CAD/CAM Unit 120

I'm back! Sorry it's been forever since I last did a post  in my 'Diary of A Fashion Student'' area.
I am nearly a whole unit on from when I last spoke to you guys about my fashion work and I've got to say it has been one of my favourite units we have done so far.
It has been all about using CAD recourses - computer-aided-design, such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop which was the two pieces of software I have used for this unit.  
I used images I had taken of the garment I had made from the previous unit and made it into a whole magazine cover.
We were to start from scratch with the design, however our tutor wanted us to use the name of a fashion magazine that already existed.
After doing some research I found a magazine I had never actually heard of called Void, which is what I used for inspiration for my very own magazine cover.
I already knew I wanted to create a cover that had a slight cartoony/illustration kind of look to it.
So eventually this is the design I created -

I then chose to come up with some different concepts using the model and name I already had which then gave me these designs -

 

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.

My Finished Garment!

I HAVE MADE MY PLAYSUIT!! 
Yes, that's right, I have finally produced my finished garment for this current unit and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. 

It's definitely safe to say there was the occasional struggle and times when I lost confidence with my design but all the hard work was definitely worth it.
I managed to succeed with having the shoulders they way I wanted without having to make any changes to them, I added the small, discreet slit in the front of the garment for a little extra detail and I managed to get my chest detail (the petals!) exactly how I wanted after a fair bit of practice and experiment. 
I am very happy I chose to do half and half with the colours. I love the look this gives to the design, 
I don't really know how I feel about not having the metallic theme in. It is a shame but then if I had run with that theme then I wouldn't have this beautiful fabric and would have gone with something that I may not have been truly happy with. 
During this unit I feel happy that I have become more confident on sewing machines and with sticking with my ideas and not giving up on something I really wanted to do. 
Something I do want to make a change with is becoming more adventurous with my future designs as although I am so happy with my final garment, I feel I could have experimented a bit more with different design ideas. After all it's all about the experimenting.. 

I will be sure to speak to you guys about my next unit in the next few days. 
Until then, bye for now x 

My Zip's In & Changing The Sleeve

I have finally got my zip into my garment! 

I chose to use an invisible zip in the back of my garment. This is a fairly simple process to do and has been in for around a week. 

At the end of last week I chose to tackle putting my sleeves onto my garment. Unfortunately this didn't go so well.
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any pictures of what went on (it was a stressful situation after-all!!) 
At first I thought the problem was that the sleeves were too heavy for the garment to hold as the sleeves were weighing down massively off the shoulder; because of thinking this, I decided it was best to try having only 2 shoulder pads on my playsuit instead of three (as originally planned), thinking this would make it less heavy and it would then stay in place. 
After more consideration I have realised it was the way I have stitched the sleeves on the is the problem. I am now going to do a different approach to my stitching, keeping the three shoulder pads in the design for now and keep my fingers crossed this way works! 

Speak soon,
Meg x 

Sleeve Experiment

It's getting closer and closer to deadline day and I am still figuring out what sleeve I am having on my garment. It's all okay though as I still have plenty of time! 
I have experimented with a few sleeve styles, however I am definitely getting closer to my end result! My latest experiments this week (along with STILL being ill!!!) have definitely improved on my other experiments. 

Using grey shoulder pads as my base, I covered them in the fabric I am using in my garment. I folded the material the whole way around the shoulder pad to create this shape - 

These were the shoulder pads I used and covered -

I then tried a few different ways of styling it on the garment. This was my first attempt - 

I then decided I didn't like this style was not what I wanted on my design and I could create something so much better.
I felt this design for the sleeve looked simple and wouldn't be a practical sleeve as the bottom piece would get pushed down by the wearers arm.

This is when I came up with m final sleeve design -

I decided to try building the shapes up to create a bigger shoulder pad, similar to what I had in my original design drawings.
I am planning on them having a slightly different shape once I have sewn them to the garment to make them stand out more.

Speak soon,
Meg x

My New Material and Pattern

Last week I managed to get my hands on a bonded, perforated scuba material. It's an unusual fabric which I feel creates added interest to the design.
I like the way the material has two different colour options to chose from in one roll.

I decided to take full advantage of both colours by using them both in my garment!
I made the decision to add more interest to my design by having one half in red and the other half in black. I feel this makes the garment stand out even more because it will not be an ordinary, one colour playsuit.
To add more detail and uniqueness I sewed the darts on the outside to make them stand out and become more noticeable.

