Year 3 the beginning of the end ..

I haven’t written in a while so I have a lot to update from the start of year 3. Over summer I began my extended research practices summer work which went quite well. I worked in a small square sketch book which I actually found quite difficult as I’m used to working A3. I chose to do all the rest of my research once I had started back at uni, on loose A3 pages as I feel really restricted by it being stuck in a sketch book. We started the year with a competition, for the light shopping centre. The brief was to produce a tailored garment using one inspiration page from our summer research. I used a page inspired by envelopes and folding. In the first week I produced an A3 board showing our inspiration, the second I made the pattern and made the toile and in the third I put together the finished garment. I found the last two weeks very intense and difficult but I managed to produce my garment in time. I was pleased we did the exercise because I made a coat, something I haven’t produced before, it was good to be refreshed with techniques such as lining, setting in sleeves and facings. It made me feel so much more confident about my pattern cutting skills.
15 garments were chosen to be exhibited in the light shopping centre and I was really pleased that mine got chosen. I was also shocked to find that someone had placed a bid on it and wanted me to remake it for them. This was really nice to know that someone liked it that much and I am still deciding whether or not I have the time to remake it or not. With dissertation and the introduction of PPD3 yesterday I don’t think I will have the time to remake it without neglecting things that count towards my degree.
On the dissertation front, it is going well so far, I have had two tutorials out of six and I have had fairly positive feedback so far. I have just started writing chapter one which felt difficult getting back into the flow of writing in a professional way. Mind you once I get started I get stuck into essay writing anyway with the amount I had to write for a level English literature! I read quite a few books over summer to get some out of the way, and I am just starting to read a new book called No Logo. To be honest I am finding it all really interesting, as I really enjoy the academic side of learning as well as the creative.
PPD3 sounds really interesting, we have to choose 6 briefs to work on, with the focus upon quality and not quantity, so just a few pages for each brief . I think I am just finding it hard to get my head around the juggle of research, dissertation and PPD3 without neglecting either of them. I need to start up a schedule so I do not focus on my favourite parts.
I’m trying to think if anything else has been happening since I last wrote, oh also my work placement showcased their collection at Vauxhall fashion scouts so I was asked to come along and help out back stage, it was amazing. I had such a good day in London, although it was very expensive as I booked a late ticket. I had to get up at half 4 and I got back at 11 so I was pretty tired. It was worth it though as the collection that was showcased was the one I was helping with when I was working in Easter, So it was brilliant to see the full circle from start to finish.
I’m starting to think more about what I want to do when I finish my degree and it seems I am still very much set on the design aspect but also I would love to do fashion illustration. I am partly nervous but incredibly excited at the thought of doing something I love so as a job. However I guess that is the thing that kind of worries me ..Getting one especially with all the economy issues, its going to be even more competitive than it normally would be ..oh dear !

Working with the third years and RESULTS !!

The last few days working with the third years put into perspective again how pressured and stressful third year is actually going to be. On Wednesday and Thursday I met Grace at Vernon street and she showed me some of her work- I really liked her style of illustration and it seemed as though she was very hand rendered based like me. I went into town a couple of times to print some photographs for her. However the first time I went the photos weren’t showing up on the memory stick and so I had to go back and reload them. She was telling me how to be prepared for everything to go wrong, and to have a back up for everything as lots of things she planned at gone wrong this year including her portfolio and photo shoot.
I put together the swing tags and helped her with her stand, which I was really impressed with .. I think it was the attention to detail and the theme throughout that made it strong. She had problems with her portfolio which must have been really annoying as she had booked to print it and then when she arrived at Leeds Uni they said they didn’t print A2 front and back..then at staples it cost £60 + so she had to print it A4 in the end which she seemed a little bit gutted about. I think the key for third year is going to be preparation and organisation so nothing gets left behind or left too late.
We got our results back on Thursday also and I was really pleased with my marks :
Research Practices 78 , PPD2 73 and enterprise 73.
I think what I was most happy about was the fact that I got 76% for my interview and action plan for PPD2 as this was an area I was worried would let me down, hopefully this shows that my skills in this area have developed.

