intro

fashion and textiles is a subject that generally looks into the production of clothes, furniture and accessories

people need clothes for; protection from the weather, psychological needs(self esteem), identity (eg school/work uniforms)

a garment is a piece of clothing

an outfit is a set of clothing worn by a person

examples of good grooming include, clean clothes, ironed clothes, bending down correctly,etc

safety precautions

safe working conditions include, adequate ventilation, lighting, safe storage of tools, fire precautions, provision of first aid equipment.

1. you should not cut threads with your teeth because you could cut your lips or gums

2. should not put pins and needles in your mouth or on pieces of clothing because you might swallow or hurt yourself

3. you should keep the floors dry because you may slip and hurt yourself

4. always switch and iron off after use to prevent fires and burns

5. do not overload an adapter to prevent electric shock

scissors

1. dressmakers shears are made up of stainless steel and handles can be plastic. they have a 12-20cm long blade and have a screw to hold these blades together. they are used for cutting out fabric

2. trimming scissors are also made up of stainless steel and are used for trimming turnings and clipping threads.

3. pinking shears have zig zag blades that are used for neatening raw edges and for cutting trimmings

4. embroidery scissors are small scissors with sharp points used for cutting embroidery threads.

5. buttonhole scissors are small scissors used for cutting buttonholes.

equipment

a tracing wheel is a wheel used to transfer pattern markings.it is useful for drafting and altering patterns

carbon paper is used together with a tracing wheel to transfer pattern markings onto fabric for cutting out.

sewing machines

there are 3 types of sewing machines, electric, hand and treadle

hand sewing machine- turn the balance wheel by turning the handle of the machine by hand

electric sewing machine- connect to electricity by pushing plug into a socket. it is driven by a knee or foot pedal.

treadle machine- turn the balance wheel by pedaling with the feet in a see-saw pattern.

stitches

rules for working stitches:-

• chose the correct stitch for the work to be carried out

• use the correct needle and thread for work to be carried out

• fasten on and off securely

• work one stitch at a time

• never use a know for fastening one

there are two types of stitches, temporary and permanent.

temporary stitches

worked using cheap tacking thread

removed once purpose has been served

examples of these stitches include, even tacking, long short tacking, diagonal tacking, tailors tacks, tailors tacking.

permanent stitches

hold the garment pieces together before machine stitching

to transfer pattern markings.

they are divided into 3 groups ( joining stitches, neatening stitches, decorative stitches)

examples of joining stitches include backstitch, running stitch, , machine lock stitch

examples of neatening stitches include, loop stitch, zig zag stitch, overcasting, overlocking

examples of decorative stitches include chain stitch and stem stitch.

body measurements

body measurements are important so you are able to purchase the correct size and to enable you to know your size when buying patterns

methods

bust- place the tape around the fullest part across the back and take a close measurement

waist- place tape around natural waist

hips- place tape measure around fullest part of seat

back width- at halfway down the armhole, measure across back

shoulder to waist- place tape from the shoulder to the neck over the best to the natural waist.

patterns

there are two types of patterns. drafted and commercial.

drafted patterns

these are patterns that are made from home

advantages of drafted patterns include:

• they are economical

• they fit better since body measurements were taken

• it allows creativity

disadvantages of drafted patterns include:

• it is time consuming

• not everyone is able to make them/you need experience to make them.

• there is no instruction sheet__rules for working stitches:-__

  • chose the correct stitch for the work to be carried out

  • use the correct needle and thread for work to be carried out

  • fasten on and off securely

  • work one stitch at a time

  • never use a know for fastening one

commercial patterns

these are ready made patterns

“standard” body measurements are used

they are made for well proportioned figures

can be found in many different sizes

brands that make commercial patterns are:

• McCalls

• simplicity

• butterick

• burda

• see and sew

• sew easy

• vogue

• style

advantages of commercial patterns include:

• save time

• well made

• come with instructions

disadvantages of commercial patterns include:

• money is required

• not easily available

• limit creativity

advantages of multi sized patterns include:

• can be used for more than one individual

• suitable for people with figure irregularities

disadvantages of multi sized patterns include:

• many lines may be confusing

• time consuming

• if the smaller size is cutout first, the other sizes go to waste

what is shown at the front of the pattern envelope? there is the front view of the garment, the pattern number, pattern size and the pattern name.

what is shown on the back of the envelope? it shows the back view of the garment, number of pattern pieces, suggested fabrics, body measurements, pattern number

what are the contents of a pattern envelope? there is the pattern itself and the instruction sheet