Ava's Apparel

Refashion Challenge: The Vintage Kilo Sale (Part 1!)

2015-11-15T03:55:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? A year or so, in fact. But here I am, back in an industrial sewing environment and very pleased about it. Above is a quick photo of me in the studio, wearing a sweet liberty print dress with huge pockets that extend down from the princess seams. I made this dress over Summer, and I really love it. I have a black version as well, in a thicker cotton drill and it's a lovely lazy day dress.

Now, on to the actual point of this blog post! I volunteered to take part in the Vintage Kilo Sale's Refashion Challenge. They provided me with a kilo of clothing, which I'll get to in a second. the rules are simple. The majority of the fabric that I use has to be from these provided garments. I can add to it, but they prefer if you don't. I have some ideas about what I'm going to do but so far have just photographed the garments provided!

The Pink Cropped Shirt

Luckily, this shirt is made of a lovely light fabric. It's not quite a cotton but it's not quite seersucker. It's a UK Size 14 and I really love the tied waist so it's likely that will make it into my final refashion choice! It also has little straps to button the sleeves in place when they are rolled up which is pretty cute.

The Black Mens Shirt

A thick cotton shirt, with a 40 inch chest and a very shapely and well supported collar. I think that this might be the garment that I work from in terms of a top half. I want whatever I make to be realistic and wearable as opposed to a conceptual piece.

The Blue/Purple Floral Skirt

Well, I have mixed feelings here. I love this skirt, which means I am torn between using it and just wanting to wear it myself! I think it may become shorts due to its volume and beautifully feminine fabric. Oh, it also just happens to be coincidentally the correct size for me once I'm finished with the challenge, what a shame!

What would you do with these garments? Would you cut them for meterage? Add to them? Take away from them? Tell me about it in the comments!

10 Minute Kimono From a Scarf Tutorial!

2014-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Right, by popular demand, but without photos, a quick tutorial on my scarf kimono!

Dead simple and fairly cute kimono style jacket from a second hand scarf! Make your own by:

Folding the scarf in half
Marking out a rectangle either side, which is the fabric you'll lose between the sleeves and sides
Cut out the rectangles, stitch the cuts closed
Turn right way round, and cut the neckline/neck hole.

I left my front unfinished since my sleeves and hem were frayed, but you could finish it with a rolled hem.

Hope this is a useful enough explanation but questions are welcome!

University Competition, and My Return to Studying!

2014-10-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

"As humans, we are curious: we are driven to discover, to illuminate, to visualise and understand.

This sense of inquiry is key to the design process – and also to the scientific method. Both physics and design demand creative thinking, and the drive to explore. Both demand imagination; an interest in people and their experience; a desire to see the world in a new way.

Design a ‘mini-collection’ of two outfits, menswear or womenswear, which explores the commonalities of physics and design.

Seek parallels with a scientist’s approach. Conduct your own experiments. Develop processes which provoke discovery and thought. Search for patterns, correlations and new ways of seeing things.

You could:

Investigate how materials can be combined or transformed

Experiment with new construction processes – or apply existing processes in a new way

Be inspired by intriguing theories – like relativity, chaos theory, string theory, or multiverse theory

Consider patterns and structures on a micro or macro scale : symmetry, waves, molecular geometry, cosmology

Examine movements, behaviours, transformations of particles, matter, or electricity

Look into fundamental forces, including gravity and electromagnetism

Create beautiful data

Start your own inquiry - propose new solutions for fashion design."

So, this is my first project upon my return to University! It is a competition project for FAD, and there is prize money available! After a very hectic trip to London Science Museum, I've decided to look into regular and irregular polyhedrons. I'm doing a large initial collection of 40 menswear choices and 40 womenswear choices, to be narrowed down by my lovely tours at uni. I'll update on the final selections but also on the winners when they are announced!

Over Summer, I've not done very much sewing at all. I've made minor projects like dresses and a PE for Little Sister, with the only real projects being a grey pencil skirt with white piping and a scarf to kimono transformation. I'll do a couple of separate posts for those!

Thank you for your continued reading, couldn't be doing this without everyone out there supporting me and showing a long-term interest.

Men's Dress Shirt into a Toddler Dress! NOW WITH PICTURES!

