Creativity, Craftsmanship, Strategy, Technology– four aspects that affect success of creative entrepreneurs. So what’s the difference between Craftsmanship and creativity- craftsmanship is quality in execution of the idea. It’s technique.
Craftsmanship– troubleshooting poor construction in Summer tops- In December I saw a beaded halter cowrie shell top on Facebook group. It showed great creative potential, but was poorly executed. I reached out to the designer and promised to show her a simple method of construction Teh post suggested this was something she was working on.
FYI – Anyone can take a screen shot of your post, give credit to the site and SHARE… be careful what you put your name and brand next to!
Creativity is about the concept- the artistry- you can take the basic technique and create a number of different products!
I would suggest creating a pattern and then working in the fabric of choice… The diagram explains the process
Here I cut a 36 inch square from a one yard of 45 inch fabric.
- A) The red yellow aquamarine and green lines in the image reflect the straight grains. The pink is the Bias line.
- B) Turning the fabric as indicated the top is cut on the Bias…
- C) Fold in Half and cut a small opening 4″ long and 1″ wide
- D) Open and place on Body or dressform. Reshape neckline if desired. and add dart if desired (closer fit) refold fabic, copy new style lines
Construction
Replace on dressform or body close as desire , tie at back or use fasteners. Stitch together vertical seams first. If using darts, stitch darts closed before finishing, or adding beading. If Fabric comes pre- beaded- first remove beads around dart area, close darts and replace.
Finishing
Armholes are on the straight grain and can be folded, rolled or faced.
Neckline -use folded Bias strip or a knit with stretch. DO NOT USE A FABRIC CUT ON THE STRAIGHT GRAIN. Stretching , the piping as you sew eliminates the wavering (seen on sample) on finished product (see video below and images here)
Bottom can be turned up , hemmed or bias piping used.
You can also use commercial bias binding.
Embellishment
Printing- you may want to consider placement of Logos and artwork so that it falls correctly on finished items.
A sqaure is a great introduction to fabric manipulation and styling. These are designed for those with some comfort sewing and electing to sell indie designed product… if untrained and n eeding help quality control or line editing please contact me… One on one via Telepresence- Skype, Google hangouts
Sign up for news on joining #sewopen Http://so.bonniesandy.com
I am also available for product edits and trouble shppting
https://www.bonniesandy.com/contact-us/