Follow the link to read about winter fabrics. This second link provides more information about suitable winter fabrics and what to avoid.
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Suitable Summer Fabrics
Here are some suitable summer fabrics to keep you cool!

1. COTTON
Where to Wear it?
Cotton is perfect for all climates, which is why it’s widely worn & loved. Wear this in dry heat or humidity, too.
Cotton is perfect for all climates, which is why it’s widely worn & loved. Wear this in dry heat or humidity, too.
What’s The Benefit?
This natural fiber allows air to circulate & move freely through the fabric, which makes heat more bearable. It’s like a built-in air-conditioner for your body!
This natural fiber allows air to circulate & move freely through the fabric, which makes heat more bearable. It’s like a built-in air-conditioner for your body!
Stylist Tip: Remember, cotton can shrink in the dryer! In the summer, take the extra minute to hang dry your cotton garments (it’s hot anyways!).
2. CHAMBRAY
Where to Wear It?
Because this is cotton, it too will keep you cool in dry heat & humidity.
Because this is cotton, it too will keep you cool in dry heat & humidity.
What’s The Benefit?
Chambray often comes in a higher thread count, which means it’s a finer weave & more breathable fabric.
Chambray often comes in a higher thread count, which means it’s a finer weave & more breathable fabric.
Stylist Tip: Chambray has a similar look to denim so you can get the look without feeling weighed down.
3. RAYON
Where to Wear It?
Rayon is best in dry heat. Since it’s still not a natural fiber, it won’t wick away moisture as well as cotton.
Rayon is best in dry heat. Since it’s still not a natural fiber, it won’t wick away moisture as well as cotton.
What’s The Benefit?
Rayon is a thinner thread than cotton, so it’s great for delicate, lightweight clothing that drapes ever so well.
Rayon is a thinner thread than cotton, so it’s great for delicate, lightweight clothing that drapes ever so well.
Stylist Tip: Light-colored garments in white, cream & pastels don’t absorb sunlight like dark colors do. Wear them to stay cool.
4. LINEN
Where to Wear It?
Anywhere! Linen was made for the heat.
Anywhere! Linen was made for the heat.
What’s The Benefit?
Linen textiles are some of the oldest in the world—people have been wearing it for centuries, and for good reason. The natural fiber and light weave allow for maximum breathability; the coolest of the cool.
Linen textiles are some of the oldest in the world—people have been wearing it for centuries, and for good reason. The natural fiber and light weave allow for maximum breathability; the coolest of the cool.
Stylist Tip: Wrinkles are part of the carefree, lived-in beauty of linen. Hate to iron? Lightly spray your garment with a water bottle and smooth over wrinkles with your hand.
5. BLENDS
Where to Wear It?
Synthetic fabrics are known for detracting moisture (think: athletic wear), so they’re great in humid climates.
Synthetic fabrics are known for detracting moisture (think: athletic wear), so they’re great in humid climates.
What’s The Benefit?
Blended fabrics keep their shape & require little to no maintenance (like ironing!).
Blended fabrics keep their shape & require little to no maintenance (like ironing!).
Information sourced from: https://blog.stitchfix.com/fashion-tips/guide-breathable-summer-fabrics/Stylist tip: Blended fabrics resist heat well, so you can wash and dry garments without worrying about damage or dreaded shrinkage. Machine washable = huge time-saver!
Sunday, 25 June 2017
Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Harriet - The Textiles Performance Artist
Harriet Riddell is a UK-based performing and visual artist who's come to India on an artistic journey. She's traveled across the country with her sewing machine (and all of its accessories) to take portraits of people and places.
Monday, 19 June 2017
Article: Dressmakers and Needle Sharp Vision
Haute couture can be credited for enhancing more than catwalks and red carpets. New research suggests that the 3D or 'stereoscopic' vision of dressmakers is as sharp as their needles. Follow the link here to find out more...
Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Technical/Working/Flat Drawings
How would you describe the dress above, based on the technical drawing?
Below are two ball gowns. Choose one to complete as a technical drawing.
Friday, 2 June 2017
Term 2 - Year 9 Soft Toy/Neck Pillow
Renew
Replace Recycle
Year 9 Textiles are currently working on creating a soft toy/neck pillow from recycled clothing and scrap fabrics. Our focus is sustainability and how we can upcycle; creating something new out of something old.