2014-06-22T04:40:00.002-07:00

After posting photographs of Little Sister's new dresses on Reddit, the public demanded a tutorial. Well, you all asked so here it is!

YOU WILL NEED:

Sewing Machine
A shirt, men's or women's are both fine. The bigger size the shirt, the more volume you can get into the skirt of the dress!
Scissors
Chalk
A tee shirt that fits your subject well.

First of all, lay the shirt flat. Decide on wether or not you'd like a volumed skirt like in the photos above, or a straighter dress that looks more like a long child's shirt. These instructions will be for this particular kind of dress, since it's a bit more complicated. Once the shirt is laid flat, lay your existing tee shirt on top of it, matching the centre fronts roughly. It isn't a fine art, so just roughly the middle is okay. Fold the tee shirt sleeves in gently so you can see the shape of the arm hole. Pin it in place to the shirt, so it can be used as a pattern. Cut carefully around the tee shirt sides and arm holes making sure to leave the collar and shoulder seams of the shirt intact.

You should end up with something that looks a lot like this:

To decide on a length of bodice, you can either measure your little girl, or guess based on the tee shirt. Make sure that when you cut the shirt across to form the bodice, you're cutting roughly between two buttons otherwise it won't work quite right. Once the bodice is out out, hang on to the sleeves from the shirt. With the bottom half of the shirt, gather the top edge using either a gathering stitch or gather by hand. Adjust the gather to line up the side seams of the shirt and the newly cut bodice.

Stitch the side seams of the bodice. If you haven't already, unbutton both the skirt and bodice sections, then lay them right side to right side, with the bottom edge of the bodice lining up with the top gathered edge of the skirt. Pin, making sure that the side seams line up throughout, along with the front plackets (bits on either side with the buttons/button holes on!). Stitch. You should now see your dress!

At this stage, you can either leave it sleeveless, by stitching a facing on. You do this by using a 2inch wide strip of fabric stitched right side to right side on the outside of the garment, then folded back in and stitched carefully for security to the shoulder seam seam allowance.

To add proper sleeves to your little dress, the easiest kind is to add slightly gathered/puff sleeves.

Again, use your tee shirt as a guide to get the shape. Lay the shirt sleeve folded as it would be naturally and then lay the tee shirt or your bodice on it, folding back the sleeve and following the outline for the arm hole. Adjust the length of the shirt sleeve as you see fit, and then stitch into the bodice as you would any other sleeve.

Any questions? Now show me yours!

Intertexuality

2013-11-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

Intertextuality is using one piece of work to provide context for another. An object, be it a piece of art, a garment or even a person is given meaning by its creator. There are other theories in that the context of the piece is given by the viewer.
Context and intercontextuality are important as they are what define for the viewer the overall message of what they are seeing. This can be played straight, such as a nun wearing a habit and a crucifix, or it can be used to askew social norms and make bold statements, such as artists like Madonna or Lady Gaga wearing the same items, Items and garments are given meaning by the situation that they are placed in and the other visual or sensory cues that they are partnered with.
Intertextuality is important in all aspects of life and is used regularly in fashion. It has been used famously by many celebrities often by incorporating controversial slogans or religious objects in the way that they dress. It has also been used to make a statement in a similar way by designers from the last few decades. This act of using a object in a way that it isn't meant, or by adding to it, for example the way the Sex Pistols shook up the image of the Queen, can be a political, religious, or just plain rebellious statement on the part of the individual or the designer.
Another theme that has arisen from the theory and use of intercontextuality is bricolage. Bricolage is essentially taking a selection of mismatched styles and using them in such a way that it creates a suitable ensemble. For example, steampunks mix the grittier side of punk with the elegance, beauty and clothing design of the Victorian Era. On paper, these two styles don't work together particularly well, with each being the overall antithesis of the other but through the use of clever styling and an understanding of context, amazing outfits are put together. This act of mixing styles and removing aspects from one to another is also a way of making a statement, this further removal of the subculture from the socially acceptable norm.
I'm a great believer in the theory that nothing is every original. Everything we do, everything we think, everything we design and create is made from influences around us. The author Austin Kleon published a book entitled 'Steal Like an Artist' and it details how influence is all around us and how we should note other people's work in regards to not it's overall quality as a piece, but breaking it down into factors that we like and dislike and then go on to use the factors that we enjoy or approve of in our own work.

