Self Evaluation

At the beginning of the module I was nervous as I have been given a great designer to ‘work’ for. When I knew I had been appointed to McQueen I knew that I was going to have to work hard on this module.

This module was different to anything we have done before. There was a new layout and as we did not work on our sketchbooks in class I felt that I was working very independently. The presentations were a great way to develop our skills. Again I was nervous about this as it has been a long time since I have presented to a whole class on my own. However, it was a good experience and made me realise that it is not as bad as I think. Listening to others people’s presentations also enabled us to see different viewpoints on how people develop their work. Although I thought this was a good exercise I felt that it may have been too time consuming as almost half our class time has been just on presentations.
Instead of our usual procedure of design development we were given exercises to do in class. This has helped me to an extent as it made me looser and not think too hard about what I was drawing. It also helped with time as normally I would spend a long time on development pages, making them look neat and tidy. However, I feel that we started these exercises too early with insufficient research. It would have helped to have a class or so to review what we have done in our sketchbooks or a tutorial to have some feedback.
I thoroughly enjoyed ‘working for’ McQueen. He has been one of my favourite designers even before the module but researching him made me more attached. It all gave me a deeper understanding of him and him as a designer. I struggled to come up with a concept in the beginning but looking at his work inspired me with different ideas. The range I have come up with is not as extravagant as McQueen’s work but I see it as a strong reflection of something that would come from the brand. I am very pleased with the two pieces I have made. What I like most is that they are both very wearable. From last semester and also the learning contract module, I have developed and improved in areas of pattern cutting and sewing. I was pleased that I could transfer those skills onto this module to make these two pieces. I am also pleased with the outcome of the print. I wanted this opportunity to experiment with a print design and it turned out better than I thought. This gives me the confidence in future to work and design with prints.

Overall this module has been a great development step to be put in a real life industry situation. Working for a designer gave us the boundaries to work on and test our skills on adapting and understanding a brand. It was a challenge but it was an enjoyable and interesting module. I am pleased with the results as I think I have made the best garments I have ever made so far!

SWOT

Strengths
• I manage and organise my time well to keep work on track.
• I am also a quick learner. Anything new I learn I will adapt to it quickly and develop further.

Weaknesses
• As I have never had any training in tailoring I was worried if I was able to produce a fully tailored garment.
• I tend to take my time working on sketchbook pages which may jeopardise other work. I need to work more loosely and quickly.

Opportunities
• To work in a real industry situation where you will have to design to specific guidelines or ethos of a brand.
• To incorporate you own personality into the designs as well as maintaining the brand image.
• To present ideas to the whole class where you presentation skills are tested. This is also an opportunity to develop real life work experience.
• Learning to construct a tailored garment.

Threats
• Balancing work load of other modules with this one.
• Designing ‘for’ a designer, where specifications are to be met.
• Miscalculation of time where tasks take longer to be done than expected. This will interfere with other work or tasks.

Sewing dress

The dress was quite hard to sew as the fabrics were thin and delicate including the lining. The fabrics frayed easily and if I unpicked seams there would be holes visable so I had to take extra time and care with it.

Progress: I have finished sewing the shell and also attached the facings and lining. I still need to insert a zip at the back and finish the hem.

Friday 7th May Class

I attempted to sew the coat lining in class today. Unfortunately the machines were not co-operating as I spent almost an hour just to try and get one working properly. When it did, the machine almost ate my lining up as it was quite delicate. Therefore I thought it would be better just to go home and use my domestic machine!



When I sewed the lining together I thought it was almost like a dress. I placed it one the stand and I really liked the way the silk held the shape, creating a lovely silhouette.

By the end of the night I managed to sew in the zip, collar and attach the lining to the shell. All that is left to do with the coat is:

• Place pleat at back
• Insert shoulder pads
• Insert hem facings
• Hem whole garment!

Starting the dress

When cutting the printed fabric I had to spend time re-arranging the patterns as not only did they have to fit but also what parts of the print would be on the body. I could not get the panels to match as otherwise I would have wasted a lot of the fabric. However I think it will be ok!

Friday 30th May Class

Class - After the routine of presentations I continued to alter the patterns that needed amendment. I was then finally able to cut the patterns into fabric! The fabric for the coat has a herringbone pattern and stripes that run all the way down. I therefore had to make sure that the garment would be symmetrical and each patten cut in a certain position and direction. I stayed in uni until 8 o'clock just to cut out the coat shell pieces!

On the following Sunday I sewed the coat shell together which did not take too long but I still have a long way to go!