Sewing for Fashion Designers by Anette Fischer (z-lib.org)

Loosen the thread tension and adjust to a larger stitch length.

Hat making.

Passing through loose-woven materials without tearing.

Introduction to basic concepts and foundational skills.

To attach flat buttons onto garments in mass production.

To attach pieces of material together temporarily.

Sewing machines and overlockers.

To achieve specialist construction methods.

The marks will disappear by themselves over a couple of days or react to water and disappear immediately.

To finish raw seams and seam allowances and help prevent fraying.

It makes the job trouble-free.

The studio area or fashion atelier.

To transfer markings from paper to paper or from paper to fabric using carbon paper.

45-degree and 90-degree angles.

To translate creative ideas into finished pieces.

The Sharp Point Needle.

Marking placement points on fabric.

Two zigzag blades.

Establishing garment length, drawing grain lines, and measuring fabric length.

It is flexible, allowing measurement of both straight and curved lines.

Fly-bar end buttonholes, keyhole buttonholes, buttonholes with gimp or cord filler, and open-end buttonholes.

Measure from the crotch to the floor using a tailor’s tape measure, ensuring the metal piece is at the crotch area.

To identify placement points and positioning marks on paper patterns and transfer requirements onto fabric for a good fit.

It helps in shaping sleeves, curved seams, and dart areas, and rectifying small sewing errors.

To cut a hole into pattern pieces to facilitate hanging.

Sewing fabrics cut on the bias or with some stretch; leading the fabric properly and avoiding excessive pulling.

The design and the measurement taken from the waist along the side of the body to the knee or floor.

Tension is too loose on the bobbin and needle thread or the machine has not been threaded correctly.

A soft surface with a narrow end, covered with high-temperature tolerant material.

Chain stitch, overlock stitch, lockstitch, and cover stitch.

They facilitate the smooth movement of the material.

Fabric shears.

To easily pick up pins and needles.

Industrial sewing machines and overlockers.

All kinds of materials, including fixing fabric onto a mannequin.

It slides between the material instead of piercing the yarn, reducing holes and runs.

To build a strong base for more advanced techniques.

Fabric weight, texture of fabric, and the job in hand.

On the wrong side of the fabric to avoid permanent staining.

To bring a thread through material for temporary or permanent attachment.

Height, bust/chest, waist, and hip circumference.

Incorrect thread tension, improperly inserted needle or bobbin, or incorrect machine threading.

An industrial sewing machine and overlocker.

To check the overall shape, proportion, and fit of the garment.

A seam created using a Twin-Needle Lockstitch Machine.

On a mannequin or a live model, preferably a live model.

Basic sewing techniques and understanding of tools.

For pattern drafting and marking hemlines.

Check the needle direction, size, type, and ensure the machine is threaded correctly.

Used for topstitching effects and sewing two parallel rows simultaneously.

To protect the cutting surface and the blade when using a rotary cutter or craft knife.

Use two tapes; one around the natural waist and the second from the waist to the seat while the model sits.

To measure hemlines and create even hems using a chalk line.

0–4mm.

A large cutting table.

It has a metal piece on one end for measuring the inside leg up to the crotch.

It is much more stable than the chain stitch and looks the same on both top and bottom.

To hold the fabric in place using a hooped embroidery frame.

It is used to finish raw edges and is flexible for joining seams of knitted and stretch materials.

8–13 cm (1–3 in).

To make threading fine-eyed needles easier.

They are not as secure as hand sewn buttons.

A domestic ironing board and a good steam iron with temperature regulation.

A garment cut out of cheaper fabric for fitting.

Incorrect threading of the machine or improper placement of the thread inside the tension disks.

Use two tapes: one around the natural waistline and the second from the waistline down to the fullest part of the hip.

Measurements should not be taken too tightly or too loosely and are without allowance for comfort.

When a set square is too small for the job.

Makes marking points on paper patterns by taking small cuts out of the paper’s edge to indicate balance points.

They will not get lost unlike straight pins.

It has a sliding tab that can be set at any point along the ruler.

They are used for a wide range of hand sewing tasks.

To produce a decorative edge finish by sewing a narrow rolled hem on light- to medium-weight fabrics.

Sewing essentials, tools for measuring and marking, machinery, and pressing equipment.

Hanging on the wall of most design studios.

Knitted fabrics and loose-woven materials.

The client should wear suitable underwear or body-conscious clothing and stand in a relaxed posture.

Waist, hip, skirt length, and body height.

In the direction of the grain line.

