As the workers create the foundations of our home, I get to the foundations of the sweater to wear there! The foundation for my designs is excel. I start with a template I created in Jill Wolcot’s “A System of Grading” course and go from there.
Garment Philosophy
I begin each garment design with a philosophy for that particular design. The philosophy is what the garment wants to be and what, if anything, are “nonnegotiable” elements and what can be tweaked if needed. For instance, proportional design is an overarching philosophy I’ve always applied in my garment designs, even before hearing Jill mention it in her class. As seen in Woodsong Camber (pre-class), the philosophy of this design is that it featured differing sized traveling cables dependent upon the size being knit. Or in Moonlit Kiss, I originally had sketched in highly detailed sleeves, but in development found the lace and cowl details were enough elements for one design so streamlined those sleeves down to a simple faux seam to match the body.
Sizes Offered
Remember how I said last blog that part of creating my custom sizing chart for Knit Eco Chic looked at ready-to-wear sites? Since “eco” is the foundation that ties my designs to the fashion world, I paid particular attention to what eco “ready-to-wear” charts looked like.
Size Chart
One of our assignments was to create your own sizing chart. If you look online at different ready-to-wear shops, you’ll see they all have their own custom sizing chart. What hips circumference make up a Large pants? What bust makes an XS top?
Grading Is a Thing
What happens when you take a children’s author with a degree in Philosophy and turn her into a knitwear pattern designer? You get a passionate designer with a HUGE learning curve to undertake!