"Knowing it feels right"
"Obviously a big part of dressmaking or indeed soft furnishings is the fabric used to make whatever it is you want to make. To get a great finished product you have to use the right fabric, colour and pattern are a matter of personal taste but the texture, weight and drape of the fabric are all essential to getting the end product right. Get one or all of these wrong and the garment won't be 100%. Let's talk about dressmaking, different garments require different types of fabric and made in the wrong fabric just won't look, feel or fit right, for example a fitted jacket won't work in a flimsy, floaty chiffon whereas a full skirted dress won't work in a heavy tweed. As a rule it could be said that the more structured a garment is then the more structured it's fabric needs to be. More structured garments also need linings and sometimes underlinings and interlinings as well as interfaced facings and the fabrics for these can be quite specific to the use required, another rule, linings should not be heavier then the outer fabric and are usally better if a little lighter so a bridal gown in a heavy dupion satin could be lined in a mid weight soft taffeta. When buying fabric it is always best to see and feel the fabric first, whether that means going to a shop and seeing the rolls on the shelf or getting samples before buying online. Personally I buy most of my fabric online, I have sample books for the basic bridal fabrics I use and everything else I get samples for before ordering any quantity. Some specialist fabrics I do get from the shop, most notably, silk, which I always try to get from Beckford Silk near Tewkesbury, now as a fabric fiend I find their shop is a heavenly place to while away an afternoon!!"
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Eco-workshops?
Returning from a trip to Germany, where I was lucky enough to be able to run an outdoor workshop in the middle of the forest, teaching basic silver smithing, the word 'Eco-workshop' came to mind. Using only hand tools, and silver cleaning solution (pickle) heated by tea lights, there was a minimum carbon footprint produced, and yet we created, in 3 hours, 10 beautiful silver rings. It was also very shaded there, very welcome in this summer's heat. The ladies were all delighted, one of them so much that she has started buying silver smithing tools to continue working with her new found skills. Eco workshops in the Forest of Dean anyone? Sew - Who is Cheating?
Deezynes Embroidery & Printing is Individual - treating all customers as Individuals too. Minimum quantity ONE. Deezynes works with those looking for Personalised Garments such as a Gift/Memento, including Hen/Stag celebrations along with Businesses, Clubs, Schools and Teams. Equestrian and Pet Clothing. This is a recent, but oh so typical a conversation Q. So what is your business? A. Embroidery (with a smile) Q. So what does that involve? Flowers on pillowcases and stuff? A. (they were interested), if that is the customers request, then yes. Most of my work is for businesses, teams, work and schoolwear. I have commercial machines and . . . . (I am yet to finish this line, ever!) Reply: “Oh that’s cheating!” Just like all self-employed, my business is an extension of my family. My pride for this ‘family member’ is no different to that of a child or a favourite pet. So why do I become so irritated when my ‘cheating’ with this ‘family member’ is brought up, again . . . ? Yes my machines work hard, but ‘we’ are a Partnership. I, or more often my customer, will choose the design, the colour/shade of threads, the garments and where – and how – ‘we’ will stitch. To create a new logo or design - This can be a simple customer-drawn ‘suggestion, a jpeg image via email or just a photocopy. It is very common for me to scan an item of clothing already being worn to reproduce! Equine/Canine ‘portraits’ from photographs are particularly popular. The quality of the original is unimportant as I will re-draw the whole design - this is particularly useful if changes are required from the original. This is where I can consider the colour changes, the order areas are to be sewn, adjust the density of those embroidered areas depending on the thickness of the fabric to be decorated and the size(s) required. So now we’re ready to ‘send’ the design to the machine. Before we can see ‘our’ creation, we need to select the thread colours and ensure there is sufficient bobbin (underneath) thread. The machine also needs instruction as to which size frame has been selected and which colour is on each spool and consequently thread-up relevant needles with any colour changes. Now it is time to ‘frame up’ a piece of scrap fabric – for the most accurate results as similar as possible to the chosen garment fabric, along with the correct weight stabiliser. Stabiliser is placed to the back