any where else online. So their eco friendly inventory is every bit a part of their hallmark trait of great fabric deals, real nice.
Now I just have to be sure to add Fabric.com to my squidoo pages sometime so my readers there can use that great resource as well. For anyone who might be curious about our above mentioned quilt and fabric project website though here's the link (mind you it's meant for home sewers and crafters) and we've got our affiliate links to Fabric.com there as well:
http://www.buyfabriconlinehq.com/
As for my patternmaking endeavors, turns out I won't be able to buy my poster boards to transfer my master blocks until the end of this month, no problem though, I am going to make the best use of my time and start typing up my ads I'm going to put up at the Fashion Industry Network, my blog here and the Sewing Mamas forum. I just wish I could put up an ad on The Fashion Spot too, for newbies or something, that would be cool. I'm planning to offer a discount patternmaking service as a novice patternmaker. I'm so excited about it, I'm shooting for the end of December/beginning of January to launch my ads. I just have to get my master blocks/basic slopers completed and ready to work with for when I get my client's projects. I'll try like heck not to let anything get in the way. I better get done too because my brother is talking about moving out in a while so I've got financial needs to prepare for as well.
If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
When I have the time I like to read, but when I don't have time, reading can be a painful chore even if it's to learn about something I'm really interested in like these instructions for drafting knit wear patterns. I've always loved learning how to do things. The way I take on the task though, is simply to read the material aloud, preferably into a recorder, but if I don't have one, without works okay too. The recorder just helps me remember better even if I don't actually listen to the recording after.
Now the other day I was talking about organic and eco-friendly fabric resources I would use when I start drafting my own patterns. I forgot something though, a buddy of mine and myself had been working on a quilt and fabric project site a while ago (the site has to undergo some repairs before we start working on it again mind you) but he'd introduced me to a great online fabric store a while back, called Fabric.com and I thought I'd go see what their new organic and eco friendly fabric section had to offer. (I thought I might have seen some better prices but I'm wasn't sure) Turns out if I order my fabric from them I can get atleast a dollar or more off per yard of material than I can any where else online. So their eco friendly inventory is every bit a part of their hallmark trait of great fabric deals, real nice.
Now I just have to be sure to add Fabric.com to my squidoo pages sometime so my readers there can use that great resource as well. For anyone who might be curious about our above mentioned quilt and fabric project website though here's the link (mind you it's meant for home sewers and crafters) and we've got our affiliate links to Fabric.com there as well:
http://www.buyfabriconlinehq.com/
As for my patternmaking endeavors, turns out I won't be able to buy my poster boards to transfer my master blocks until the end of this month, no problem though, I am going to make the best use of my time and start typing up my ads I'm going to put up at the Fashion Industry Network, my blog here and the Sewing Mamas forum. I just wish I could put up an ad on The Fashion Spot too, for newbies or something, that would be cool. I'm planning to offer a discount patternmaking service as a novice patternmaker. I'm so excited about it, I'm shooting for the end of December/beginning of January to launch my ads. I just have to get my master blocks/basic slopers completed and ready to work with for when I get my client's projects. I'll try like heck not to let anything get in the way. I better get done too because my brother is talking about moving out in a while so I've got financial needs to prepare for as well.
If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources
If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page
Monday, December 2, 2013
Planning A Patternmaking Portfolio
It's Sunday so it might be the wrong day to fear / antisipate business going slow (I know I'm being impatient) but there's a great way to plan ahead on what to do with any spare free time I may have. Update my fashion squidoo pages (when they fix up the bugs on my lens), review my fashion industry books, but perhaps, more importantly I should work on putting together some content for my own online patternmaking portfolio.
I don't have any eco - friendly fabric, but I do have a stock of fabric from years ago and some other materials I purchased from thrift stores. So I should try to decide on what kind of designs to create that would demonstrate some serious patternmaking abilities. Then I'll have to figure out how to take some decent photos (with my cell phone? hahaha, I'll probably have a great new camera by then hopefully) to put on my portfolio pages.