Fashion and Status and Gender Identity (A Rant!)

2013-10-18T03:08:00.003-07:00

Regarding a recent lecture at University:

This lecture made me really, oddly passionate. Due to my own personal beliefs, the subject of status and women is really interesting. After watching the advertisement videos and assessing them, it's quiet clear that the marketing of fashion really does escalate the feelings of status anxiety detailed by A. de Botton. I believe this phenomenon of social anxiety is used against women far too heavily in modern culture.

In previous years, status was achieved by marrying into a well-to-do family and almost entirely all status was handed down through the family to the men or given by your occupation. It is still like this to an extent and an example of this can be seen in how people respond to what degree you have chosen to study. For example, you are judged to be more intelligent and studious if you are doing a law degree than if you are studying a performing arts degree. Previously, this need for acceptance and status was barely noticeable but since the beginning of mass media and fast, efficient networking abilities, the pressure really is on both genders to be the happiest, fittest, healthiest and best dressed individual the world has ever seen.

In this instance, fashion and advertising is being used as a control mechanism, to force men and especially women into the right mental state of unhappiness and dissatisfaction to spend money they don’t have on things that they don’t need.

“We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.”
― Will Smith

However, from the early Victorian era, fashion has been a way to express status and control people. The corset is a prime example of this. It was a way to show that a lady was the correct socially-acceptable shape and held the right qualities to be a woman worth marrying, but it was also a way to supress their sexuality and in some case even caused them proper physical harm. There are recorded cases of young women being forced into corsets by social convention and pressure, to then find that in their later years they are so disfigured due to prolonged restriction of their bodies whilst growing that they could never be without the corset again.

I think that all of this is ridiculous. Women should be allowed to be women, and judged not by how they look but by their own individual merit. I would much rather be remembered and respected not for the fact my hair looks perfect or I’ve somehow finally achieved the pore-less, flawless look that I’m bombarded with every day, but for my contribution to my field or who I am as a person.

In the presentation, I particularly liked the slide about cross-stich and swearing, as I have a very similarly themed tattoo.

First Week at Huddersfield Uni

2013-10-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

Good evening you lot!

Ava's Apparel HQ has moved away to Huddersfield! As of last Monday, I'm officially studying for a degree in Fashion Design with Production and Marketing. So far, it's been a wonderful experience, I've met like-minded people regarding fashion but also a handful of my other interests. I've had to condense my studio down enough to fit into my uni room, but what with living alone now with no television the turn-around times on the ETSY store are significantly improved.

I've recently also upgraded all of my pattern drafting and cutting items in the studio, so I can explore further and be more adventurous with my designs. The extensive university library has books on how to improve the business, but also is choc full of historical patterns from which I can take drafts to produce my own versions (both straight from the originals or adjusted to my own design!)

Speaking of the business, not only are there new FEZ options in store available now, I'm currently on a 3 day turn around time AND if you use the code UNI25 at checkout, you get 25% off your order to celebrate my first week of university!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AshleighEllan

Half Way Review!

2013-06-13T07:09:00.001-07:00

Well, June already.

Just a quick update, and an apology for disappearing a bit! This year has been going well, and is a marked improvement on sales this time last year. I've mainly been working on waistcoats for customers and extra ones to add to the etsy store. Some of you may have seen them already. They mainly include a forest green waistcoat with a military feel, a very military-looking red dinner waistcoat and a TARDIS/Dr Who themed waistcoat lined with tan satin, featuring a pocket especially for your sonic screwdriver.

I have at least two book reviews to upload, one on general sewing and pattern drafting, and one on the History of Fashion. I've also been studying hard to come up with outfits for myself for Weekend at the Asylum in September. So far I have a couple of ideas floating around that I'd like to explore but nothing substantially solid.

I've missed you all!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: Facebook

2013-03-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Afternoon all!

