Over the years, Fashion has continued to be our main priority, even though some people might claim that they don’t like fashion, but I want to tell you that everyone is a fashionista.
Come to think of this, have you ever seen someone with same cloth from sunday to sunday, maybe yes, but to me know. The nature of my work as a fashion designer has actually expose me to different places, I have seen a lot of people, I have also watch so many programmes on fashion like;
- America’s Next Top Model: Is An American Reality Competition Television Series, its is an opportunity were several women compete for the title on Next
- Next In Fashion : A reality show were all the designers team up to create designers look that works for everyone.
- What Not To Wear: Is a BAFTA Award-Nominated makeover reality television show launched by the BBC in 2001.
- How Do I Look: This show features fashion victims, sometimes workmate, friends or family member set these victims up to correct their sense of fashion.
- Project Run Away: Is an American Reality Series created by Eli Holzman, in this show both the contestant and models compete with each other.
- She Got The Look: Reality TV show were women from 35 years and older compete to become the next supermodel.
I came to realized that, we are all fashionista in one way or the other, it might not necessarily be fashion with cloth, it may be fashion with hair, Fashion with foot wears, fashion with pulse, Fashion with jewelries and many more, but today we are to be talking about Fashion with cloth.
How To Create Your Style
We are so blessed today, How do I mean? Today we can create our own style before going to our designers, I remember before the Pandemic a customer call me to book an appointment with me for her measurement, usually during a call like that, if is my first time customer, i’ll try to find out their test of styles through question, after the call I try to get some styles down based on our discussion, but when she came, she brought her style, something like this.
Even if you are not as good as she is in fashion illustration, you can even go to Youtube and download any style of your choice, very easy, you can also get any fashion magazine for yourself. I remember when I was a kid, my mum bought me one big magazine of about 7000 volume, this magazine is just for styles.
Most people are really talented when it comes to illustration, they no longer wait for their designer to suggest style for them, but the design it themselves. Other people are really good with DIY. they can repeat or duplicate any style of their choice through DIY, What do you need for your DIY?
Do It Yourself
If you want to do DIY you will need:
- Pattern paper
- Sample of the style you want to duplicate
- A Chalk
- A pair of Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
I usually advice pattern paper especially if is your first time, using pattern paper will give you opportunity to correct any errors you make along the line, and even if you have cut it before you discover the error, you can still condemn the paper and get another, not same with fabric.
When using scissors, remember not to cut with the tip of the scissors so that you can have the control and a better result.
When cutting curves and angles,turn or bend your pattern along the pattern line. Save all your scraps in a plastic bags, the more scraps you have the more DIY you get, you can use the scraps for trimmings, a design on your shoes or scarf.
Add enough allowance, it is better to be too big than to be too small, if too big you can trim it to fit, but if too small you might not be able to join it back.
Remember if you make a mistake along the line, don’t panic, turn your error to a great designs, some of the admirable styles happen by accident. Dont dress for others, dress for yourself.
Go here for your pattern paper
What To Do
Place your sample design on the pattern paper, use your chalk to trace all the shapes, add extra 2 inches to all the tracing lines for your sewing allowance, remove the sample and cut it out, remember cutting is the most important steps, so you will want to be extra careful. Then spread your fabric on your cutting table, place your pattern on it, pin it down in order to get exert measurement.
Next step is sewing, this is the fun part, because very soon you will see how your piece of fabric turn into a real dress or a blouse, after sewing, you can introduce some stones or ribbon to make some ruffles just for it to look different from the former dress that you duplicate.
How To Add Ruffles
- Pick the spot you want your Ruffle to appear and cover it with double sided tape.
- Get a piece of ribbon that about twice as long as the Ruffle you want to make, Press just the end of it down on the fabric.
- Make it little loop, then press it down on the fabric and over to the other side. Keep making loops and pressing them down until you get to the end of the ruffle.
- Trim the end of the ribbon if you need to, then press it onto the fabric.
You can also glue your ribbon, it is very easy to do gluing ribbon than sewing.
Tips On Gluing Ribbon
- Set the ribbon on top of your fabric and cut it a little longer than the area you want to cover, remember if you want to make ruffles, you have to be double your length.
- Squeeze a thin line of your glue on the part of your fabric you want the ribbon to stay.
- Lay the ribbon on the glue, make sure you centre on it, so that you can have it at both ends, leave it for at least 5 minutes to dry.
- After the front is dried, turn to the back of your dress to do same, make sure it doesn’t get to the zipper line if you have any.
Once you are familiar with with making ruffles, then you are good to go, go ahead and make some beautiful neckline with ruffles, you can also make some under skirt layers ruffles, the more you practice these steps the better you will become.
Try Now and start making your own designs. For you materials on how to make your own designs check