Construction and Edge Finish Sampling

 

Seam Construction

 

Once I had chosen fabrics to toile my garments with, I wanted to test out the new technologies to see if I could use them to construct my garments with, especially the top.

 

Using the Ultrasew to weld a seam in the chiffon created a very fine seam that was very neat. This seam was quite rough though due to the melting of the fabric, so it would cause abrasion against the skin. This seam could then be covered using the hot taping machine; however, this would add weight to the fabric and spoil the overall appearance of the garment that I'm trying to achieve.

The Ultrasonic Welder created this decorative feature that looks like a stitch. Even though this technique appears to be nice, the construction of this seam wasn't very strong as you can see from the picture below.

 

I used a different decorative wheel to see what it would look like on the fabric, but unfortunately the welder caused the seam to break quite easily, due to the fabric being very fine.

 

I experimented with the bonding machines to create this seam. This technique creates an almost invisible seam, however, it made the chiffon very stiff which would spoil the look im going for and might be uncomfortable for the consumer.

These technologies would have been tested on calico, but because it's a natural fibre, it can not be manipulated by these news technologies.

I experimented with a traditional 301 lock stitch machine and created a french seam. This seam provided a suitable finish, hiding the raw edges and protecting them to avoid fraying of the chiffon. This seam is barely visible with this type of fabric. 

Edge Finish

 

 



 

I experimented with the bonding machine, to see if I could finish off the arm holes, neckline and hem of the top. The bonding machine created a nice finish and worked well with the calico, but due to the nature of the chiffon, it was too heavy for the fabric.

 I experimented with pre-made bias binding and a 301 lock stitch machine with binding tool attached. This technique was very quick and easy to produce, creating a clean finish for the calico and chiffon.

 

 

Detail

 

 

 

By using the gathering foot attached to a 301 lock stitch machine, it helped gather up the fabric, stitching it in place. This technique was tested on calico, to see if it would work to help construct the dress.

 

Fasterning




After looking at different types of zips, I decided to still use an invisible zip as intended. Since the dress is designed to be an evening gown or cocktail dress, it seems more suitable to have an zip thats barely visible so it doesn't point the appearance of the dress.