History of Dressmaking

History of Dressmaking

• Ancestors used animal fur, skin, barks, and leaves for clothing around 650,000 years ago
• Primitive clothing was used to protect the body from rain, sun, wind, and cold
• Early clothing was tied or wrapped around the body while people searched for food

Needles and Threads

• Evidence of bone and ivory needles dates back 19,000 years
• Woven textiles (linen) were discovered in Egypt approximately 6,000 years ago
• Silk cultivation in China occurred around 5,000 years ago
• Dressmaking involves assembling specific dress or clothing items, mainly women's clothing
• Dressmaking is an age-old profession dating back thousands of years

"Big Four" Fashion Capitals of the 21st Century

• New York
• Paris
• London
• Milan

Dressmaking Definition

• Dressmaking is the craft of sewing clothes and dresses from fabric

Fashion Plates

• Fashion plates are printed illustrations that fashion designers used to copy or adapt the latest clothing ideas from cities like Paris and London

Dressmaker Training

• Dressmakers are often professionally trained through apprenticeships or formal school settings
• Some learn through trial and error
• Dressmaking involves measurements, trial garments (muslin or toile), and fittings

Functionality of Dress

• Dress varies across sexes, cultures, geographic, and historical contexts
• Dress includes shirts, trousers, jackets, coats, footwear, caps, hats, sleepwear, sportswear, and gloves

Forms of Costume Determinants

• Styles and fashions often dictate forms of costume

Other functions of costume

• Climate
• Geography
• Materials
• Technology
• Sexual attitudes
• Social status
• Immigration
• Tradition
• Habits

Recognition of Dressmakers

• 19th-century middle-class women sought professional dressmakers instead of making their own clothes
• Women dressmakers and cutters cut, sewed, decorated, and finished garments as far back as the 17th century
• Prior to this, dressmaking was primarily a male occupation

Tools and Equipment

• A complete set of sewing tools and equipment are a must-have for a dressmaker

Classification of Tools in Dressmaking

• Measuring Tools
• Drafting Tools
• Marking Tools
• Sewing Tools and Equipment
• Pressing Tools
• Materials

Measuring Tools

• Necessary for accurately measuring fabric and bodies to draft and alter patterns

Tape Measure

• A flexible device for body measurements

Types of tape measure

• Cloth/Vinyl Tape Measure: Used for body measurement
• Metal Tape Measure: used for large areas like windows
• Dressmaker's Ruler: Used for marking straight lines of 12 or 18 inches.
• Sewing Gauge: A small ruler with a sliding gauge, about six inches long.
• Hem Maker: Used to measure and mark hemlines accurately.
• Yardstick or Meterstick: Used to measure long cloth length.

Drafting Tools

• Instruments to measure, draft, and lay patterns on cloth

Drafting Tools Include

• L-Square: Used for measuring corners and keeping them aligned
• Hip Curve: Used for shaping hips, hemlines, and long curves
• French Curve: Used to shape neck and armhole depth

Cutting Tools

• Essential in sewing, must be sharp and comfortable and include:

Cutting tools

• General Use Scissors: Used for non-fabric materials like metallic trims, zippers, paper, and some fabrics.
• Shears: Bent handle blades to easily cut fabric.
• Thread Nipper: Used to nip loose threads after stitching.
• Bent Scissors: Scissors with bent lower blade.
• Pinking Shears: Used for zigzagging or scalloped edges for seam finishes
• Rotary Cutter: Works like a pizza cutter, usable by left or right-handed individuals

Marking Tools

• Used to transfer pattern symbols accurately onto fabrics to make the garment

Marking tools

• Tailor's Chalk: Marks fabric directly in different colors and marks construction details
• Liquid Marking Pencil: Creates thin lines on firm fabrics
• Dressmaker's Tracing Paper: Waxed carbon paper for transferring tracing wheel markings to fabric
• Tracing Wheel: Used alongside tracing paper to transfer construction lines from pattern markings to fabric

Sewing Tools and Equipment

• Sewing tools aid in completing a sewing task
• Sewing equipment refers to more complex tools

Sewing tools

• Pin Cushion: Use for keeping pins and needles for safety
• Pins: Small metal pieces with pointed end and rounded head.
• Needles: Choose the right size and type for both the thread and fabric.

Needle tools

• Hand Needle: Small metal piece to insert thread into fabric for stitches.
• Machine Needle: Use in sewing machines.
• Thimble: Metal cap worn on the middle finger for protection during hand sewing
• Sewing Needle Threader: Aids in threading the needle.
• Seam Ripper: Tool for ripping machine stitches or seams for alterations.

