Garment detail samples

Below are samples from my garment detail file that I cut from clothes.

Samples of a polo neck colour and a button up fly from a pair of jeans. 

 Samples of a front and back pocket from a pair of jeans.

A breast pocket and buttons and placket from a denim shirt

A denim shirt collar with stud detailing

Samples from my Fabric File

All of these samples except for the pin stripe suiting fabrics are the fabrics that I bought from Paris. The suiting fabrics are wool/cashmere blends and from Richard James, Savile Row and  Maxon Huddersfield.

Couture fabric samples in Montmartre, Paris

Wondering around Montmartre looking for fabric shops, my friends and I stumbled upon a shop that was selling couture fabric coupons such as Chanel and real leather and sheepskin samples. We especially liked a sheepskin sample which is pictured above. The sample was 35 euros but due to disagreements and not enough of us wanting to contribute towards to the cost we decided to leave it as 2 of us alone didn't want to spend the amount of money.

Fabrics in Reine, Paris

Here are some photos I took inside Reine of some fabrics that I felt were worth photographing.

 I loved the vast range of prints that Reine sell. They're colourful and include floral, paint splatters and many more.

 I found these gorgeous sheer fabrics with embroidery flower details on them

They have a huge range of hand painted buttons that I thought were rather beautiful.

Black straight leg linen trousers

 Pattern laid running parallel with the grain line on the linen fabric

 Pinning front to back

Waistband pattern and being pinned onto trousers

Fabric: black linen
Price: £4.99 per metre
Stockist: Mermaid Fabrics

Fabric shopping in Hackney

They have a huge selection of fabrics from garish costume fabrics to delicate and elegant satins and lace, taking up every inch of the shop hidden at the end of Ridley Road Market.

Mermaid Fabrics has a wide selection including fabrics suitable for tailoring. They're prices are very reasonable too.

Samples for my garment detail file

These are samples that I've made to put into my garment detail file. They are techniques and ideas that could be an important detail on a garment.

Above, I have sewed a circle into a circle.

 Here I've done the same technique but using a square instead of a circle.

This is an example of a right angle or corner seam.

Green PVC scollop edge skirt

A very difficult fabric to work with on the sewing machine. I had to use a Teflon foot so that the fabric would slide through the machine.

As it's a difficult fabric to work with, I decided to simple cut out a long rectangle length of the material, scollop the whole length of one edge (the hem) and then gather up the other edge (the waist). I then measured my models waist and cut the material down to size to fit her. I then sewed a black chunky zip on the top of the fabric on the seam and had it so that it was on the centre back. I thought it would make a good decorative feature.

 The finished garment on my model.

Fabric: green PVC

Cost: £2.99 per metre

Stockist: Hackney, Mermaid Fabrics

Fabric characteristics and properties

The following list provides the important characteristic and major end uses of natural and man-made fibres used in apparel and home fashion.

ACETATE
Cellulosic-based, from wood pulp or cotton linters

Characteristics: Luxurious appearance Crisp or soft hand Wide range of colours; dyes and prints well Excellent drape ability and softness Shrink, moth, and mildew resistant Low moisture absorbency, relatively fast drying No pilling problem, little static problem Most acetate garments require dry-cleaning.

Major End Uses: Apparel- Blouses, dresses, linings, special occasion apparel, Home Fashion - Draperies, upholstery, curtains, bedspreads

ACRYLIC
Man-made

Characteristics: Light-weight, soft, warm for winter wearing Fine, soft, lightweight, cotton-like fabrics, which are cool in hot weather Dyes to bright colours with excellent fastness Outstanding wick ability Machine washable, quick drying Resilient; retains shape; resists shrinkage and wrinkles. Flexible aesthetics for wool-like, cotton-like or blended appearance Excellent pleat retention Resistant to moths, oil and chemicals Superior resistance to sunlight degradation Static and pilling can be a problem

Major End Uses: Apparel - sweaters, socks, fleece, circular knit apparel, sportswear, children's wear Home Fashion - Blankets, throws, upholstery, awnings, outdoor furniture, rugs/floor coverings

COTTON
Natural, Cellulosic

Characteristics: Comfortable Soft hand Absorbent Good colour retention, prints well Machine-washable, dry-cleanable Good strength Drapes well Easy to handle and sew

Major End Uses: Apparel - Wide range of wearing apparel: blouses, shirts, dresses, children's wear, activewear, separates, swimwear, suits, jackets, skirts, pants, sweaters, hosiery, neckwear. Home Fashion - curtains, draperies, bedspreads, comforters, throws, sheets, towels, table cloths, table mats, napkins.

