Laser Cutting

After finalising my pattern on Adobe Illustrator I sourced a laser cutting company in Dalston where I could make a few samples and see how the laser cutting would work with my pattern on my fabrics.

I was sadly disappointed with the results as I found that all the fabrics I had chosen were too delicate or loosely woven to use with the laser cutter and intricacy of my design.
I refused to waste the time and effort I had put into this and decided to cut an A2 piece of cartridge paper.

This took about an hour to cut as the machine was quite slow according to the technician, and the design was very detailed.

Pattern Development

For the pattern aspect of my project I looked through the material and research I had collected in Marrakech and looked for a motif i could repeat and laser cut for the top layer of my garment. 

The piece that i thought would work best was this drawing of a ceiling window i had seen in an old building as i could turn it into a crisp tile effect and have a strong repeat. 

I could not use it in the original way i drew it and had to go through a few stages to get it right on illustrator and photoshop to be able to laser cut. 

After a few attempts and some serious concentration and thoughts on how it would cut out, i managed to create a repeat pattern i thought i could use with the laser cutter and the silk chiffon i had bought and stained. 

Below are the stages... 

First stage - sketchbook

second stage - development 

Third stage - development 

Fourth stage - development 

Final Motif 

Final Repeat 

Tea Staining

I have decided to tea stain all my fabrics to give a nice, natural looking colour that gives a mood of Marrakech.
It is a really cheap and easy method and also gives the rugged look I am trying to create.
I thought about the different colours using various herbal teas but decided to go with the good old english breakfast for an orangey/brown almost terracotta shade.

Obviously the different fabrics would take the stain in differently and would each have a different tone.
I want this as i want the layers to be subtle but noticeable.


I used about 15 tea bags in a bucket of hot water, let it soak for about 5 minutes to let it brew.

Then slowly started pushing the fabric into the water with my hands and a wooden spoon making sure all surfaces were covered in the tea. 

I left the fabric soaking in the tea for about 10 minutes and kept moving it about to make sure all areas are dying. 

Before I took the fabric out to hang to dry, I made sure the full length of the fabric had no white marks and was fully covered. 

                                     

                                      


I did this process with all of my fabrics each of them came out in perfectly.
i really liked the effect i got on the scrim, as the edges pull together and created a really nice curl.

I was really, really happy with the results of the tea staining. The silk chiffon came out as a really soft, orangey tinge. The tea made it seem a little less transparent but i was still happy. 

My Fabric Selection

I went to Rolls and Rems on Seven Sisters Road to choose and buy my fabrics for my final garment. After reading up on different fabrics and textures and putting it together with my ideas i had an idea of what i wanted.
When i got there I especially looked out for certain loose weave textures and natural colours, although i wasn't closed set on exactly what fabric to choose as i had not yet felt them.

Once I was there I found some amazing things at really good prices.
I got 4 meters of a creamy coloured Muslin, which was about £2 a meter which i thought would be really soft and easy to drape and still be sheer enough to layer and print.

I then found some scrim and bought 4 meters of this too for about £3 a meter. I got this in an unbleached, natural colour. It has a looser weave than the Muslin and is therefore more transparent. It it still soft but a little stiffer and easier to mould. I love the ruggedness of this fabric and the way the edges curl as i think this will look good once layered. 

For the top layer i decided to go for something a little finer and softer that had an element of luxury. 

I was going to print over it to bring back the ruggedness but still wanted something more elaborate. 

After some digging about i found a small roll of Silk Chiffon. i got 3 meters for £14 a meter. 

Although it was quite expensive i thought it was worth it and would give a really nice feel to the garment. This was also a creamy, light almost natural colour that i knew i could dye or stain. 

The winner of the day was this fabric the really helpful man at Rolls and Rems brought out for me. He was really excited about my selection of fabrics and my project so he told me he had a really special fabric and only one roll was brought in. 

Im not even sure what it it called but its really different and can  be pulled apart and pulled back together. 

