Patternmaking

This is my Patternmaking ensemble. At this point in my college career, I was no longer following commercial patterns, and instead using sloper adjustments to create my own unique patterns based on my design sketches, as well as doing fittings on mockups to ensure a perfectly tailored fit.

This is my inspiration sketch for my ensemble. We were required to make a multiple piece ensemble that contained either sleeves or a collar, one visible print, and a functional closure on each piece.

My inspiration for this ensemble mostly stemmed from my desire to make a trench coat for myself. I thought that making something as technical as a trench coat would be a good test of my abilities, and the dress was an indirect benefit of wanting to make something like this. If I were to do it differently, I would likely have chosen to do either the coat or the dress, as making two full-body items from scratch every week was a lot to handle.

My dress is made of a black sueded faille, black chiffon, and red chiffon. It has a button loop closure in the back of the bodice and an invisible zipper closure in the back of the skirt, a plunge neck in the front, and faux boning channels throughout the bodice. The skirt is a gathered handkerchief, and the waistline is intended to be a Basque waist, although I don't like how it turned out, and I wish it was more dramatic.

If I were to make this project again, I would simply give myself more time to complete it. As I was busy focusing on the possibility of making a bustier, I didn't give myself enough time to do this dress justice, and it ended up being subpar by my standards.

My coat is made entirely of a black twill, with the inside being lined fully with a red jacquard. It is finished with welt seams, to add to the industrial appearance, and has a tie closure on the waist. the sleeves are set in, and the bodice has full front and back princess seams. There is also a single box pleat in the center back of the skirt, to give extra fullness and volume to the skirt. The collar is a standard notch collar, with the stand collar near the neck sewn on separately.

If I were to do this project differently, I would have left a bit more ease in the chest. It does fit and close appropriately, but I wish I had made it more oversized and comfortable as opposed to purely aesthetic.