I still have the neckline, the arms and the zip to put in. This will be done within the next couple of weeks and I will then have a finished garment!

Don't forget to follow my social medias to see what I am doing on a day to day basis -
Instagram - megan_fleet
Twitter - meg_fleet
Facebook - Head To Toe Good To Go

Meg x

A Whole Unit On

Hey there stranger, 
Well, this new series has got off to a great start.... NOT! 
I did warn you at the start this may not end up being as regular as I would like as I, of course, have to put my college course first. 
I am another unit on now. I designed my capsule collection with the theme of metallics and couch florals. It was a colourful collection with summer based pieces within it, including a playsuit, shorts, summer dresses, a jumpsuit, a smart jacket and a waterproof coat, amongst other items. 
Once I designed my final collection, I had to go on to chose one garment from the capsule collection to now make. 

I chose to make a playsuit as it was one of my favourite pieces from the collection and thought it would be something a bit different to design and create. 
I began with developing my design slightly more as I had decided I wanted to add bits into the design (my brain never seems to want to stop coming up with new idea's!!). Part of these changes have been adding petal shapes at the neckline, taking away the frills at the end of the shorts and changing the colour of the garment slightly. 

I bought a silky tencil material to make it with, however that didn't turn out so well..... 

This is the material I started out with. I thought it would be a good weight, nice colour and had the metallic look for my theme. 
When I cut my pattern out it proved to be quite slippery, then on the machines I found it was easy to snag and wasn't too easy to control. Because of these issues I decided to stop using the material and begin the hunt for another material. 

When looking for my next material I will be more careful about feeling the material and be more conscious of if the material feels too silky and thin. 

I've enjoyed experimenting with this unit, doing different patterns with the material and doing sample pieces for what I want on my garment.
A couple of weeks ago I did some experimenting with zips and creating petal shapes with some spare calico I had. 

I am planning on doing petal shapes around the neckline of my playsuit and wanted to experiment with different size petals and different ways of stitching them together. 

I was in need of practicing zip work as it is a weak point of mine. It went a lot better than I expected it too and made me think of different ways of doing it and made me think of more possibilities with where I could have the zip on my garment. 

Speak soon guys. 

Meg x 

Why I Won't Be Using This Material | College

For my playsuit, I went to Leon's in Manchester to find a metallic, fairly light weight material. 
This was what I found  - a silky, tencil type of material. 

Whilst I was cutting my pattern from the fabric, the first issue I found was that the material was quite slippery. It wasn't too big of a problem, it just meant I used more pins to pin it into place and stop it from moving. 

I got my pattern cut out then went to sew my darts in on the industrial sewing machine. This is where a bigger problem occurred. The material was proving to be very difficult on the machine and snagged super easily. It was making it very hard to control the fabric and where the stitching was going at all times. 

After considering all the issues and being aware that this material would very easily/quickly fray I chose to abandon the fabric and go on the hunt for a new one. 

I found it very difficult to find a material that fit my design specification. I knew I needed a metallic fabric to tie in with my theme, I didn't want it to be a heavy material and wanted a pink or purple material (preferably but not essential). These are the reasons I chose this fabric to use. 

I am now currently in the process of looking for my new material that will be more sustainable and have a stronger feel to it. 

1st Brief and Getting Started

Hey guys,
Welcome to my first student diary post!
I've been back at college for a couple of weeks now and it's safe to say we have definitely hit the ground running.
On the first day back we all got given our first brief of this term.
In a nutshell we are to design an ethical capsule collection along with researching ethical designers and fabrics.
For this brief we have 5 and a half weeks to complete therefore we are only designing and researching.

My first port of call was to research ethical designers. So far I have done research into Stella McCartney, Lucy Tamman, Ioana Ciolacu, Martin Margiela and Peter Grant. They are all ethical designers and have ethical collections either online or in stores.
I then moved onto coming up with my two trends to use in my collection. I did plenty of research, coming up with the following trends either being in or coming in soon -
metallic, knitwear, sock boots, velvet, glitter boots, couch florals, fishnets, knee high boots, slip dresses and slogan teas/jumpers.
I have decided that my two trends will be metallic and florals for my collection.

Our tutor wanted us to do some research on slow fashion for the connection with ethical/sustainable fashion.
From doing this research I learnt that slow fashion doesn't contain the seasonal trends. The producers of slow fashion strive to maintain ecological, social and cultural diversity.

