Scope of Project:
The TSA: Fashion Design project is a project tailored to reflect the participants’ skills in fashion, sewing, and design. Although teams could vary anywhere from 1-4 people, I chose to work solo on it. I felt that my own ideas about the designs would be hampered by the input of other team members, and in the end I would not be satisfied with the results. The competition, held on March 31st 2009, entailed designing and constructing three garments: a prom gown, suit jacket, and trousers. Competitors had to use original designs and not rely on premade patterns.
Description of Solution:
My final solution was a floral print gown featuring a corresponding taffeta sash. The design was inspired by the trends for the 2009 prom season which forecasted an increase in printed fabrics. The dress had a fitted bodice and a mermaid-style skirt featuring a flare at the bottom. The suit was a standard black Italian-style suit with a tapered waist and padded shoulders. It featured the same floral fabric used in the dress construction for the lining.
Discrepancies:
My final solution was a complete change from my original design. I had intended to construct a red gown with a full-length chiffon skirt, but after constructing it, I was unsatisfied with the results. The colors did not match the season; they were formal but fit better with a fall/winter atmosphere. When I was shopping for fabric in spring I found a vibrant floral print which inspired me to construct a new dress. Despite being finished with the red dress, and with it a large portion of my senior project, I took a chance with the new fabric. Using an entirely new design I constructed a dress that I was very happy with. Had I not done this I would have felt unsatisfied with my project. The suit design remained standard throughout my construction. Most suits feature the same set of pockets: two flap pockets, one welt pocket, and one hidden pocket in the lining. I kept the notched lapel and single-breasted front that I had originally designed. Having been inspired by Italian suits, I focused on a heavily tapered waist and heavy shoulder padding.
Successes and Failures:
My first problems with the project began when I had to sketch out my designs. I had trouble translating the ideas in my head onto paper. I knew from the past that I could construct garments from ideas in my head, but the extra step of drawing out my ideas complicated the matter. One of my biggest failures over the course of the project was getting the garments to fit properly. With the suit I overcame this problem by constructing a muslin. This was basically a rough draft of the final design which I could tailor to the model and use as a pattern for my final product. However, when I constructed the gown, I took a shortcut and worked directly with the fabric. This provided me with less than acceptable results. I forgot to leave room for seam allowances, etc. so when I finally finished the bodice of the dress and attempted to try it on, it was far too small. Instead of starting again I chose to alter and re-alter the bodice to fit, but each time I did this, the fabric became weaker and more frayed. Eventually I succeeded in getting the fit of the bodice correct, but instead of learning from this mistake, I again did the same thing with the skirt. At first I overestimated the size, but when I re-cut the fabric it was too small. In all I must have re-cut and re-sewn the skirt 4 times. My biggest success was definitely completing the garments. I was doubtful that I would finish on time, but I surprised myself. Admittedly, staying up for an entire weekend because I was falling behind on my schedule was not something to brag about, but I did finish, and the end product was good enough to win me first place at the competition.
Learning Opportunities:
As a result of mistakes:
I learned a lot from my failures within this project. The major thing I learned was not to take shortcuts. I definitely did more work than I had to because I was trying to take the easy way out. Another thing I learned was not to procrastinate. I set up a precise schedule for the construction of my garments and then I chose not to follow it. Instead of doing work slowly and consistently over the course of a few months, I worked vigorously for the first few weeks, getting a huge amount of work done, slacked off for a few weeks, and worked gruelingly at the 24th hour. This was not an uncommon pattern for me; I am generally inspired to work right away but lose interest rapidly. The only way I am re-inspired is by the fear of an impending deadline. I would not have felt so rushed if I had stayed with the schedule, and in the future I’ve learned that despite putting it off, I continuously contemplated the workload of the project.