Sunday, 28 May 2017
Joseph Iosefo's Inspiring Speech
What Language Features and Techniques does Joseph use to deliver his speech and capture the audience's attention?
Thursday, 25 May 2017
Level Two Assignment Two - Checklist
|
INFLUENTIAL MOVEMENT/ERA 91340 CHECKLIST
|
|
RESEARCH
|
|
·
Complete a report about your chosen
movement/era– minimum 2 paragraphs
·
Discuss how cultural, historical,
societal, technological contexts influenced that era, and who the influential
designers of that were.
·
Complete a mood board that shows styles
and colours from that era/movement
·
Use 6 examples of your chosen garment from
your mood board to analyse,
·
Analyse each piece against the elements
and principles of design.
|
|
GENERATE IDEAS
|
|
Produce a minimum of 6 design concepts and label with the
following:
·
How has that movement/era informed your
design?
·
What are the aesthetic features of your
design?
·
How does your design function? E.g. where
is there a zip/buttons/hook and eye? Is it fit for purpose in relation to the
brief?
|
|
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS
|
|
Choose your favourite concept/s and develop it further by
changing:
·
Colour
·
Neckline, hemline, waistline
·
Add/take away sleeves, collar, pockets
etc.
·
Add embellishments – embroidery, lace
detail etc.
Add notes to each development that clearly states how the
design has been developed.
Identify your final design.
|
|
DEVELOPED FINAL DESIGN
|
|
Complete a fully rendered sketch of your final design –
front and back view.
Complete a technical drawing (flat/working/2D) in black and
white.
Evaluate your design – how have you integrated the
characteristics of the movement/era and met the brief.
|
|
TO DO BEFORE COMPLETION
|
|
Make sure that each page has a clear title and is completed
on an A3 piece of paper with a landscape layout.
|
Level One Assignment Two - Checklist
|
INFLUENTIAL DESIGNER 91067 CHECKLIST
|
|
RESEARCH
|
|
·
Complete
a report about your chosen designer – minimum 2 paragraphs
·
Discuss how cultural, historical,
societal, technological contexts influenced your designer.
·
Find 9 examples of your chosen designers
work,
·
Analyse each piece against the elements
and principles of design.
|
|
GENERATE
IDEAS
|
|
Produce a minimum of 9 design concepts and label with the
following:
·
Which of your chosen designer’s work
informed your design?
·
What are the aesthetic features of your
design?
·
How does your design function? E.g. where
is there a zip/buttons/hook and eye? Is it fit for purpose in relation to the
brief?
|
|
DEVELOPMENT
OF IDEAS
|
|
Choose your favourite concept/s and develop it further by
changing:
·
Colour
·
Neckline, hemline, waistline
·
Add/take away sleeves
·
Add embellishments – embroidery, lace
detail etc.
Add notes to each development that clearly states how the
design has been developed.
Identify your final design.
|
|
DEVELOPED
FINAL DESIGN
|
|
Complete a fully rendered sketch of your final design –
front and back view.
Complete a technical drawing (flat/working), 2D in black and
white.
Evaluate your final design – how has your design been
informed by your chosen designer and how does it meet the brief?
|
|
TO
DO BEFORE COMPLETION
|
|
Make sure that each page has a clear title and is completed
on an A3 piece of paper with a landscape layout.
|
Friday, 19 May 2017
Analysing Design - Aesthetic and Functional Elements
Take five minutes to analyse the above Karl Largerfeld garments (Year 11 the dress; Year 12 the coat), using sentence starters such as: I see, I notice, I can tell...
Aesthetic Elements: Relating to the appearance
Functional Elements: Relating to the use
Refer to the last page of your handout!!!
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Types of Fabric and Drawing Folds
Grab some scrap paper and practice drawing these 6 different types of folds

Sourced from Pinterest and Drawsh.com .Both of these sites are fantastic resources for exploring ideas about drawing the human figure, lines, and light.
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
Drawstring Bag Evaluation
Write your answers as paragraphs, using the
questions/statements as your sentence starters.
-
Describe the purpose of your drawstring bag…
The purpose of my drawstring bag is…
(refer to the brief)
-
Describe the fabric/s you chose…
I chose _______ fabric to use for my drawstring bag/pocket/applique
I chose _______ fabric to use for my drawstring bag/pocket/applique
-
Explain what you like and don’t like about your drawstring bag…
I really like/don’t like the colour/look/size…
I really like/don’t like the colour/look/size…
-
What went well when making your bag?