The thing is here is that my sewing skills aren't that great, or atleast not as refined as I'd like them to be, so I'll have to get past that to provide some visual 'credentials' for my patternmaking skills. That shouldn't be too much trouble though, usually when I sew I'm in a rush, things rarely turn out perfect like that. I'll just take my time so I can get it right.
I want to make some complex garments and some simple garments. I think one garment should be a sort of empire waist baby doll slip with a keyhole detail at the centre front and slightly flared hemline. The next design should be a princess seam dress with puff cap sleeves and cut out detailing in the sleeve and side panel areas. I'm thinking this would need some kind of backing material or interfacing to stabilize and support the cut out areas neatly though. I should also do a pair of pants with frontier pockets and an asymetrical jacket. For the simpler designs I think I'll do a totally girly scalloped hem tulip skirt with fullness at the waisline and hips tapered to slim fit skirt width at the below the knee hemline. I'd also like to do an interesting color block fitted vest.
Yeah, I'll work on these whenever I don't have clients or much work and post these projects on the sewing mamas forum too. I'll plan ahead to take my time and make sure they turn out perfectly too. Right now then, I have to re-do my little figure templates and do my fashion illustrations for these designs first. When I can, I'll post the figure templates on my Squidoo lens too.
I don't have any eco - friendly fabric, but I do have a stock of fabric from years ago and some other materials I purchased from thrift stores. So I should try to decide on what kind of designs to create that would demonstrate some serious patternmaking abilities. Then I'll have to figure out how to take some decent photos (with my cell phone? hahaha, I'll probably have a great new camera by then hopefully) to put on my portfolio pages.
The thing is here is that my sewing skills aren't that great, or atleast not as refined as I'd like them to be, so I'll have to get past that to provide some visual 'credentials' for my patternmaking skills. That shouldn't be too much trouble though, usually when I sew I'm in a rush, things rarely turn out perfect like that. I'll just take my time so I can get it right.
I want to make some complex garments and some simple garments. I think one garment should be a sort of empire waist baby doll slip with a keyhole detail at the centre front and slightly flared hemline. The next design should be a princess seam dress with puff cap sleeves and cut out detailing in the sleeve and side panel areas. I'm thinking this would need some kind of backing material or interfacing to stabilize and support the cut out areas neatly though. I should also do a pair of pants with frontier pockets and an asymetrical jacket. For the simpler designs I think I'll do a totally girly scalloped hem tulip skirt with fullness at the waisline and hips tapered to slim fit skirt width at the below the knee hemline. I'd also like to do an interesting color block fitted vest.
Yeah, I'll work on these whenever I don't have clients or much work and post these projects on the sewing mamas forum too. I'll plan ahead to take my time and make sure they turn out perfectly too. Right now then, I have to re-do my little figure templates and do my fashion illustrations for these designs first. When I can, I'll post the figure templates on my Squidoo lens too.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
I dedicate everything to my mom
My parents had a sudden divorce several years ago after being together around 31 years, in the end it didn't work out and my mom left to live out on the prairies again. I was always very close to my mom but this situation seemingly evaporated our active closeness to the point where months would go by, even a year and she never called. I had to find her number through a bit of investigation. The guy she was living with couldn't even keep the phone lines open.
She never even got the chance to see her little grand daughter, my daughter Salma and her grandson all grown up into a big almost 5 year old boy. Before she let me know that she was leaving my father, I had a dream that I had lost her, she was beside me one minute and was gone the next after telling me she'd meet up with me outside the building to go home. When I looked for her she wasn't there...in the dream I had the unmistakable feeling that I'd just completely lost her.
And here I was, this morning, looking over the work I'd started, after this terrible phone call. I wouldn't have been into this work, atleast it wouldn't have been as ingrained in me if it hadn't been for my mom. She'd take me to the fabric and pattern department in Woodwards department store downtown back in the 80s and we'd be there for hours looking through pattern books and searching for just the right fabric.