Interview, action plan and working with the third years

My interview fro PPD2 was on Friday and I am really happy to say I think it went quite well, I think I came across enthusiastic and passionate about my work and what I wanted to do with my future and career. It was quite tricky to answer some questions like what to do you like and dislike about you but I think I managed to come up with some good answers. The only annoying thing about the interview was how hot it was in the room! We were interviewed by Gemma and a women that we were told was a buyer for Harvey Nichols (it was later reviled that she actually owned her own business) Putting my portfolio together made me feel really proud of myself, looking at an overall collection of how I have developed over the past year. I was happy that I had managed to put together a portfolio that I felt I could talk positively about and use as a prop to sell myself. It seems a world away that I came in the first week and felt so behind, having ever done any fashion related work before ..I remember being worried that I would not succeed on this course. I just feel like I’ve learnt so much and really found something I have a passion for and something that drives me to go further.
With the interview I handed in my action plan for year three and it went as follows:
ACTION 1: To generate design ideas in a wider variety of ways
I will go about this by sampling more on the stand rather than just putting shapes on the body. Also deconstructing garments upon the stand as I did in tailoring practices helped me develop design ideas so I plan to do this more. I will know this has been successful when my design ideas are more developed and understood.
ACTION 2: Improve technical detail of research work. I
I will do this by keeping up a more professional technique within my research work – keeping the same written style and technique thoroughly throughout. I will know I have achieved this when my research work has a slightly more finished and professional appearance
ACTION 3: I will develop my presentation skills
I will do this by becoming more confident talking about my own work and presenting my work. I want to develop this as for the trend project when I had to present my trend humble heritage I felt this was my weakness and I could have improved eye contact and interacting with the audience. I will no I have achieved this when I feel more confident presenting my own ideas to large groups.
ACTION 4: I will become more competent using cad illustrations.
I will do this by experimenting further using illustrator so I am not completely reliant upon hand rendered illustrations. I will know I have achieved this when I competent using illustrator to create strong illustrations.
ACTION 5: I would like to improve my time management when researching
I felt for the last project I needed more time upon research as I hadn’t had time to do any whilst doing my work placement at Easter. So in the future I want to plan out my time so I can organise and track my progress on a project. I will know I have achieved this when I complete a project in an organised and planned manner
ACTION 6: I want to further develop my pattern cutting skills
I feel my pattern cutting skills and confidence have really improved since my first year, however as I am gaining more confidence I am realising how much there is to learn within pattern cutting and I want my skills to be more advanced. To achieve this I am going to practice over summer making garments and pushing myself to make new things. I will know I have achieved this when I feel confident to make a range of new garments that I haven’t made before.
On another note we have been allocated our third years to work with in the next week. My third year Grace is really nice actually and I had the chance to look at her work today which was good to see. Today was very busy, all morning we were painting the boards for the exhibition stand ..this was a bit of a mission seen as there were HEAPS of boards that all needed painting several times, gum taped in places and polyfilled ! It took a long time but I guess it was an experience! It was kind of annoying that loads of people didn’t come in as all the people that did really worked together and we got stuck in and got it done! Other than that I went to town for my third year, did some photocopying and went to Leeds uni to book a digital printing slot for her portfolio. Wonder what I’ll be doing tomorrow, something interesting I hope.

Research Practices and Critical Studies feedback..

Well firstly I got my critical studies results on Tuesday and I was so happy to get 77, I was quite shocked as I wasn’t really sure how I had done but I was really interested in the subject matter and felt I researched it quite thoroughly so I was glad it was successful. It also makes me feel a bit more reassured about my dissertation for xyear and I think I’m going to stick to the same subject of sustainability and consumerism as it really interests me. To be honest I really like writing so I did really enjoy the change in doing some more academic work as I kind of miss it from A –level English sometimes!
As for feedback the positives were:

Excellent subject knowledge
Complete response to brief and title
Well formatted bibliography
Excellent range of research
Logical clear structure

And the negatives were:
Could have considered more positive practice if had time
Proof read more
Some sections appear a little disconnected from main argument
So for the dissertation I need to make sure I proof read really thoroughly, considering more positive ethical practices and makes sure all theorists and arguments link completely and don’t become disconnected from the main argument

Research practices was a hard project time management wise as I hadn’t had as much preparation time as I would have liked in Easter as I was on the placement. However I got it all finished in the end and I think I came up with quite a strong concept and branding which I will hopefully do well on. This project has really made me think about what I want from my third year research and has given me quite a strong initial starting point. I enjoyed all the researching and creating the final line up but I found it quite tricky to produce a garment in half scale because it was just so small and fiddly! Here is some of my work for this module:

Research practices and further development of portfolio..

