I want to share some information with you today about working with knit fabrics. I have created a booklet called Knit Skirt no Pattern. selling on my Etsy.com/Shop/JohannaFashionWorld , including all the step by step details to buy

fabric and put together this skirt with no pattern at all , just your measurements.

I want to share some tips with you today if you want to test yourself without buying my booklet.Before you can learn to sew with knit fabric you have to purchase the right kind to make a simple straight skirt. I want to share some tips here about knits sold in fabric stores today. I know you have bought many knit skirts before and are now searching how to make a skirt with the same look. Many times your local retail fabric store does not keep up with the designer ready to wear market. My first clue is for you to identify the fabric choices out there. You will find that some of them have more stretch than others. Sometimes it is the type of knit stitch that is used. Sometimes it has added spandex to the yarns used. Many of our new clothing, even woven ones have stretch fabric included, spandex, meaning the generic name. If you are looking for the word Lycra you should know that that is a specific type of knit owned by a particular company. When looking for fabrics with stretch call it by the generic name, spandex. There is all spandex fabric that is primarily used for swim wear. It is very stretchy but recovers well because you would not like a swim suit that stretched out in the water. It is beautiful and colorful but hard for a beginner to sew with. I would suggest a cotton blend with some polyester and or spandex in it.  It will be easier to sew and holds it shape well. If you are a knitter you will know the term knit and purl. The knit stitch is usually on the surface of your fabric and the purl is on the back or inside. This  type of  fabric is called a jersey stitch. It is usually used for sleep wear and undergarments that are loose fitting. This fabric will not make a great tight fitting straight skirt. I prefer to use a fabric called Interloc Knit. It looks like there is a knit stitch on both sides. Do not confuse it with the old fashioned double knit that some of us wore in the 70’s and 80’s. and was usually made of polyester.  An interlock fabric with some spandex added would be great to start on too.  If you want to be a Fashion Designer it is imperative that you learn about all the fabrics there are out  in the world today and how to use them.  Be sure to prewash what ever fabric you buy for your first skirt. If it has some cotton in it it will surely shrink a little. If you get a chance take a class in Textiles taught at many universities and continuing ed classes, or your local fabric store if they offer it. There are many books at some libraries on this subject also.  Good luck shopping for your first knit skirt. Most knit fabrics are 60″ wide, You need to buy a piece at least as long as you want your skirt to be with at least 4 or 5″ more. If your hips are larger than 60″ you will need to buy two lengths of the skirt you want to make plus 4 or 5″ Watch for my next tip. how to put your skirt together

Here are a few designs I drew and have not created yet. The corset on the right has construction details on it because this is how the pattern will need to be made. It should not be made of knit and it will need to be underlined and lined to keep it’s shape. The green top has a seam down the back for the zipper to be placed there. The burgundy dress on the far left has no pattern details except elastic shown at the wrists and a piecing for color change at the bottom. That means this top must be made of knit because there are no darts or shaping seams on the top anywhere. Of course, choosing the right knit is imperative to make the garment look like it is illustrated. I would call this a sweater knit top because it shows some bulk. If it was made of a very fine synthetic knit there would be more folds in the sketch.In my booklet on my Etsy.com/shop/JohannaFashionWorld, site I have published : Knit Skirt No Pattern. It includes a basic understanding of knits to use for this type of garment. as well as a step by step walk through of building it. It is a good booklet for a beginning sewing project. I cannot emphasize enough “to be a fashion designer you must be able to build your first garment” Some day you will work with professional patternmakers and seamstresses who will be testing you to see if you know what you are doing in this competitive world of fashion. You will not always be sewing your own designs unless you want to be a professional tailor or seamstress.

I watched the Oscars last night with my dog Manny. I like to watch them alone so I can concentrate on the gowns..I used to design Casino Attire and used this show as an inspiration.

I agree with comments that were made by other celebrity watchers  as to natural tones and beads beads beads.  I often wonder who applies all the beads to the gowns. The United States has probably not done the beading. Many, many  hours  are needed to bead a single garment

I think they still do hand beading in France, and in China of course. It is unfortunate that my industry has sent many of our factories off shore.

I like to see lighter colors worn, mostly because they photograph better than dark’s or black. The Elements and Principles of design show  better when the gown is light. Later I will discuss the Elements and Principles of design with Emphasis as the first Element. It is where everyone will look first at a gown. If you want to learn how to use these principles go to a gossip page on the Internet and examine the gowns again thinking about where the designer put the Emphasis.

 

 

Today I would like to talk about inspiration. When you were young you probably looked in fashion magazines to discover what type of clothing you liked. You also could have tried to draw your own designs based on garments you saw in magazines or on television, you tube, or on line anywhere. When I was running my own fashion program at Palm Beach Community College in Florida. I required my students to start an inspiration file, not of other clothes they liked but of architecture, art, interior designs, furniture, textiles, etc. This prompted them to think of their own ideas; not inspired by other designers. If you ever want your ideas to be noticed they should not look like anyone else,s work.  Another assignment I assigned them was to go to an art museum and design something based on a piece of art they saw. A famous fashion designer, Yves St Laurent, once designed a dress based on a piece of art by the artist Mondrian.