Final couple of sketches & moulange

Here it is in situ, I think it makes quite a nice shape, skimming

around to the back.

Shaping the pattern piece for the back of the garment.

Here are the two front pieces, that overlap nicely

to make a mock wrap front.

Satisfied with the right front piece, I have taken it off the model

to trace the shape, and reproduce it to make the left front.

The style lines drawn onto the calico, a seam allowance

of 1.5cm is added, the surplus fabric is cut away.

Initial moulange on the tailors dummy; the construction

of the toile was somewhat determined by the model I used,

with few obvious construction lines to follow I decided to

place some darts to form the shaping around the bust,

rather than making a seam.

I have drawn on the calico to establish the shape of the

garment that I envisaged.

After much deliberation and procrastination,

I have finally decided to go with the above. A 

separate skirt with waistband will eliminate the

problem of having a pocket with a dart going

through it. One can also attach more panels

to the waistband, overlapping the pieces or taking

them around the back of the garment.

Bag Handles

I have been looking at various types of purse and bag handles to put onto my creation and form a pocket.

Nostalgia have a good selection though they are perhaps a little too antique in style.

Bags of Handles have a really broad selection of antique, vintage and modern style handles.

U-handbag also have a good selection, and their blog has lots of tips and tutorials on making bags and purses. I have bought 2 sizes of purse clasps from U-handbag, 1 is 4" wide, the other 6" wide, when I make the toile I will decide which size is best to use.

Attended a talk by Fashioning an Ethical Industry organised by Phionna Fitzgerald from the college.

Simple pocket

Very simple, very easy, and creates lots of pockets.

Stitch the edges together, as above, ideally the edges should be bound.

Stitch two sections together, through all four thicknesses, with a decent width

seam allowance as this provides the gusset, the size of the inner pocket is incidental.

Fold the fabric in two, in this case along the length.

The fabric could be stiffened with interfacing.

Cut rectangles of fabric, twice the size of the desired finished size.

The principle for this series of pockets is to sew the pieces together in such a way

that they form their own gusset, and by doing so also make another smaller pocket.

Having a little play at making some pockets with little hidden pockets,

like a mobile filling cabinet. Compartments and concertinas.

To keep all those scribbled notes, bus tickets and credit cards safe.

With inspiration from Embroidered Boxes by Jane Lemon (1984) Batsford.

Pick a Pocket

I rather like this elegant twist on the kagoule

with the revealing kangaroo pocket on the front.

From Emma Cook's S/S 2009 collection.

Vintage workwear pockets from Carhartt

in ID October '08. I like the juxtaposition of utility

pockets and the trendy fashion styling.

Pair of tie on pockets (1774), pockets provided a versatile means

of independence for storing a ladies belongings.

The fluff in the bottom of a pocket carries years of history

Jean Charles de Castelbajac - bag coat (2000) comments

"The body is the room and the pockets are the closets"

this is a little more ott than I want to create, but... who knows...

Elizabeth Arden (early 1930s), with the expansion of the cosmetic

industry and the glamour of Hollywood bags for carrying make up

became more sophisticated. I like the pocket for everything, woe betide

the glamour girl who blushes whilst hunting for the kohl.

Evening gasmask bag (1938-45), an attempt

to beautify the utility cardboard box that was

commonly used to navigate the blitz.

In 1939 38 million gasmasks were issued to 

protect against gas attacks, one for every civilian

man, woman and child in the UK.

Sovereign purse (1907). Something for the gentleman.

Lots of divisions, compartments, flaps and openings to

keep his money safe.

French opera bag (1910), a bag for every occasion, with every 

(respectable) circumstance catered for within the contents of the bag.

French chatelaine bag (1870s), when searching for

a pocket was too awkward and spoilt the line of the dress.

Accordion style bags were popular in the late 1940s

& early 1950s, functional with lots of separate compartments.

Bag by Wilardy (1954), reminds me rather of 

a students stack of books, skipping to the library...

I like the exoskeleton feel of these bags.

The reticule was the first type of external bag

as opposed to pocket hung from the waist,

introduced to complement the fashion for sheer

empire line dresses of the 1790s.

The French reticule (1815-1830) above reminds me 

rather of the rolodex idea I had. This could well be

where the inventors of card indexing got their inspiration!

I have been looking at various styles of bags to give me

inspiration for making interesting pockets on the "garment".

Interestingly there are similarities between some of the bags

and some of the ideas I have been thinking of.

The black and white images and information are from:

Bags & Purses by Vanda Foster (1982) Batsford.

The colour images and information are from:

Handbags: The Power of the Purse by Anna Johnson (2002) Workman.

Sketches for making products module

Image Argos

Image from Staples.co.uk

In this sketch I was thinking of a rolodex rotary card file

I suppose these sort of things are almost redundant nowadays.

In this sketch I was looking at sewing boxes,

or fishing tackle boxes, all those compartments and

cantilever trays would make ideal places for storage

on the move.

In these 2 sketches I was having a little play with

the idea of a witch with her pockets full of potions, 

hence the added familiars!

Just little slit pockets, and a device for carrying

upside down flowers, harking back to some of the

photos a composed in semester 5.

Just thought I'd exaggerate the hips!

After unblocking the kitchen sink, I thought about

making un-screwable and flexible pockets inspired

by household plumbing.

Pockets as a sort of 3 dimensional decoration,

or patchwork even.

Belts and strappings for ticket and flower collectors.

Not quite jewellery, not quite clothes, more like

a stack of plant pots. Perhaps I was subconsciously 

thinking of Bill and Ben, fitting in with nostalgic trends.

These sketches are the start are my explorations of making a product that transports essential items, to transform somewhere into a special place.