Ensemble Projects

This is a collection of the clothes I've made in Apparel Construction I, Apparel Construction II, and independently. Before college, I made the occasional ensemble; Halloween costumes in particular were regular projects for me. Now, I make a point of sewing more clothing so I can continue to grow my skills and develop new skills as well. Most of these ensembles utilize a commercial sewing pattern for the construction, although I alter the patterns to fit the wearer.

This is the first ensemble I made in college. I used a Vogue pattern by designer Badgley Mischka and adjusted the bodice and skirt length for my measurements. It takes inspiration from 1950's fashion with the shape of the skirt and the notched collar neckline. It also has the fun detail of the tie front, which creates a plunge neckline. This dress was made from a 100% Polyester Sateen, and it is fully lined with antistatic lining. The hems on this dress are standard rolled hems, and the seams are finished with French seams. The lining itself was slipstitched by hand to the main body of the dress, and the lining was also slipstitched by hand around the invisible zipper back closure.

This is the second ensemble I made in college. I used a pattern by Simplicity and adjusted the bodice and skirt to my measurements. I also added inseam pockets using the pieces from my previous dress. It takes inspiration from early 19th century fashion with the pleated skirt and length of the dress. I personally took inspiration from Coco Chanel, and her infamous "little black dress" for my concept of this ensemble. I used a 100% Polyester sateen for this dress as well, and the bodice is fully lined with antistatic lining. I used both serged seams and French seams to finish the dress. This dress did require a lot of hand sewing by comparison. The hem is a wide hem sewn by hand with a blind stitch, and the lining was slipstitched onto the bodice completely by hand. I also hand adjusted the seams along the shoulders and armscyes after the construction was completed, as the fit ended up a bit looser than I had originally wanted. I do have a plan to remake this dress over the summer, knowing what I do now about clothing construction and pattern adjustments.