Hello everyone,
So over the past two weeks I have been doing work experience and I thought I would share the experence on here.
One technique that I learnt is how to create roulette loops. To do this I had to use a slippery fabric so that it would be easy to turn through as a thick abrasive fabric would have got stuck. Also, the fabric needed to be bias cut so that it would be able to stretch. I found this interesting as I did not realise that you needed to do that for roulette loops. I found the prosses of creating the roulette loop cord quite simple but when it came to use the cord to make the loops themselves, I found it slightly harder. To create the loops, I had to lay out the cord in a ‘s’ like shape and make sure that they were all the same size and width apart so to create a professional finish. While doing this I learnt that you have to use raised buttons as there needs to be enough space underneath for the cord to sit. When sewing on the buttons you need to sew them on lots of times as the button will take a lot of pressure of a bodice, so they need to be attached tightly.
Beatrice also taught me how to create a rolled hem. To do this I needed a specific machine foot for rolled hems which I found really interesting. I leant that you need to hold the fabric tight so that it lays flat and at an angle so that you can direct it into the foot where it can fold over the correct about of fabric. Also, before doing the rolled hem you need to do a straight stitch near the edge of the fabric to act as a guide and a stay stitch to prevent the fabric from stretch along while you sew the hem. If when you sew the stay stitch you stretch the fabric this can create a really interesting ruffled effect as it distorts the hem. To be able to do a rolled hem you need to use a really light weight fabric as this will make it easy for it to fold over and it will create a crisp finish, whereas with a thick fabric it may create bulk and not work very well. I did find it quite difficult to do this technique as you had to angle the fabric right so that it folded over the correct amount. I did do a couple of samples of the hem and they improved as I started to understand the angle, I needed it at, so I think with a bit more practice it could create a really nice effect. I really like the effect that a rolled hem creates as it makes a light finish, when using a matching thread it could look invisible.
In my last day of work experience I was tasked to make a bodice out of calico. The bodice was going to have boning in it which allowed me to learn how to put boning in as I had never done this before. From doing this task I learnt that when you are sewing curved seams on a bodice, you have to ease the fabric and you really need to tack the fabric in place so then you can get a smooth finish without any puckers. I also learnt how to put different types of boning in. When adding the boning in I learnt that you needed to trim down the boning so that there is more fabric then you think for the seam allowance as when turned through the boning takes up a lot of fabric. I used two different types of boning, rigilene and covered boning, and these where attached to the bodice in different ways. When using the rigilene boning it was like a bendy plastic and this meant it what flexible but still created a structured bodice. To attach this boning, I put it into the seams but using the seam allowance to cover it. I had to add extra seam allowance to the seams so that I would be able to create a gutter to slot the boning into. This method is most commonly used in corsets as it creates lots of structure in the bodice. I found this method really enjoyable as it was easy to sew as you inserted the boning after, and it was completely covered by fabric. When using the covered boning you could apply this anywhere on the bodice which I thought was really useful so you could create structure in different places. This boning has a fabric cover on it so you placed it where you wanted and tacked it in place and then carefully sewed it down on the sewing machine, the tacking stitches meant that it would not move when you are sewing it. I really like the effect of the boning in the bodice, but I do think I prefer using the rigilene boning as it creates a lot cleaner finish and the boning pieces are put better positions for the design.
So over the past two weeks I have been doing work experience and I thought I would share the experence on here.
Over the last two weeks I have been doing my work experience at Bespoke Sewing Farnham. This is a self-employed business started by Beatrice Espinosa who mainly creates bespoke clothes for clients from design to completion. There are many different parts to her business, she is currently launching a bridal range in her new company called Beatrice Espinosa Bridal where she has designed and made a bridal collection which she is continuing to develop. This is in addition to her bridal and prom alterations and bespoke design. During my work experience with Beatrice I have completed lots of different tasks including samples of new techniques, such as boning, beading and a rolled hem. I also worked on her bridal collection to help fit a dress, and I did some work on the computer finding out how to source fabrics online.