Right, let's catch up! Due to being hacked on my personal account, I can't access the Ava's Apparel facebook page! I can share to it, but it won't let me load the page directly. It'll get sorted asap, but for now a quick update on the current projects:

Steampunk Poison Ivy:
Just the soft boning to put in and then the ivy to stitch on, and it's ready to go.

ESTIMATED COMPLETION: Tuesday, to be posted Tuesday afternoon.

Pink Little Girls Dress:
Completed, on it's way and should have either arrived by now or turn up in the next few days. Our post service is terrible, so shout if it doesn't arrive.

White Leather Waistcoat:
Best priced leather in white I can find is available after the first week of April, so I will order that on the 5th and get it made as soon as it arrives.

EC: Second week of April, possibly before then.

Once again, apologies for the technical difficulties, apparently someone else wanted to try and be me and just couldn't deal with it! Hope everyone is alright.

Steampunk Poison Ivy: Pre-Fancy Bits

2013-03-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Gosh I've been busy recently! Real Job is becoming a demand on my time, which hasn't left me much for blogging. I promise to God I've been sewing, not just dossing about on forums and napping like a cat in the sunshine. I may have had a day or two playing in the snow though!

I've just about got the SPI outfit done and dusted, bar the plastic ivy stitched on around the top and around the waist. The shorts close with press-studs, and the bodice closes with hooks and eyes at the back. It is currently un-boned, since the lady for whom it is intended will be wearing it for partying, and nothing ruins a night out like being constricted and feeling your ribs push into your lungs! It wouldn't be quite that bad, but it's definitely a comfort thing. Darts for shaping have since been added to the front of the bodice.

The back of the bodice features a hook and eye closure, and is made of a dark green satin. It's lined which should make it relatively comfortable. The pins in the side are there to help keep its shape on the hanger, since my poor mannequin was too chunky to model the outfit! The edges of the bustle are unfinished, since I think it fits in nicely with the poison ivy plant element. All other edges have since been finished with appropriate bias binding, all ironed neatly and packaged up.

Another post in all it's completely finished splendor (possibly even including customer photographs) will come at a later date!

Mood Board: How to

2013-02-16T03:51:00.002-08:00

I hate mood boards.

Mood boards are for a point of reference and inspiration. They should show the key elements of your design ideas identified through your research. I hate them, I can't ever make them look right, until recently!

To complete a mood board, it involves a few basic steps:

Gather your research: Research your subjects and themes, and use mind-maps to identify your favourite aspects about them.
Once you've found your favourit ebits and pieces, use images and text to represent them visually. Mood boards are all about the visuals.
A tip given to me by my tutor was to decorate the background in an appropriate style. Below is the mood board I've done for my jacket, and how it evolved from a bit dull into a really effective piece of inspirational work!

This is my first mood board. I always do three or four test runs where I play about with the configuration of the images and text for the best possible aesthetic layout. I photograph them as I go to make sure I can remember what went where. I also try different background colours and different style depending on what is appropriate for the work I'm doing.

It's useful because now even if I move onto other project and back to that one, I can easily get inspired and into the right frame of mind. It's also a great tool for explaining to clients and audiences exactly what you are trying to achieve with your final piece of work.
I now do mood boards not just for official works, but for things I like and ideas I have for the future. Pinterest is a great way to collect images as you go, before selecting the best from them for your final board.

This is the final mood board for my Culture Vulture project. Please note how much better it is than my first preferred layout and style. The design work in the background really makes the images and text stand out, and the way that things are grouped together gives a sense of context. I like the images I chose in the end, after running through almost 35 different ones. There is no limit to the number of images or captions you can have, you could also include fabric samples and particular findings that you find appealing.

Culture Vulture: A New Project

2013-02-06T04:43:00.002-08:00

I got my new brief yesterday for my college course! The final piece is a jacket, but there are no definitive rules for it.

The research criteria are that you investigate three different styles or eras then create your designs from this research. I've chosen Teddy Boys, Mods/Rockers and Military Mess Uniforms. This gives me a wide range of different fabrics, styles, techniques and looks to work with as well as a range of aspects for interetsing surface manipulation details, such as adding studs or medal ribbons and braiding.

