Inspiration

Hello-

I hope everyone is enjoying the information about couture garment construction. It came to my knowledge that when creating a garment, inspiration is a huge component. I have decided to share a little bit about where I find and store my inspiration. I use the fantastic website Pinterest. Pinterest is a great place for searching/ finding stories, pictures, and videos can be inspiring. Personally I can find images that I like but I also use Pinterest for storing photographs that I find from other websites. Today I have pulled some of my most inspiring images, or images I am thinking of using, to create a garment. 

  Here is a screen shot of my Pinterest main screen board. As one can tell there are 13 boards. People tend to enjoy "La mode"-(clothing), "fashion inspiration, and "Couture" boards the most. I have a total of 533 people that follow me. My Pinterest is for people to explore and find some photograph/story that inspires someone.

Here is a screen shot of my Pinterest board called "La mode" meaning clothing in french. Not only does this board have clothing but it also has hair styles and some accessories. 

This is my fashion inspiration board. This is not where I put all of my inspiration for designing clothing. Honestly this is where one finds photographs that are interesting and a cool way to photograph clothing.

This is honestly one of my most favorite boards. It has designers runway clothing such as Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and many more. This is where I can get some of the inspiration for fabrics, garments design, and much more.

I hope everyone enjoyed where I get my ideas for creating a garment. If you would like to see my Pinterest boards and profile click here. Please enjoy as well as comment below.

-Birdy

  

 

Preparing Muslin

Hello-
This afternoon I will be explaining the beginning of preparing a muslin mock up pattern. As based on the previous post, I am doing Marfy pattern 3232. Lets get started.

For those who don't know even where to begin, this is where you should start. Start by going online or to a local fabric shop and purchasing some muslin. When purchasing try to get  it unbleached. Depending on the garment that is being created one needs to pick a similar width fabric that is actually going to be used. Why? The reason for this is, if one is creating a skirt that is 45 in wide and is going to be gathered and buys 60in wide muslin, it will not be wide enough. Once the muslin is folded over the 60in muslin becomes 30in, which is not wide enough. Store owners and helpers if purchasing at local sewing store should be able to help.

Once the muslin is bought there will be some wrinkles or maybe some creases. The muslin will need to be ironed. This is really important because the patterns pieces need to be as flat and accurate as possible. If there are wrinkles the pattern will not sit right. Taking the time to iron the fabric and do the little things will pay off in the end.

Once the muslin is ready and laid out, place pattern pieces on muslin and pin. As seen in the picture above I left a 1.5 seam allowance around my pattern. Marfy patterns do not have seam allowances and in couture the "normal" 5/8th seam allowance is too small. If the pattern that you are using has included a 5/8th seam allowance, take it out by marking on the patter 5/8th in. If still confused comment in the comment section below and I can assist you. That being said leave enough space between the pattern pieces so there can be a large seam allowance added in. 

Above are some supplies that will be need. Ruler, pins, sewing scissors, tracing wheel, and tracing paper. At this point you should have your pattern pinned to the muslin. After all the pieces are pinned it will need to be cut out. Once it is cut, keep the pattern pinned to the muslin.

I don't want to overwhelm anyone, that is why we are going to take it slow. We still have quite a bit of work to do, but don't worry none of it is very hard. What is next? What we are going to do next is trace the lines using wax tracing paper. After that we will sew the lines so that they can be seen on both side of the garment. This makes the alteration process easier. If anyone has questions don't hesitate to ask below. Stay tuned for more instructions coming soon.

-Birdy

Marfy Patterns

Hello-

I am starting a new project this week using a Marfy pattern. "What is a Marfy pattern"? A Marfy pattern is a brand of pattern, like vogue for example. They are Italian patterns that are pre-cut and don't have any instructions. The pattern is purchased in the exact size of the person creating the garment. There is a pattern book that comes out once a year, and that is how one selects what they would like to create. There is a phone number located in the back of the book and one phones in the order and it comes straight to the house. These patterns are very difficult having no instructions, that being said are recommended for more expert sewers.

Above is the Marfy book. As seen in the picture this is the book from last year (2013/14) though theses patterns can still be purchased. When purchasing the book it comes with a few free patterns to try from. I personally would recommend buying the book because the image in the book is the only image one is referencing when creating the garment. 

Here is what one page looks like on the inside. It has a front and back view of the garment. In the bottom corners it has the recommended fabric type and sizes available. To the left is the dress I am going to be creating (the blue dress). This dress is number 3232 for anyone who would like to make it also.  

This is the close up of the dress I am creating. Again this is number 3232 as stated before. This pattern is actually available online http://www.marfy.it/ . There are only a few patterns that are available online but if one buys the book there are many more patterns to choose from.

After ordering the pattern it comes like this in the mail. The pattern is wrapped up, has the pattern number, and the size listed on it. The pattern does not come with a photo or instructions. This makes it really fun because one has to really learn about how a garment is constructed. 

Once opening the package, this is what the pattern pieces look like. They have the lines such as the center front listed and they have the pieces labeled. From the look of it, it can look overwhelming but again that is what makes it fun.

I hope you guys enjoyed that little information about Marfy patterns. This week I will be creating a mock up of this dress and will keep you posted on how I do it. I hope you guys enjoyed this. If you have any questions about this please feel free to commit below.

-Birdy 

First Post !

Hello!

My name is Caroline but some call me Birdy, and welcome to the 615. This is my home fashion studio brought to you. This blog is about garments, textile fabric, and accessories that I am creating and designing. Having lots of people asking me how I create and design garments, I have decided to create this blog.

This upcoming week I will post about the local textile store and the fabulous adventure one can experience.  Feel free to comment and just say hello.

Much love,

Birdy