ADVANCED

DRESSMAKING
PORTFOLIO
Garmex Heart Academy
January - March 2019
Instructor: Mr.Damain Logan

Student : Kerry Anne Dwyer-Rowe

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly I would like to thank God for the opportunity to enroll in this course at the time he
saw fit. I would also like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher
Mr.Damian Logan who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project which
helped me to broaden my knowledge on the industry of my passion.
Secondly I would like to thank my mom (Enid) and husband (Marlon) for allotting me the
time and space to complete this project.
 INTRODUCTION
What is Fashion? Fashion is a general term used to describe a style of clothing or practice
used by people around the world. Fashion refers to anything that is a trend. Self-
presentation is the most direct noticeable marker of fashion. Throughout history we have
seen many changes in clothing, from the color, to the material used to make it. We have
also seen the style in which clothing is made change drastically.
Fashion communicates meanings that have individual and social significance. Society,
cultures, gender and even political authority have impacted fashion over the years.
Clothing styles characterize certain designs which represent the culture that wears the
clothing.
Fashion has changed a great deal over the past three centuries. As history changes it
seems that fashion in some aspect changes with it to adapt to the era. Even today fashion
continues to change as the years go on.
OVERVIEW
OF THE
FASHION
INDUSTRY
 OVERVIEW OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

For centuries individuals or societies have used clothes and other body adornment as a
form of nonverbal communication to indicate occupation, rank, gender, sexual
availability, locality, class, wealth and group affiliation. Fashion is a form of free
speech. It not only embraces clothing, but also accessories, jewelry, hairstyles, beauty
and body art. What we wear and how and when we wear it, provides others with a
shorthand to subtly read the surface of a social situation.
Thousands of years ago, people learned to make clothing from natural resources as
protection from weather. Animal skins and hair, plants, grasses, and tree bark were some
of the materials used. Because ancient people left visual records, people today know
what early clothes were like. Drawings in caves and ancient Egyptian tombs provide
records. Surviving sculptures of the Greeks and Romans also show clothing styles of the
times.
Early 18th Century: European and European-influenced countries saw the final triumph
of undress or informal styles over the brocades, lace, periwig, and powder of the earlier
18th century. For women's dress, the day to day outfit of the skirt and jacket style were
practical and tactful, recalling the working class woman. Women's fashions followed
classical ideals, and tightly laced corsets were temporarily abandoned in favor of a high-
waisted, natural figure. This natural figure was emphasized by being able to see the
body beneath the clothing. Visible breasts were part of this classical look.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the clothes of men and women were simple
and comfortable. Women wore light, white dresses, with waists that fell just below the
bust. This allowed them to dress without corsets, which had been worn by women since
the fifteenth century. Men wore knee breeches or close-fitting trousers, white shirts,
waistcoats, and a coat with a cutaway front and two tails behind. This was originally an
eighteenth-century riding outfit, designed to free the legs on horseback.

Although the 1920s and 1930s are often lumped together as the period “between the
wars,” the two decades were quite different in character and styles of dress varied greatly.
The 1920s were the Jazz Age, a period of escapism after the horrors of World War I. The
younger generation, especially, turned their backs on the formality and dark, buttoned-up
clothing of the previous century.
The new decade wasn’t called “the Roaring Twenties” for nothing. It was characterized
by a relaxation of moral attitudes. The desire to shock, especially among young women,
took the form of ultra-short clothing, bare legs, short hair, and obvious makeup. Clothes
reflected the new mood of liberation in looser, lighter garments and with a simpler shape.
Most dresses were tube-shaped and cut on the straight grain of the fabric, so they hung
loosely and didn’t cling or follow the contours of the body. The typical 1920s silhouette
was straight, boyish, flat-chested, and drop-waisted. It’s a great look but hard to live up
to for anyone over the age of 25 and weighing more than 110 pounds, so costuming can
be tricky.

