How to make a Puffball

1.     Start by measuring the waist line front and back. (Left hip to right hip.)

2.     Measure how long you want the skirt to be.

3.     Times these measurements by three and make two rectangles, remember to add an extra 20cm for the length.

4.     Create the pattern for the lining, front and back, make this 20cm shorter than your total length of the skirt.

5.     Add darts to the top of both rectangles leaving one-centimetre gaps between each dart. Make each dart about 4cm long, making sure they are all even.

6.     6.  Join the front and back side seams of the lining together.

7.     7.  Join the front and back side seams on rectangles together.

8.     8.  Gather the bottom edge of the rectangles and attach to the bottom of the lining.

9.     9.  You now have your skirt, attach to either a waistband or top.

Concept Designs

Concept designs were a big part in the design process, this is one of the ones I did for my final design. I have tried to show both the space aspect of the design process and the summer feeling for when the dress should be worn. I have done this concept drawing by cutting the head, arms and legs out of the magazine and filling in the area where my dress would be with quick sketches of flowers and planet.

For more concept designs please view my Gallery page.

Ethical Statement

This project has been all about ethical materials, techniques and processes. Originally I was looking at using materials from other garments or furnishings, which would have given me a whole range of fabrics to choose from. However now that I have experimented with my pattern, I have realised that this source will not be appropriate due to the amount of fabric I will need, cutting up existing dresses will not provide me with the length of fabric needed and my final garment would end up being patchy, also adding unwanted weight to the garment.

I have decided to continue ethically sourcing my fabrics by supporting local, fair trade companies, such as Green Fibres in Totnes. Being fair trade, this keeps with the ethical idea by helping give better pay, work conditions and overall a better life to those in poorer countries who are out there each day picking and producing materials such as cotton.

For my pattern I am using print, foil and embroidery, although these are not in themselves ethical techniques I have decided that they fit my design best and add depth to my pattern, which is suggested within my images throughout this project.

To keep within the ethical limitations I am leaving the main part of the garment the colour I purchase it as, this means I will not be using dye’s and therefore minimising the risk to the environment. I have thought about the use of natural dyes, which I have already looked into and produced a final garment with for a previous project, but for this project I have decided I like the look of the raw fabric and feel that adding colour would distract from the main features of the garment.

Overall I think I have a fair balance between ethical and non-ethical substances in my designs and processes.

Developing Deconstructed designs

These designs I developed from one of my deconstruction designs based on taking a hood apart. I think they fit well with my main image of an apple due to the fact the designs look like apple peel.

Deconstruction designs

After looking at deconstruction I started designing, these are just some of my designs, inspired by fastenings (zips, buttons, toggles and belt buckles).

Getting started

At the start of this year we were set the task of making a garment to send down the catwalk, from the brief I came up with this mood board. From here I have designed and developed many ideas coming to a final design.