Pocket/applique/stencil/screen print/stitching together/inserting the drawstring
Pocket/applique/stencil/screen print/stitching together/inserting the drawstring
-
What didn’t go so well?
-
Is your drawstring bag fit for purpose?
Does the drawstring bag do what it is supposed to do? (relate to the brief!).
Does the drawstring bag do what it is supposed to do? (relate to the brief!).
-
How straight and neat is your stitching?
My stitching is…
My stitching is…
-
If you could remake your drawstring bag, what would you do
differently?
I would change… because
I wouldn’t change… because
I would change… because
I wouldn’t change… because
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Historical/Cultural/Societal/Technological Contexts in Fashion
These headings are convenient but they are not the end of the story. The boundaries between these areas are fluid and changes in one area are often tied to changes in another. For example a political event such as World War I had repercussions in almost every part of life: fewer resources (economic); women working in factories (social and economic); new weapons etc. developed (technological changes - which sometimes had an impact on fashion production); new attitudes (social) etc.
- Political
events
- major events such as wars
- legislation which had an impact on social
conditions (e.g. Women's suffrage)
- Economic
conditions
- major events, e.g. The Depression
- the amount of disposable income available to
spend on fashion items
- trade restrictions
- conditions of workers
- Technological
changes and advances
- the development of fabrics
- improvements in apparel production techniques
- new inventions, e.g. the zipper
- Social
conditions and changes
- attitudes to morality
- development of youth culture/'generation gap'
- growth of any subcultures.
- the status of women
- attitudes to the body (concealment vs
exposure)
- Art/Design/Music
developments
- any contemporary cultural trends that influenced fashion design, both main stream and counter culture.
Information from boxhill.edu.au
Monday, 8 May 2017
Fashion Illustrations
In this assessment you are required to sketch your concepts and develop your ideas on the human form
A fashion illustration is created with the use of a Croquis. A Croquis is a french term used to describe a sketch of a model's silhouette. You can use the templates in class or explore a range of styles here and here.
Once you've chosen a croquis style that suits you you will show your designs using rendered sketches. A rendered sketch is a fashion illustration that suggests movement, shows colour and uses shading to highlight aesthetic and/or functional features of a garment. Pinterest is a great place to start exploring sketch styles and Fabric Forager has a inspiring collection of pins to explore.
Flats, or technical drawings, are essential for anyone working in the fashion industry. Used to convey design ideas and garment details to pattern cutters and machinists, it is essential that they are drawn accurately to avoid misunderstanding and costly mistakes in sampling and production.Working/Flat drawings are 2D sketches that show a front and back view of the garment.
Thursday, 4 May 2017
TEEL in Writing
For the written part of assignment two, you are required to research and write a report on your chosen influential
designer (Year 11's), the characteristics of a movement/era (Year 12's).
Following the TEEL prompt:
- Make sure your topic is
clearly stated.
- You are able to explain key facts about the designer/movement/era (refer to the prompts in the assignment).
- You provide evidence that
back up your key facts.
- Year 11's make links to how the
designer has been influential!!
- Year 12's make links to the characteristics of the movement/era
Monday, 1 May 2017
2017 Ball Venue - The Narrows Landing
For more details visit the website here
Era's in Fashion and Design Movements
An era in fashion is a period of time in which a style of clothing/certain trend dominated what the masses wore.
A movement is a 'look' inspired by social and cultural events, political agendas, and even science! Movements tend to be a way that people express themselves through fashion.Follow this link to find out about fashion Era's from 1800 - 2000.
Over time there have been movements in fashion that left their mark on the world in both good and frightening ways! Follow this link to see what fashion movements rocked the 20th century.
Fashion movement images to inspire.
Elements and Principles of Design
“The Principles of
Design are the artistic guidelines used to organise or arrange the
structural elements of design”
“Elements of Design
are the components or part which can be isolated and defined in any visual
design or work of art. They structure and carry the work.”
Design elements and principles are a way in which designers communicate their artistic individuality, influence trends, and create history.
Watch the video and flick through the slideshow below to help develop your understanding of design elements and principles.
Follow the link to a slideshow with further information here
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