Inside the tailoring workroom: Three Piece Tweed Skirt Suit

Hello and welcome to my second blog post! Well I most certainly have been kept very busy in the workshop and shop itself. The subject of this blog post will be a day in the life of me, the intern! 

When I get into work, I start with a cup of tea which to be honest is a lovely thing. After that I get to work! Most of my time currently is spent on projects that is for my learning and for Blues & Browns to use as showcase pieces. I also handle calls from customers and assist in the shop as required.

One of the big projects that I've been working on is a tailored three piece tweed skirt suit. This has been both exciting and challenging. This journey included cutting, fusing, sewing and pressing. If you've been having a look at our social media feeds, then you'll see that I've been posting about the project. 

For me this was an amazing project! Kairen got in touch with a contact of hers who is a cutter and asked if she would do a one-to-one session with me on cutting and matching the fabric. We first had a little chat about what I had done previously and what I wanted to do. This resulted in the picking of this gorgeous tweed, with Kairen’s nod of approval for use. We discussed laying out of the fabric, the pattern style and the fabric shrinkage. Under her guidance, we cut a jacket, waistcoat and skirt. It was amazing to see how she cuts the fabric so fast as a result of her practice and experience. 

We set them into little bundles and also cut the lining and fusing that would go with it. And with that I got started! 

The fusing is an unseen element of garment construction. It's use is to stiffen certain areas of a garment that require more strength than the fabric already possess.

​Take the jacket for example, it requires quite extensive fusing as it needs to be structurally sound to ensure that it retains its sleek tailored appearance. Fusing is also necessary in areas that are subject to constant use or friction, such as pockets and cuffs.

​The actual sewing of the garment went well, but there's still some room for improvement. I have found that I'm getting quicker at sewing the seams and ensuring the pattern is matching, but what trips me up is how a specific element of the jacket is sewn.

​So for example, in the jackets two piece sleeve, I had sewn the wrong seam first which I then needed to take out in order to properly sew the cuff. Rest assured I'm always taking notes so as to avoid repeating mistakes! 

I had written in my last blog post about the importance of pressing, and it remains true! I had also said that I would continue to work on it and that also remains true. I had asked Melinda the tailor for feedback on my garments, she went through them as I made notes and we went over the pressing each garment requires.

​What made me smile though was Melinda’s love for tweed and pressing. You can shape it, mold it and smooth it. It's amazing to hear someone speak to passionately about something most people don't think of.

What impresses me most at my internship is the huge amount of support. It really feels like I'm here to learn and grow.  The value of good constructive criticism is, in my opinion something always needed in order to improve. I now have a better handling of pattern matching at the cutting stage of production and I want to continue developing my pressing and improve my speed. 

Thank you for reading my blog post! Tune in next month to see more of what's going on at Blues & Browns. 

Floraidh xo