Final garment

Cavalier

Sequence of construction

Collar

Step 1: I sourced old laced netting and decided to recycle the lace finishing. 

Step 2: Using fabric scissors I carefully cut along the seam connecting the lace to the rest of the

           netting.

Step 3: I folder the black ribbon in half and placed it at the centre top of the lace, and pinned it into 

           place.

Step 4: I then began to pin into place small side pleats, starting from the centre facing the outside 

           end of the lace. I repeated this for both sides.

Step 5: I finished of the ends of lace by folding over the raw edges and using a basic straight stitch 

           to keep in place.

Step 6: Using a sewing machine I began to machine stitch the pleats into place removing the pins as

           I approached them. 

Corset

Step 1: Using a pattern block I traced the outline of the pattern onto dot and cross paper; ensuring

           they was perfectly lined up. The seam allowance was already included on the pattern block 

           and so I didn’t need to add it on.

Step 2: I then cut out the pattern on the dot and cross paper and pinned it to my chosen fabric.

Step 3: Using fabric scissors I cut around the pattern before unpinning it from my fabric.

Step 4: I placed the panels into the correct order before placing them right sides together and

           pinning along the seam line.

Step 5: I set up a sewing machine and carefully began to sew the panels together, removing the pins 

           as I went along. 

Step 6: Once the corset was sewn into place I opened all the seams on the inside. I then changed 

           the settings on the sewing machine to the zigzag stitch and began to sew over the seams. I 

           chose to do this for three reasons; it created a feature out of the seams, it re-enforcing the

           seams making them stronger, and it created a tidy finish to the inside of the corset.

Step 7: I finished the edges off by folding over the raw edges and sewing it in place using a basic 

           straight stitch. I repeated this for both the top and the bottom. 

Step 8: Using a needle and thread I had stitched on looped piece of elastic on back of the corset 

           along the left hand side. I then stitched on gold buttons along the right hand side to create a 

           fastening for my corset. 

Step 9: I decided not to use boning for my corset as I wanted it to still remain fairly flexible and so I

          opted for starch. I sprayed a thin layer of starch over the whole of my corset before ironing 

          it to make the fabric stiffer. 

Step 10: I finished off my corset by sewing trimming onto selected seams to create both a feature 

            of them and produce strong visible lines giving the illusion of structure. 

Skirt

Step 1: I drew up an improvised pattern onto dot and cross paper, before pinning it onto my fabric.

Step 2: I cut around the pattern before removing the pins. I repeated both these steps for each of 

           my fabrics.

Step 3: I then placed my fabrics in the order I wanted, and began to place them right side facing, 

           before pinning them together along the seam. 

Step 4: After I had completed this, I machine stitched the fabrics together, removing the pins as I 

           went along. I left the two centre back panels open.

Step 5: I put a hem on the skirt by folding over the raw edges and sewing them into place.

Step 6: Once I had created the skirt I began to pin into place side pleats that would hide the seam 

           between the panels. I started them from the centre at the front, facing the centre at the 

           back, ensuring that each one was equal and would fit within the waist measurements. 

Step 7: I then machine stitched the pleats into place, removing each pin as I approached it. 

Step 8: I then sprayed the fabrics generously with liquid starch to toughen the fabrics, allowing the

           pleats to appear sharp, before ironing them in.

Step 9: For the front half of the skirt I decided to use the zigzag setting on the sewing machine to 

           machine stitch part way down each of the pleats. I did this for 2 reasons; it created a feature 

           of the pleats, and it helped to hold the pleats in place as I had used a mixture of fabrics, 

           some heavier than others.

Step 10: I then created a waistband by measuring a strip of my selected fabric and folding it in half, 

            wrong sides together.

Step 11: I then lay the skirt flat onto the waistband ensuring they lined up perfectly, before folding 

            the raw edges of the waistband into the inside of itself, pinning it into place as I went.

Step 12: Once I had done this, I then machine stitched a straight line a couple of mm’s up from the 

             bottom of the waistband.

Step 13: I then stitched together the two back panels of the skirt creating a full skirt. 

Step 14: I ironed open the seam and began to pin into place a zip, face down on the centre of the 

             seam. 

Step 15: I then hand tacked the zip into place, to ensure it would stay in place as I machine stitched 

             it.

Step 16: I then changed the foot on the sewing machine to the number 4 foot, and began to 

             machine stitch along the sides of the zip, staying as close to the zip as possible.

Step 17: Once I had completed this is used an unpicker to unpick both my hand tacked stitches, 

             and the seam along the zip face from the outside of the skirt.

Step 18: To finish off the skirt I decided to add on a thick trimming along the inside of the 

             waistband, allowing the top of it to my visible from the outside. I machine stitched this 

             into place using a straight stitch.