Saturday 25 July 2015

Patchwork Polly tutorial part one

Patchwork Polly Vest- Making a Patchwork Textile

LESSON ONE - MAKING A PATCHWORK TEXTILE FOR A WEARABLE GARMENT

Your tutor today is Pearl Red Moon who is an Australian textile artist and independent pattern
designer.


My art has always been influenced by Asian textile traditions and this fabric embellishment
tutorial comes from my admiration for the traditional Korean technique of patching clothing,
known as pojagi or bojagi.

The tutorial will be split into 2 parts. Today I’ll give the step by step instructions for making a 
piece of patched textile that will become the front of the vest. The second part of the tutorial on 
July 29th will be the instructions for making up the garment and a link will be given for the vest
pattern as shown above.

All the patchwork in these lessons will be done with a serger, though there are other alternatives. 
For example you could use a wide zigzag stitch on your sewing machine or french seams. 
Traditional pojagi was done with french seams.

The patchwork can be done with all the same the fabric or with up to 7 different ones combined.
You can use knits, mesh or woven fabrics and even combine different types together in the one 
piece. The pictures below show a vest made all in a black fine mesh and another made in olive 
stretch knit with contrasting red serged seams. The 2 pictures at the top are vests made with 7 
different fabrics mixed.


The serging stitch is going to be on the outside of the garment and become a decorative element,
 so remember to serge on the right sides of the fabric when joining the patches and strips.

Requirements

* For the front vest: knit or woven fabric, 1 colour or up to 7 different fabrics, these are cut into
 rectangles 15cm wide x 85cm(6”x34”)

* Back vest: make in a solid colour, you’ll need a piece of fabric of minimum dimensions
 80cm x 90cm(32” x36”)

* Thread for serger, in a complimentary or contrast colour for your fabrics

* use a ball point sewing machine needle if you’re using knit fabrics

The most efficient way to measure and cut the rectangles is to make a paper pattern piece 
measuring 15cm x 85cm (6” x 34”) or you could just mark these dimensions directly onto the 
fabric. Mark and cut out 7 pieces of fabric Stack each rectangle on top of each other as they’re cut,
matching the cut edges as closely as possible. If your fabric stack is too thick to cut through 
easily, just do 2 stacks with less layers


Section and cut through all the layers to make the patchwork pieces as shown in the diagram
above.

Keeping the pieces in rows mix all the pieces randomly so that different fabrics are placed next to
each other. Each row will still have the 3 sections of different size in it. Wrong sides together put
in a single pin to join the 3 sections in each strip and join by serging them together. Do all the
strips, the wide and the narrow. The serging stitch will be on the right sides of the fabric.



Now lay all the 14 strips out on your work table and arrange them so that the fabrics next to each
other are different, as much as possible. The strips can be turned around so that the sections
that were 25/10cm(10/4”) start at opposite ends. Wide strips and narrow strips can be placed 
together as you wish, the rows don’t have to be thick/thin/thick/thin.

When the arrangement is satisfactory pin with a single pin to join the sets of strips together at
one end only. Do this with wrong sides of the fabric together, so the serging will be on the outside of the finished garment. Line up the beginning of each strip along one side only.


When the strips are arranged pin wrong sides together,
matching along one side only. Serge the strips together
beginning at the same side every row.


Serge the strips together. Start each row from the side where they were lined up and pinned. 
You cannot go up and down as its possible the strips won’t all be exactly the same length, 
especially if a combination of knit and woven fabrics was used. It won’t be a problem if one side
is uneven with long and short strips.

Steam iron the piece of fabric from the back, setting the heat no higher than what is
recommended for the most delicate of the fabrics used. Its possible your piece of textile may be 
a little warped or uneven but this won’t be a problem.

The patchwork fabric is now ready to have the pattern piece cut from it.

Join me on the July 29th for the garment tutorial! 

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If you are interested in buying an artwork or booking a commission, please email me at pearl@upstairs-art.com.au