I thought it would be interesting to share my process - a few people have been asking me how I go about choosing pieces to copy and what I do from there.
The first step is always research. I spend hours searching on fashion websites (style.com, net-a-porter, and elle are my favourites) going through their images. Style.com and Elle have the latest collections from fashion designer on their websites and I search through those, saving my favourite outfits. Net-a-porter has the latest fashions available for sale, and they include a lot of information about the garments as well, such as fabric, measurements and any other extra info.
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| style.com Fall 2011 designer collections |
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| net-a-porter |
I choose garments based on 3 things mainly: their look, the level of sewing required, and what materials they use. So many pieces I love the look off I never make, because they're either way too advanced in terms of sewing, or they use materials that I just don't have access to.
I like to choose pieces that are colourful and a little bit different - like something covered in sequins, or something that is in a bright colour. I like things that are eye-catching!
Once I've chosen something that I want to make, I print it out and head off to the library. At the library I search through all their past issues of burda.
Burda is a sewing magazine that comes with about 30 patterns in each issue. The magazines cost $14 to buy, or 50c to borrow from the library for one week. So I search through all the issues until I find a pattern that is closest to what I want to make.
After I find a pattern, I stop by the fabric store on the way home and search for the closest fabric that I can find. Sometimes I get pretty close, and sometimes I can't find anything and have to choose something completely different to make. The fabric store I go to is really good, and I get a 20% student discount. I've been so many times this year that all the staff know me now!
The first thing I do when I get home is wash the fabric. This is really important, as some fabrics can shrink the first time they're washed, and if you're washing them AFTER you've sewn them, then your garment is going to warp and completely change shape.
While the fabric is in the wash, I trace the pattern onto paper, add seam allowances and cut the pattern pieces out.
Sometimes I need to alter a pattern to suit what I'm making. For example, I might want to make a short dress that has wide shoulder straps, but the closest pattern I can find is for a T-Shirt. When I'm tracing the pattern onto paper, I would lengthen the shirt, ignore the pattern piece for the sleeves, and alter the straps to width I like. I've found it to be pretty easy, and most of the pieces I've made so far have been from patterns that I've altered.
And then from there the actual sewing starts. I pin the pattern to the fabric, cut it out and follow the sewing instructions in the burda magazine, while still copying the designer original.
This is roughly the same process I go through for each piece I make. These are all really important parts and all have a huge affect on the success of each piece; from choosing the right garment to start with, finding a pattern and getting it to work, choosing the right materials - each part of this process can either make or break the final garment!