Research practices is coming to an end now - I went home last week and I took more pictures of lost and found concepts that supported my work .I like to use mostly all my own photographs and images from where I live, this seem to get me most interested in projects. Doing this project and the previous humble heritage one has really made me consider what I want to do for third year - I think I will take aspects of what I have explored within the trend module and of course research practice. It has really got me thinking about my future career and what I’m truly interested in. I think ideally I would like to be a designer and/or illustrator -but doing enterprise and pattern cutting more even makes me consider my own business in the future. Which I never thought I would say, however I think I have developed greatly in confidence over this year in particular and I understand better what my strengths and weaknesses are and what I enjoy and what I don’t so much. I think my work placement really did aid me in understanding this. It showed me that I can cope with real working situations and hold my own on a project, by being given real responsibility. I was looking through my portfolio for my interview for PPD I am pleased with how it looks and remember how stressful it was putting it together for my interview with Bunmi Koko. I need to edit it slightly as I have some first year work in there that I want to replace with second year work I have recently done. Here are some of the strongest images in my portfolio:

Enterprise, the cape and illustration..

This has been such a busy week - firstly my group completed their dolly mixture clothing presentation for enterprise. It went quite well, we had a washing line prop with a sample garment, launch party poster, cards etc. We all spoke clearly and as planned and I think it came across well also. The only negatives were that it was suggested that our passion might not be the customer’s passion and having recycled clothing may not be successful as the main part of our business. Our customer profile got positive feedback and overall I think it went fairly well especially considering we only were awarded 1000 but we created a really exciting business with this.
On other news I made a garment for a shop in Leeds, and we went along to a launch event for it the other night, it was brilliant the place was decorated really well and it had a really cool vibe about it. I was really proud of myself as I had pushed myself trying to finish my cape and I was so happy with the finished product.
I was also asked to do an illustration for a new website launching about fashion, photography illustration etc. So I am feeling a bit behind with research practices as I have spent my time doing that as well. However it made me realise that if I really push myself I can do other things alongside the course to gain more experience.

Hand In and new project..

I handed in my enterprise file and my critical studies portfolio today and I was so pleased to get it out the way! I’m so glad I started the enterprise file quite early and began researching and typing up notes at Christmas or I wouldn’t have been able to finish with all the other things to juggle! Crit portfolio I was also quite happy with- fingers crossed I get a good mark!
Next on the agenda is making a decent start on the new project research practices. Because I had my work placement over summer I felt like I was really behind when we had our first session on Wednesday. I had my concept and idea, with a few photographs but i hadn’t properly devleoped it all. I feel like I have so many ideas but because I’m feeling behind I’m finding it hard to get them down on the page !
However I am going home next weekend and i have lost of ideas of things I need to take pictures of so I’m hoping that will drive my idea along a bit! I cant wait to go home actually I feel like I have had no proper break, work placement really tired me out (even though I really enjoyed it) but I went straight from that into work for the course again so I cant wait to go home and see everyone and relax a bit !

Work Experience with Bunmi Koko..

I have just arrived back from my three week work placement with the luxury brand Bunmi Koko. I stayed in South End with Siobhan and commuted to London every day. The whole placement went really fast and it was hard work but I really enjoyed myself and I think I learnt a variety of new skills that I can hopefully take further in my career

Week one
29th March
Today felt like a bit of a blur I had to wake up at 6 to catch my train to London as I am commuting from South End. It was really busy and a bit mad travelling in but I found my way quite easily. I began the day being familiarized with the brand itself and the latest collections. I was also introduced to the team who were all really welcoming.
Firstly I had to order a list of items that were needed and then later on in the day I worked on the range plan for the new collection for A/W 10/11. The managing director set me a task of being in charge of a file that pulls together all the information for this new collection including range plans, sales information, flats and colour and fabric indications etc. I spent most of the day finishing the range plan working out all the garment descriptions and matching them with their codes, fabric and colour choices. It was all quite confusing at first but as I became more familiar with the brand and the concept surrounding this collection it all became straight forward. Beginning to complete this file really made me realise how organized you have to be as an individual and as a company to keep all the information in order. Especially when a range plan is sent to your buyers who would then understand what fabric and colour choices they had to select from. As these buyers essentially determine your sales the range plan has to be completed in an accurate and professional way.


