Week 7
- Tessa Wishart
- Aug 31, 2021
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 16, 2021
24th - 31st August
This period of time is heavily influenced by limitations of being in a level 4 National lockdown, which I expect to last for the entirety of the time period. The work is having to be pivoted and restructured, and I can't entirely be working in the format I'm used to, or work at the speeds I'd like to be working at.
Development of Denim Jacket Pattern
Resources I looked at:
Just as if I were to patternmake conventionally and start by understanding the pattern piece requirements and then begin working from blocks, as I'm developing zero waste patterns in new formats I'm finding it very beneficial to look at the different ways in which existing patterns are formatted. I looked at several here, as the formats and sleeves are all laid out differently, and then puzzled through which layout options would best apply to my own design.
Make/Use
McQuillan, H. (n.d.). Flat to Form. Make/Use. https://makeuse.nz/make/flat-to-form/
In this case, McQUillan's open-source zero waste pattern option (a coat was closest to a jacket for me) is entirely abstracted, and mostly made as a type shape with rotation in areas like sleeve and hem. The dimensions of the garment is also very dictated by the fabric width. This pattern style isn't the right style for me, as I really want to be able to define the shape of a conventional jacket.
Birgitta Helmerson
Helmerson, B. (n.d.). ZW Coat. Birgitta Helmerson. https://www.birgittahelmersson.com/collections/all/products/pdf-zero-waste-pattern-coat
As this is a paid pattern, the pattern layout wasn't expressly given, but I've drawn my understanding of it after observing the garment and viewing construction tutorials. The pattern follows a batwing style, in a kimono shape, and like McQuillan's pattern is very dictated by the width of the fabric. Again, this isn't enough shaping for me, as I'm wanting some level of definition in the cut, and also particularly wanting some defined shoulder seams.
Hereafter Studio
Waern, L. (n.d.). Zero Jacket. Hereafter Studio. https://www.hereafterstudio.co.uk/zerojacket
Patterns like this one from Hereafter Studio (a small lookbook and pattern database by Lollo Waern) tend to deviate only a little bit from conventional patterns. I knew that I wanted a shape quite like this, because I want to be able to use the denim to craft shaping and seam lines like that of a conventional denim jacket. This cut is quite linear and makes for a boxy shaped jacket, but I do really like how well the pattern is structured so as not to have very many tiny tricky offcut shapes around the neck and sleeve areas. One way she approaches this by adding an extra two panels in each side, which is able to be cut from the area under the sleeve.
ZWW (Zero Waste Wardrobe)
Jolkkonen, S. (n.d.). Collar Shirt/Kauluspaita. ZWW. https://www.zww.fi/kauluspaita
This pattern is also a particularly good one - it's for a collared shirt, which only really differs from a denim jacket by not having a waistband, different proportions and the lack of extra seams on the body like yokes and panels. Once again, I'm quite impresses at how well the pieces fit together with very few tiny excess scraps - but she has explained that some small square pattern scraps are used for functions like buttonhole reinforcement to reduce need for synthetic interfacing which is a clever waste management solution.
I did pay particular attention to the sleeves in this pattern - unlike the one piece, one seam sleeves in the pattern above, this is cut as a four panel sleeve with more seams, made up from the slope shapes, and convex and concave shapes. But both sleeve iterations are cut to be entirely symmetrical, which seems to work well as long as the fit is just slightly boxy and oversized.
My workings and Observations...
After looking at sleeves I moved to sketching on graph paper to see if I could redesign a symmetrical sleeve with seams down the front and back sides rather than underneath, and if I could format the sleeve based on having these seams so that the pattern pieces all interlocked together. The requirement of using denim is that it has a clear right side, so none of the pattern pieces could be turned onto the other side either. This little sketched showed that the way I wanted to format my sleeves worked really well.