For now this is all I'm going to go over.
Be sure to hit the follow button to see my future posts and don't forget to go check out my social media's -
Instagram - megan_fleet
Instagram - meg_fleet
Facebook - Head To Toe Good To Go

Leave  a comment letting me know what you're studying at the moment.
Meg x

My New Series

Hey everyone,
It's already September! How did that even happen? The summer seems to have flown by this year and it is already time for me to go back to college on Monday. Absolutely crazy!

If you have been following me for a while, you may know that this will be my 2nd year of studying fashion design at college.
At the beginning of the summer I made the decision that for my final year I would make a student diary on here for you all to see what I get up to. And, if I'm completely honest, I thought it might be something cool for me to look back on in the future!
I'm not going to have a set schedule to when I will be posting diary updates as it all depends on when I have the time to do it (basically when I'm not buried under loads of work and am not having a nervous breakdown over what needs to be done!!)
I will be speaking about what projects we have been given, what work I am dong and adding in how I feel about specific parts of the work. It will be a super honest account of my final year in college.

I really hope you will all really like this new 'series' on my blog. It is something completely new to me but something I am pretty excited about.

Let me know what you are currently studying and what you think of it, in the comments.

As usual come say hey to me on all my social media's -
Instagram - megan_fleet
Twitter - meg_fleet
Facebook - Head To Toe Good To Go

Meg x

Target Customer DEVELOPED) | College Work

My target customer isn't rich, therefore she doesn't shop in designer retailers. The dress I am designing and creating will be a high end high street garment. She has been saving up for this dress for months to wear it whilst she is performing in the jazz bar.
She thinks the 50's style would fit in perfectly with the tone of the bar.


She went to stage school and is now waiting for her 'big break' She is not only singing in the jazz bar for money but also to have the experience and in hope that someone could walk into the bar who could help her get into the performing world for real.

She also works as a waitress in a restaurant - she usually sings in the jazz bar on her nights off from the restaurant.

She is a young American girl who is living in a rented apartment with two of her closest girl friends. She lives in the middle of a city and lives an hours train ride from her parents/childhood home.
She is an only child and grew up in a nice neighbourhood with her mother and father.

Her friends would describe her as fun and outgoing, likes to go on nights out with her girls, has a strong work ethic and loves to have fun.

My customer found the dress online and follows the brand on various social media platforms.
She went to a fashion event with her flatmate and saw the dress again - she took it as a sign that she had to have the 'dress of her dreams' and from then on set her mind on raising enough cash to buy the garment.

My Target Customer | College Wrok

My target customer is going to be a young American woman, possibly in her early 20's, who does some signing in a local jazz bar.

My customer is going to be a girl living in this era but loves designs from the 50's (however doesn't always feel she will fit in if she wear 50's style garments.) She loves singing and acting. For both money and experience she is currently singing in a local jazz bar a few nights a week, she loves the bar because it has old style features to it.

This is an image I found online, I am taking inspiration from this image for what my target customer could possibly look like.

Nuno felting | College work

This week I have been doing more samples to go in my sketchbook.
Felting is my absolute favourite out of all the samples I have tried so far. I love the process in making it and the way they turn out once they have dried.
It is a method that I can see myself using it in future projects.

I did some samples of nuno felting, and this is how they turned out!

For nuno felting I use exactly the same method as I do for wet felting., the only difference is I separated the wool tops even thinner.

I felt the samples came out well and the colours went nicely together.

These are going to go into my sketch book with an evaluation.

Felt samples | college work

Last week I did two felt samples. This is what the outcomes were:

This was the first sample I did which, to be honest, looking back on it, I really don't like the way I did it.

I started out by getting out the bamboo matts, the bubble wrap, three different pieces of wool, spray bottles filled with liquid soap, pieces of material to trap in between the wool.
I started off by separating the pieces of wool to make it much thinner.  
I put my first piece of wool down onto the bubble wrap then lay the material onto the wool and then added my next two wools down nicely on top.
I then sprayed the materials with the liquid soaps until it was completely covered and very wet. I placed the other piece of bubble wrap over it to cover the materials completely and started massaging it for about 10 minutes.
I then took the wool out of the bubble wrap, scrunched it up into a ball and threw it down onto the table, relatively hard, for a few minutes.
I then flattened the material out and placed it back between the bubble wrap pieces. I carried on massaging it for another 10 minutes then removed from the bubble wrap and left it to dry.

