Garment Designer Pattern/Top: finally finished...

Final Garment

Taking Care of Business with Creative Projects
The beginning of the ToDo/NewDo Challenge

Have you ever had a project sit, just waiting for a final step? Maybe it was the hem, or neck treatment.

Here is a top that has been hanging on the door of my studio for an embarrassing long time. I don't know what the hold-up was. Most likely it was life. All that was left was to put in the sleeves, add hems, and neck finish.

So, in support of getting things off of my 'To Do' list, I am completing some of the UFO's (unfinished objects) in my creative life.


This was the pattern for the top, created with Garment Designer software. This style has been around for a long time, but I still like it. 

Garment Designer pattern

For the fabric, I chose a funky knit, and I actually chose to use the wrong side of the fabric because I liked the fringed cut edges throughout. The knit is quite fluid.

My Sewing Order Rule of Thumb
As you might guess, when you create your own patterns, you have to figure out the sewing instructions/order. I have a simple rule of thumb which I often used as a mantra to my students.

Mantra
Sew as small as you can, as flat as you can, for as long as you can.

This means, sew as many things together as possible, in their small state (e.g. pockets onto skirt) before you start joining pieces. It also means keeping things flat (non 3-D) for as long as you can.

In this garment, I adopted the following order.

• Sew shoulder seams
• Attach neck treatment
• Sew side seams
• Insert sleeves (note: I could have done this on the flat also)
• Hems

I love my serger, so this was used in the process. 

The hem is simply a turned 1" hem.

Closeup of fabric and neck treatment

For the neckline, I used my old stand-by, an old Stretch-n-Sew technique of cutting a strip 4x the desired width, stitching it on, and wrapping it up and over, and behind the seam allowance, and top stitching or stitching in the ditch to secure it.














Finally, you can see how that extended side seam drapes and creates an asymmetrical look to the hem.






And so... I can now say that this project is....

Wrapping up Projects: Some more 'Done's'

Just before I left for Italy, I completed a couple of ensembles. To the left you see a pattern, for a garment in process. This was printed using Garment Designer software.



The ensemble that I am showing below, will be displayed at Convergence, as part of the Teacher's Exhibit.

I used fabric woven by Robyn Spady for the skirt. It has a beautiful hand and drape. The little shrug sweater is handknit, and the top underneath is sewn. All parts were designed using Garment Designer.

You can see a couple of shots from a fashion shoot we did; one with the model wearing the ensemble, and one with her wearing another cropped-style sweater I knit.






As time was getting tight, I recruited a past student and now friend, Anna Marie to assist me. Here she is. Thanks Anna Marie.

Done #5: Maddy's Blanket

Still catching up on blogging the Done's!...
This project began with an invitation… to my friend Carol’s daughter’s baby shower. I decided to make part of my gift, so I found some “fashionable” flannelette and purchased it to make a baby blanket.

Here you see the soon-to-be mama… Emily. (Thanks Suzanne for the shot).

I then used Garment Designer to create a quick ‘shape’ that I could use as a template for the corner for the blanket.

I cut out two layers of flannelette, and then proceeded to create the trim. Time was running short, and in the end, I didn’t like the trim I had prepared, … it just didn’t work, so I didn’t sew it in place, and took the unfinished blanket to the baby shower (along with my other little gift).

So… time flew, and the hunt for a better fabric for trim began. I finally found it, but the semester at the college took over, and I somehow never managed to finish the project.. Besides, the baby wasn’t born yet.

OK.. so, Maddy was born on Nov. 5th. I finally got to see her over the Christmas holidays, and I was able to deliver the final gift.

Here you can see me cutting the trim, a great polka-dot fabric.


I use this helpful tool to create the bias strips. Simply pull it the strip through and press as you go, and you get a folded bias tape.


Then, I sew the folded trim in place.

I decided to try the Embroidery function built into my Brother QC1000. Without reading the manual or anything, I was able to simply press in Maddy’s name, and her birthdate, and let the sewing machine do all the work! Wow!! I was impressed.



The finished blanket!

Here is Emily and Maddy, modeling the final product.

Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dum… just another day of working at being a baby! Isn’t she gorgeous?

Victoria Done!

Last weekend I had a couple of girlfriends over for dinner. Victoria brought a project that was almost 'done', and together we threw it in the washer and dryer to perform the last step, which was 'shrinking' the poncho. We measured it first, then placed it in a mesh bag and threw it into a hot wash, cold rinse, and then the dryer. It was a little scarey!


Here you can see Victoria wearing the finished item. It is made from Touch Me yarn by Meunch Yarns. Check it out!

Victoria says:

This is the most luxurious garment I have ever knitted. OMG. I'm going to do one in black next. 650 grams of Touch Me on size 7 needles. It's a Muench pattern: "Poncho with Cowl Neck". I made the Small/Medium.

I'm going to wash the purple one in cold water then put it in a hot dryer and see what happens.

We'll ask her for photos, yes?

Ginger Done!

My friend Ginger sent me an email and some photos, and I am sharing these here. Here is what Ginger had to say.