30th March
I was really tired today but excited for my second day. I began by having a discussion with the managing director the importance of the sales and marketing department which I was working within today. I carried on with the range plan and completing the file for A/W 10/11. I began the detailed specification. Working within the sales department made me more familiar with the business and technical side to the business. Later on in the day I was instructed to call buyers. I went through a list of 60 buyers and followed them up regarding whether they received the Geisha Reform collection look book or not. I also was asked to invite them to the Bunmi Koko Launch party. After calling the first few buyers I became more confident talking about the brand. Many of the listed contacts were difficult to talk to talk too as they were very reluctant to give information about their buyers. At the end of the day I was pleased to get to do some pattern cutting. I made a pattern for some skinny leggings which I really enjoyed as I hadn’t had a chance at the more hands on side of the company yet.
1st April
I began scanning some illustrations of accessories in for another intern to work on. I did some more pattern cutting today which I really enjoyed. It was interesting to see how patterns were created within the industry. Its just simple things like the pattern paper Bunmi uses, that has dots and crosses to indicate the grain line and bias. I had to complete the detailing specification and print off and complete the sizing guide.
They also talked about letting me get involved with the spring summer 10/11 collection and Fashion Fringe entry. I’m hoping I will get to do this as I am really eager to get involved with the more creative side of the company.
I answered the phone alot today and added new contacts to the buyers list. I also had to look up some celebrities on “Red book” to find PR information to send look books to clients. I was also told to send a letter to a stylist to create more contacts.
2nd April
Today was the best day so far, I got briefed on the spring/summer collection and I got to head the research. I completed quite a lot of research pages and I was pleased with them. Bunmi said that the project needed exploring further and they said that I had turned the project around so I was really happy about that. It's a shame I can't put any of my research or design up as they collection has not been released yet.However it was interesting to see the way in which they did research they had one massive pin board and they put up all the stimulating images for the project. And all the research pages produced they pin up as well. I could see the positives to this as you can see all your inspirations at once, which is helpful. I found out a few really good fabric and trimmings shops as we were sourcing fabrics for the accessories for the new collection.


Week 2
6th April
Today I was asked to finish all the research and I did the last 9 pages before 3’Oclock. I think my research skills really improved. It made me really consider timescales and how if I really put my mind to something I can get more work done than I would expect.
Also I had to research the fabric story so I looked through all of Bunmi’s fabric files and chose the fabrics that were suitable for the concept.
7th April
Began today designing from my research, I was really pleased about the responsibility that I have been given as I was working mainly on my own for this project. I actually found it quite difficult to design for someone else as it’s hard to get into their mind set and understand what they are thinking. I realised that designing for a brand is very different to designing for yourself. When designing for yourself you can let your mind go anywhere and go off on a tangent but if you are designing for someone else you have to constantly keep in mind the concept and the vision someone else has in mind. Bunmi told me to keep in mind what sort of designs Bunmi Koko produces as a brand. Bunmi Koko designs are Feminine and flattering to a women and often dress- heavy. I think I need to further develop how I communicate my design ideas, she said I had a really positive drawing skills but I needed to make sure that I what I was drawing was easy to understand to another designers. Later on in the day I carried on with the fabric and colour story which I really enjoyed.



8th April
I had a really good day ,I was instructed to fabric source today and run a few errands. Firstly I went to Laurent Garigue who sell luxury fabrics. They sell to companies like Yves St Laurent and Gucci. There were two simple rails inside one for Autumn/ Winter and one for Spring/ summer. I was instructed to pick up some red organza previously ordered by Bunmi. She also asked me to select 6 more fabric swatches that would fit in with new collection. I felt like I had quite free reign upon these choices which was nice. However it did make me recognise how critical fabric choices are. Especially in fabric places such as this one when you are only allowed to select 6 swatches. I chose some really nice fabrics that fitted quite well after a lot of deliberation. After this I went to a place just off Oxford Street called New Trimmings. It was a really cool shop actually; I picked up some fringing and some masks for the AW collection.
I also went to a really good fashion magazine shop RD Franks Bunmi said I should take a look at it, I was in my element it had sooo many good fashion magazines in there. I would have bought the shop if I could !!



