Final Outcome Development | Patterns and Toiles

Once I had decided on my final outcome and the design I wanted to go with, it was time to make my pattern pieces and construct a toile to see if my idea would actually work in real life.

With help from my designer research of Ashish and Balenciaga, I was able to gain a better insight on how to create such a garment, and had a good idea in my head of how it would work and what I would need my pattern pieces to look like in order to work.

I roughly sketched out my pattern for one side of the bag - I would use this twice to create two identical pieces - and added seam allowance around the entire bag for when I'd come to sew it together.

I then pinned it to my toile fabric and got to work cutting it out so I could stitch it altogether and see if it would work.

I was really excited to be sewing garments again, as it'd been a while since I'd been able to do like it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It was, however, harder than I anticipated, as the curved lines of the bag proved difficult to sew neatly.

Once my toile was constructed, I realised I needed to make a few adjustments to my pattern as it was far too wide in some areas and didn't look how I'd imagined it.

I took my first pattern and traced it off again, taking off a few centimetres here and there and making the middle section between the handles a lot smaller. I cut it out again in my fabric and was anticipating having to alter my pattern pieces again but this time I think I had the proportions just right!

Now it's time to embellish my fabric pattern pieces before I construct the bag for real!