Sample Seam Finishes for Chiffon

To neatly and professionally finish the seams on the chiffon for my designed garments I have sampled three different styles of seam finishes; French seam, clean seam and overlocking. 

French seam is where the wrong sides of the fabric are sewn together before being pressed,the excess is cut close to the line of stitching, a few mm away and folded so the rights sides of the fabric are facing. Then another line of stitching is needed to conceal the raw edge of the fabric.

This style of seam is the most professional in appearance and appropriate for the lightness of the fabric. 

However this style is slightly time consuming because it effectively means seams must be sewn twice and this method can only be used of straight seams.

The second method of seam construction I sampled was the clean finished edge. In this techniques the seam is sewn, ironed opened before the seam edges are turn under and sewn flat.

The raw edges of seam are concealed as desired however the seam is not as strong when compared to the french seam.

This technique of seam finish would be more suited to a medium heavy weight fabric rather than the light weight chiffon. 

Out of the three seams finished this technique took the longest due to three lines of stitching need to finish the seam. 

The last sample seam was an overlocked seam.

After stitching the seam the edges are overlocked, cutting the seam down and preventing fraying in the finished seam.

This is probably the most commonly used way of finishing seams due to quickness of finishing seams. Overlocking seams also strengthen the seam, making the garments more stable.

Yet this seam does not have professional finish desired and with the sheerness fabric can be seen though the fabric.

I believe the best seam to use on my garments would be the french seam because of the strength in the seam, aesthetically pleasing finish and is approbate for the fabric.

Surface Decoration Idea Development

After feed back from my peers regarding the skirt and dress I've created using my textural materials it was suggested that bringing in a pattern as surface decoration would strengthen my designs.

After discussing the idea with my tutors I suggested creating the pattern from the textural materials and screen printing the it on to the chiffon voile and the faux suede to create a suggestion of texture on the flatter fabrics. 

After scanning in and editing the images on photoshop the patterns where put onto screen to be printed from. 

Before printing the patterns onto my fabric I mixed up two colours in different shades to see what would compliment the my less textural fabrics. Personally the pale grey was my favourite as it didn't stand out too much against the fabric linking with the idea of suggestion of texture.

The prints of the textures ties in with the development of my concept for the winter collection without solely using textural fabrics. This means I can use less of the textual fabrics in my designs and that should make the areas of textures more predominate in my designs. 

Development Garments

Using my chosen fabrics I have designed several garments for development pieces before my final designed collection. 

When designing the development pieces I have taken inspiration from my early sketch book work to get the structure within the garments, while also using a relaxed shape that reflects my research of Hiroko Koshino and asymmetric shape from Comme Des Garçons designs.

Using a panel pattern skirt I created a toile from cotton calico before shaping the skirt as in the design to use the toile pieces as a pattern. 

To break up the textures within skirt each fur panel connected to a suede panel. This makes the textural fabrics more defined within the garment. 

Using the textural fabrics against the lighter weight suede was a problem because the suede struggled to lie flat in the seam however after loosening the tension on the industrial sewing machines meant that the suede wasn't bunched in the seams.

In the centre back of the skirt skirt I have put a invisible zip but for the zip to open and close with out trapping the pile of the fabric I had to cut the fur at the seam without cutting too much so the seam became noticeable.

After taking the pattern from a existing relaxed shaped garment and altering to incorporate the design elements such as the zip, deep v neckline and lower back seam. 

When cutting the pattern from my chosen materials it became clear that the I didn't have enough amount of suede needed for the back point, however the garment is long enough to alter to incorporate the design feature in a lesser angle then was desired. 

Both garments need to be finished, a lining inserted, seams neatened and a final press before completed. 

Fabric Choices

Looking back at my research of the folklore tale of Yuki-onna (snow woman) to gain inspiration for my colour scheme. I want to use very pale colours to represent the elements associated with the winter setting such as the coldness and the snow. In the different versions of the tale Yuki-onna is depicted naked or in a white kimono so I could represent this in a sheer fabrics such as voile or chiffons.

After discussing the developing concept with my tutor, it was agreed that the combination of heavy fabrics along with the lighter weight fabrics to give the warmth that is desired in winter clothing would help develop my idea to a concept. 

The suggestion of the use of really traditional winter fabrics like furs and suedes (only faux) and textural fabrics to establish the concept was mutually agreed upon and would have a clear link to the winter environment of the tale.

Experimentation Garment Construction using Displacement Pattern Cutting

In Julien Robert's Subtraction Cutting guide he demostrates different techniques to produce garments. Using the pattern cutting technique called displacement I have created the experimental garment shown below.

 

After drafting a basic bodice, front and back, the pattern is drawn onto the fabric connecting the bottom seams together, cut and sewn to make an asymmetric dress. The construction method is rather simple and drape achieved through this technique creates interesting shapes without being very time consuming. 

The irregular shape created by the displacement technique reminds me of Comme des Garçons' designs.

Very little of the actual material used is wasted compared to a more traditional pattern cutting technique how ever after completing the sample garment it is clear that much more fabric would be needed to produce a final garment.

This approach to garment construction is a contrast to my pervious work by the relaxed style and shape. 

To try and contain a little more structural shape to the dress I decided to add diamond darts to the front.

However I dislike the the final outcome because I feel that the garment doesn't flow as nicely and has lost appeal by the addition of the darts with the loss of the natural unstructured drape. 

For future designs I could potentially bring in elements of subtraction cutting to give my designs a unique edge but with the amount of fabric needed to create a full finished dress is not feasible and personally I would prefer a little more of a tailored shaped.