So far, I've got a few ideas which are mainly based around a mens military jacket in red with black and gold detailing. I was considering a jacket belonging to someone with a particularly high rank as they tend to be the most fun to look at. A photograph of a 1871 officers jacket is my current favourite source of information as it's the most gorgeous red and is so elaborate.

I'm trying to find a suitable host for an online portfolio, so that I can store all my work digitally. As soon as I get that sorted I will be sure to post a link for you all!

Tea Dress, Inspiration

2013-02-04T11:21:00.001-08:00

AshFoxyKavanagh sent you this page :

Android tablet: Pros and Cons

2013-02-03T13:28:00.001-08:00

Evening and welcome to my first blog post from my Android tablet. As a creative tool, I can highly suggest getting one, but as a tool for admin, it is not as wonderful.
I love being able to just get it out and have a whole range of colours and brushes at my disposal but typing takes an age. I do like being able to upload straight to my online portfolio though.
In short, gorgeous piece of design kit, but not a complete replacement for the trusty laptop.

How To: Men's Suit Jacket to Women's Blazer

2013-01-27T05:51:00.002-08:00

How to turn a men's suit jacket into a women's blazer. It's a lot less scary than it sounds.

I've been putting this project off for a while now due to being a busy lady with a job, college and customers so it's just been waiting for me to have an impromptu day off. I was given this suit jacket by a friend of mine along with a herringbone winter coat. I was told to sell on the coat, but I had to do something for myself with the jacket. I am quite a little lady but with odd proportions (large chest and hips, small waist and a grand total of 5" tall!) so almost every jacket I buy needs to be altered at least a little bit. I love suit jackets, but never find one that fits well. I thought this jacket I had been gifted would be the perfect one to tailor to my exact needs.

So, the goals I wanted to achieve:

Make it shorter, so the jacket stops just below my waist. This means it'd look nice with a shirt and jeans as well as the occasional dress!
Make the sleeves permanently folded. This involves making them shorter so that there is not so much bulk at the elbows.
Possibly take out the shoulder padding, but I think I like the quite feminine shape mixed with the square shoulder.

This is how the jacket started out. I tried it on to get a feel of what it was I wanted to change. As you can see, it's already shaped nicely around the waist which means I will not have to take it to pieces to take it in at the sides like I would if the lines were straight. If you needed to do this, you'd open an inside lining seam and turn the jacket inside out, mark the adjustments to the shape you wanted, stitch then turn it all the right way round again before sewing the lining back up. It's essentially the last three or four steps of the Waistcoat post about working with a lined garment. I marked on the jacket where I wanted it to come to a stop, just about on my hips. After making with chalk, I cut carefully making sure it was level all the way round. I was careful to keep the pocket linings intact as I cut close to them, so as not to add more jobs to the list. This jacket is also brilliant in that it features a lot of top stitching so the actual sewing work on this jacket will be a breeze! Once I had adjusted the length, the sleeves were looking a bit odd, so I decided to take them up as well. I measured from my shoulder seam to my elbow, then added 2 inches to create a 1 inch turn up. I like colour of the inside lining, but may change it out for some red at a later date, or maybe even some of the same leopard print as my upcoming wiggle dress. That's all the work that I had to do on this jacket so far, messing about with the idea of changing the shape of the shoulders a little, but I do like them padded and square.

Boyfriend Blazer from TopShop: £40

Men's suit jacket from a charity shop: £5ish
An afternoon and a new, well-fitted, spot-on jacket: Priceless.

Steampunk Poison Ivy: Part 1

2013-01-19T02:46:00.002-08:00

The Steampunk Poison Ivy outfit is almost complete! Photos of the completed project will be in the last part of the SPI series!

So, let's start with the shorts. The customer provided me with her measurements, which I then used to draft out a pattern for the shorts. I've made shorts before, to the process was quite quick and simple. It was just a case of making sure there was an extension for closure on the front pieces but not on the back. I decided to do a split waistband, in black and green to tie in the bustle bit at the back. The edges on the bustle are unfinished, since I love how they look all frayed.

Once the shorts and the front half of the waistband were cut out, I began the bustle section at the back of the shorts. Made of green satin, I cut twice the length I required by the depth of the fabric. This gives me plenty of fabric to work with. Using the gathering technique of two lines of stitches, I gathered the top edge to the right size of the back of the shorts. Once the top had been gathered, I used the same technique to gather up the bustle panel, offsetting the lines of gather each time.