Fashion wasn’t exactly grabbing the headlines in the newspapers of 1940. As the decade
began, the silhouette for both men and women was largely unchanged from the previous
couple of years. The female shape consisted of wide, padded shoulders; a narrow natural
waistline; thin hips; and a skirt that fell to just below the knee. For men also, the line fell
in an inverted triangle from square shoulders down to the waist and hips. Heavy shoes
provided a counterbalance in both cases.
During World War II, day-to-day survival was a struggle, and clothing was one of many
things in short supply. Fabric and clothing were rationed, and people had to mend and
reuse old clothes. Even after the war, clothes rationing continued. But in the 1950s, the
fashion scene burst into life, fizzing with color, sensational shapes, and new fibers. It
sparked two of the most exciting and fast-moving decades in fashion history, reflecting
rapid social change.
In the 1950s and 1960s, fashion magazines were widely available, movies had a
mainstream following, and an increasing number of homes were acquiring television sets.
More people than ever before could see how the rich and famous dressed. At the same
time, cheap, mass-produced clothes began to fill the stores. For the first time, ordinary
people could follow fashion and easily align themselves with specific social groups and
movements through their choice of clothes.

Until the 1950s, people between the ages of 15 and 20 had simply been regarded as
young adults. But the 1950s saw the coining of a new term—teenager. For the first time,
young people wanted, and got, their own fashions. New trends started in the street and
worked their way into the pages of fashion magazines. Many girls wore slim, tapered
pants, often with a high waist, and paired these with a figure-hugging sweater. Some
styles of pants stopped above the ankles; capri pants were cut off at mid-calf. Pants were
frequently made in artificial fibers. Sweaters could be close-fitting and short, extending
just to the waist. They were sometimes worn with a matching cardigan in a “twinset.” Or
they were oversized in chunky knits, often with dropped armholes, which created bat-
wing sleeves. This “sloppy Joe” sweater hid the shape of the upper body, while the legs
were defined in narrow, tapered pants. The sweater may have had a roll neck, but if it
had a V-neck, this was often filled in with a scarf, rows of pearls, or beads.
In the 1960s, the influence of fashion designers declined. They were replaced by cultural
events, such as the Beatles, Woodstock, and rock concerts. During the early 1960s,
dresses grew slowly shorter and more rectangular. Some had a dropped waist and a skirt
gathered or pleated onto the hips; others were shifts or tunics with little shape at all. Suits,
too, were quite rectangular, with a straight skirt and a boxy jacket with three-quarter length
sleeves and either no collar or a flat, Peter Pan collar. In the second half of the 1960s,
geometric designs gave way to kaleidoscopic patterns in gaudy fluorescent or acid colors.
The 1970s saw a revitalized interest in crafts like jewelry, ceramics,knitting,embroidery,
and screen printing on textiles. Fashions from the 1970s were based on the 1920s,
1930s, and 1940s. Hollywood produced period films conjuring up past styles that people
rushed to emulate. Possibly the most lasting image of the seventies has been punk. In
1976–77, punk got so much media attention that it has overshadowed the original
American rock stage acts from which many elements of its style came.
1980, the general trend was to tone down and tame the original punk style. The mood
was whimsical and soft, with velvet knickers and short cheerleader skirts.
The 1990s have been called the decade of anti-fashion, the decade when street fashion
finally won out over haute couture, and the decade that saw the death of the designer. In
a way, these descriptions were all correct, but the 1990s could just as easily be called the
decade of “fashions,” plural. The term “anything goes” had never been more correct. In
the early nineties, pop rappers popularized the wearing of bright, neon colored clothing
and baseball caps.
The 2000s are often described as a "mash-up" decade, where trends saw the fusion of
previous styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous
subcultures, such as hipsters. For the most part, the decade did not have one particular
style but recycled styles from the 1930s-1980s, which was common in 1990s fashion.
Many 1990s styles continued into the 2000s, but became more polished. The minimalist
aesthetic of 1990s fashion continued in the first years of the decade, but fashion moved
away from minimalism from 2003 onwards. The early 2000s consisted of a collaboration
of clothes from the last 40 years up until the new millennium.
In 2010 & currently men and women's fashion was influenced by 1980s punk,
especially acid wash skinny jeans, bright neon colors, fishnet stockings, and jackets
customized with metal studs. Shirts and jeans featured ripped fabric held together by an
array of safety pins and leather jackets made a comeback. People wore things like
knitted sweater dresses, Nike Tempo shorts, wonder bra and sloggi underwear,
geometric pattern tops,slap,bracelets,ballet flats, black spandex leggings, and light,
translucent tartan shirts worn with a camisole underneath.
 DECADE OVERVIEWS

1800-1809 1810-1819 1820-1829

1830-1839 1840-1849
 1850-1859 1860-1869

1870-1879 1880-1889
1870-1879 1880-1889 1890-1899
1900-1909 1910-1919

1920-1929 1930-1939
 1940-1949 1950-1959

1960-1969 1970-1979

1980-1989 1990-1999
2000-2009

2010-2019
 TOOLS
&
EQUIPMENT
 TOOLS & EQUIPMENTS

Sewing equipment and tools are needed for sewing which aid in construction of
garments of good quality and appearance. The equipment or tools are broadly
categorized into measuring, marking, cutting, general tools, and pressing tools. A box
with compartments is necessary to arrange these tools in one place.