To mark positioning points by punching through the paper pattern onto the fabric.

To unpick stitches and open machine buttonholes.

Needlework, featuring a sharp-pointed blade.

Pattern cutter, sample machinist, studio manager, and sometimes the designer.

The sewing task and design required.

Protects the finger when pushing the needle through fabric.

By topstitching.

Secondary measurements, such as the length of a dress.

A puffer that puffs a chalk line onto the garment.

Place the tape around the fullest part of the bust, horizontally across the back and under the arms.

It has two pointed blades with a self-opening spring.

Industrial machines have a high sewing speed and are set into a table.

Measure the fullest part of the hips from behind, ensuring the tape is horizontal and does not drop.

3/8 – 1 1/8 inches.

For punching holes through the paper pattern for various markings, including the position of pockets.

3-thread, 4-thread, and 5-thread overlockers.

Stitch a seam allowance together and overcast it at the same time.

Thread snapping or top thread skipping stitches.

To ensure correct measurements, balanced curves, and straight lines.

A good understanding of garment construction.

All the information of a design.

From the waist to the floor, over the hip on the outer leg.

Loose or open weave fabrics and loose-knitted materials.

Muslin or calico.

They work with heat, pressure, and sometimes vacuum to achieve an effective garment finish.

Carbon Copy Paper.

It has a triangular point designed to pierce leather without tearing.

It creates an unturned edge finish with a very tight stitch formation.

Threading elastics and ribbon through channels and open weaves.

An allowance added for comfort in the measurements when drafting the pattern block.

It is used for shaping collars, lapels, darts, and sleeve cups, and for pressing rounded areas.

To attach trims, finish hems, and join seams in sports and leisurewear.

Guides and folds a bias strip for applying binding to a fabric edge.

Steel pins, hand-sewing needle, thimble, scissors, seam ripper, chalk, tracing wheel, awl, tape measure, pattern master, metre stick.

A cutting mat.

Soft gathers in fabric.

To allow piping cord to be fed through while attaching it to material.

It prevents fabric from touching the floor and stops knitted material from stretching.

To allow for eventual shrinkage.

Upholstery Needles.

The marking will disappear by itself over time or immediately upon ironing.

The type of material to be cut.

To cover all design eventualities in the fashion industry, mainly on mass-production lines.

Woven and semi-stretch materials.

Damage the material and slow the process down.

To sew garment seams together while preventing unraveling, rolling, or fraying.

They produce a lock stitch with adjustable stitch length.

Cutting fine fabrics.

To insert invisible zips by stitching closely under the teeth.

To measure hemlines or the distance between buttonholes.

Good-quality lighting, preferably a daylight lamp or high-intensity light.

It is used for finishing edges and joining seams on knitted garments.

It consists of two single needles inserted into an attachment to create a double stitch line.

The garment can be completed.

It attaches two pieces of material without penetrating the full depth of the face material, making the thread invisible on the right side.

By double-folding the fabric and completing the folding and stitching.

Natural and man-made fibers, blends, and fabric finishing.

Denim, knitted fabrics, leather, fur, latex, and patterned fabrics, among others.

Test the temperature on the edge of the fabric.

Serrated, zigzag, waved, or straight edges.

A domestic sewing machine or overlocker.

To correct the run of a curve, like a neckline or collar shape.

From the shoulder tip along the outer arm across the elbow to the wrist bone, with the arm relaxed and slightly bent.

For thread cutting, especially handy next to the sewing machine.

Sewing close to the raised edge of zipper teeth and for various types of zips.

From the prominent bone at the neck to the natural waistline, pressing the tape against the waist point for accuracy.

They are used with thick yarns, embroidery floss, and several strands of thread.

It uses specialized computer software to recreate photographs or picture designs.

Leather, vinyl, suede, plastic, rubberized, and laminated materials.

A fitting using the garment made up in the final fabric without fastenings and lining.

To check thread tension, needle type, and stitch length before sewing the actual fabric.

Measure around the fullest part of the chest under the arms, with a slightly expanded chest or two fingers under the tape.

No, a sewing box can be built up over time.

Up to 1 cm (3/8 in).

They are medium-sized with a long oval eye to carry multiple strands of thread and thicker yarns.

The fit and overall look.

To prevent shine and protect the fabric surface during ironing.

Punches round holes into material.

A pincushion.

It is formed from a single thread interlocking with itself and is flexible, suited for loosely woven fabrics and knits.

Smooth and flat on both sides of the seam, with needle and bobbin threads interlocking midway between the surfaces.