of the fabric to be embroidered to keep it, well, stabilised! Then just place the frame in the machine and let the machine do the ‘cheating’ sorry, sewing! On completion of this ‘test’ piece depending on the results, it is either back to the ‘drawing board’ as further editing/tweaking is required and further sew-throughs, or if happy with the results, a copy is sent to the customer for approval. As soon as the “OK” has been received then ‘we’ commence the commission. Most customers choose garments from the Deezynes on-line catalogue, some supply their own. Particularly, if it involves a specialist sports product. For repeat orders the hard work is done, all designs are kept on file for future use and/or editing. In most embroidery cases the answer is “Yes” – just ask! "When correct measurements are important"
This little tale stems from a commission recently completed. I was asked to make a bespoke tunic top for a lady who lives about 30 miles from me, she didn't want to travel to the Forest of Dean and neither did she want to pay me to drive to her so I against my better judgement agreed to let her take her own measurments and I would make the top from those! I gave full instructions as to how to take the required measurments and recieved those from her after some delay on her part for reasons unknown. Having got agreement for the sample of fabric and the design for the top I purchased the fabric and set about making the top having radically altered an exixting dressmaking pattern. So far I had done a lot of work on the pattern and spent cash on fabric, still she seemed a happy customer. I made the top up and as it fitted my mannequin which had been set to the ladys measurments I assumed it would fit so contacted the customer, told her the top was finished and requested payment, she paid and I posted the top. So far so good!! A few days later the lady contacted me, the top was too big, and too short. Not to worry says I we will have to meet up and I will sort it out. A few days later again she contacted me again, it was much too short and she didn't like the colour. So now I had a problem; the measurments had been wrong and she'd changed her mind on the colour from the agreed sample to the finished item. I like my customers to be happy and she wasn't, so I wasn't happy. I gave her two options, either we could meet up when I would take her measurments, She would supply fabric and I would make another top free of charge or I would give a partial refund on the original cost. She chose the refund so I promptly sent that off and that ended our contact. I have learnt from this tale to follow my instincts and always take measurments myself and to factor in a minimum of 1 fitting to the final cost. Had I done that the top would have fitted perfectly. Of course there is nothing I can do about a customer changing their minds on the colour of a fabric. The moral of this tale is you are the maker, your business is on the line, when dealing with customers use your own judgement as your best guideline and if you can't do the job as they want to your own satisfaction then don't do it! Had I follwed this advice I wouldn't have taken on the top and would have saved myself many hours of work and not a little heartache. Caroline, Fashion Revived "Doing it by hand is just as much fun sometimes!"
Having just spent 2 weeks on the glorious River Avon in the even more glorious sunshine we're having I am glad to say the sewing by hand can be very relaxing indeed. I have a small narrowboat with no room for my sewing machine and no 240V to power it anyway. Bearing this in mind I took some hand sewing with me just to keep my hand in as it were while away boating. The sewing I took was a bit of hand quilting so I took the work piece itself, my quilting hoop, hand quilting thread, a number of quilting needles, snips and the inevitable at my age, magnifying, reading glasses! The work piece in question is a one side of a cushion cover, made of patchwork in a random squares and rectangles pattern in a nice selection of small florals the quilting required is very simple so as not to obscure the patchwork too much, besides complicated quilting would get lost in the florals along the way. I chose to do parallel lines of hand quilting at approximately a quarter inch spacing in various angles across each square or rectangle. This nice simple pattern on a floral patchwork is the complete opposite of the other side of the cushion cover which I have completed and which is traditional whole cloth quilting in my own paisleyesque design on a natural calico. Ironically the finished cushion will probably go straight back to the boat as a comfy, decorative piece on the sofa!! Back home now and I have a number of bridal commissions to get on with, more of those again. Caroline, Fashion Revived |
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