❀ Botanical Gardens Field Trip

Week 5 of the Fashion Design Course was an inspirational field trip- we headed to the Botanical Gardens in search for sunshine, bright colors and interesting textures.  These are just a few of the images we found on our little adventure...

The homework for this week is to find inspiration in the photos they took and create a mood-board that will depict their concept, in addition to showing the color pallet and fabric story.  I can't wait to see what this creative group comes up with!

Completed Creations ♥

Designers' completed creations...

Creighton's beautifully draped dress.

Aude's amazing pants.

Theresa's cute and colorful tote
bag.

Another busy week, in fact, I forgot to take many of the designers' at work pics.  However, I DID remember to take pictures of this week's completed creations.
We've followed along as Creighton designed, draped and sewed her summer dress made of vintage fabric and she did a fabulous job!
Aude made a pants pattern, this week she sewed them together using THE CUTEST fabric, they fit perfectly and look adorable!
Theresa had started her tote bag last week and this week she completed her colorful creation!
Exciting to see so many creations come to life!
Have a GREAT weekend! ♥

French Tea and Nostalgia...

This morning I started my day with a cup of tea from my favorite tea salon in Paris called Laduree.  It took me back, one year ago almost to the day, I was hard at work on a collection titled "Tea Party" that was inspired by this very lovely little place...

This morning's the'

A photo from that collection, pink floral embroideries, silk ribbons and ruffles were the main details used.  The fabrication was soft 100% cotton batiste.  It was a sweet little collection inspired by 1920's "underlings".   Oooo... if only I were in Paris!

Today's Designers' at work...

Vicki cutting out her skirt pattern.

Tuesday, applying the zipper to her skirt.

Marissa is working on her Graduation dress!

Laduree website: http://www.laduree.fr/en/scene

✂-Designers Tip of the Week-Cute Little Detail

Scalloped Tucks-

Mark and crease for a straight tuck.

On the line of the stitching, mark the position for the scalloped tucks at even distances.
Sew the tuck with small running stitches to the first dot.  Take an overhand stitch at the dot and pull the thread tightly.

Continue across in this manner.

Source- McCall's Sewing Book, circa 1963.

I happen to be fond cute little details on garments and when I found this book at an indoor flea market a couple of weeks ago, I fell in love with the section on stitch details!  I love the idea of using these cute scalloped tucks down the front of a blouse or at the hem of a skirt, just a small subtle detail on a garment can make it all the more precious and unique.

Hope everyone one has a GREAT week!

Developing A Design Process.

Designers at work...

First, they flipped through magazines for inspiration.

Secondly, they pasted their selected images into their "idea books".

With Billie in playing in the background...

Carrie was inspired by Spring pastels and drapey fabrics.

CJ had two forms of inspiration- the "bad girl" and the "good girl" concepts, using lace and beaded details for her costuming.

This was week 4 of our Fashion Design Course and today the group worked on developing their own design process.  We discussed a few current events to get the ideas flowing, we flipped through magazines and discussed the good and bad ads and what we found to be most inspirational.  The project was to find images to best tell the story of their individual concepts by using- color, texture, fabrication, design details and photos of the models themselves.  This is the beginnings of creating a mood board.  Part two of the project was to start sketching a small collection that reflects their "mood boards", next week we will see the results of their concepts and their collections... and from what I saw just before they left, they were on the right track!

Denali and Mikayla

Designers at work...

Plotting her style lines.

The beginning stages of her muslin drape.

Today was Denali's last lesson of the week and she wanted to learn how to mark off a dress form with new seams so that she can drape a corset.  She used the tape to indicate where her pieces will come together and where she will attach the boning.   Once her bodice was draped she checked her  pieces by sewing them together and placing them back onto the dress form.  

Denali's school project is due towards the end of May and I look forward to seeing her presentation and hope she will send us pictures of her work along the way!

Teen Fashion Show...

Me, taking a close up picture of Mikayla's sewing machine.

Interviewing Mikayla about her collection.

Little bits at a time the "Fall Into The Stars" Teen Fashion Show is coming together.  This afternoon I had the great pleasure of meeting Mikayla in her own home to record her design process.  She graciously showed me her work room, painted in pink, black and grey colors, filled with inspirational pictures of Paris and New York, was a well organized and inspiring design space.  With Mikayla's collection underway, she was able to show me one of the samples she was working on and what her plans were for completing the collection.  I have been working with Mikayla for quite some time now and am very proud of her progress, dedication, and ALL that she has accomplished in the last two years!  Great job Mikalya!

