Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Process of pattern making....well mine anyway :-)



The process of pattern making is a probably a little different from person to person, but I wanted to share mine anyway.

Inspiration is usually found from a vintage dress that I have in the store and is one that customers have also been fond of, but for some reason has not been purchased (a lot of vintage from the 50's are tiny).

I then take a look at the shape and style lines and decide what should be changed and what is too hard to make. If a frock has buttons, then I'll change it to a zip as it's too time consuming & expensive to make, if the sleeves are too long then I'll make them shorter or not put them on at all.

After that step, I get my blocks, trace them off and move the darts if necessary. Style lines are added, then the pieces are traced off and seam allowances are made in order to sew the sample together.

Calcio is used for the first sample as I often have to draw on the sample later when I'm making adjustments. After the sample is completed, which is usually sew up in the shop, it's taken to my pattern making class for three reasons. 1) I don't have a dress mannequin, 2) the sample needs to be checked on the mannequin and changes made 3) I like my pattern making teacher to check as well.

When the adjustments have been noted, changes are made on the development drawing, a new pattern is made and sample too. Once again the sample is placed on a mannequin & sometimes on a customer in the shop to check the 
garment :-). If necessary, more changes are made. If not, then the pattern is ready for grading.

The final step is sourcing fabric, working out a sale price then actually making the garments.

Sound easy? It's not! This process can take me months and not because I'm slow at making them, but pattern making is done in between serving customers, repairing and buying stock, preparing stock for sale, social networking and eating peanut butter & choc chip cookies from Clement. I could pay someone to make the patterns and samples for me, but making the patterns myself is economical and the hands on design process is something that I love.

Author: Jason Cormick

Monday, May 27, 2013

Pattern making: Tears & Rewards

Checking graded patterns

It has been a dream of mine since high school to make my own clothes for myself and another dream to make and sell clothes. It's a project that was always put off since I knew my dream was difficult to achieve.

It was during my five years in Japan I began exploring pattern making again and attempted to teach myself the skill. Part of this was necessary as most clothes didn't fit me in Japan (long arms!) & I needed a hoodie for the winter.  The end result was not perfect, nevertheless I was pleased with the outcome of the hoodies and although I no longer wear them, they have remained in the wardrobe as my partner insists I don't throw them out and likes to wear them.

My first hoodie made in 2007

When we returned back to Australia, I enrolled in a fashion college which was once in Fitzroy, but relocated to the CBD and studied pattern making and construction part-time. To be honest the course didn't suit my learning style and the teachers were not very good. I came out of the course with no confidence and didn't touch my industrial sewing machine nor a pattern for a long time. But I did make a few good friends who I am still in touch with today.
Final construction project: Ladies Jacket

I realised I needed to do something about my pattern making & sewing confidence, so made a goal to get it back. After a lot of research, I found a private school, by the name of Designer Stitch, in Bentleigh. With persistence and nurturing from my teacher my confidence came back and I began making my own patterns.


It was then I decided I needed to begin making clothes for my shop using vintage clothes as inspiration as that style is the most flattering for women. The process of pattern making, when done by hand is very time consuming (I need to do a post about that!). I have even discarded a few patterns as they just didn't work or the construction was too complicated.

The good news is two patterns have been produced and I am in the process of grading one of them. In the next few months I hope to have at least one or two of my own designs in store, then perhaps towards the end of the year have them online to purchase too.


I guess the purpose of the post is that challenges in life can be conquered with persistence. Why don't you give it a try yourself?


Author: Jason Cormick





Friday, May 24, 2013

Let's meet our vintage presenter!



Yesterday I headed over to see vintage collector & seller Catherine Fraser of  Audrey Scarlett Vintage, who will be giving a talk about vintage clothes on June 8 at 1pm for my store, Bleecker Street Vintage.  

The day began with a photo shoot for promotional purposes and was followed by,  taking some photos of Catherine's personal vintage hat collection, which she'll be using for a her vintage blog (She doesn't have a blog yet, but it's coming soon!).

In the evening, I had an idea of making a short video to introduce Catherine in preparation for the vintage talk, so we made a short video too. I tried to edit it on imovie, but it's been a long time since I used it. As a result, I have forgotten how to use most of its functions!!! I'll have to do a refresher on imovie, as I enjoyed making the video and would like to make more.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Post Love Vintage

Bleecker Street Vintage pop-up pre-show


The week prior and weekend of Love Vintage was VERY busy! Thanks to family & friends, everything came together and was finished just in time for the opening.

Visual merchandising is my favourite part of pop-up shops, so for the past few weeks I had been mentally designing my store & collecting the necessary props for it. The idea was to have picture frames in various sizes, then within the frames place product. I wasn't able to source enough frames, so I made to with what was available.


Above is how the space appeared just prior to the opening of Love Vintage on Friday night. It could have looked a little better, but I was stuck for time. The space needed to look inviting & spacious. If you look carefully you'll see a frock draped over a rack. Which is a tell tale sign I was still making changes up till the last minute!

For some reason, blogger decided to stretch this photo.

Packing up can be the worst part, depending on how well the show went as usually there is less to put in the car, but sometimes it can be almost the same. I was lucky to have family come along, so it only took one trip. For my friend Catherine it may have been three trips, but she had a much larger space.

A few more photos have been posted on the Bleecker Street Facebook page & I am yet to post a video I took of some swing dancing that opened the show on the blog, so check back later this week for that.









Saturday, May 11, 2013

Bleecker Street Vintage is celebrating autumn


Autumn is a great season no matter where you may be. The days begin to get cooler and the sting of the sun disappears. As a result of the warm days & cold nights, leaves begin to change from green to shades of yellow, red & brown, then fall to the ground for children to enjoy.


Since Autumn is such a great season, we've decided to bring some of it inside to Bleecker Street Vintage with wall decals & a leaf art installation. 

Using fresh leaves was a bit tricky, as leaves soon curl  up & begin to dry out.  Thanks to google though & a craft store, we were able to slow down the process of the leaves natural decay.


The leaf installation will be in store for one to two weeks which will be long enough for customers to view the gradual transition of the leaves. If you come in to view the leaves please let us know what you think.

Author: Jason Cormick