Refining my design process

Oh look, I finally got around to sewing something for myself! Life has got busy and the first thing to go is sewing for my own enjoyment. I'm trying to be more organised and declutter my wardrobe at the moment, and have somehow stumbled into refining my 'design' process. I say 'design' because I don't have a clue about what I'm doing half the time and just plod along in blissful ignorance, with trial and error being my only faithful teacher.

I bought this Fashionary a few months ago but was so busy (grrr!) that I didn't want to spoil its beautiful pages with an unfocused mind. It's basically a cross between a diary/sketchbook/fashion encyclopaedia with the main purpose being to allow designers to sketch outfits quickly without the hassle of sketching figures beforehand.

Covering my Fashionary was really enjoyable in itself. I have this unstoppable urge to collage or draw over bland, boring surfaces and this black cover was just waiting for some Pritt stick kisses! Everything on the cover is from my Vogue magazines from the past six months (which has been surprisingly uninspiring and I probably won't be renewing my subscription). Comparing it to my previous collages I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out as I changed my method - I usually cut everything out, then arrange it, then glue it, but due to time constraints I simply cut and stuck as I went along. I became utterly absorbed and before I knew it, there were segments of clashing prints and patterns before me, rather than pictures of clothes as I'd intended. Yet another instance of feeling the flow and being happy with the result, even if it is a little different :)

This is a pocket bit at the inside of the back to store loose magazine cuttings (and I've evidently stuck some on the outside too!)

Nevertheless, striking a balance is key. This Fashionary is an oxymoron of sorts - uninhibited creative freedom on the covers concealing the restricted and directed ideas that lie within. (Before you scroll down to look at the pics of my design process just bear in mind that my last art lesson was in Year 8 and I've never done textiles or anything, so don't judge!)

The inspo 
I basically flicked through the Vogues, along with some other magazines from years gone by, cut out whatever took my fancy, and stuck the images in.

The patterns 
These patterns and fabric are all from Fabricland in Kingston, which seems to be the only decent fabric shop in South London. I bought the sewing patterns I needed (four Simplicity Easy-to-Sew ones because speedy sewing = sartorial satisfaction!) After agonising over the patterns for ages, I deliberated over the fabrics for four garments even longer. Buying fabric for four garments in one go that I'd only discovered I'd really wanted to make a few days ago was no easy feat, but I left happy with my fabric choices (and searching in earnest for food and water as fabric shops during a heatwave at lunchtime was almost enough to make me dislike sewing. Almost.)

1355 - I'm trying to work out whether I was sold by the print of the jumpsuit on the model or the actual shape. The shape is a bit simple but I think a good fabric will definitely bring this to life.

1887 - View A looks loooooovely and I can see myself sewing up multiple versions of this in different prints.

8523 - I did pick up another t-shirt pattern but it was out of stock so this was my second choice. View E looks interesting as I don't think I own any V-necked tops.

1108 - This was a guilty impulse buy but kimonos are summer's answer to a cardigan. I'm going to make View B because I like the curved hem and contrast band.

The sketching
I then looked at the illustrations and tried to sketch out some simple pencil versions of them on the figures, whilst glancing at the square sample sizes of fabric I'd cut out and dreaming of what the finished piece would look like...

The pinning/cutting 

I was so eager to get sewing that there arn't many pictures of the pinning/cutting process (plus this is the most boring part of the entire thing and I like to whizz through it as quickly as I can):

The sewing:
And there's even fewer sewing pics...

The finished garments
I really love my Fashionary! It's such a useful tool and definitely helped me to visualise what I wanted to make with ease and clarity.

(I blinked, oops!)

A particular fave because of the bag. (THE BAG!!!)

It has pockets :)

And with all that I'm off to the fabric shop to buy some more. Going to make some more fitted items this week - some basic long sleeved tops and leggings, which means I need to reacquaint myself with my overlocker. Wish me luck...

Doodling over plain shoes: Sharpie Love

I bought these shoes from New Look the other day, and as soon as I saw the matt finish, I knew it was yearning for some scribbles. So I headed off to WHSmiths and got some metallic Sharpies and just spontaneously doodled. I've never even used a Sharpie in my life so I don't know where this burst of creative confidence came from. It's actually quite unlike me - I tend to plan out an idea in my sketchbook before I start but this was simply a case of putting two things together and coming up with something delightful. 

