Pattern Drafting a Corset

My final project for my flat pattern class last fall was to design and draft a corset. The teacher asked me to create something for challenging then she asked the others. I'd always been ahead in the class and really needed something extra. I began with some inspiration on pinterest and got started on something simple.

After my first fitting, I decided to split the pattern down further and remove an additional 2 inches from the waistline. I wanted more shaping then what I started out with.

From my final pattern I created bust padding which is simply quilted fabric and quilt padding. I hand stitched the padding into place using the seam allowance of my outside material. I used up-cycled jeans from my stash for the outside fabric and the same red material for the lining as the bust padding.

I used basic plastic boning slid into the seam allowance on the jean material. At the top and bottom of each section I added a decorative and functional flossing. The holds the boning in place permanently.

After I stitched the lining along the top edge I turned everything right side out and sewed a piece of biased binding along the bottom edge to finish it out. I hammered grommets in place along the back and laced it up with the flashy gold lacing. I chose not to put a front busk in since I was short on time. I have no issues getting in and out of the corset and lacing it myself. 

Finally, I made a lace undershirt to complete the ensemble. It fits perfectly and I love how it feels on. This was really a great project that stretched my skills and I love how it turned out!

Designing and Drafting a Shirt- The Final Product (aka the Skeleton Shirt)

I previously wrote out the mock up I made in my flat pattern class last fall. The completed project turned out even better! 

I designed the pattern after a 1940's sweetheart neckline with nearly elbow length sleeves and faux cuffs. The princess seams and under bust shaping makes the top fit me to a T.

I didn't have enough of either fabric so I mixed and matched. I made this around Halloween and the dancing skeletons fabric came from the scrap bin at the fabric store.

Designing and Drafting a Shirt- Working Mock Up (aka Thread Shirt)

Last fall I took a flat pattern class as part of my Fashion Apparel Design and Technology degree. One of our projects was to design a top then to create a draft and mock up.

We used a pattern block that we'd just finished from our personal measurements. I wanted a sweetheart neckline and a fitted waist which I was able to accomplish with the princess draft lines. I was going for a vintage look. I also contoured under the bust so the shirt would fit my larger bust to a T.

I used a fabric with little spools of thread tossed all over it for my mock up. I had to make a few changes but the overall design worked well. I also made 2 styles of sleeve cuffs. I'm really happy with the project and I'll show you the final design in a future post!

Textile Design

This semester in my computer aided apparel design class we've been working with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to design fabric prints that we'll use in the clothing we're designing. We learned to turn an inspiration image into basic black and white then use it to create our fabric designs.

Original art work, by me, used as my inspiration.

There was a lot of pixel manipulation and detailed work involved in the process. Once we had the design down we were able to turn it into a repeatable print. For the assignment we created 5 images and 2 colored versions.

Colorway 1

Colorway 2

For extra credit we could get a printed fabric sample from spoonflower.com, which I did. My finished project turned out really well and the fabric swatch was a favorite. I can't wait to see how these prints look combined with the children's clothing I'm designing for the class!

'Bubbles' fabric swatch & a perfect grade. :)

All of my designs are available for you to view (and hopefully purchase in the near future!) at spoonflower.com.

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Time for an Update!

These past 5 months have really flown by! As this year is winding down, I thought it was time to get back to writing. I'm trying to slow down a bit, get away from the speed of social media, and take time for myself, to think, feel, and create again.

Family

My sons are both doing really well. My youngest, Jameson, is now 6 and in Kindergarten. He's bright and eager to learn and has picked up reading quickly. My older son, Ian, is almost 13 (I know, almost a teenager!) and in 7th grade. He has shot up so fast the past couple of months that he's outgrowing the clothes and shoes before we get the next size up. Ian will be going on his first solo hunt this weekend. He hopes to get the 8-point buck we've been seeing around. It'll be a great prize and will help fill up the freezer. He's also still an active member of the boys scouts and is slowly working towards the eagle scout level.

My husband, Justin, will be heading in to shoulder surgery at the end of this week. The doctor understand his pain and is going in for exploratory surgery and to look for something specifically wrong which hasn't/isn't showing up on any x-rays or scans which he thinks is what's causing the problems. The chronic pain is real and we are hoping, wishing, and praying that this fixes it.

College

I've been attending college full time this fall semester. I originally was signed up for 15 credit hours but dropped a class so I had a more bearable schedule of 12 credit hours. I've been taking flat pattern, tailoring, textiles, and internship. I drive 2 hours, round trip, 3 days a week to attend classes. I really enjoy the classes but even at 12 credit hours it's too much when you throw in driving and are also trying to run a household and business. I plan to not take any classes during the spring semester to get my business built back up. After that I'll just take a maximum of 6 credit hours until I complete my degree. I'm already doing what I love and the degree is just a bonus. I've learned from this semester that it's not as important as keeping my stress level down and maintaining my already full plate. I still plan to graduate, just on a longer time table.

Work Projects

With college taking most of my time, I just haven't been able to create on the level of intensity that I used to. However, with my Internship, I'm required to work about 12 hours a week- and as a self-employed seamstress I can pick when I get to work. I tend to do more secretarial type work within those 12 hours-- answering emails, running my online businesses, organizing projects, prepping things for my workers, shipping, etc. I have been able to create a couple of dresses, hand dyed yarn, make a backpack, work on a T-shirt quilt, and design some dance costumes. (I'll share photos in future posts.) I also changed a regular T-shirt into a T-shirt dress for a customer. I took the sleeves off and also lowered the neckline. 