Measuring Tools - Measuring tools are essential for accurate sewing, they are as
follows:
1. Measuring Tape
2. Small Ruler
3. Yard Stick or meter scale
4. L-Square
5. Hem Gauge
6. Hem Marker

Marking Tools – These are generally used for transferring the paper pattern on to the
fabric.

1. Tracing Wheel
2. Dress Makers Carbon or Tracing Paper
3. Tailor’s Chalk

Cutting Tools - The following types of shears and scissors are made for both right-
handed and left- handed cutting. All cutting tools must be kept sharp, clean, and grease-
free for accurate cuts.

1. Scissors
2. Dress Maker’s Shears or Bent handle Shears
3. Pinking Shears
4. Buttonhole Scissors
5. Electric Shears
6. Rotary Cutters
Sewing Tools - These are used for hand and machine sewing, they are as follows;
1. Embroidery Frame
2. Hand Sewing Needle
3. Machine Needle
4. Sewing Thread
5. Needle Case
6. Needle Threaded
7. Thimbles
8. Stiletto
9. Bodkin

General Tools - These are the tools generally aid in cutting, construction and checking the fir
of the garments. They include;
1. Pins
2. Pin Cushion
3. Seam Ripper
4. Orange stick
5. Cutting Board or Table
6. Mirror
7. Dress form
8. Awl
9. Loop Turner
10. Paper

Pressing Equipment - These pressing equipment are used to give the perfect shape to the
fabrics and iron difficult garments parts in construction; also helpful to give the neat appearance
to the finished garments.
1. Iron
2. Steam iron
3. Ironing board
4. Sleeve Board
5. Press Cloth
 TYPES OF SEWING MACHINES

Overlock machine:
It sews over the edge of the fabric plies for edge neatening, hemming or seaming.
Generally, an overlock machine called a ‘sergers’ (will trim the fabric edges during
sewing using cutters. The addition of automated cutters ensures these machines to
produce a finished seam easily and quickly. It uses a bottom thread known as a looper
thread fed by larger size cones compared to smaller size bobbins in the case of lock
stitch machines. The loopers provide thread loops that pass from the needle thread to
the fabric edges thereby raw edges are enclosed within the seam. Overlock sewing
machines are normally run at high speeds, from 1000 to 9000 rpm.

Bar tacking machine:

The bar tack machine shown in Figure-2 is used for sewing dense tack around the open
end of the buttonhole. These machines are used to make more tight stitches across the
point to be reinforced and then sew covering stitches at a right angle over the first
stitches.
The applications of the bar tack machine in the garment industry are given below:
 Closing of buttonhole end.
 Reinforcing the ends of pocket opening.
 Sewing on belt loops.
Buttonhole sewing machines:
Buttonhole machines are used for creating buttonholes in the garment and to finish the
edges. A buttonhole machine may form a simple circle where the stitches radiate from
the centre of an eyelet home, two legs on either side of a straight out with a bar tack on
both ends as in a shirt, a continuous line of sewing up one leg, round the end and down
the other without the cut as in a shank.
Button sewing machine:
A button sewing machine is used to sew the button in the garment without damaging it.
Various types of buttons like a button with two holes, four holes or shank could be sewn
on this machine by making simple adjustments. The sewing action comprises a series
of parallel stitches whose length is equal to the distance between the centres of the
holes. The needle has only vertical movement but the button moves sideways by means
of the button clamp for stitching. A hopper feed is a special attachment that
automatically feeds the button to the clamp of the needle point of the machine. With this
attachment, the button and needle are automatically positioned and the threads are
clipped.
Blind stitch machine:
A blind stitch machine is used for hem stitching in a knitted fabric since the hem stitch is
too small in the right side of the garment and is invisible. In a few circumstances, the
machine could be set to skip a stitch that is to pick up the fabric on alternate stitches
only. But this type reduces the stability of the stitches. The sewing needle utilised for
this machine is a curved one because it does not pierce through the fabric fully, but
partially. Based on the application and type of fabric, the blind stitch can be grouped into
two types; for fine fabric producing long and narrow stitches and for heavy fabric with
short and wide stitches.
 FABRIC
LIBRARY
 FABRIC LIBRARY
Fabric is a cloth produced by weaving or knitting textile fibres. There are two main
sources from which fabrics are made from, natural and man-made fibres.
Natural Fibres are originated from natural sources as shown in the chart below. These
fibres are harvested woven and then knit into fabrics. Eg.
Cotton,linen,silk,wool,cashmere & hemp etc.
Man-Made Fibres are completely chemically manufactured. Eg: Nylon, acrylic, polyester
& spandex etc.
NATURAL FABRICS
Man-made Fabrics
 FABRIC
CONSTRUCTION
 FABRIC CONSTRUCTION
Fabrics can be constructed (made) using different methods. They are produced by
interlaced/interloped/bonded yarns or fibers and felts made by interlocking fibers. The
fabric construction method will give the fabric a specific look, feel and performance.

