#barnsleyhospice

[thedenimprojectmwiles]

Here I am stitching fabric cut into various sizes of circles onto my denim using a zig zag stitch. After all the circles were stitched on I cut small incisions into that back of the denim behind the circles making sure to not cut through the pink fabric and stuffed this with Woden to create trapunto. I chose to use this design technique as it gave it a 3d effect and added to the bubble silhouettes

[thedenimprojectmwiles]

Barnsley town itself was also an option for inspiration stated in the brief. having said this I created a design board on Wentworth woodhouse focusing on the architecture and tones of old fashioned housing and brick lays.

[thedenimprojectmwiles]

I designed my initial page with the idea in my mind that I wanted to take inspiration from the brain. I wanted to choose this concept as you can take a lot of interpretation and inspiration from the brain, whether it is the function and mentality of the brain or the physical structure.

[barnsleyhospicebylillie]

A little behind the scenes!

[barnsleyhospicebylillie]

PHOTOSHOOT.

Storyboard for inspiration regarding poses, editing, makeup, hair, accessories, backdrop, colour scheme and outfit.

The best photos from my two photographers, Orlaith and Lilly, who did an excellent job at understanding my vision for my photoshoot and captured the details of the garment that I was modelling. They also edited these photos to a high standard. I chose to model this garment myself, as the story and meaning behind my design were personal to me. This meant that I could include photos and poses like the one in my inspiration storyboard, where my hearing aid, the main inspiration of the design, would be visible. I communicated greatly with my photographers to ensure that the photos were perfect to fit my vision, as well as ensuring they were capable of creating what I intended.

[barnsleyhospicebylillie]

Final design and garment.

My garment, once finished, was very successful despite any changes that needed to be made during the construction process. The main bodice of the garment was sewn with accuracy, and the closed seams meant that it was built on strength as well as precision. The piping added an extra element to each of the seams connecting the pattern pieces, elevating it as a whole. Additionally, the bleach sound wave print represented my initial research into the complexity of the variation of the shapes of sound waves, simplified into a pattern that added to the denim of my garment. The focal point of my design was the exaggerated hood, which represented the shape and colour of my hearing aid, making it personal to me and tying into the shape and colour of the rest of the garment, whilst also making it stand out.

[barnsleyhospicebylillie]

How did construction go, and what changes were made?​​

During the construction process, I followed my method of construction to the best of my ability. I decided to use closed seams for the entirety of my garment. I did this because it made it easier to align my pattern pieces, as well as making my seams stronger during wear. I decided not to use open seams, as there is more of a risk of unravelling due to the exposing of thread. Additionally, I also decided not to use a French seam as it gives a bulkier appearance and it is time-consuming due to its complexity. Due to some issues I encountered, I had to make some changes along the way that differed from my original plan. For the most part, the construction went according to my method; however, I did encounter a problem when creating my hood. Once the dress fabric is complete with the shirring elastic, it reduces in size, meaning I was not left with enough fabric to create the hood from my pattern piece, as I also needed to cut 2 out of my material. To resolve this issue, I decided to make the hood entirely out of my denim fabric and use the pink textured pieces as an accent. This meant that I unpicked the side seams of the two remaining legs of jeans, placed them opened up with the right sides together, and cut out my patterns. I then sewed the two pieces right sides together at the curved back seam, then overlocking this seam. I hemmed the front of the hood as planned. The process of creating the hood remained the same, however, just in the denim instead of the pink silky dress fabric that had been sewn with shirring elastic. Once the hood was attached to the garment and top-stitched, I then spot-tacked the three pieces of pink fabric around the outer edge of the hood, still giving the hood the same effect as I originally wanted, as it is still large and exaggerated from the front; however, the base of the hood is denim. The denim I found was easier to work with when creating the hood, as it didn't shift around as much during sewing and allowed for more precise stitching.

[barnsleyhospicebylillie]

Choosing a design and planning.

Looking through my pages of initial design ideas allows me to make room for development and improvement. I wanted a garment that was wearable yet exciting and conceptual, responding to my theme. I developed my initial ideas of a hood as well as sound waves for my garment, as I also still wanted to make a garment for the top of the body. For this design, I am very happy with the overall idea and aesthetics. I decided on a shirt opening from the front, as denim is not the stretchiest fabric and therefore wouldn't be easy to get in and out of if I made, for example, a t-shirt. This may have required a back opening using possibly a zip, velcro, or any other opening. Although denim shirts and jackets are common, I planned to make mine unique. The shirt only has one button at the top, making the wearer able to fasten the garment, whilst also making it breathable, as if it had buttons running all the way down the shirt, it may be too tight if I used my exact measurements. This would require me to use more fabric, or to make my garment flow out more, rather than being fitted at the waist, which would be difficult due to the number of style lines throughout the garment. Due to limited fabric coming from the jeans, the garment has almost a patchwork look running vertically down, meaning it is made up of many sections; 2 front pieces, 2 side front pieces, 2 side back pieces, one back piece, and 6 sleeve pieces. When joining these pieces, excluding the seam connecting the side front and side pack pieces, I decided to use piping running between each seam to elevate my garment. I plan to do this using the underneath layer of the skirt from my dress, as it is an easier fabric to work with due to it being less silky, as well as it is still the correct pink colour to represent the colour of my hearing aid. This means that the colour is being used throughout the garment and not just on the hood. I am also going to add a band to each of the sleeves, as well as at the hem of my shirt, to make it more technical and complex whilst looking aesthetically pleasing. For the 'sound waves', I decided on bleaching my garment after construction, as I can ensure they match up going across the garment, as shown in my specifications. The hood will be the most complicated part of my garment, which will be made using the majority of my dress fabric. I plan to use shirring elastic, which can be filled in the spool of my machine, and thread on the top. I can then sew as normal in random shapes on the right side of the fabric. This creates shape and texture for my hood, as it also makes it more structured, as well as creating an exciting design element. The shapes weaving in and out of my pink fabric could easily represent the complexity of the shapes inside and out of the ear, and the journey sound waves go through to reach the brain, where they are read and interpreted. I also plan to use closed seams throughout the entire garment, as they will sit comfortably when wearing, and keep it consistent from the seams already inside the jeans, which will translate to the garment, as some are still visible inside the garment.