  

Personal Projects

Most of my time working on personal projects has been squeezed into an hour here and there. I hand dyed some yarns for myself and for a sweater while I was dying the yarn for work projects. Before school started I completed a knit shawl and a caplet for myself and I also knitted an easy scarf for a birthday present and a surprisingly quick sweater for my younger son. Most of my projects have been hand-work so I can get away from my office for awhile. I'm also participating in a Mystahhhhry Shindig, hosted by my sister. I'm behind but there will be plenty of time to work on it when classes end in a couple weeks.

That's it for now!

My Most Popular Blog Post!

Way back in 2010, when I started slowly getting more involved in custom designing and pattern work, I wrote a short piece on the history of clothing and the development of pattern making. It's still my most popular piece! Follow the link to read it for yourself. Enjoy! :)

Pattern Drafting 101: A Historical Timeline

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Heather's Green Home Goods

Heather's Weekly Gazette, Issue 3

Things have been busy as always around here! I took a little downtime this week to work on easy things since Nature has decided to bloom, driving me inside with horrible sinus headaches. I’ll survive fortunately. :)

WIP’s (works in progress)

Open-Backed Dress Mock-Up

I finally completed my test sewing on the new pattern. The fit is going to be really nice and I've decided to add bust cups to the final product. I think the dress was designed for a stick, and I am not.

• Dress Style 1: Triangle Back

I only needed to do a minor adjustment on the back. One of the triangles gaped open oddly so I just cut off the bottom of the triangle.

• Dress Style 2: Strappy Back

This dress also needed minor adjustments. The top front gaped open a little so I measured what needed to be removed and took it off my pattern.

• Lastly, on both dresses I altered the necklines for a completely different look. :)

Mending

I've also done quite a bit of mending this past week…. torn pants, holes in quilts, that kind of thing. Nothing really fancy but I’m so glad it’s all crossed of my list now!

There were several other things I worked on but those were just the highlights. ;)

The Yarn Alcove

I finally finished hand winding all that new yarn I got! The turquoise yarn is so beautiful!

I’m still slowly knitting away on my Woodland Shawl. Sorry I forgot a photo of it for this week. Hopefully it’ll be longer (and prettier) next week so I can show it off then! You can find me and the shawl pattern on Ravelry. My handle is hgreenhomegoods over there and I'd love to connect with more yarnies! :)

UFO's (unfinished objects)

Oh boy, UFO’s… one in particular has been a thorn in my side. When I got this project, I was in love, ‘oh, this is nothing!’,I said... ‘I’ll have this done by Christmas!’, I said. Little did I know how involved this project was! The Canvas Log Cabin has gotten most of my attention this week. I’ve stitched while watching TV. I’ve stitched in-between projects and chores. I spent a whole day stitching (and watching Season 1 of S.H.I.E.L.D.- yes, all 12 hours of it). And I STILL don’t feel like I’ve made much progress on it. I’ve gotten the whole interior stitched up but not put together. I have a few bits here and there to stitch up before I can put the second floor loft together and stitch it to the interior. BUT, I’m so much further along than I was a week ago. Progress, one step at a time.

New Toys

I hit up a Hancock’s fabric store that was going out of business this past week and bought some good stuff on sale. I found some fun fabrics but also invested in another pair of Gingher scissors. If you don’t have good quality sewing shears or are in the market for new ones, get this brand! I also got a Sidewinder by Simplicity. The verdict is still out on this one for me. I think it’s a little flimsy but hopefully it’ll save me some time winding bobbins. And lastly, I got a couple vintage style patterns. I love Vogue sewing patterns but at $20+ each a pop buying them isn’t usually an option. I managed to get these for $4 each! :) I think that’s a win!

Home & School

My college classes are still going. I’m starting to feel like they’ll never end. I’m not particularly enjoying my Merchandising 2 class which probably has a lot to do with the way I’m feeling. My fingers are crossed though that I can still pass everything with flying colors. 6 weeks and counting!

My dryer has been giving me a headache this past month. First, the heating element went out & we had to wait 2 weeks for parts and repairs. Then, the panel with all the knobs need a clip replaced and the repair guy shorted out my dryer. He actually blew the fuses while replacing the clips. What repair guy doesn’t unplug or ask for the breaker to be turned off before working… apparently this guy. After doing our own trouble shooting and being thankful we had new fuses my dryer was back to working. Hey, I only had to hang 1 load on the laundry line. I got really lucky with my busy schedule. Things could have been much worse!

Lastly, my youngest son is starting Kindergarten next year (grab the tissues!) and we’ve been busy with Kindergarten Round Up & Screening. He’s going to do excellent in school. He got high marks on everything at the screening. We both also went to have our eyes checked. He’s never had his done and it was all kinda strange to him. I had mine checked too just to show him it’s ok and not too worry (and because it’s been 15 years since my last check up)! He’s not color blind and has 25/25 vision- those letters are tricky for a still learning 5 year old! And I have 20/20 vision, with an excellent report. I had a photo taken of the back of my eye and the Dr let me take a photo. lol It’s kinda weird looking!

OK, so now that I’ve grossed you all out I’ll sign off with a little something to look forward to….

Look for details this week!!!