I was involved with lots of different tasks, one of the first things I undertook was hand sewing on a piece of binding to cover up a seam in a wedding dress. In the dress there was a waist line seam that had lots of fabric going into it so didn’t look very neat. I took a piece of binding from the same fabric as the dress and hand sewed it on to cover it. I learnt that when sewing this type of fabric, silk, you need to be really careful as it has a small weave and if you catch one of the threads it can ruin the piece as the silk will snag and not look smooth. I also learnt that in order for the stitches to look regimented and neat you need to try and sew them evenly spaced out using a small slip stitch, it would also help the fabric to lay flat and not have any puckers. I found this quite difficult to do as I am not used to sewing such small stitches on such a delicate fabric and as it was in a bit of a awkward place on the dress, however once I got the hang of it I was able to sew the small stitches evenly spaced out and I was really happy with the work I produced on my first task. Another thing that I learnt while undergoing this task was that if there is a little mark on the silk you have to be really careful, especially as it is white, but if you use a clean cloth with some cold water on it and gently rub the mark it will come out.
Another thing that I learnt was about the fabrics Beatrice uses. All of the dresses in her wedding dress collection are completely made from silk, which is an extremely delicate fabric, which means you need to handle it carefully. Silk is a woven fabric that has lots of tiny threads that make it up, the raw silk is made from silk worms and then it is woven into the fabric. As the fabric is really delicate you should not iron straight onto it as this can apply too much pressure and if dragged across it can pull the weave distorting it. When stitching fabric on a sewing machine you need to think about the needle size and stitch length. If the fabric is really thick you should use a thick needle as this will be stronger therefore will go through the fabric easier, whereas with a fine fabric you should use a thin needle as this will not create as bigger hole so will not leave a hole in the fabric like a thick needle would. When stitching a thick fabric, it is good to use a larger stitch length as it will not need a small stitch to hold the fabric but with a fine fabric it needs a thin needle as it will hold it tighter together with the small weave. Another thing about stitching that I learnt is that when you press a seam this sets the stitch into place making the seam stronger and the stitch tighter, so lays flatter on the fabric. This means that it is easier to unpick seams before you press it, so it is good to check there is no mistake before pressing so there is no risk of ruining the fabric.
One technique that I learnt is how to create roulette loops. To do this I had to use a slippery fabric so that it would be easy to turn through as a thick abrasive fabric would have got stuck. Also, the fabric needed to be bias cut so that it would be able to stretch. I found this interesting as I did not realise that you needed to do that for roulette loops. I found the prosses of creating the roulette loop cord quite simple but when it came to use the cord to make the loops themselves, I found it slightly harder. To create the loops, I had to lay out the cord in a ‘s’ like shape and make sure that they were all the same size and width apart so to create a professional finish. While doing this I learnt that you have to use raised buttons as there needs to be enough space underneath for the cord to sit. When sewing on the buttons you need to sew them on lots of times as the button will take a lot of pressure of a bodice, so they need to be attached tightly.
A task that I did find really interesting to do, as I found it quite different to the other tasks, was sourcing fabrics online. This was something that I needed to do to find different fabrics that could be used to make a jacket, which needed burgundy fake fur. I found this to be really difficult as fur is out of season so not many places had it. I found it really interesting to see that it actually is not that easy to find the correct fabrics online as you cannot see their colour or quality very well. I learnt how to know if it is good quality fabric by looking at the price, if it is really cheap it most likely means that it is not very good. I was looking for a high quality fur so was looking for some that was about £20 per meter, which I had difficulty finding. Also, it is always a good idea to order a sample of the fabric first so that you can look at the colour as it can look quite different in images then in real life.
Beatrice also taught me how to create a rolled hem. To do this I needed a specific machine foot for rolled hems which I found really interesting. I leant that you need to hold the fabric tight so that it lays flat and at an angle so that you can direct it into the foot where it can fold over the correct about of fabric. Also, before doing the rolled hem you need to do a straight stitch near the edge of the fabric to act as a guide and a stay stitch to prevent the fabric from stretch along while you sew the hem. If when you sew the stay stitch you stretch the fabric this can create a really interesting ruffled effect as it distorts the hem. To be able to do a rolled hem you need to use a really light weight fabric as this will make it easy for it to fold over and it will create a crisp finish, whereas with a thick fabric it may create bulk and not work very well. I did find it quite difficult to do this technique as you had to angle the fabric right so that it folded over the correct amount. I did do a couple of samples of the hem and they improved as I started to understand the angle, I needed it at, so I think with a bit more practice it could create a really nice effect. I really like the effect that a rolled hem creates as it makes a light finish, when using a matching thread it could look invisible.
