CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION
Advanced Clothing Construction
The bulk of my advanced clothing construction class was spent focusing on fitting techniques and the principles of ease, grain, line, and balance. We cut out and sewed together fitting shells and, in partnerships, learned how to fit different body abnormalities such as forward rolling and sloping shoulders, assymetrical body, sway back, etc. I was then able to apply this knowledge when creating a personally fitted pattern of my body and in constructing perfectly fitted garments for myself.
 This image is from a fitting I conducted in which I corrected for a sway back |  This fitting shell is corrected for forward-rolling shoulders |
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 This fitting shell is corrected for a very narrow back |  Front of my jacket, cut from a retail pattern. I used the measurements from my fitting shell to alter the pattern, and conducted multiple fittings to ensure its fit |
 I created this skirt by patterning it from my fitting shell |  Back image of my jacket; I added the bow detail to the retail pattern |
 I sewed this knit jacket from a retail pattern using techniques for knit clothing construction |  I made this tailored men's dress shirt for my husband and fit it to his body |
 I made this dress from a retail pattern, but altered the top to fit my square shoulders perfectly |
Tailoring
For my tailoring class, my directive for the semester was to construct a 100% wool jacket using hand-tailoring techniques. Using such tailoring techniques as welt pockets, bound buttonholes, hair canvas, pad stitching, and floating chest pieces, I put over one hundred hours of work into my jacket over the course of three months. My favorite, and the most time consuming part of the process was pad stitching. When pad sitiching, you use many rows of small hand stitches in order to create a natural curve to the collar and lapels. You can see this step as well as the rest of these techniques chronicled below.
Picture of inside structure of jacket
Close-up view of pad stitching on inside of lapel
Close-up of bound button hole; whip stitched close so it wouldn't warp during further construction processes
Back side of bound button hole
Completed 100% wool hand-tailored jacket
Pad stitching on collar and back stay
Close-up view of pad stitching on collar
Inside view of front right panel. Shows hair canvas, grosgrain ribbon to keep pocket from sagging, and floating chest piece
Fitting jacket on self to ensure proper fit