Week 3
12th April
I began by looking at the fabrics that have just arrived from Paris and selected the ones suitable for the collection I have been researching. The fabrics were so beautifully made and I really enjoyed sorting through them.
Next I made a summary of the project outline highlighting the intended colour, fabrics, silhouettes and inspirations. We also all came up with a project name together. That’s one of the things I really liked about my internship some of the decisions and opinions were made together with Bunmi herself and everyone in the studio, including interns. It was nice to really feel part of a team and that your opinion was taken into account.
Later on in the day I helped to make a pattern for a draped skirt, it was such a difficult pattern to work on as because it was originally moulaged. The pattern was really big and had loads and loads of notches to match up for the pleats. I felt I had really learnt to be more accurate and professional when producing patterns, as less than a cm I found can really effect how especially something draped can fall and look on the body.

Once I arrived back I added the fabrics I had collected to the fabric story and it seemed to create a clearer concept for the collection as the fabrics were more defined. I also helped package a dress for South African Fashion Week. I began pattern cutting some skinny trousers later on in the day.


13th April
Today I did a lot of pattern making and tracing patterns with the other intern Rebecca. I felt like I learnt a lot on this again as it was a lot of checking and working out. Later that day I carried on writing the brief for the new project I’ve been working on .


14th April
Bunmi and Francis had a meeting today so I did some more pattern making with another intern. We had a list of pattern cutting tasks to complete. I altered the neck line and added extra ease onto one pattern. Then I had to drape a toile which was quite confusing but worked out okay. Later on in the day I had to trace some fabrics that hadn’t arrived from France. We had another fabric order later on in the day and it had arrived all wrong. It made me realise how problematic something like this can be as if something was due to be made for the next day and the wrong fabric arrives then a client may be lost as well as money for a company.
15th April
Today I worked on the photographic brief, for the A/W collection. As it is nearly ready to be shot for ad campaigns and look books. I was working on the brief that outlined how each look will be accessorised and the schedule that will be sent out to models and the photographer etc. It was quite a big job as it was a very long brief but it was interesting and I think quite essential to make sure everyone new whet they were doing and that the day is planned and used appropriately.
16th April
Today was my last day and I worked mainly upon the photographic brief again expect this time I was using Photoshop to create pages that detail how each outfit will be photographed. It showed images of the poses that show that garment of to its best, the makeup, hair etc. I quite enjoyed this as apposed to the brief as it was a more visual way of showing what was required by the photographer.
The night before they took me and some of the other interns out to The Mayfair hotel bar for champagne and food to say thank you for my help over the past 3 weeks, I really enjoyed myself , it was so nice of them to do this !
Near the end of the day they held a presentation for me, it was really nice. They brought me a card and a fashion book. I was quite sad to leave as I felt I had really fitted in with the team and it has been a really inspiring three weeks, working for Bunmi Koko.

Applied fashion design marks, Tutorial and Merry Old London !

So I got my marks back for applied fashion design today..I was really happy that I got 78. But I do still really need to work on my presentation skills I think!
We had our new module brief and it looks good but maybe quite hard because its quite free..Which is a good thing but it will be different working with less initial guidance.
I had my overall tutorial the other day which was good because we went over the marks of the year and discussed how it lead into third year which made me feel less nervous about what is to come in year three.
So now I’m packing for London ! Little bit nervous..because I don’t no what to expect but I am sooo excited as well ! I should learn a lot and it will be a nice change living in merry old London for a while!!

Feedback

I was quite pleased with my feedback today. My feedback was as follows :
"an excellent body of work. Showing a maturity to research and design beyond your years. You have chosen images using mainly your own photography with your own responses. Your design work has flair and individuality. The presentation needs more eye contact but the verbal presentation was strong. The trend book is excellent and presented immaculately well done. Take all the positives from this project into your research practices."
I think I need to develop my presentation skills as I am confident with what I want to say but i don’t deliver it well, the nerves seem to get to me and I don't use eye contact. Next time I am going to make a conscious effort to be more interactive with my audience!! Gemma also suggested that for research practices I chose something close to my roots as I did for this project as it came across stronger because it meant something to me.

hand in and presentation ..