In the next part, I'll be assembling the shorts, inserting the bustle panel and starting the bodice!

Steampunk Poison Ivy

2013-01-18T02:03:00.000-08:00

Shortly after New Year, a customer contacted me with some reference photographs for a steampunk version of the character Poison Ivy. Hoping to start studying Production Costumes at Edinburgh at the end of the year, I gladly accepted the challenge.
The customer gave me photographs she'd found of other people's work and had high-lighted what she wanted changing and what she really loved about each one. Using this information, we worked on a design sketch. In the end, all we did was change the shades of green involved in the piece, and how the bodice fastens.

Photographs of the work will be uploaded once it's all complete, which should be in the next 10 days or so! Keep your eye out for updates.

Make This Look: The Baba-blue Dress COMPLETED!

2012-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

And here is it, in its beautiful tartan glory. It's soft and comfortable and in a messy bedroom! (I promise that at a later date, I'll take some better photographs when I get some time!

I was right, making this dress was definitely the correct thing to do. I am really happy with it. I used poppers instead of buttons which has made it really easy to wear. I stopped about 6 inches above the hem but at some point I'll add a few more poppers to make it fasten all the way to the bottom. I'm also not too pleased with how the bodice is shaped so I'll be adding some ribbon to create a waist belt like the inspiration dress had, by sewing ribbon into the darts. The collar could use some stiffener, but for the first attempt in what is likely to be MANY versions of this dress, I love it. Here's just the dress:

It looks quite school girl or uniform-like, so I might have to make some adaptations to fix that. I'd like to sort a version with essentially a really heavily gathered skirt so I can wear a petticoat underneath too! Undecided as to whether or not to make these in sizes to sell, or keep them as a commission only option for customers, since I'm sure others will love it as much as I do!

The next version will be in tweed and burgundy, and will be made before my next trip to Edinburgh in February so you'll all have to wait with baited breath!

Inspiration, Pinterest and Mugler

2012-12-17T13:59:00.002-08:00

Inspiration is the key to most creative pursuits and can be found in many places. I like to use a combination of the outside world and other people's work as points for drawing inspiration.

The world really is a beautiful place, and it's easy to draw inspiration from it. As is well published in places all over the internet, I adore the city of Edinburgh. Despite being home to many people who are important to me, the colours of the city are wonderful. There are shades of stone and brick covered in an ooze of grey and black. The way that the evidence of industrial dust edges the bricks gave me oodles of inspiration toward my own works. Take notice of colours that occur in nature and the world that surrounds you, as they are often the most useful ones to use in collections and projects.

Another way of getting inspiration is studying the work of others in your field. In costumes and fashion, I am spoiled with a wealth of designers and illustrators of different varieties using different media and all getting different looks. This is another good time to mention Pinterest. All right, so it's also full of cookie recipes and a million things to do with empty toilet rolls, but it is also incredible for finding images that you like and storing them all in one place. I am currently a little bit obsessed with pin-up models and Vintage styles, and boy does that become apparent when browsing through my pages on Pinterest.
Looking at the work of others should be done in a critical way, not just an overall like of the piece. For example, a dress is not just a dress. A dress is a bodice and a skirt, it's sleeves or straps, it's thick hems, patterned fabric, plain fabric, odd colours, nice colours, bright, dark, rough, smooth... The list goes on and on forever. You can like a piece of work in so many ways, and identifying why you like it is a large chunk of coming up with your own ideas. For example, whilst looking for fashion illustrations, I stumbled upon a book about Thierry Mugler. It contained working drawings like this:

I fell instantly in love with the images, but for several reasons. I love the idea of distorting the models unrealistically to both shock the audience and display the details of the garment. I also really adore the impossibly tiny waists and massive 80's shoulders and hips. Identifying things like that is the best way to create your own work based on the influence of others.

Don't think too hard.

Find things that you love and explore them.

Create your own work, don't carbon copy others.