LINEN Natural, Made from flax, a vegetable fibre

Characteristics: Comfortable Good strength, twice as strong as cotton Hand-washable or dry-cleanable Crisp hand Tailors well Absorbent Dyes and prints well Lightweight to heavyweight No static or pilling problems Fair abrasion resistant

Major End Uses: Apparel - dresses, suits, separates, skirts, jackets, pants, blouses, shirts, children's wear. Home Fashion - curtains, draperies, upholstery, bedspreads, table linens, sheets, dish towels.

LYOCELL
Man-made, cellulosic-based

Characteristics: Excellent strength Washable Shrink- and wrinkle-resistant Soft hand Excellent drape Absorbent Dyes and prints well

Major End Uses: Apparel - dresses, suits, sportswear, pants, jackets, blouses, skirts.

MICROFIBRES Man-made: available in acrylic, nylon, polyester and rayon.

Characteristics: Ultra fine (less than 1.0 dpf), finer than the most delicate silk Extremely drapable Very soft, luxurious hand with a silken or suede touch Washable, dry cleanable Shrink-resistant High strength (except Rayon) Excellent pleat retention Insulates well against wind, rain and cold

Major End Uses: Apparel - hosiery, blouses, dresses, separates, sportswear, ties, scarves, men's wear, intimate apparel, activewear, swimwear, outerwear, rainwear. Home Fashion - curtains, draperies, upholstery, sheets, towels, blankets.

MOHAIR

Natural, from angora goats

Characteristics: Long, lustrous, strong fibre Luxurious Soft hand Most resilient natural textile fibre Lightweight, warms, good insulator Dyes well, brilliant colours Non-crush, -mat and -pill qualities. Resists fading

Major End Uses: Apparel - coats, suits, dresses, sweaters, accessories, loungewear, socks. Home Fashion - blankets, throws, upholstery, draperies, carpets, rugs.

NYLON Man-made

Characteristics: Lightweight Exceptional strength Good drape ability Abrasion resistant Easy to wash Resists shrinkage and wrinkling resilient, pleat retentive Fast drying, low moisture absorbency. Can be pre-coloured or dyed in a wide range of colours Resistant to damage from oil and many chemicals Static and pilling can be a problem Poor resistance to continuous sunlight

Major End Uses: Apparel - swimwear, activewear, intimate apparel, foundation garments, hosiery, blouses, dresses, sportswear, pants, jackets, skirts, raincoats, ski and snow apparel, windbreakers, children's wear. Home Fashion - carpets, rugs, curtains, upholstery, draperies, bedspreads Other - Luggage, back packets, life vests, umbrellas, sleeping bags, tents.

POLYESTER
Man-made

Characteristics: Strong Crisp, soft hand Resistant to stretching and shrinkage Washable or dry-cleanable Quick drying Resilient, wrinkle resistant, excellent pleat retention (if heat set) Abrasion resistant to most chemicals Because of its low absorbency, stain removal can be a problem Static and pilling problems

Major End Uses: Apparel - essential every form of clothing, dresses, blouses, jackets, separates, sportswear, suits, shirts, pants, rainwear, lingerie, children's wear Home Fashion - curtains, draperies, floor coverings, fibre fill, upholstery, bedding.