OK, a "done"! This scarf is a variation on a Japanese stitch pattern that I
learned when I was in Gayle Roehm's Challenging Japanese Stitch Patterns
class at Stitches East this year. The yarn is Noro's Silk Garden Lite. It
was fun to knit and actually went fairly quickly after a few pattern
repeats.

I'm famous (infamous?) for not finishing projects. I get so many ideas while
I'm working on one thing and as soon as I know that the current project will
work out all right, my mind is off and ready to begin the next new
exploration. You've inspired me to finish some of these abandoned projects
and I'm now going to alternate "dones" with new projects.

Ginger

Here is a detail...

Done #4: Sweater Jacket

This is a sweater jacket that I machine-knit a few years ago. The pattern is from a book I wrote, called Easy Seven Jackets. The purpose of the book is to teach people how to think outside of the box, using Garment Designer. Each jacket in the book teaches them a new way to think when using the software.

Apparently my gauge was ‘off’, or I simply goofed, but in the end the jacket was much larger than it should have been, and for that reason, it has sat shelved. I finally decided I needed t figure it out.


So… here is how the fixes evolved.
For the sleeves that were six inches too long? I made a fold-back cuff.
For the neckline that stretched? I used a chain crochet stitch to tighten it back up.
For the upper bodice that was too big? I simpy criss-crossed or overlapped the jacket top more.
For the jacket skirt (knit sideways) that was too narrow? Well, I decided to add contrasting wedges along the center front of the garment.

And…
For the two center fronts that were different lengths, because the cast-on was different than the cast-off? Well, I stretch one side like crazy when I added the wedges, so that all would look “intentional”.

In the end? A fun and creative jacket, which I can now wear.
Thanks to Lexi, one of my students, for modeling.

Done #3: The Finished/Unfinished Top

This is a project that had been in the works for quite some time. Several years ago, I wrote an article for Knit N' Style magazine, detailing how to create the garment you see below. Thanks to my student Stephanie for modeling.


Since the article only showed the front of the garment, I never actually knit the back piece. So... in my current "getting things done" mode, I decided to finish this project.

The design consists of a T-shirt type top, sewn out of illusion knit. Onto this base, I stitched a knit sweater piece that was knit too small (on purpose). I joke around, that this is what you do if you don't knit a proper gauge... you find a creative way to use the piece.

Garment Designer software was used to create both the sewn and knit patterns. If you want to see the entire process, including the inspiration garment from Denmark, go to my website and check it out.
http://www.cochenille.com/garmproj.html

Courteney Fox: Done!

Courteney Fox is a student of mine at Mesa College. Many of my students are aware of the "Done" projects I am working on, and some of them have jumped on the band wagon to finish up projects of their own. Below you can see one of Courteney's projects. This is called the Miss Royalty Coat.




Courteney is a blogger here as well, so go check out her site.
http://courteneyfox.blogspot.com/2009/11/miss-royalty-coat.html

Sadie's "Done"

I received an email from Seyedeh (Sadie) Javanmard who shared one of her Dones with me, and has given me the OK to share it here.

Sadie said

I read your blog regularly and I enjoy it. It is full of inspiration and lessons and I am learning a lot.

It's been a long time since I wanted to try to see if I can design, draw and make something in Photoshop and Illustrator in just one day? My husband & I recently moved to Irvine, so before I get my sewing stuff set up, I did designed my "Vampire Whistle" in just 4 hours!

I am so happy about it and here they are the images.

Perfect timing for the coming weekend.

Below you can see her initial sketch, the starting point of her drawing. The rest she did in the computer using Adobe Photoshop.



Sadie uses my book "Adobe Photoshop for Fashion Design". I love to see what people do!

Done #2: Handknit Sweater

OK.. I'm on a roll. I dug through my hall closet and pulled out all the UFO's (unfinished objects). Most are sweaters, in progress, and most simply need the final finishing. I tend to keep all my projects in tote bags. That way, all things are together, and when I take a car trip, it is easy to quickly grab a project to work on.

So, here is Done#2.


This is a simple rectangular-based sweater. I knit it out of a yarn I picked up in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Essentially the sweater is a rectangle, knit side to side. I cast-on, knit across a front, and until I hit the armhole, then, cast off and shaped an armhole, knit a couple of rows, then cast-on and shaped the other side of the armhole. Then, on to the back, create another armhole, and then come to the front.

The sleeves are slightly bell shaped, and I created a little drawstring to cinch them in.

Of course, I made the pattern in Garment Designer, to simplify my life, and to facilitate the shaping of a set-in sleeve. I used copper buttons to finish the asymmetrical wrap, and attach to the ties on each sleeve.

Thanks to Cassandra for modeling!

Done #1: Mosaic Frame Project

Here is Done #1

A few years ago, my sister Chris and I took a mosaic workshop in Italy. I came home with two pieces of mosaic, both in wood frames. Well, the frames just tugged at me to have a stain or finish, and I finally got there.

My friend Shirley assisted me with the process. She is a woodworker, and she and her husband have helped me with various projects (see the Window Frame bulletin board in the prior post). It didn't take much to finish the pieces; just a little stain, and a little time, and a great friend.

Done!