gnashers

i created 2 commercials for my garments and they are the links down below.

https://youtu.be/ftB6Hu2SJO0

https://youtu.be/6MsU8SwpUw4

the link below will take you to the photoshoot pictures.

https://pin.it/5enWyzB

after completing design experimentation i begun laying out my design boards.

FINAL DESIGN BOARDS

i used designing as media experimentation which slowed me to figure out a style, so i took this forward and experimented more.

below are some process videos and photos of facial development, i have been experimenting a lot with faces, as faces are usually something i avoid. so i used various methods to help with the experimentation

my general mood features primary imagery from through my project, as well as images that i thought related, my customer and some of my work.

i created these mood boards to help me with my photoshoot, they both feature the same things although one of them is digital one in my sketchbook

HANDMADE PROPS

1. to make my photoshoot, i wanted to have some props, and i had some ideas so i wanted to make them come to life. my first concept was to have a canvas that had teeth around the edge of a cut out so i could film and take pictures in between the cut outs, this is one of my favourite things i’ve made, i think it is successful.

2. the second concept was a denim ‘mood board’ that i wanted to photograph alongside my garments, this i don’t like as much however it is a successful way of using the scraps i can’t use.

3. the final prop was my first idea, i wanted to create earrings that were teeth, i have a habit of making earrings for photoshoots when i have spare time, so i used some fake teeth from amazon and stuck two together with an earring piece.

*Since this is an upcycling project, sometimes the process and order of the project isn’t correct, however I went with the flow od creating, and learned a lot by doing this*

Construction of the skirt

1.        Sew all panels of the skirt right sides together, overclock each seam, then use a double threaded machine to topstitch the seams.

2.       However, don’t sew up the centre fronts, instead overclock each side. 

3.       To sew the fly, firstly overclock one outer edge of one fly piece, the one that faces right sides together on the right side of the skirt.

4.      Next overclock the two other fly pattern pieces wrong sides together all the way around, so at curve, straight edge and top.

5.       Attach the single J to right side at centre front, leave 1.5cm at bottom unsewn.

6.      Pin zip to double J on straight edge and sew.

7.       Snip into the bottom of the 1.5cm seam then do a retaining stitch up to that snip.

8.      Use the right as a guide to snip into the left side of the garment at the same point.

9.      Right sides together sew up the two centre fronts with 1.5 cm seam allowance

10.    Sew one of the J’s to other side of zipper 

11.      Topstitch on a J shape to secure zipper down.

12.     Once fly is complete snip into seam and topstitch either side to make an open seam

13.     Put bias binding to finish off the waistline and prevent from fraying

14.    Figure out the waistband placement and topstitch relevant pieces in place.

15.     Since the skirt is constructed add a hook and eye to the front to secure the zipper and fly front.

16.    Place the skirt on a dress form and work out here you would like to have the slit be, then cut out the shape.

17.     Using free machine embroidery add the stitching where it is desired.

18.    Use the cut out as a template to make a facing, then interface the facing.

19.    Sew the facing on right sides together with 1cm seam allowance, trim the seam allowance by half, then do a retaining stitch to keep the seam inside.

20.   Overlock the bottom of the skirt with facing folded flat out.

21.     Now fold the facing back inward, and place right sides together with the bottom of the skirt and sew with 1cm seam allowance, turn this right sides out, and iron down, this should help with hemming.

22.   Iron the hem and topstitch in place

23.   Using the cut-out as a guideline for the size of the teeth, create the patterns and cut out 2 of each in a thick mesh from the wedding dress. And use the domestic sewing machine to do a zig zag stitch on each outer edge of every tooth.

24.   Topstitch each tooth in place using the industrial sewing machine

25.   Do one final press and cut any loose threads. 

Constructing the dress

1.        Once the pattern pieces have been cut out, mark all darts. Sew all darts right sides together. This is not double layered so you will have to just sew 2x the darts than usual.

2.       Next iron all darts to back, however due to the delicate fabric, use a protective layer between the iron and fabric.

3.       Cut any excess thread as at this point, they may be encased in the garment.

4.      Get the two left centre backs and place them wrong sides together and do a stay stitch (use a long stitch with little seam allowance) around all the edge of the pattern piece. This will hold the two pieces together, do this for the front and right back.

5.       Sew the two backs wrong sides together to the front at the shoulder and side seam. Trim the seam allowance by half

6.      Iron the seam allowance apart, then fold the fabric right sides together and sew. This is creating a French seam. Since the fabric is sheer, it gives a better finish as well as being more durable since it is also delicate.

7.       Fold the centre backs in by 1cm and iron in place, take the zipper from the wedding dress, and topstitch onto the garment with a zipper foot.

8.      Use the dress as a base, the get some calico and drape your design on top, cut these pattern pieces out of denim.

9.      Using the pattern pieces, do free machine embroidered teeth into the holes and save them for later.

10.    Overlock all centre fronts of pattern pieces, then sew right sides together with 1cm seam allowance, iron the seam open and topstitch each side using double threaded machine.