Weight of fabric, structure of fabric, type of thread (size and weight), and design intention.

Tighten the needle thread if loops appear on the underside of the stitching.

The sewing machine and iron station should be next to each other, with enough table space for cutting.

On materials that stick, like synthetic leather.

Loosen the bobbin thread tension.

Stand the model flat against the wall without shoes, measuring from the top of the head to the floor.

It is hollow for sliding a hand inside, ideal for pressing areas that should not be laid flat.

Under the machine needle.

A Ballpoint Needle has a rounded point that slides between yarns instead of piercing them.

A general-purpose needle with a slightly blunter point than a sharp needle, suitable for most woven and stretch fabrics.

Gathers, pleats, tucks, and darts.

They provide a solid base for a career in fashion design and encourage experimentation.

Pulling or holding down the edges, as it can overstretch the fabric.

Ballpoint Needle.

Place a tape around the natural waistline and take the measurement from behind.

The bobbin thread pulls up and is visible on the topside of the seam.

They allow the blade to lie flat on the cutting surface for better control.

It is very fine and avoids creating holes in lightweight materials like chiffon.

Ensure the model's feet are close together and measure comfortably at the widest part of the hip and midpoint of the pelvic bone.

They have a sharp point, are very fine and long, and have a narrow eye to fit through the hole of a bead.

The narrow top presses sharp corners, while the flat base pounds creases into materials after steaming.

A temperature regulator.

They have a vacuum facility that sucks steam through the fabric into the table.

Waist, hip, waist to hip, waist to floor, inside leg, and crotch depth.

It is useful for pressing sleeves or small parts of a garment without creating unwanted creases.

To cut leather.

They are short needles that produce short stitches, used in detailed handwork such as quilting and tailoring.

Leather, vinyl, suede, plastic, rubberized, and laminated materials.

Basic fabrics for sampling, linings, fusible materials, fastenings, and threads.

It has a two-blade cutting system that works like scissors.

Developing a pattern from a design idea or copying from an existing garment.

Vogue, McCall’s, Simplicity, and Burda.

To ensure a good fit for personalized garments.

The tip should not be blunt, bent, or dull to avoid fabric damage and skipped stitches.

The placement and use of all types of fastenings with step-by-step illustrations.

To prevent fabric pile from matting and crushing during pressing.

Once the garment is fitted and correct.

Instructions, images, and illustrations.

Joining garment seams, sewing woven and semi-stretch materials, and decorating with embroidery.

A tailor asks which side the client 'dresses' on to allow for extra fabric for loose fitting underwear.

Points that identify where seams match together to ensure a good fit.

Pre-programmed decorative stitches.

Design and style of the garment, function and use, fabric weight and character, care, lifespan, quality, construction technique, production budget, and availability of machine attachments.

To compensate for uneven surfaces when sewing.

That they are suitable for the fabric type and weight.

Always place two layers of fabric together.

They may hold in their stomach and stand up straight, leading to incorrect measurements.

It raises the nap of woollen fabrics and corrects over-pressing.

Press as you go.

Place the tape around the natural waist starting at the navel.

It helps press hard-to-reach areas like seams in sleeves while avoiding wrinkles in the rest of the garment.

To collect and hang a set of pattern pieces.

Paperclips or Bulldog Clips.

The weight and type of material, as well as the thickness of the thread.

Bust/chest, waist, hip, back waist length, and arm length.

To eliminate strong folds and unwanted shine from over-pressing.

Explore more advanced techniques to achieve individual design ideas.

By including photographs of designer garments that highlight techniques and materials used.

Fashion educators, students, professionals, and anyone interested in fashion sewing.

When cutting several layers of material at the same time.

Sizes range from 60/8 for fine materials to 100/16 for heavyweight materials.

A fixed bobbin case is built into the machine, while a removable bobbin case can be taken out for easier access.

In the machine’s manual.

To give a professional finish.

It attaches interfacing to material using temperature, pressure, and a timer.

To prevent impressions from appearing on the right side of the fabric.

They can leave marks in the fabric.

Garment construction related to contemporary fashion and up-to-date manufacturing methods.

To keep pattern pieces organized and easily accessible.

Basic stitches, hand sewing, machine seams, and seam finishes.

Basic construction methods and techniques used in the fashion industry.

It leads into working with paper patterns and understanding their symbols.

It introduces sewing and pressing equipment used in fashion studios and the fashion industry.

Basic cutting-out techniques, the use of the grain line, and pattern layouts.