It is quite heavy so i knew it would drape perfectly and  be great for a hood so i was over the moon. 

he then told me that he ordered the role through someone who supplied Vivienne Westwood and it was the last one as all the other rolls had been died grey for one of her new collections. 

I HAD to have it. 

I bought 4 meters for about £3 a meter.

Fabric Research

For my FMP I have been looking at soft, sheer and loose fabrics that i can layer, pull and drape.
I started by looking through books and reading descriptions to see what I liked.
Below are some of the fabrics I thought would work with my designs.

Cambric 

Cambric is a lightweight, firm, closely woven plain weave fabric traditionally made from cotton. usually given  a finish that stiffens it. 

It originated in France and was made from linen but it is now made from good quality cotton. 

Uses - Children's clothing, nightwear, dresses, blouses, aprons bed linen. 

Chiffon

A plain weave, soft transparent, flimsy, sheer fabric. Probably the finest and and most lightweight of woven fabrics although it is still strong and has very good handle and drape. 

Originally it was woven in silk but now it may be woven in nylon, viscose, cotton, polyester or wool. 

Silk Chiffon is the softest form of chiffon.

Uses - Lingerie, nightwear, scarves, blouses, dresses, bridal wear and evening wear. 

Mousseline

A general term for most fine, semi-opaue plain weave fabrics that are of better quality than Muslin, made from silk, wool, cotton or man-made fibre. 

Silk mousseline is made from from good quality highly twisted yarns, but imitated with man made fibres. 

Uses - evening dresses, formal dresses, blouses, scarves, ribbons and millinery. 

Muslin

A generic word for fine, soft, lightweight woven fabric made from cotton. There are many different qualities from sheer open-set fabrics to semi-sheer fabrics. 

Muslin is  traditionally made from cotton. 

Uses - dresses, scarves, blouses, shirts, bookbinding, household fabric and packing material. 

   Organdie 

A very fine, thin, lightweight woven fabric made from cotton yarns. It is a sheer fabric that gets a finishing treatment to give it a crisp handle. The best Organdie have a wiry handle. It is the finest cotton fabric made and is prone to creasing. 

Uses- dresses, blouses, scarves, evening dresses, bridal wear, millinery, curtains and as a stiffening fabric in collars cuffs etc. 

Organza  

A thin, fine, lightweight fabric similar to organdie except it is usually made from silk or man-made yarns rather than cotton. It is a stiff but sheer fabric and creases easily. 

Uses - evening wear, bridal wear, dresses, blouses, lingerie, scarves, millinery, panels and trims. 

Peau De Cygne 

A light to medium weight woven crepe fabric that has a shine and a soft crinkled texture, the name in french is 'swan skin'. It is woven with soft silk yarns in satin weave construction. it is soft, luxurious and has very good drape.

Uses - lingerie, evening wear, dresses and gowns. 

Laser Cutting Research

I am currently looking at Laser Cutting within fashion design as I am planning to use this as a main point of detail for my Final Major Project.

I am still just looking around and seeing what is out there in terms of techniques and shapes and have literally just started working with Adobe Illustrator to try  get my designs in a Vector format.

Below are a few images i found interesting.







 

Negarin



Alice Temperly A/W 2012




Crystal Macfarlane





Eddie Gav




Qasimi Homme





Designer Research

I have started looking at some designers and collections that I can relate my project to. Here are a few garments I found inspiring and useful for my FMP in terms of colour, shape and fabric.

Most of the below garments are  from 2009 Spring/Summer collections in multiple Fashion weeks.

I am mainly looking at the draping of fabric and the soft yet dramatic movement in the garments.

Diane Von Furstenberg

Lacoste

                               

                                       Peter Som

Peter Som

Paul Smith

Feretti

Etro

Donna Karen

McQueen

Max Mara 

Proenza Scouler

Terexov

 

                           

                                Dries Van Noten