POLYOLEFIN (OLEFIN) (OLEFIN) (OLEFIN)
Man-made

Characteristics: Lightweight, lightest fibre, it floats Strong Abrasion resistant, resilient Stain-, static-, sunlight-, and odour-resistant High insulation characteristics Resists deterioration from chemicals, mildew, perspiration, rot and weather Fast drying High wick ability. Colour fast, because colours are incorporated during fibre forming stage Spills can be readily wiped up Static and pilling can be a problem Ironing, washing and drying need to be done at low temperature Non-allergenic

Major End Uses: Apparel - activewear, sportswear, jeans, socks, underwear, lining fabrics. Home Fashion - indoor and outdoor carpets, carpet backing, upholstery, wall coverings, furniture and bedding construction fabrics.

RAYON
Man-made, cellulosic-based from wood pulp

Characteristics: Soft and comfortable Drapes well Highly absorbent Dyes and prints well No static, no pilling problems Fabric can shrink appreciably if washing dry clean only rayon Washable or dry cleanable. Read the label!

Major End Uses: Apparel - Blouses, dresses, jackets, lingerie, linings, millinery, slacks, sport shirts, sportswear, suits, ties, work clothes Home Fashion - bedspreads, blankets, curtains, draperies, sheets, slip covers, table cloths, upholstery.

SILK
Natural, animal fibre (silk worm)

Characteristics: Soft or crisp hand Luxurious Drapes and tailors well Thinnest of all natural fibres Dyes and prints well Hand-washable or dry-cleanable Little problem with static, no pilling problem Only fair abrasion resistance Poor resistance to prolonged exposure to sunlight

Major End Uses: Apparel - dresses, blouses, skirts, jackets, pants, pants, scarves, ties. Home Fashion - curtains, draperies, upholstery.

SPANDEX
Man-made

Characteristics: Lightweight Can be stretched over 500% without breaking Able to be stretched repetitively and still recover original length Abrasion resistant Stronger, more durable than rubber Soft, smooth and supple Resistant to body oils, perspiration, lotions or detergents No static or pilling problems

Major End Uses: Apparel - articles where stretch is desired: athletic apparel, bathing suits, foundation garments, ski pants, slacks, hosiery, socks, belts.

TRIACETATE
Man-made

Characteristics: Luxurious hand Excellent drape ability Resilient Excellent pleat retention Washable or dry-cleanable No pilling problem Can have static problem

Major End Uses: Apparel - dresses, skirts, sportswear, robes, particularly where pleat retention is important

WOOL
Natural, Animal fibre

Characteristics: Comfortable Luxurious, soft hand Versatile Lightweight Good insulator Washable Wrinkle-resistant Absorbent Easy to dye

Major End Uses: Apparel - sweaters, dresses, coats, suits, jackets, pants, skirts, children's wear, loungewear, blouses, shirts, hosiery, scarves. Home Fashion - carpets, draperies, upholstery, blankets.

Fabric shopping in Shepherds Bush, London

Take the Hammersmith & City line to Goldhawk Road station, descend onto the street, and in front of you, running up to Shepherd’s Bush Green is a clutch of fabric shops running along Goldhawk Road. It is not unusual to find the same fabrics at 3 or 4 times the price in the West End, so don’t hesitate to make the trip.

On the left you have A-one fabrics, which has a good range of dupion silks, tailoring cloth and printed cottons.   Next is Classic Textiles, my favourite.  You will find Liberty lawns, £16/m last time I was in there, denim and drill, and if you’re really lucky, designer remnants from the likes of Vivienne Westwood upstairs – all at reasonable prices.  Don’t overlook the basement, where all manner of good cloth resides.  Further along is a shop which specialises in fancy, printed fabrics; often silks, and a couple of stores which are stocked with African cloths.

A-Z. Toni, Fabricworld and UK textiles are all on the other side of the road, and offer various dresmaking fabrics, with some tailoring in A-Z and Fabricworld, which also has a lovely range of heavy, raw silks.

In the market you will find several purveyors of furnishing fabrics in railway arches, although these are a bit hit & miss.  Further into the market, as it branches to the left you will find more stalls of fabrics, some aimed at the East African market.