I began this pattern by using a set of half scale (size 8-10) bodice blocks, and then scaling up whilst taking references of measurement from both full scale blocks, and some pattern pieces from a men's jacket in a larger size, given that I want the fit of the jacket to be quite oversized and relaxed, so that it might be styled over a dress to dress down the outfit. I developed the pattern pieces to have the seams of the yokes and vertical panels. I also ended up having to adjust the underarm seam to be moved towards the back of the jacket, to account for a greater width in the front due to the seams and front button placket margin of overlap.
Then, I began to develop the curves of the sleeves using both block and pattern measurements, and graphical paper. The curve of the sleeve had to be balanced, even and symmetrical, so that an opposite concave to convex pattern piece could be matched above it. The sleeves also had to be seamed down the sides, rather than in the underarm.
The two sections I'd developed, main body panels and sleeve pieces, fit well across the halved width of my final denim and toile denim fabrics: 146cm wide. I then worked to fit in the other pattern pieces, which I'd determined were far less vital in terms of correct grain direction. These extra pieces included the collar neck strip, sleeve cuffs, waistband, buckle tabs, front button placket facing, and pockets of varied sizes. The pockets in particular were cut from all of the bizarrely shaped pieces around the shoulders and armholes of the main body pieces. However, I managed to do quite a good job in making pattern pieces for one waist level pocket set into the panels, two front breast pockets with one pocket having a bagged out/lined pocket flap, and one tiny front pocket crafted from two particularly difficult small pieces joined together. I also made a handing loop to go on the inside of the neckline.
Pattern Alterations?
Whilst sewing I noticed only a few things that didn't work in construction. As sewing I wondered in the front panel might want to be lengthened in comparison to the back panel, as below, but then found the jacket to look more balanced one I'd put it together so it doesn't need altering.
One thing that does need to change was I'd cut out the wedges between the shoulders of the front and back - I'd hoped to sew these together as a small hidden pocket but now find them jus too small to functionally work with. This may change at a fill scale, but ultimately I think the should just be left attached and sewn into the seams of the shoulders.
The only other fitting that I altered as I was making was in the sleeve and the placket of the sleeve opening and attaching the cuff. I drafted the cuff to be much smaller than the opening of the sleeve, given how boxy and liner the pattern piece is. I fixed this by folding a lot of excess seam around into the fold of the cuff opening placket, and then had the rest of the excess fullness in a slanted seam which shouldn't show up too much. Alternatively I could just put a pleat (or dart in), but I'd prefer to wait and try to fit the jacket at full scale this way first.
Most Important Alteration
The greatest other alteration I need to make when upscaling the pattern is in width - I accidentally drafted the pattern to match a full scale width of 138 cm, rather than my true denim width of 146cm.
This is quite do-able though, as I can simply add width down through the centre strip, making the collar strip slightly wider or just widening the seam allowance on those strips to keep the width measurement down. This does mean that if I found I was having fit problems due to width, I now have a little bit of extra width room to play with if I need.
Half Scale Toile
I found that the finished toile went together really well. Considering that my half scale mannequin is a size 12, I'm still really happy with the jacket at the moment, and think the zero waste quality hasn't taken away from the construction, quality or shape at all.
I was particularly happy with how the side pocket went in - on my final garment I'm hoping to cover the inside view of the pocket bag piece with a silk print as an alternative to a garment care tag, as I'd considered in one of my earlier blogs. This piece, along with the shaped silk applique lining would have to be cut as Secondary material additions using silk scraps.
One of the only adjustments I think I'd immediately make would be to the tiny front pocket, which I'd like to sew into the inside of the chest instead, as it distracts from the cleanness of the garment. (I'll sew the outside main chest pocket over the top of this to hide the stitch line from the outside. ) Another adjustment I could possible make is to bind or double fold the sides of the pocket flaps as singular pieces, so that I could have one on each side rather than just one on the right, to make the jacket much more symmetrical from the outside.
I really like the function of the buckles in reducing the boxiness of the fit too. In my final garment, I have intentions to handmake the buttons and buckles in recycled copper, similar to my Blue Blood denim project.