Basically there are three (3) methods by which fabrics are made. They are:

1. Knitting process - is the interlocking of loops with a single yarn. There are 2
types of knit, weft & warp. Weft knits are constructed with a single yarn that is fed
into knitting machine needles in a horizontal direction, also known as filling yarns.
Warp knits are constructed with yarn loops formed in a vertical or warp direction.

2. Weaving process - is the interlacing of threads; it involves two threads which are
crossed over and under each other at right angles. Many types of weave can
be created. The 3 major types of weaves are:

 Plain Weave - The simplest of all weaves, so these fabrics are usually cheap.
Fabrics made from this weave are strong and smooth so they are ideal for
printing as there are no texture or pattern to detract from the printing.
Weaving pattern: Over one, under one.

 Satin Weave – there is a complex arrangement of warp and weft threads,

which allows longer float threads either across the warp or the weft. The long
floats mean the light falling on the yarn doesn’t scatter and break up, like on a
plain weave. The reflected light creates a smooth, lustrous surface commonly
called satin. The reverse side is invariable dull and non shiny.Weave Pattern:
Under one, over four or more “floats” with weft yarns.

 Twill Weave - Strong, firm and hardwearing. Resists snags. There is a clear
recognizable diagonal. Fabrics that are made from twill weaves are: denim,
tweed,tartan & gabardine. Weaving pattern: Over two, under two but
staggering beginning threads to form a diagonal line.

3. Non- woven process - are defined as fabric structures produced directly from
fibers by bonding or felting. Therefore the yarn stage is skipped. Here, nothing is
processed on spindles, looms or knitting machines. There are two methods of
non- woven: bonding & Felting.
PLAIN WEAVE
SATIN WEAVE
TWILL WEAVE
ELEMENTS
OF
DESIGN
 ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
Basic elements of design in fashion include lines, shapes, form, colour and texture,
whereas the primary principles of design include balance, emphasis, proportions,
harmony, variety, and rhythm.

LINES

Lines include straight lines, diagonal lines and curve lines etc. It is a basic element of
design and refers to a continuous movement of points in a space. The edges of forms
and shapes too create line element.

SHAPES

Basic elements of design like point and line form shapes. A shape is a
two dimensional area that stands out from the space around it due to variations in
contour, colour or material. Shapes can be geometric or organic.
FORM
Form is the 3-D element of design and has length, width and height. Form can be
organic or inorganic and is enhanced by colour, shade, tone and texture.

COLOUR

Yet another basic element of design enhanced by hue, value, tints and shades. Colours
decide the mood depending on the combination. Warm colours consists of shades
obtained from red, yellow and orange. Cool colours include those obtained from blue,
green and purple. Tints and shades of black and white from the neutral colour range.
TEXTURE

Its visual texture that I am talking about, which can change the feel of an outfit. Textures
are widely imparted in fashion in the form of prints and embellishments.
COLOUR
WHEEL
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
TERTIARY
 DART
MANIPULATION
 DART MANIPULATION
There are three dart manipulating techniques in flat patterns. These are suitable for
manipulate dart to any location. The slash & spread or pivot method mostly use to
transfer darts to the bust, neck, armhole or anywhere you want!

1. Pin and pivotal dart transfer technique.

2. Slash-spread transfer and overlap technique
3. Dart equivalent technique

1. Pin and Pivotal dart rotation technique:

Pattern designers use pivoting methods to make fashion changes. They move darts or
add fullness by anchoring the basic pattern with a pin and moving the pattern in, out,
and around. The pattern swings back and forth like the pendulum on a grandfather
clock. Use this pivoting motion to change the pattern width.
2. Slash-spread dart rotation and overlap technique:
Pattern graders use the slide motion to change pattern sizes. They slide patterns up,
down, and to the side to gradually increase or decrease from one size to the next. Use
this sliding motion to add or subtract length.