Skills Developed:
Some of the skills I learned were directly related to my project alone. I feel that my skills in sewing increased significantly over the course of the year. What I might have considered a fundamental understanding developed into an increased ability of the process of sewing. I walked into the project with the experience of sewing only a few garments and the ability to hem, tailor to an extent, and repair garments. This project pushed my skills to the limits in all these areas. A suit is not an easy garment to make by any means. In fact, it can be considered one of the most difficult things to make. The price of suits proves this point. A high quality suit can run into thousands of dollars. Having no prior knowledge on any of the processes, I found myself researching so many things, whether it was how to make a flap pocket or how to make and install a lining. At one point I even disassembled one of my brother’s old suits to study it. I can say with conviction that my final product tested the limits of my capabilities, but because of that I gained profound insight. The list of skills I learned from making both the dress and suit seem limitless: making a muslin, installing interfacing, studying the grain of a fabric, setting in sleeves, tailoring a waist, gathering fabric, installing a lining, making pockets: flap, welt, and hidden, making a lapel, making a tie, hemming, the list goes on.
Design Flaws:
In the Gown:
Although I hate to admit it, design flaws are present in my final product. The gown I had originally constructed was too small around my waist. Because I chose not to construct new panels for a better fit, I ended up sewing and re-sewing the existing panels until the seam allowances were almost nonexistent and the fraying edges of the panels began showing through. Though it may not be so noticeable at first, the continued wearing of the garment would eventually cause enough stress to completely rip these seams. Also, the zipper on the back of the dress was not properly set in. It is slightly raised because I did not tailor it to my body exactly. I neglected this area because the sash which ties in the back does a great job of covering this flaw. One of the things I accidentally chose to neglect in the construction of my dress was the direction of the fabric. Though it seems like an unimportant detail, it greatly affects the overall composition of the garment. I used the straight edge of the fabric out of personal choice, but I should have instead used the bias of the fabric (45° angle from the warp and weft threads). A bias cut on fabric is recognized as the best cut because of its more fluid movement. Had my gown been made of pieces cut on the bias, I could have arguably achieved more fluid movement. I only learned about this after completing the gown, so if I had done more thorough research, I may have been able to implement this detail.
In the Suit:
The suit does not have as many flaws in its construction but a few are noteworthy. For example, the lining in the suit is fraying in one of the shoulders. I only noticed this after completely setting in the lining, so fixing it by machine was out of the question. Instead I hastily hand sewed it together to stop it from fraying any further. It looked sloppy and unprofessional, but it was all I could do the day before competition. The sleeves also have flaws. When sleeves are set in to a garment, the fabric has to be eased into an area which is smaller than the sleeve. Generally, seamstresses are able to do this without the fabric gathering or puckering at any point. However, since I had never set in sleeves before, I could not accurately install them. As a result, the fabric overlaps in a few places. The final flaw I noticed was along the bottom of the jacket. At the point where the lining meets the suiting, I failed to sew up a few of the corners. As a result, the front of the jacket has a few discrepancies. Because I know these garments so well from working on them, these flaws seem very apparent to me, but to an outsider, they are not as noticeable. Despite these flaws, I feel confident that my final product was a success.
Improvements in Problem Solving, Communication, and Organizational Skills:
This project helped me to improve many skills, including but not limited to problem solving, communicational, and organizational skills. Problem solving was a recurring theme throughout my project as I had to keep sewing and re-sewing the garments many times. If a portion didn’t lie right, I had to determine the problem and fix it. My communicational skills also improved when I was required to do drawings of the garments. I have in the past worked off of ideas in my head, but putting those ideas down on paper made the entire process much easier. My organizational skills also improved as I had to plan out each portion of my project on a calendar. Without developing these skills, I would not have finished my project on time.
Conclusion:
The TSA Fashion Design project was, to say the least, a learning experience. Not only did I have the chance to spend my senior year on something I am passionate about, but I also learned many useful skills along the way. Over the course of the project my sewing skills greatly increased, but on top of that, I learned to manage time well, work under pressure, and communicate my ideas to an audience. My public speaking skills even increased when we presented on our progress every marking period. Looking back on the project now, I am happy that I chose Systems Engineering II as my senior course.