She would get a pattern, cut it out, lay it out on the living room floor and I'd watch her put everything together into a beautiful garment. I was always facinated by this and wanted to learn the secrets of why the pattern pieces where shaped the way they were. She'd sew them on her shiny black and gold enameled Singer sewing machine. As she turned the wheel, it would sound like a tiny train. She put me on the path I'm on today.
She always talked about making the world a better place, helping both people and animals in whatever way was needed and protecting the environment out of the sincere love for everything that God created. She talked about these things as long as I can remember. I loved that about my mom. I loved that about my mom. I always wanted to be like her, but go a step up and be able to make her dreams a reality. To make an impact, a growing one, throughout my life so that I leave the world as a better place than when I came into it. So the world's children and other innocent creatures will be able to face a safer, brighter future than the one I thought I was facing.
Everything I do in my life, every success and difference that I am able to make, I dedicate to my mom. The beautiful spirit that nourished and cared for the best in me. I'm setting out to fulfill your dreams mom and try to raise my children to be the way you wanted me to be. I love you with all my heart. And I'm sorry for the misunderstanding between us that happened after you left.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Patternmaking And Pattern Alteration On My Design
I sewed the scalloped neckline facing onto the bodice yesterday. To all us sewing moms out there, who haven't done this sort of thing yet, don't do it with a wiggly baby in your lap, it's not going to turn out the way you want it. Big No No. However, here are a few "to do" notes, sew sharp curves very slowly, think of machine stitching as taking one stitch at a time, one stitch at a time, stop and go, stop and go.
The result will be a smoother stitching line, greater symmetry. I also lightly marked my stitching line this time to 'see' better what I was doing (See Below). I also loosened up the pressure foot tension on my Singer sewing machine, just wish it could have been lightened up even more, as the fabric still wasn't as free to move as I would have liked (my make of machine only goes so far though).
I was thinking though, this type of sewing is why it would be great to actually have a manual sewing machine still.
Once I did the fitting, I realized it had too much ease, here a few pictures to show it...
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| eeek! too much ease in the pattern |
3/8" from the side seams and 1/8" from each dart which is actually a total of 1" and 3/4" ease take up. I'll have to take the changes to the midriff band as well.
Here are the results after I made the necessary pattern alterations...
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| pattern alterations made, much better fit |
If I had the money, I would have made a muslin out of some organic cotton or something, like I was supposed to, totally you know? But, I didn't, and I would also buy some additional fabric to make a new version because this light weight yellow damask fabric is so delicate.
I need proper pressing equipment too!
I was looking at a Calvin Klein collection afterwards though from back in 1991, that was a good year, miss those days, Check it out here from Fashion Channel on YouTube:
...and it had me thinking. I may choose a simpler, clean, fitted cut for my next portfolio garment design. After all is said and done, if a 'promotional' project is to ambitious before it has the proper backing (in either knowledge, skill or finances) it can do more damage in a way, then the good. it will do. But only in a way.
I've learned a lot though, still on, and it felt good to finally produce something from a pattern I drafted on the computer. In the end, it wasn't actually my computer drafting that was even the problem. Everything was fine there, I just didn't know how to draft that kind of pattern correctly (cropped midriff lingerie style garment) and which finishing elements would work best for that kind of design. That's why I'm going to be buying that lingerie book though, "Pattern Cutting for Lingerie, Beachwear and Leisurewear" by Ann Haggar. I can't wait.
I really should have used a fine hand rolled hem along that scalloped edge, I was just hoping to get a crisp clean edge with the faced hem, next time I'll clip the hem allowance and roll it in place along a pre-sewn guideline. That should work much better. However, I think I'd still like to use the facing approach with the neckline because I really like how it "stands" on the neckline, see below... I just love that.
So today, I'm going to hopefully continue work on the skirt portion of this outfit, that is if I'm able to get a little time. I've got to take my kids out again to the park, can't miss that, especially not on a day like this.
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