3. Dart equivalents technique:

Pleats or gathers in the fabric can be used as for the same purpose as a normal
stitched dart. These are called dart equivalents. Darts can also be worked into style
lines. The dart excess can be used to create a wide variety of other design features
such as, tucks, gathers, pleats, and even cowls. Essentially, the dart or its equivalent is
always present somewhere in the pattern. The dart or its equivalent will always radiate
from the pivot point.
 FLARED SKIRT

1. Get both front and back skirt pattern.

2. Extend center dart line to hem
3. Cut darts from hem up to ¼ inch away from the bottom of dart.
4. Fold dart leg over to close the darts and the hem of the skirt.
5. At this point you can add additional flare by extending a line from hip
level to hem
 GORE SKIRT

1. Trace out basic skirt block

2. Extend dart point to hemline
3. Connect added fullness to the point of the dart
4. Place working pattern on another sheet and trace out and separate panel pieces
eliminating the dart.
 PRINCESS SEAM BLOUSE

1. Find the center point of the shoulder

2. Draw a line down to the bust point and extend down to the hem of the blouse
3. You will be left with two pieces of pattern
4. They will sewn together to create the princess seam.
PATTERN
LAYOUT
 PATTERN LAYOUT
As a general rule, a cutting table should be about waist-high to prevent stress on your
upper body. Working for even short periods of time on a cutting table that's too high or too
low can make your back, shoulders, and arms tired and sore. Be sure you have all the
necessary pattern pieces. Press the pattern pieces with a dry iron set to a low-
temperature so that they’re easier to work with.In preparation for cutting, fabric is
usually folded. The instruction sheet gives alternatives for folding that are determined by
the fabric’s width, the garment’s size, and the size of the pattern pieces. A crosswise
layout is often needed for wide pieces, and sometimes a layout shows a double fold, in
which both selvages are brought to the center). In all cases, fold fabric right sides out to
view designs that must be centered or matched and when cutting pile fabrics like velvet
or corduroy, because there’s less sliding.

Choose a cutting layout

Pattern instructions provide layout diagrams for various fabric widths. Find the best
layout in the instructions for your pattern, size, and fabric width.

With-nap layout, lengthwise fold

A with-nap layout has all pattern pieces placed in the same direction, so any designs or
nap on the fabric will be consistently positioned on the garment.
Without-nap layout, crosswise fold
In a without-nap layout, the pattern pieces can be placed in opposing directions.
Lengthwise double fold
This layout is used when cutting two pieces that fit side by side on the fabric, but need
to be placed on the fold for cutting.

Grainline and layout

A grainline mark on a pattern piece is the long straight line with arrows at each end that
shows how to position the piece accurately on the fabric’s grain. Pin one of the arrows
in place, and measure from it to the fabric’s selvage. Then measure and adjust the other
arrow so that it’s the same distance from the selvage.

The phrase with-nap on a layout sheet indicates that all pattern pieces are placed on
the fabric going in the same direction, top to bottom. Use a with-nap layout for pile
fabrics, like velvet and corduroy, and for satin and fabrics with a definite one-way
design. A without-nap layout is used when pattern pieces can be laid in both directions.
When your pattern pieces are properly aligned on the fabric, (see Anchor the pattern to
the fabric) anchor them with pins, as most sewers do, or use weights, like Weight Mates
(available from Clotilde or Joanne). Then get out your scissors. You’re ready to cut.

Anchor the pattern to the fabric

Choose pins suitable to fabric; place them perpendicular to cutting lines and pointed
into corners. To keep pattern and fabric flat, catch as little of each as possible.

Weights are a fast, easy way to anchor a pattern. You can use weights designed for this
purpose, or raid your cupboard for soup cans or something smooth and heavy enough
to hold your pattern in place.
COLLARS
PETER PAN
SHAWL COLLARS
NOTCH COLLAR
MANDARIN COLLARS
SLEEVES
PUFF SLEEVE
PETAL SLEEVE
BISHOP SLEEVE
POCKET
WELT POCKET
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://clothingindustry.blogspot.com/2018/02/special-sewing-
machines.html
http://www.melrosedrapery.com/types-manmade-fabrics/