If you would like more information on the "Fall Into The Stars" Teen Fashion Show, please visit our website- www.designandlounge.com

Welcome New Designers!

 Designers at work...

Denali completed her first sample!  Very exciting since this is the first garment she's designed, draped, made the pattern for and sewn all to completion. Denali did a wonderful job, maybe she'll send us a picture of her dress in her chosen fabric?

Welcome new designers!

Tuesday starting her first pattern.

Jeanne is learning how to use the sewing machine.

Jakob practicing pivots and curves.

I'm very excited to welcome three new designers today!  I love hearing the different reasons as to what motivated their interest in sewing.  Tuesday has always had a love for fashion and wants to make her own clothes. Jeanne owns a shop in Coronado Center and wants to be able add to her inventory and offer basic alterations on some of her garments.  Jakob works with a group on films and is the "costume and props guy", he wants to be able to use patterns to make some of his costumes.

Handsome man saves the day...

I've been falling behind on some of other projects, but Jeffrey was able to come in for an hour to help me with a side project that I'm working on and I am very grateful for his help! ♥

**Jeanne's shop is called Cherry Blossom, located in Coronado Mall and specializes in woman's, children's and accessories with a love for printed textiles.  For more info call 505-830-6553.

Draping and Patternmaking!

Designer's at work...

Design garment.

Create style on dress form.

Make a final pattern from the drape.

Denali's project for the day was to drape a dress.  We started with a sketch, she draped the style onto the dress form, pinning and manipulating the fabric to create the shape and style to her liking.  Once she achieved the look she desired, she marked all the key points- seams, pleats, waistline, neckline, etc. Denali removed the drape and we "trued up" her markings using the proper rulers.

This begins the patternmaking process, next we should see a complete dress sewn together!

The Pant Patternmaking Class...

Ratna and Julianna have been hard at work to make their perfectly fitted pants.  Today we made the adjustments from last week's fitting.  Once their patterns were corrected, they were back to the cutting table to start making another sample.  This week these ladies have homework, they are to sew their corrected pant including the waistband to do a final fitting.  Once we fit next week they will make their first pair of pants in the actual fabric!  SEW exciting!

Skirts and Tote Bags!

Designer's at work...

The morning started off with Denali, she's working on a school project and the end result will be a presentation on Fashion Design!  So, this week we're learning different aspects of design, starting with pattern making.  Denali's first project was to draft a skirt based on her own measurements, sew it together and fit the sample.  It turned out perfectly, fabulous job Denali!

 Tote bag ladies! 

 These three ladies had a wonderful time cutting their fabric, sewing their tote bags and chatting all the way through class.  Erica and Tammy did an amazing job!  Theresa was unable to stay for the whole class, but we'll see her tote back next week!

A Fabric Story

Designer's at Work...

Designer's looking for the perfect fabrics for their collections.

Carrie discussing her fabric swatches.

Christine organizing her fabrics by main, secondary, and finally novelty. 

In week 3 of our Fashion Design Course, we focused on fabrication.  I conducted a burn test so that we could see the difference between synthetics and 100% Silk.  It was interesting to see how the different fabrics curled or crumbled under the flame (I recommend conducting this test with a bowl of water close by to drop the fabric in should it burn quickly).
Following the burn test we discussed the importance of a fabric story...
The group was given a challenge: I pulled an image from an old Vogue cover as their source of inspiration/concept; the students, in turn, were to "shop" from a pile of scrap fabrics to pull together a cohesive fabric story that best represents their concept. By following the chosen color pallet, shapes and movement, the fabric story should compliment and build upon the concept.

Sue's interpretation of the image and concept, GREAT job!

"A successful fabric story enhances the attitude, customer lifestyle, and price point of the collection.  The weaves, varied weights, and colors support the collection's attention to detail and mix-and-match separates".

Source: Fashion Design Course by Steven Fearm

The Little Black Dress

Today's Designer at Work...

Aude tracing her block

Aude created a basic pant block, once we perfected the fit on the pattern, she traced her block to create a more stylish pant. The fabric she chose is very unique and I can't wait to see the final product!

Lace detail

This afternoon was spent finishing the little black dress; this dress has a waist seam, chest and waist darts, spaghetti straps, lace trim and an invisible zipper in the back.  The bodice is lined but the dress can be fully lined depending on the weight of the fabric.  So... what do YOU think, is this a class I should add to the month of June (instead of May)?