Equipment

• Sewing Machine (Ordinary Sewing Machine): considered a dressmaker's most helpful tool

Pressing Tools

• Needed to keep seams pressed and flat

Pressing Tools

• Flat Iron: Keeps seams pressed and flattened.
• Tailor's Ham: Press curved areas.
• Ironing Board: Long narrow board with soft material and folding legs.
• Sleeve Roll Tool: Use to press sleeves, seams, narrow garments, and hard-to-reach areas

Materials

• Fabrics: Cloth for making garments
• Thread: Used to assemble/construct garment parts

Basic Hand Sewing Stitches

• A stitch is one complete movement of a threaded needle in sewing
• Basic hand stitches are easy to learn if each step is taken thoroughly

Common Hand Stitches

• Basting: Quick, temporary stitches to be removed later

Basting stitches

• Even Basting (- - - -)
• Uneven Basting (_ _ _)
• Running Stitch: Common hand stitch with many variations
• Hemming Stitches: Secures the hem edge to a garment
• Backstitch: Strong and versatile permanent stitch
• Stem Stitch: Used for flower stems and tightly worked rows
• Chain Stitch: Series of scooped stitches forming a chain
• Cross Stitch: Horizontal stitch parallel to each other forming an X
• Catch/Herringbone Stitch: Flat finish on fabric, also known as Herringbone Stitch
• Blanket Stitch: Buttonhole stitch used to edge thick blankets
• Satin Stitch: Rows of adjacent straight stitches for petals or leaves
• Lazy Daisy: Typically used in making flowers

Sewing Machine Parts- Major

• Head: major part on a sewing machine
• Arm: Curved component of the head containing needle mechanism operation
• Bed: Flat part of the machine where the feed dog, shuttle, and lower thread are located

Eight Types of Sewing Machine

• Lockstitch Sewing Machine: Typically used inside homes, also known as "Domestic Sewing Machine."
• High-Speed Lock Stitch Sewing Machine: Otherwise named "Straight Stitching Sewing Machine,” or an industrial sewing machine.
• Over Edging Machine: Also known as a “Small machine.”
• Embroidery Machine: Used to create fancy stitches, embroidery, pillowcases, and novelty items.
• Buttonhole Holder Machine: Used to make buttonholes on garments
• Button Attachment Machine: Used to attach buttons to garments
• Double Needle Machine: Used to construct different types of clothes, mainly for the inseam, outseam, and side seam.
• Bartacking Machine: Used to reinforce pockets/placket openings and closings

Mechanical vs Electronic vs Computerized Sewing Machines

• Mechanical/Domestic Sewing Machine: Manual machine/tailoring machine/treadle sewing machine/domestic sewing machine/ where the basic settings are done manually by the user
• Electronic Sewing Machine: Machine includes increased features than a mechanical sewing machine
• Computerized Sewing Machine: High-tech sewing machine that conects and is loaded by the Internet or with design cards
• Over Locker Sewing Machine or Serger: Used to seam or overlock fabric

Parts of a sewing machine: Cabinet

• Drive Wheel Crank
• Pitman Rod
• Treadle
• Belt Guide
• Dress Guard
• Legs
• Drive Wheel

Parts of the sewing machine: Spool Pin, Bobbin Winder and Balance Wheel

• Spool Pin: holds spool of thread
• Bobbin Winder: used for winding the thread to the bobbin

The bobbin winder contains:

• Spindle, where the bobbin is inserted
• Rubber Wheel, rubs on the balance wheel that drives the bobbin winder
• Bobbin Winder Stopper, stops the winding of the bobbin
• Balance Wheel: starts the mechanism in coordination with the drive wheel
• Stop Motion Screw: Used to release and tighten the movement of the needle bar
• Thread Guide: Holds and guides the thread in place from the spool pin to the needle
• Thread Take-Up Lever: Move the thread up and down to tighten the stitch
• Upper Tension: Regulates the tightness and looseness of stitches
• Tension Discs: The round metal plates between which the thread passes on the tension mechanism
• Tension Regulating Thumb Nut: Adjustable nut on the Upper Tension Mechanism

Key Parts in sewing

• Needle Bar: Vertical bar to which the needle is attached
• Presser Bar: Vertical bar holding the presser foot
• Face Plate: Covers the left and head where needle bar and thread take-up lever are
• Needle Clamp: it holds the needle
• Needle: Carries the upper thread to the fabric to complete the stitch.
• Presser Bar Lifter: Lifts the presser foot
• Presser Foot: Holds fabric to the feed dog.
• Feed Dog: Helps move materials to stitch
• Feed Dog Regulator: Adjusts the height of the feed dog
• Throat Plate: At the bottom of the presser foot
• Bed Slide Plate: Flat plate beside the throat plate for accessing the bobbin case directly to the shuttle
• Shuttle: Holds the bobbin case
• Bobbin: Cone holding thread.

Lower Parts of the Sewing Machine

• Cabinet: Holds drawers for storing items

Other Lower Parts

• Dress Guard: The wing to prevent brushing while protecting the dress from the wheel.
• Legs: Supports the cabinet and the sewing machine
• Drive Wheel: Drives the balance wheel through the belt connection
• Drive Wheel Crank: Turns the drive wheel
• Pitman Rod: Connects the treadle to the drive wheel crank.
• Belt Guide: Holds the belt
• Belt Shifter: Removes the belt
• Treadle: The foot rest to drive the wheel

Sewing Safety Tips for Beginners:

• Be Responsible
• Start Slow
• Focus
• Unplug equipment
• Use proper tool for the job
• Store cutting tools
• Take breaks
• Caution hot surfaces
• Maintain equipment and cut with care
• Trim nails and store pins
• Plan sewing space

Precautions while Sewing:

Before

• Clean machine/surroundings
• Check machine
• Plug machine
• Use designated machine
• Start project

After

• Unplug machine
• Gathered tools
• Return tools
• Clean area
• Cover Machine