End of year show

I didn't know how much space I would be allowed for my end of year show, but I had a rough idea of how I wanted to present my products and brought along some props to help set the scene. Using the mannequin helped to show people the scale of the big bag as well as showing it off as a feature piece. It also showed how to wear the scarves and how well they went together. I kept my colour palette to blues to enforce my theme of the beach, my products also showed up well against it.

The small section in the middle was for my purses and I used my props here to get them noticed. Surrounding my smaller products with shells, driftwood, sea pebbles and seaweed made my stand look more interesting and added some different colours and textures. It was also a good place to put my business cards (I put them inside a large shell) which I printed onto brown card to keep to the natural theme and also because I thought they would be different to everyone elses.

I think my end of year show was successful as people gave good feedback such as they were products you would buy in a shop. After completing this project, I feel that I know which direction I am going in and it has given me a lot of confidence in my products. I would like to continue making bags and purses using a mixture of fabrics and my designs and try selling them online and at craft fairs.

One last idea

For my final digital print I wanted to make a statement bag with my print all over. I found this picture of a large bag on the website WGSN, and wanted to make something similar.

My first idea was to make a bottom separately that had a strip around it connecting to the fabric of the bag. I made all my measurements, created a pattern and tried it out in calico. It didn't work! I tried a few times but had trouble with the size, connecting the two handles, connecting the base to the top...

Basically I didn't have time to keep trying with a pattern that I couldn't get to work. So I decided to create a completely new pattern which would give me a similarly looking bag. This one worked! My digital fabric was blue so I chose the beige leather coat I had found and used that as a base as I thought the two colours would look good together.

The lining of the coat was a really nice silky gold which I thought would match the base and contrast with the outer. It also make the bag look a bit more luxurious. Finally I finished it with a pocket on the inside and a business label.

I really like this bag and I would like to make it out of other materials in different colours. I also think it would be easy to re-size to have a range of smaller versions.

A tote bag

I decided to make a tote bag as I thought it would be a good way of showing off my digital print and also I had made one before, so I had a good idea of the process. However, I made a prototype out of calico and included the lining this time, to make sure I knew what I was doing and that my pattern worked.

To make the bag a bit more special, I decided to add sides and a bottom, long handle and a back panel all made from black leather. I also added a black lining made from the same coat the leather came from.

To make my bags look more professional, I made some label with my company name on them. This was done by printing the name onto T-shirt transfer paper and then ironing onto a ribbon. I think this worked very well and keeps the cost of having labels printed down, while I am starting my business.

More fabric designs

Making my printed fabric was very effective, so I wanted to make some more that could be used on the outside of bags. I designed a motif in a kalaedoscope pattern using photos I had taken of shells. I then manipulated this in photoshop to create two different patterns. These were printed onto canvas as I thought that would be a strong material for a bag.

 

I think they turned out really well and I've got some good ideas for bag patterns that will show them off to their best advantage.

Starting to make my final products

The first product I decided to make was the box bag with driftwood handles. From my prototype, I had pretty much found out what order to sew up the outside pieces in and didn't think it would take me that long. I wanted to use the silk that I had digitally printed onto to line the bag, and a brown leather coat to make the outer. However, I didn't consider the fact that my prototype didn't have a lining! It is really tricky trying to plan out a 3D model in your head of a bag and deciding how and where to sew a lining so that it can be turned right way out to hide the seams. I needed help with this and asked my tutor and the sewing technician who guided me through the process. After I had made another prototype (with a lining this time!) I was ready o tackle my final product. It took a while but I got it in the end. I also decided to add a pocket to the lining piece as all good bags have pockets!

Bag and purses prototypes

Using my trend research, I designed this bag and these purses. I made a paper template and used some faux leather for the outer. For my final products I want to use my designed fabric as a lining. The part I needed to practice and learn, was how to sew on the zips and in which order I needed to attach the sides. 

I thought it was important to use metal zips as it adds a better quality to the products and I think the silver colour matches the tones on my colour mood board. However, it was difficult to work with the chunky metal zip on the small purse so I might change it to a plastic one in a similar colour. I also wanted to change the zip pull so filled a shell with resin and drilled a hole to fix it onto the zip with jump rings.  

 

The bang handle I wanted to be an important feature, so I made it out of driftwood that I sourced from my trip to the beach. I then attached it to the bag using a jute rope which overall I think works very well to show my beachcomber theme. For my final product, I want the bag to retain it's shape so I might add a cardboard insert or iron on interfacing. 

 

That's my idea!

During my research, I came across the spring/summer 2012 collections for Chanel and Versace. I don't know how they managed to find out about my idea, but these fashion houses have produced collections based on shells and underwater images!

 Versace have used a number of beautiful prints featuring shells, sea-life and mermaids! They have also made use of shell shape as embellishments and jewellery as I saw in my initial research. I really like these prints and I'd like to do something similar as I think scarves would look really good in a full print and also a bag lined with a colourful print would be fun.

I love these Chanel bags. they are so inventive and really show what can be achieved with some experimentation. My favourite is the seaweed bag, I like the muted colours and the textures. Although I like these ideas, if I were to make something similar, I would want it to be a bit more practical that people would buy because they can see themselves using it as an everyday item.

Introduction - The First Post!

Hi everyone this is the first post on my new blog all about my last term at college! I only have a few months left to make and finish my products for the end of year show, but luckily I have already done a lot of the hard work. With my first few blogs I will show you all the preparation work I did last term, finding inspiration, sketching initial ideas and making my prototypes.
Just to get you up to date, I am using shells and beach combing as an inspiration to create a range of prints and surface designs on fabric. I am then hoping to create a range of bags and purses that are totally unique  to me and each other as they will all feature found objects. I hope you like my products and enjoy following my creative journey!