So we had hand in today and we did our presentations I think mine went okay but I didn’t look up at all...I always get really nervous with presentations and plan to look up and interact but then I panic and I just look down at my cards! I think what I said was fine and the actual presentation.. I just hate being the centre of attention! Just to make me even more flustered my memory stick didn’t save the presentation properly so lovely Katherine had to save the day and drive me home so I could pick up my laptop!
I'm quite proud overall of what I handed in..I thought I would get really bogged down with the trend book but it went really well and I found it all really exciting creating my own trend.
I feel like my illustrator skills have really developed as well, as my flat drawings for this project have improved loads compared to tailoring processes. Although at the start I was really slow I think I managed to produce some pretty professional flats after practice and was really pleased with the result. Which did surprise me because I normally prefer hand rendered things.
I also really did enjoy looking into Ted baker and exploring the brand.. I felt really passionate about the trend I had created ‘humble heritage’ because all the photographs were taken on my farm at home and all the inspiration came from where I live.
Here are some photos of my trend book and final line up:

applied fashion design ..london... and crit essay !

Ok so I’m still searching for a room in London for my work placement ..Getting really excited about it now. I think I am going to learn so much from a real, hands on experience in the fashion industry. It will also be interesting to see what its like to live in London , in the centre of it all. Its completely different to what I’m used too but I think I’m going to really enjoy the change .
Critical studies is really interesting me at the moment its just hard to get in enough reading time for the essay whilst we have the new 20 credit module applied fashion design. I have read quite a few different bits from books and got a rough outline of what I want to say. In a weird way I am looking forward to writing an essay , I kind of miss the academic side of learning and it will be a nice change from what we are used to.
However I am really liking the project.. we need all research completed by Wednesday and I think I’m on track there is just so much that I want to research and go in depth with I’m finding it hard to get it all down. I did all my Ted baker research over half term and fell in love with how quirky and British the brand is. I am glad I chose it as it fits perfectly with what I’m researching.
Most of my research has been inspired by the farm at home and its fitting well with my chosen trend emotive.
I had my tutorial with gemma the other day and I was getting a bit bogged down with too much research on too many subjects.. so I was told to focus down on the strongest themes which are the rustic humble design pages and to be honest now that I have got rid of the pages on really decorative paintings and architecture I feel like I have a more focused direction and I can see my theme clearer.

RESULTS , new project and critical studies ..

We got our marks in today and I was so pleased to get 78! I was surprised that I did so well on my technical file, but very pleased that it came across professional and industry style. We are currently working on new project Applied fashion design and it has got me really excited because I am feeling really inspired by the trends and think I could get lots of research. I feel like we haven’t been able to research with our own photographs etc for a while and I’m really looking forward to it. However with lots of reading and a draft to do for critical studies as well I am going to have a very busy reading week at home!!

Work placement and design realisation

I have had a very busy few week, firstly I applied to be a fashion illustrator/design intern in London a week or so ago( for ppd2 ) and was asked to attend an interview, so I spent most of the week stressed putting together my portfolio whilst finishing design realisation for hand in as well. …Anyway I went to London on Monday and attended the interview. It went really well and they offered me the placement! I was so pleased, but now there is the issue of finding somewhere to stay in London that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg !
I’m really excited to be living in London for 3 weeks, it’s going to be a lot different to what I am used to and I think I am going to learn so much from the company I will be working for .
I also had my feedback for Design realisation…. The positives were,
• Excellent body of research
• Precise technical package, presented to a professional standard
• Garment constructed beautifully

The parts I needed to work on were:
• experiment with a different media when annotating(when this was pointed out I realised that I did use a lot of random biros etc for my notes and for a cleaner finish need to consider something more consistent
I felt I learnt quite a lot from this project, especially managing to use illustrator to do flats which I was really proud of, and developing a positive way of working. In this module I took apart the garment were told to design from which seemed to give me lots of ideas on designing. Even though we were making one garment I felt I could design lots more from the idea pages I produced ,which is positive and I’m going to use this way of working again if I get the chance.

Design Realisation so far ...

I’m really enjoying design realisation, we had to take inspiration from a vintage garment, shop reports and high summer 2011 to inspire tailored garments. Here is some of my research and designs:








I deconstructed it completely and I got so much inspiration from it. In the last project we deconstructed a garment and I found it really helpful in my understanding so I decided to do it again. I put different parts o f the jacket upon a manikin, creating different shapes and silhouettes to create different garment ideas.




We started making the pattern yesterday and I am really pleased with myself as so far I have got stuck in and tried not to get worked up about the pattern cutting, In fact I’m really enjoying it.


We also learnt about lay plans, we had a task to lay a jacket block onto a set piece of fabric with as little wastage as possible. It was quite interesting but difficult. You had to think very logically filling the spaces like a jigsaw.