Thursday, August 20, 2015

Tutorial photos v Reality photos

I'm not sure which of these images to show first.
I wanted to make my own "stretch fabrics gauge" from cardboard.
One of the photos is taken when I got the thought "I should document making this".
While I was making it, I had fifteen pens, a few rulers, two cutting mats, blade, spare blades, green pouch to store blades, instructions for how to draw the gauge, red cardboard, red cardboard remnants and probably a cup of coffee strewn all over my desk (only some of which is captured in the picture).

The second photograph is taken after I realised "I didn't use a lot of the equipment that is strewn all over my desk" and tidied up the desk and put things away.

So which is the more useful image to demonstrate how I went about making this for myself?
Often when I follow a tutorial, it recommends "2B pencil, L-Square, Clear-Grided-Ruler..." - I don't have these items! Or I do and I can't find them, so I pull out what's to hand and instead of having a tidy list of 4 items, I have a mishmash of items that I'm making do with.
It can get very disheartening for a learner to see an online video or a blog tutorial with really tidy photos and neat point-by-point directions, no hiccups, no lines that don't align and all equipment spick-and-span, unbroken and exactly what is required for the job.
Have you ever seen a pencil sharpener in an online tutorial?!
(Have you ever rummaged to look for a pencil sharpener *during* a tutorial?!)
On the other hand, the tutor has to consider the most effective way to instruct the reader/viewer. And clutter wouldn't be helpful. But I think it is fascinating to see the contrast and to see how marketing and "the perfect image" can block us and be an obstacle to following our own haphazard make-do creativity.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Online course for Stretch Fabric Pattern Drafting

Last week, I signed up for an online course with BurdaStyle Academy: Pattern Drafting and Designing for Stretch Fabrics.
I've made myself two dresses which i *adore* and wear a lot. I can't find any pics of them on this blog so I may never have blogged about them. I wear them all the time, the minute they are out of the wash, I am wearing them again. Basically just a "long-sleeve, high-round-neck top, past-the-knee skirt"-dress. Very suitable for the Irish climate. No pullovers required, no mixing matching of different items. One garment and I'm dressed.
This is the pattern I used for the dresses:
I didn't do the funny split at the elbow, and I lengthened it a bit. But I've since sold the pattern.
I've bought more fabric to make another dress. But have been humming and hawing over blocks I have from a year or two ago, not sure if they'll fit, checking the measurements etc. So to give me a little push, I decided to take this online course.
I'm very happy with it for no other reason than it shows that I should be more confident about my pattern-drafting, there's not that much to it and I am totally able for it. So watch this space... pics of stretch-fabric garments ahoy.
But first... an audit of the stretch fabrics I have in my stash.