My Final Piece Of Work For Unit 120

Unit 120 Evaluation

Megan Fleet 

This unit consisted of wanting me to finish with a garment that hand been created with an aesthetically beautiful, well-crafted garment which shows sustainability as a driver of innovation. I was to design and manufacture a garment that is concerned with issues surrounding sustainability; this could have been done by using echo fabrics, recycled fabrics, off cuts from factory floors or everyday thrown away times. 

By the end of this unit I should have been able to investigate the fashion making processes, be able to use fashion media, techniques and technology safely, to understand the properties of fashion materials and explore their potential and finally, to produce a finished garment. 

This unit has given me the chance to enable myself to develop my potential for creative work by exploring a range of different materials and technical skills which are associated with fashion design and manufacturing.

During this unit we went over the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (2002), Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (1922) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998). We went on to complete a worksheet on Health and Safety in different environments. We spoke about understanding how to be safe when using the machines by doing things such as tying long hair back, taking badges off and always turning machines off when they are not being used (including sewing machines and the irons). We also discussed what the Health and Safety rules would be in a factory environment such as using gloves/protective clothing when using dye. 

For visualising the garment and how different design ideas would look, I found it much easier to do this when the fabric was on the modelling stands as this gives it a more realistic look than when I have a piece of material lay on the table with no shape to it. 

I did various sampling experiments for my final design. I began with shape development on the stands, I mostly experimented with the shoulders for this, creating different shapes making them all quite big to stand out. The samples I tried, however, I didn't really like and/or didn't want on my final piece.
I also had some practice with sewing zips in before I did my final piece which went well and gave me more confidence with this aspect of my design.

I began with a silky tencil type material for my garment. I cut my pattern from it and began sewing, then I noticed there were problems with with the material and I might have to re-think using it. It was an extremely slippery material which made it difficult to cut and sew, also very easily pulled. The fabric was not easy to sew for someone who doesn't have years of machine experience. 

I decided it would be best to find a new material and start again. I quickly got a new material which was a bonded, perforated scuba fabric. I chose to use the material because it was an interesting fabric to experiment with, it had a unique feel to it and I could easily use two colours from one piece of fabric in my design! It also would be much easier to sew, the hems could be left raw or cut neatly and it is heavy/thick enough to be self-supporting. It ticked all the boxes. 

It was easier to cut patterns from and had a nice shape on the stand. I had a couple of difficulties with the material new the end as I made a couple of mistakes with the shoulder detail, I had to unpick some of the shoulder pad and whilst doing this found the fabric was easy to tear. Luckily the place of the tear was easy to cover with one of the shoulder pads. The only detail I would change about the fabric is that it wouldn't tear so easily, other than this I felt the material worked great for what I wanted and there have been no other problems with it. 

During this project I have continuously documented my progress by taking pictures of each step, putting them up on my blog and written about what was going on, any problems that occurred or anything that was changing. 

I found this much easier than doing a diary a the end of the work as it may have been harder for me to remember every little detail about what had happened. 

In my design drawings I had the theme of a metallic fabric for my playsuit. This was something I wanted to do in my design to have the piece stand out and look unique. However, because of the way metallic fabrics were shaping and not being easy to use on machines, I chose a fabric that unfortunately didn't have a metallic look but was a unique fabric and let me experiment more with different shapes and structures in my garment. 

During this unit I think I have shown more independence when using the sewing machines and only asked for some guidance when I have got really stuck. I feel I have become more confident in using the machines not only in knowing what I am doing but knowing I am able to do it. I believe I have worked well with communicating with my tutor over ideas I have had for the design and showing my ideas on the stands. 

I think a weakness I have had is my ideas not being quite as experimental as thy could be. This is something I am aiming to get bette at and practice drawing more unique and daring designs. I also believe this is a way I could have improved my final garment, by being more adventurous and trying new ideas to make it a bigger and bolder piece. In parts of the playsuit my trimming needed to be slightly sharper but I corrected this without any problems. 

Over all I am happy with the way my garment turned out, from experimenting with a different fabric to how my final design looks. I enjoyed trying new things and constantly coming up with new ideas, even if some didn't work out the way I had hoped they would.