This project was so spontaneous that I quickly took pictures of the shoes whilst the rare winter sunshine shone bright, so the quality is a bit rubbish...

This curlicue design is something that has adorned the bland margins of my notebooks for many years during school. I need to do a set of nails based on this design soon!

Black and gold is always a winning combination.

Refining my recycled rucksack

You may remember I made a certain rucksack back in August from entirely recycled materials and notions... http://bit.ly/1vLJhwq

I've had a problem with the fastening ever since. The pattern called for the top corners to be fastened with Velcro, but it kept on coming loose despite careful hand sewing. I replaced it once again, but to no avail.

I was tempted to sew some popper buttons on the corners to secure it shut, but I didn't have any, and they may have popped open, so perhaps wouldn't be as secure as I'd thought. Hooks and eyes were my only bet. I had six left.

This was desperation, but I still wasn't happy with my choice. I returned the hooks and eyes to my  notions box and lying on the side, out the corner of my eye, was this!

A battered dress zip I'd unpicked from an old dress, complete with original thread. It was even the right colour and everything! I excitedly pinned it to the opening of my bag, praying it would fit...

...and it did! The sewing gods were definitely watching down on me. I hand-sewed it and here's the culmination of my efforts:

Bit of an awkward picture, but I had to put some things inside to stop it flopping forward. It's spoilt the straightness of the zip but it's straight in real life, I promise! I love how structured it is now, as well as how I can put my belongings inside without the fear that they'll fall out as I daydream down the street...

What to do with fabric scraps: make fabric bookmarks!

Being an English student, I'm always reading several texts at any one time. Marking my pages with tabs/post-it notes is kind of boring, so I decided to put my fabric scraps to good use and make them into pretty bookmarks.

What you'll need:

• A fairly large-ish scrap of fabric 
• Some medium-weight fusible interfacing
• White thread, a needle...and a sewing machine of course

**I'll apologise now for the inconsistencies in lighting - living so high up with an oddly placed window and sloping roof (I'm basically in the loft!) means I was totally subject to the variations in light/shade whilst making this!**

1. Here's my scrap of fabric. It's got some pretty odd shapes cut into it!

2. Create a paper template. I found this squared paper on the side of my desk after laminating some of my books which helped with the straight lines. Pin it to your fabric and cut out. (When placing it on the scrap, make sure it isn't on the bias as this will stretch your bookmark when it comes to sewing and it won't lie flat when finished!)

3. Cut out a piece of interfacing using the template. You should have two fabric pieces and an interfacing piece.

4. Pin the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of one of the fabric pieces, and iron it. Pin the interfaced fabric piece to the other fabric piece, wrong sides together. Measure out a 0.5cm seam allowance, and sew.

 5. You should be left with something like this when you've finished sewing all the way around, but be sure to leave a gap at the top so you can turn it inside out.

6. On the bottom end of the bookmark, cut diagonally parallel to the points, and then again on the sides of this to remove the excess seam allowance. This will help to achieve a pointier finish once turned inside out.

7. Turn it inside out. I used a ruler to get the corners and edges as neat as could be, before pressing it with my iron to set the seams. Fold inside the top end of the bookmark, ensuring that it is as level as you can get it. This is definitely the most fiddly part! Pin it once you reach a level of straightness (or get so tired playing about with it that you just want to move onto the next stage, as I did)

8. I don't really know how to describe this stitch...it's similar to a slip-stitch (I think). Using a needle, thread it through one side of the fabric closing, being careful to catch only the interior part of the fabric and not the visible outside part of the bookmark. Pull the thread through, then flip the bookmark over to the other side.

9. Do the same thing, pushing the needle a little behind from your previous stitch and pulling it through. Try to make sure your stitches are of an even spacing for neatness and consistency.

10. Press the edges of the bookmark to set the hand-sewn seam you've just created.

Here's some bookmarks that I made for a friend. So many prints! I decided to topstitch them. This is a great finishing technique, but isn't essential and they look nice either way.

Also - a purse made from some fabric scraps, too. Waste not, want not, and all that. The print reminds me of some kind of abstract artwork. I kind of wish I owned a painting of it.