(This means I do need to establish designs/subject matter/a logo to put on this hardware. I also would really like to hand embroider the front pocket, in chain stitch as I did with my blue blood jeans, so I'd need to develop a design for that too. I'd also love to consider the idea of setting a metal logo design into the waistband or a patch like I did on my jeans to allow for raw denim fading into the design, but I'd have to design what this would look like too.
Silk Print Lining Inside Jacket
I've found this image of historical stays, and I think it's a really gorgeous image to use printed on silk and transposed into the inside as a lining in my denim jacket.
My first instinct was to create a fully lined silk layer as a zero waste addition to the jacket- my silk lining material (habatai ivory coloured silk) is 114cm wide. (I also considered dying it a washed acid yellow/green colour to match the inside of the denim I'm using??). However, I could also approach this by making it a secondary addition, as an applique piece. (I'm also experimenting with the idea of a washed image of a feminine form layered over the print in a different print colour, but this could come as a later detail.
The benefit of this would be that I would have to stitch the garment in to shape directly onto the denim, and although I'd use a dark denim coloured bobbin thread, this would still cause a really subtle stitch line shape on the outside, and the addition of the shaped lining may even cause different and interesting wear patterns! Which may be really amazing. The only thing I'd have to work around would be the pockets on the outside of the jacket - how would I stitch down the lining so as not to sew any pockets shut, or ought I to sew down the lining and then put pockets on top? (Either way I can play around with the bobbin thread in this case if I had to sew over the silk in any area - could use bobbin thread in washed acid yellow/green colour or in print material colour - cyanotype blue or Van Dyke brown, etc.)
I've sourced this image from the Nordiska Museet, or Digitalt Museum. The licensing agreement is also linked. My understanding of this agreement is that I have lisence permission to use and alter the image, given that I make sure to provie links and references to the original source, and that I do not in any way use the image for commercial purposes. This agreement suits me perfectly: I can certainly source the image in my blog and lookbook, and I can also write a reference on the garment tag and possibly in a garment printed pocket tag if I make one. If I were ever to want to reproduce the garment for commercial purposes, I would do so using another image instead - this is an entirely unique artisanal piece so the licensing works for me.
I pinned the printed out image on my half scale mannequin early on, to play with the idea of it. I then also pinned the image to the outside of the jacket to view that, and found I didn't like it so much as I did as a lining feature. Ultimately, I've decided to print this feature as a Secondary garment addition, so that I can make it out of reused silk upcycling, and cut it to shape and then applique it onto the jacket using alternating bobbin and topstitch thread colours to match each side.
I've also decided that I do want to print the lining in Van Dyke brown rather than blue, as I like so much the colour of the printout as is and the Van Dyke brown print colour wouldn't vary from this much. I could however experiment in paper by printing on a washed acid green yellow as a base colour, as I could possible dye my silk first into this green colour before printing it so that the lining blended in with the green interior of the denim (the reason I chose it) and looked really complimentary.
Inside lining mockup view.
I then experimented with stitching the paper copy of the lining applique print into the inside of the half scale toile, as a craft and print technique effect. In particular I stitched down all of the main directional lines, and experimented with leaving the thread tails loose. I think this is a really interesting effect which really matches what I'm wanting. On the final garment, I'll insure that the corset silk applique print is sized as close to scale as possible, and then sew it into the jacket using this technique - with the main thread on the inside matching the van dyke colour, and the outside thread matching the denim colour so that it's quite subtle but the stitch patterns will be revealed more as the garment is worn then washed and the indigo dye fades and releases over time.
Pocket Bag Silk Print Idea - Care Tag
In week 6 I expressed an interest in printing pocket bag details to function as care tags and biographies for the garments. Being able to fit in a pocket in one side of my denim jacket makes the perfect space for this - the pocket is denim so I have intentions to treat the print as a secondary addition and use a piece of upcycled silk scrap. My ideas to include in this piece are explained as below.
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