Another technique that I learnt was how to do beading which would go on something like a bodice. I had never done beading before so I was really interested to see how I could use it and the different things I could create. I learnt that when doing the beading you need to have a thread that really matches the fabric, and this is really important because you want the stitches to blend in well, so the bead looks suspended off the fabric. You also need to think about the properties of the different types of beads as they would all be good for different things, for example, long straight beads are good to create outlines of shapes and small round beads are good for filling in spaces. As well as thinking about the beads properties you need to think about how you are going to position the bead. To do this it you can draw out the shapes you want to create on the fabric so there is a guide to follow. I found it quite difficult to position the beads correctly as it was difficult to get the beads as close together as they needed to, especially with the loose weave of the fabric, and trying not to go through the fabric at the same place is this would mean that the bead would not attach. I really like the results of my beading, especially for a first attempt, I think it is interesting how you can use the different beads in different ways to create lots of effects and the ways they are layered together.
In my second week I worked more on Beatrice’s bridal collection and I found this really interesting to actually work on something that is going to be used. I started off by working on the toile for a fitted dress, which allowed me to work on the shape of the dress and get it really fitted. From doing this I learnt that before working on a garment it is really useful to make a toile as you can make sure it fits how you want and then you can adjust the pattern by what is needed. The toile is also good as you can draw on the fabric so you can work out the shape you want. I really enjoyed doing this task as it really helped me to understand more of the construction side of making a wedding dress and how you go from fitting the toile on the mannequin to altering the pattern. I learnt that it is really useful to tack and then machine sew the toile as this lets you see if it completely fits how you want and then you can cut it down to the seam allowance and unpick the pieces you need to then trace these to the paper pattern. I did find doing this task a little bit tricky at some points and you really had to work with the fabric you had and look at different ways you could make it fit how you wanted. As well I found it hard to make sure both the sides where even
as they needed to be the same to look professional.
as they needed to be the same to look professional.
also worked on a wedding dress by creating the ruffle that would then go in the petty coat of the skirt to make it have more volume. To make the ruffle I used a net fabric, which was 4 times the width of the skirt as this would mean it has enough volume. I used a gathering stitch to gather it and create the ruffle. While doing this task I learnt that when gathering you really need to keep your stitching as straight as possible as this will make it gather more evenly and look better. Also, you need to do two lines of gather stitching so that the gathers are more even, and you do not get any folds when the fabric is sewn down. I did not really enjoy doing this task as much as others as there was lots of straight stitching to do and it was hard to get the gathers even and the correct width.
In my last day of work experience I was tasked to make a bodice out of calico. The bodice was going to have boning in it which allowed me to learn how to put boning in as I had never done this before. From doing this task I learnt that when you are sewing curved seams on a bodice, you have to ease the fabric and you really need to tack the fabric in place so then you can get a smooth finish without any puckers. I also learnt how to put different types of boning in. When adding the boning in I learnt that you needed to trim down the boning so that there is more fabric then you think for the seam allowance as when turned through the boning takes up a lot of fabric. I used two different types of boning, rigilene and covered boning, and these where attached to the bodice in different ways. When using the rigilene boning it was like a bendy plastic and this meant it what flexible but still created a structured bodice. To attach this boning, I put it into the seams but using the seam allowance to cover it. I had to add extra seam allowance to the seams so that I would be able to create a gutter to slot the boning into. This method is most commonly used in corsets as it creates lots of structure in the bodice. I found this method really enjoyable as it was easy to sew as you inserted the boning after, and it was completely covered by fabric. When using the covered boning you could apply this anywhere on the bodice which I thought was really useful so you could create structure in different places. This boning has a fabric cover on it so you placed it where you wanted and tacked it in place and then carefully sewed it down on the sewing machine, the tacking stitches meant that it would not move when you are sewing it. I really like the effect of the boning in the bodice, but I do think I prefer using the rigilene boning as it creates a lot cleaner finish and the boning pieces are put better positions for the design.
I have really enjoyed doing work experience and learning lots of new skills throughout the last two weeks. I think this has been really useful and helped me to think about what I would like to do in the future. One thing that I especially enjoyed doing was the boning and fitting a toile to a mannequin as this has given me more of an idea of how the construction and structure of a garment works. What I least enjoyed was doing the ruffles as I do not think I really like the effect they create and I feel like I didn’t enjoy the prosses of making them.
I hope you have enjoyed reading what I have been doing and thank you for reading.
Amy xxx
Comments
Post a Comment