11.      Iron 1cm of each denim piece in and be careful around curves.

12.     Go back on the mannequin and pin these pattern pieces in place, making sure to insert the free machine embroidered teeth in the gaps, and make sure none of the fabric is puckered.

13.     Topstitch using a double threaded industrial sewing machine, go in a nice uniform order to keep neat. 

14.    Once all pieces have been sewn on, place the dress on the mannequin or a body and decide how you want to finish the neckline sleeves and hem.

15.     I ended up altering the sleeve shoulder point slightly, as well as cutting out the neckline to show the collar bone. Then I sewed bias binding onto all these edges. To do this I opened up the binding and sewed onto the inside of the garment right on the fold, then I folded over the binding to the right side and topstitched in place.

16.    Finally press the garment and cut off any excess thread.

Constructing the top

1.        This top I made quickly and very experimental. To begin with I took a waistband and pinned it on the mannequin.

2.       I took the thick seams on the inner leg of the jeans and used them as straps and detailing

3.       I also took the back yolk of a jean and used this to help the shape and fit.

4.      Once I had got all of the denim pieces, I pinned them in a flattering fit, I took inspiration from my design however it wasn’t fully copied, I went with the flow of the garment

5.       I then used the mesh from my wedding dress and created teeth, that has a zig zag stitch on the edge. I used these teeth as covers for the chest area, therefore strategically placed them.

6.      When I had got the shape, I used the industrial sewing machine to topstitch everything in place, for the majority of the design I used a double threaded machine.

7.       I fitted the top to my model and sewed on buttons in the right place, using the buttonholes as a template.

once i had finished the skirt and dress i had extra time, so i thought i would make a top to go with the skirt for the photoshoot, so i used one of my designs as a basis and developed it as i went along.

once i had decided where the slit would be, i used free machine embroidery to add detailing inspired by the veins in the lip.

after adding all the free machine embroidery i created a facing using the slit as a template, i interfaces the facing to add more structure, then i sewed no it right sides together to the skirt, cut half the seam allowance, did a retaining stitch, and it was complete, to secure it down i added a few topstitches so it wouldn’t come unfolded.

using the slit as a template i decided where i wanted to put the teeth and did templates. and then i sewed the teeth individually.

since i had finished the dress, i begun on the skirt. the first thing i did was create a toile, i used a basic bodice skirt block, and created dart manipulation to make princess seams, i did this because it meant i could lay out my fabric in a more effective way, since this was an upcycling project fabric options are more limited, so doing the pattern pieces like this made more sense.

i created my toile and unfortunately i have no photos, however i marked on my toile where i wanted the waistband to sit, and i knew i wanted a very low waist to accommodate for the details on the top section of the dress, so the first image below shows what i cut off from the toile.

after i had got that piece i traced the shape onto the final pattern piece, which got the waist how i wanted.

i then constructed the garment, did all the topstitching, and outer details. and then i decided and marked where i wanted my slit to be. i played around with the slot a few times as i didn’t know how wide i wanted it to be.

the next posts will show the next steps.

after completing all the pattern pieces for the dress, i begun cutting them out in denim, i did have to sew a few pieces together in the middle so i could utalise my fabric effectively, but i still like the look of it.

to begin with i created free machine embroidery teeth, i used the shapes from my pattern pieces to determine how big they were going to be, on my final garment some of them are smaller than i would have liked and some are slightly too big but i don’t mind the look of it.

i then pinned all the pieces onto the mannequin how i liked and topstitched them in place using a double threaded machine in a contracting stitch colour of red.

finally i decided to finish off the edges with bias binding, i did a try on and didn’t like the neckline so i thought this was the best idea.

after finishing the base layer for my dress i wanted to work on adding on top of it. i initially used paper to try and create the pattern pieces, i did this by pinning the paper on the stand, on top of my mesh dress then drawing the shape i wanted.

however i found this to be very difficult, i wasn’t getting anywhere because the paper kept slipping and ripping. so i decided to use calico instead, which was much easier. i used the calico as the pattern pieces for the denim as well.

to begin my final design, i have created this mesh dress that will be a base layer for my garment, this fabric is from the fabric i had in my wedding dress, i decided for for stability, structure and it being less transparent i would double layer it, so that is what i did, like i said this will be a base so building block into the finished garment.

my final design is below. the top section is impaired by shapes that my cousins can make with her tongue. then i between the holes i will make some free machine embroidered teeth. the base will be mesh and i want the back to be completely open and see trough. the skirt is based on a design i had done. i really liked it and wanted to make it, but with a different top. i know this design mignt change and evolve however i think that is all part of the process.

this page features different designs i created as my final design but maybe rejected or wanted to experiment with shape more. the bottom right was actually going to be my final design, however i completed some samples, the last picture, and i hated it, so i changed my mind last minute and the final design will follow this post.