I didn't like the way this sample came out because it was too thick. I didn't separate the wool thin enough at the start of this process therefore it came out extremely thick, because of this it meant you couldn't see the pieces of material in-between very well.

This was my second sample which I was much happier with.
I used exactly the same method as I did for the previous felt sample.
This time I remembered to spread the wool extremely thin which made the felt much better (i.e. thinner) which means you can see the materials that are trapped much easier than in the first sample.
I used some more and different materials for this sample and thought they worked really well!

This is definitely a method I would use in future projects. I am considering using it in the accessory project. I may use the washaway technique and have the felt behind the wasahaway.

Photoshoot plan

This is the image I will be recreating in my photo shoot.
It is a portrait of the Duchess of La Salle by Tamara Lempicka, done in 1925 and is an art deco piece. 

I will be using Amy as my model. I will be taking in a black coat, Lisa will be taking black boots and Amy is going to take in black trousers and possibly a white shirt too.
To create the hair Amy's hair will be slicked back into a tight pony tail. I am going to take in a backcomb and some hairspray to make sure it's neat and all smoothed down.  I will also bring in eyeliner and a peach lipstick.

My plan is to use some props from the photography room to recreate the steps. If this doesn't go to plan I had a back up plan to use stage steps from the drama department. Using either prop, I will drape some red material down the middle of the steps.

I will use a dark background with lights both slightly behind my model and to the side of her.

Why I chose to make a change

Today's blog is a little different. I wanted to tell you guys why I  think change isn't something we should be so scared of.

At the end of 2015 I was nearing the end of my time in high school and getting closer to deciding what I wanted to do with my life after year 11.
I applied to 3 different places, all to do different courses. One was to do beauty therapy, one to do fashion design and the other to do A levels at the sixth form in the school I was already going to.

For so many different reasons I chose to stay on at the school I was already attending, to do A levels. It was somewhere that I knew everyone already and felt confident. I guess it was the safest option.
I wouldn't have to find out how I could get there, get used to new people and I guess a different lifestyle. It was a scary prospect to a 15 year old, to have to go out and meet new people with no one there to 'hold your hand.' For at least the first day you're pretty much on your own, until you manage to meet the other people on your course and find out that they are just as terrified as you are!

So, I stayed and did A levels, At first it was good. I was surrounded by good people in a place I had chosen to be. I thought I was happy there, which I was at first, but it wore off. Work got on top of me and it all suddenly felt very wrong, like I shouldn't be there at all. The subjects weren't right for me, they weren't what I wanted to be doing. It all suddenly felt like one big mess.
Near the beginning of 2016 I decided to get back in touch with one of the colleges I'd applied to back in 2015 to do fashion design and they gave me a place on the course.
I was super excited to be finally doing something I love doing and something I knew I was good at! Of course, over the summer I had the odd wobble thinking 'Am I actually good at this?' 'Will I really be able to do it?' 'What if I mess this up?' but overall I was so happy about starting a new chapter in my life!

As some of you may already know, I didn't have the best of starts as I ended up in hospital the night before I was supposed to start college.
After a rough couple of weeks I finally managed to start my new college course and meet me new piers, and do you know what? It couldn't have gone any better! I have brilliant teachers who are so supportive, amazing people on the course who I am now so happy to be able to call my friends.

Looking back, I don't regret starting A levels, as that extra year for sure gave me that bit more confidence that I needed to make the change much easier. I look back on it as a year of some damn good experience!
Changing places was the best decision I could have made. Of course I look back on my time in sixth form, sometimes I miss it, I miss the people, but I look back on it with happy memories and knowing I've moved to the right place for me.

I wanted to write this post, not only for myself, but to be able to go over all the change, but also to tell you not to always make a decision based on your nerves. Sometimes nerves can be a good thing and shouldn't stand in the way of what you want out of life but also, don't beat yourself up if you haven't taken the right path. Do whatever you can to get on the path you want to be on.

Thanks for reading guys!
Meg x

Fashion shoot analysis - college work

This shoot is filled with dark colours, maybe to make it more dramatic. They have used a wind machine to add more affect (more drama) to the picture.

The shoot is made simple by not using any props. It is so simple yet still affective. The darkness and the use of the wind machine makes it look big and bold which is why I like the shoot so much.
I think the shoot comes across as quite empowering because of the boldness and strong stance of the model.

As this is women's fashion it is obviously aimed at women and because of the style of the dress it looks like it is aimed at younger women.