Making Patterns: Reverse Engineering

2012-12-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've been asked recently by several people to write about making and reading patterns. I sat and had a think about how I do it, and it took me ages to pinpoint since with an engineering background, a lot of the planning and drawing stages of garment construction are second nature. I thought it'd be useful to list how I go from a per-existing garment like a dress that I adore to a pattern that I can use again and again. There has been a little bit of pattern work in previous posts, so it might be worth a look back through the blog to have a check.

So, firstly, I like to place the existing garment on a dress form. If you don't have a dress form, you can make your own by putting on a loose fitting old t-shirt, then getting an assistant to wrap you up in duct tape, then cut you out of it all! Once it's on a dress form, carefully pin pattern paper (or tissue paper, or pattern tissue, or pieces of A4 taped together!) onto each panel of your garment along the hem to the next panel. Waistcoats tend to be three panels, and dress bodices tend to be three as well. Once you've pinned, carefully mark the panel edges, effectively tracing off the panel. Repeat for as many panels as the garment has, and then add seam allowances and make whatever adaptations you'd like, such as extra darts or less length.

Working from an existing pattern is simple, once you've had a practice. I started with a simple pattern for a 1950's dress, which took me an afternoon to make, even as an absolute beginner. When you open a commercial pattern, it has instructions with it that explain what all the marks and notes mean, and if it is a pattern that includes variations, it'll tell you which pieces you need to make what. Some patterns have a difficulty rating depending on the company that makes them and if they don't, I have always checked the reviews on the internet. Assuming you can understand basic sewing terms, you can use a commercial pattern with relative ease.

Got a question relating to patterns? Shout it out.

Freelance Work

2012-12-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

I've only just started freelance work, but gosh do I love it! I love being able to sew someone else's work and get paid for it. I especially love how it expands my own portfolio in the process. If it hadn't been for sewing in Ava's Apparel and a mixture of freelance work in some form or another, my stitching portfolio would be teeny tiny!

Recently, I started using a website to manage my freelance side of things. It's pretty useful. You list your skills and update your portfolio of work then bid for jobs by offering quotes to others. So for example, a lady has just needed a seamstress for a shirt, I offered to do it at £8/hr which is my usual rate, and when she accepted it turned out she had ongoing work for me! If you include your price on your profile, buyers can also contact you. I had a lady contact me about children's jeans the other day, just because my price and skills were attractive. The method of personal message communication is easy and involves options at the side, so that invoices can be sent and paid really quickly, right from the message screen.

You can also place offers for hourlies, so I can sew your jeans up to the right length for £5 in 1 hour etc. It's a useful little earner too, from what I can gather.

The only downside really that I can see for freelance via websites is the 15% commission that they take. But then, for work that I wouldn't have had otherwise and things to add to my portfolio for getting into University, I can't really complain too much about that! I think in response to this, I'll just raise my hourly fee by 15%, and then I don't lose anything.

Want to have a go yourself?
The website in question is People Per Hour and it is a bit addictive, so watch out.

ModCloth and Vintage

2012-12-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

That dress that I posted earlier, the ModCloth one. I can't stop thinking about it, I think I may have fallen in love. I've spent this afternoon cutting up patterns and fabrics to make my own version, and it's looking beautiful. There are only a few photographs so far, since I got a little bit carried away once I realised how devastatingly easy it is to put together such a cute dress. I also have a suspicious feeling that there may be 35 more in various colours and combinations over the next few months.

The pattern that I worked with was a Simplicity one that came free by an absolute coincidence with a magazine, back when I could afford magazines. It's only half a dozen pieces, and they are all labelled really nicely. I enjoy working with commercial patterns because they are often quick and easy to understand and make, so there isn't a great deal of mucking about between me and a brand new dress!

There was a moment where I thought I might not have enough of my fabric of choice. The first plan was to make it all in black and white, until I started to hunt through my extensive fabric chest and stumbled upon this thick tartan that I thought would be perfect for Winter. There was just enough, I think there was about a meter and a half of it. I had to shorten the skirt pattern because I'm short, so the 30 inch skirt would have drowned my poor legs. I took it up to about 22 inches, with an inch for hem allowance.

The bodice was easy to complete and the sleeves are a joy, look how adorable they are, all puffy and gathered. The skirt was also really easy, made of three pieces that you can gather separately or all together. The darts in the bodice give it a lovely shape and make my chest look brilliant. (What?! Isn't that the point, sometimes?!)