The downside to this as an sourcing area is that you rarely find the same fabric in a shop twice which can make it difficult to sample and go back. There is a very basic haberdashery stall in the market so it's unlikely that you'll be able to get everything you need from just the one stall. There is a great business opportunity here for a quality haberdasher

Fabric shopping in Soho, London

 As you can see from the map, the fabric shops are located in Soho in between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. They are all within close proximity of each other which makes fabric shopping a lot easier and quicker.


The Silk Society

London's leading fabric retailer to the theatre, film, fashion and interiors industries. Incredibly diverse range of fabrics although very pricey.

Kleins

Kleins is a haberdashery that sells everything you need and more. Since the haberdashery in John Lewis has taken such a downturn, this is the place to go to.

Broadwick Silks

Broadwick silks is owned by the same company as the Silk Society.

Berwick Street Cloth House

There are two cloth houses on Berwick Street, both sister shops.

Borovick fabrics

At the cheaper end of the spectrum and that goes for both price and quality. Be very selective in here.

Pink satin draped dress

When my group member bought this material I was not feeling very enthusiastic about making a dress out of fabric that I felt too garish to create a wearable dress.

I draped fabric on the mannequin until I was happy (or as happy as I could be) with the shape. I then made bias binding and sewed it around one of the arm holes. 

When I took my dress off my mannequin at home and took it to college it looked slightly different as I had moved it around. I preferred the way the neckline fell. 

The neckline is very high at the front. 

This is the finished dress after tacking bits in place.

Fabric: pink satin

Price: £4.00 per metre

Stockist: Shepherds Bush, A-Z Fabrics

Fabric Shopping in Montmartre, Paris

The majority of fabric shops I visited were in Montmartre, at the foot of the Sacre Coeur, mostly due to time constraints. When buying fabric in Paris, make sure you pay attention to the windows and doors as “vente en gros” means wholesale only, and they will not sell retail. Look for “vente en detail” when shopping as this means they are open for retail customers as well.  All of the shops I saw in Montmartre were “vente au detail” and the majority of the vendors spoke little English, which wasn't helpful for those more specific things.

One other thing to mention – and this is how I ended up buying almost all my fabric – is that there are lots of shops selling "coupons"– remnants. These are usually around three metres and are priced very cheaply. These shops are perfect if your French isn’t great or you’re self conscious about asking for fabric in the other big shops. The two biggest in Montmartre – Marché St. Pierre and Tissus Reine have their own small remnant shops packed to the brim with bargains.


Marché st. Pierre

The Marché st. Pierre is, without a doubt, one of the biggest and well stocked fabric stores I have ever been in. It is the one-stop for fabric in Paris.


Tissus Reine

Tissus Reine is just across the road from Marché st. Pierre. This is a fantastically huge fabric store.


Moline

Moline, dotted around Montmartre, is one brand – if you will – with a number of different shops under the same name. You’ll find these dotted all along rue d’Orsel and surrounds all selling different bits and pieces. Again, there is a “coupons” shop selling beautiful remnants. For those of you looking for chiffon, there seemed to be a plethora of varieties in here. Again, all very reasonably priced. The habedashers, just down the hill to the right of Marche St Pierre, sells an amazing array of buttons, ribbons and quilting fabrics.

If you wander around the backstreets around these two shops you will come across many other smaller fabric shops. If you’re after a bargain this is where you’ll find it. And if you have the patience and perseverance you’ll come away with a bargain.

Habedashers also have a fair amount of shops in the vicinity – I suppose it goes with the territory. The Marché st. Pierre has its own habedashers and there are numerous little crafting and wool shops around as well. All of them are worth a look.

Purple cotton A-line skirt

 My skirt pattern before and after closing the darts

 Pattern laid onto purple cotton fabric prior to cutting out

 Sewing side seam on skirt on industrial sewing machine

 I added a waist band onto my a-line skirt

My model wearing my finished garment.

Fabric: purple cotton
Cost: £3.99 per meter
Stockist: Toni Textiles, Shepherds Bush

My favourite films ever!

500 Days of Summer

Up

Lord of the Rings

Amelie

Pride & Prejudice

An Education

 

Despicable Me