the body.
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Sewing
Sewing involves joining, assembling and stitching fabrics, as well as measuring, marking, cutting and pressing. Most fashion design students will be familiar with the term ‘press as you go’, which refers to pressing in conjunction with sewing. Sewing is a skilled operation with established rules and practices. As with most skills, it can be improved with practice and requires close attention and accuracy. In the fashion industry, many designers and design studios employ sample machinists to make a complete sample from cut work. Cut work is a design that has been cut out in fabric from a pattern and includes a specifi cation sheet or sketch from which the sample machinist can assemble the design. Fashion design students are usually expected to sew their own samples and will certainly learn from the experience. Most designers will not be required to commercially sew their own designs in industry, but they will need to oversee the process.
Hand sewing is a tactile process that
covers basting, tacking, hemming
and decorative stitch work, including embroidery. Working in good light is essential. The type of needle used will vary depending on the sewing operation and fabric. Sharps hand-sewing needles can be used for general-purpose sewing and are available in a range of sizes. Ball- points should be used for knitted fabrics. Leather and embroidery both require special needles.
HAND SEWING
Basting
Basting refers to a temporary stitch that is used to join or hold edges or garment pieces together. It is applied without tension and removed from a fi nal sample or garment.
Running stitch is used for basting to hold two or more fabrics together. It is a good introductory stitch for beginners. RUNNING STITCH
Marking tacks are used to transfer sewing assembly details and matching points from a pattern on to the fabric. MARKING TACKS
Slip stitch is an almost invisible stitch that is formed by slipping the fabric under a clean fold of fabric such as a hem or waistband.
SLIP STITCH
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4.0 CONCEPT TO
PROTOTYPE
4.1 The fashion studio 4.2 Sizing and measurements 4.3 Pattern making 4.4 Draping 4.5 Sewing 4.6 The toile
4.7 Fittings and fi nishings 4.8 The prototype sample 4.9 Q&A
Maggie Norris 4.10 Discussion questions Activities Further reading
Backstitch is one of the strongest and most versatile stitches. It can be used to reinforce or repair a seam. It can look like a machine lock stitch. BACKSTITCH
Prick stitch is a variation of the backstitch but is made without catching the underlayer of the fabric. It is used mainly as a decorative topstitching. PRICK STITCH
Blind stitch is worked inside, between the hem and the garment, so that it is not visible and the edge of the hem does not press into the garment. BLIND STITCH
Feather stitch is a decorative stitch with a distinctive appearance where the stitches are taken on alternate sides of a given line.
FEATHER STITCH
Bar tack is a straight
reinforcement stitch that is used at points of strain. This might include the ends of a buttonhole or the corner of a pocket. BAR TACK
Arrowhead tack has a distinctive triangular appearance. It serves as a reinforcement stitch at strain points, such as the corner of a pocket or the end of an inverted pleat.
ARROWHEAD TACK
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MACHINE SEWING
Machine sewing involves operating an industrial or domestic sewing machine. All sewing machines need to be top- threaded to a spool, which is threaded through tension discs and on to a needle, and bottom-threaded on to a bobbin, which fi ts inside a bobbin case. The settings between the upper and lower threads should be established at the correct tension so that the stitches are evenly balanced in response to the foot pedal and feed dog when the fabric passes under the presser foot. Both threads pass under the presser foot in readiness to start the sewing operation. It is useful to familiarize yourself with the component parts of a sewing machine, then stitch a series of parallel lines in order to acquire the necessary ‘feel’ and control of the machine. All sewing machines have their own feel but with practice they will respond to the operator.
It is important to use a suitable needle for the type of fabric. Knitted fabrics such as jersey should be sewn with a ball-point needle while woven fabrics may be sewn with a sharp-point needle or extra fi ne-point needle. Sewing leather requires a leather needle, which has a sharpened triangular point. Needle sizes vary, so always check before you start to sew your fabric. As a guide, the fi ner the yarn, the fi ner the needle. Stitch lengths should also be considered in relation to the weight, structure and texture of the fabric. Threads should also be selected with care. Spun polyester threads are the most versatile but check before you sew. Embroidery and topstitching require different threads. Sewing machines are fi tted with a variety of sewing feet. These may need to be changed depending on the sewing operation but can include a zipper foot, buttonhole foot, felling foot, gather foot, Tefl on foot for sewing leather, tailor tacking foot, embroidery foot and a straight stitch foot.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Test out a sample length of your chosen fabric before you sew it. This includes pressing the fabric to see how it reacts
Think about the type of seams you will need as part of your design. These will vary according to the method of manufacture, chosen fabric and the type of garment. All seams should be identifi ed and considered at the design stage Consider all edge fi nishes including hems. These will also vary according to the desired manufacture, fabric and garment design
Think about all facings and openings as part of your design. These should be sewn at the toile/ muslin stage
Familiarize yourself with all grain- lines and seam allowances before you sew
Test all interlinings in advance before applying them to a fi nal sample
Remember to select the right needle and thread before you begin sewing
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01
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4.0 CONCEPT TO
PROTOTYPE
4.1 The fashion studio 4.2 Sizing and measurements 4.3 Pattern making 4.4 Draping 4.5 Sewing 4.6 The toile
4.7 Fittings and fi nishings 4.8 The prototype sample 4.9 Q&A Maggie Norris 4.10 Discussion questions Activities Further reading 01 SAMPLE STUDIO Fashion design sample studios are designed to facilitate the production of fi rst samples. These studios are often supervised and maintained by technical staff to ensure a safe working environment.