I am really getting into this whole vintage look recently, due to a love of strong, classically attractive women, pin-up and an easy life. I love how even though this dress covers the majority of my skin, it gives a great silhouette and allows the viewers mind to wonder! One of my idols once said:

'A dress makes no sense unless it inspires a man to take it off you.'

and this rings very true nowadays, with women who wear shorts no longer than their bum cheeks. Dressing like a lady has always been important to me, and the Vintage vibe is just another avenue to do that. Simple hairstyles have always appealed to me too.

I think once this dress is done, I'll invest in some tweed and some burgundy cotton for accents and really go for it.

Double Breasted Waistcoat: Part Two

2012-12-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

So, I left you with the fabric cut out, and ready to be sewn together!

This is where it gets a little tricky. Sew all of the outer pieces together, a front piece to either side of the back piece. Once this is complete, sew one of the front linings to the front piece, making sure to have the right sides together. Next, stitch the remaining front and back lining together, and line up with the outer pieces, leaving the one seam between the first front lining and back open, like this:

Once you've stitched the lining to the outer, just turn it inside out, poke all the corners and iron it into the correct shape. Ironing at multiple stages during garment construction makes it look a lot better once complete. Stitch the shoulder seams, and close that gap inside using a top stitch but be careful only to stitch the lining. Line up and attach buttons and then bask in the warm glow of finishing a lined, double breasted waistcoat! Below are two photographs of the finished article and a fancy shot of the lapel/reveals.

Come on then, have you been following along? Show me yours!

Make This Look: The Baba-blue Dress

2012-12-06T03:13:00.002-08:00

Absolutely besotted with this dress from Modcloth, so I was thrilled when I finally found a pattern that it would work from:

Isn't she beautiful? Well, as it turns out, one of the very first patterns that I ever got was the simplicity pattern needed to make one, before I'd even seen the dress. I'd condemned the pattern since the images on the packet were not very attractive, so it's been in a box for a year and a half. Funny how things change, eh. So today, after my long list of other jobs that I need to do, I'll be making one of these beauties in Black and Black and White Gingham. I love shirtdresses, and I love how this dress would be appropriate for so many occasions. It'd look adorable with heels or cute ballerina shoes, and a range of accessories. I'll do a post just based on me throwing together this dress, and maybe even one of me wearing it!

Double Breasted Waistcoat: Part One

2012-12-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

I was sent a message from a customer about making a waistcoat from some reference photographs. It involved a double breasted style waistcoat made originally of tweed. I chose a similar fabric, but an alternative that is thinner and therefore cheaper. Keeping costs down for both myself and the customer has always been important to me.
Firstly, I studied the reference photos carefully. The waistcoat also has lapels, and two pockets. I used this information to come up with a whole new pattern draft, instead of adapting a previous one. I know that the chest measurement needs to be 40 inches, so the back piece needs to be 20 inches. This means that both front and back would need to be 10 inches wide plus seam allowance. Since this waistcoat is double breasted, the front piece needs to be extended by how much overlap we want, which in this case is 6 inches. The pattern looks like this:

The back piece is just the standard shape for the waistcoats, but the front piece is a lot more interesting. To work out the correct shape of the piece I drew the basic shape for a waistcoat front and then made the section to represent the lapel only. This then enabled me to get the correct shape and then attached it to the basic front.

After checking the pieces, I laid it out on the fabric and cut. The back piece was cut on the fold and the front piece was cut off the fold. Once cut, I laid the whole waistcoat out to check how it would look once completed. The button positions are taken from the original inspiration photographs and the pockets were added upon request. I'll likely move the pockets and make them a little bit smaller, and play around with the proportions and positions of things so it looks as close to the inspiration photographs as possible.

It's looking how I want it to, but I'm considering putting a facing on the lapels, to make them exactly the same as the rest of the waistcoat fabric. They are a slightly different colour due to being the 'wrong' side of the fabric.

Part Two to follow either later or tomorrow, then it'll be off to make a customer even happier, and even more well-dressed. Want your own? Contact me here: Ava's Apparel