c/fashion-design-ideas

Swapped out my sketchbook for a digital tablet and it felt weird at first...

Swapped out my sketchbook for a digital tablet and it felt weird at first... I used to do all my fashion sketches on paper with those nice Prismacolor markers. That was my thing for about 8 years. Then a coworker at the hardware store showed me a quick dress mockup she did on a basic Wacom tablet and I was like, huh. So last January I picked up a used one for $60 on Craigslist. The first week was a mess, my lines looked shaky and I kept hitting the wrong buttons. But now I can flip between fabrics and patterns in seconds without redrawing the whole thing. I still miss the feel of marker on paper sometimes, but for testing out color combos it's way faster. Has anyone else had a hard time switching mediums like that?

Overheard a fabric buyer say she never looks at the back of the bolt

I was at a textile trade show in Portland last month and heard a designer brag she only judges fabric by the front side. Turns out that's how she ended up with a whole run of jackets that started pilling after 3 washes because the back weave was loose. Anyone else check both sides before buying in bulk?

Spent $150 on a custom pattern drafting course online and it changed my dress designs completely

I signed up for a three-week course last month that focused on drafting patterns from your own measurements instead of altering store-bought ones. For $150 it seemed a bit steep but I was tired of my blouses not fitting around the shoulders. The instructor showed me how to adjust the armhole depth and shoulder slope which fixed the pulling I always saw across my back. Has anybody else tried making their own blocks from scratch and found it worth the time?

Talking to a tailor in Brooklyn changed how I think about fabric choices

I was getting a jacket altered last month at this small shop on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn, and the tailor started showing me how different weaves hold shape over time. He pointed out that my go-to poly blend would never drape like a wool-cashmere mix, even at half the price. That conversation made me realize I've been picking fabrics based on cost instead of how they'll actually move and wear. Has anyone else had a tailor or seamster totally shift your approach to design?

Tried replicating a vintage 1970s shirt pattern on cheap muslin first and got a completely different drape

I found an old Simplicity pattern from 1974 at an estate sale for a dollar and tried making it up in muslin to save cost, but the fabric was so stiff compared to the original polyester that the collar stood up at a weird angle and the sleeves puffed out like clown arms. The whole thing looked like a costume instead of the relaxed retro look I was going for. Has anyone else had a pattern completely change character just from swapping the fabric type?

That week in Philly where I sewed 12 buttonholes crooked and had to rip them all out

I was up till 2am on a Tuesday fixing a floral sundress for a client's wedding Saturday, then my machine jammed on the last one and I slammed my coffee mug on the table so hard it cracked.

My sewing teacher said to always press seams before trimming... I thought she was being picky

I was making a denim jacket a few months ago and skipped pressing the seams before cutting them down. After I finished, the collar was all puckered and the armholes didn't sit right. So I went back and made a second version where I pressed every single seam first, and it came out perfectly flat. Has anyone else found that pressing actually makes a bigger difference than you'd think?

Hated linen shirts for years. Now I own 6.

Used to think linen was for grandpas at the beach. After a 90 degree day in Austin last July, my friend handed me one of his. Still creases like crazy but I don't sweat through it in 10 minutes. What material flipped your opinion like that?

Picked rayon over linen for a summer dress and regret it big time

I was deciding between rayon challis and linen for a flowy summer dress pattern I'm testing. Went with rayon because it drapes nicer and was like $8 a yard cheaper at Joann's. But after wearing it out once for brunch, it's already pilling under the arms and the whole thing just clings weird when I sit down. Should I just scrap it and re-cut in linen, or is there a trick to get rayon to behave?

Question about those weird asymmetrical hemlines I keep seeing

I was down in the East Village last weekend grabbing coffee, and I swear every third person walking by had a shirt or dress where one side was like 4 inches longer than the other. It wasn't just at a few trendy spots either, I saw it on 10th Street and around Tompkins Square Park. At first I thought maybe people just didn't hem their stuff right, but then I noticed it looked intentional with these sharp diagonal cuts. Some of them had the long part on the left, some on the right, it was all over the place. Is this a specific trend that's been going on for a while, or did a bunch of people just get the same idea at the same time? I'm thinking about trying it on an old t-shirt but I'm not sure how to keep the edge from fraying weird. Has anyone here sewed something like that and had it actually hold up after a few washes?

Ripped out 6 hours of stitching after a bobbin tension fail

I was at my sewing table in my apartment in Austin last Thursday, working on a denim jacket. Got through the entire sleeve and side panel before I noticed the top thread was looping underneath like crazy. Happened because I forgot to re-tighten the bobbin case after cleaning it. Had to rip out every single seam and redo it from scratch. Anyone else had a bobbin tension issue ruin a whole day of work?

Found out last week that most denim uses over 1,800 gallons of water per pair

I was reading a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and it said that one cotton pair of jeans takes that much water to make. Has anyone here tried using deadstock fabric to cut down on waste?

My sewing teacher's advice on fabric grain lines finally clicked

My old sewing teacher Mrs. Chen always said 'respect the grain line or the garment will fight you.' I ignored her on a wool skirt last month and the hem twisted like a spiral. Has anyone else had a project fall apart because you skipped preshrinking or matching the grain?

My aunt told me to sew my zipper foot backwards and it actually worked

She's been making quilts since before I was born, so I figured what's the harm in trying. I was struggling with a heavy denim jacket project, kept getting puckers on the zipper tape. She walked over, flipped the foot around, and told me to run it slow. Three minutes later the zipper was perfect. I've been sewing for about 4 years now and never once thought to try that. Anyone else have a family member drop some weird trick that totally changed how you do something?

Warning: That denim jacket pattern from the 70s needs a second look

Tbh I found a vintage pattern at a thrift store in Portland last month for $2 and got excited. But when I unfolded it, the armhole measurements were totally off by like 3 inches compared to modern sizing. I ended up having to redraft the whole sleeve cap to get it to fit right. Has anyone else run into weird sizing issues with old patterns from before the 80s?

Broke down and tried draping on a dress form instead of flat pattern making

I spent years doing flat patterns and thought draping was just for people who didn't know how to draft. After watching a 20 minute video from a designer in NYC I gave it a shot with some cheap muslin and got the shoulder fit right on my first try. Has anyone else had a specific technique click way later than it should have?

So I hit 50 sample garments before my first real collection launch

I had no idea I'd made that many until I counted them last week. Each one taught me something about darts or seam placement that I couldn't have learned from a sketchbook. Has anyone else gone way over their first production estimate?

My aunt's comment about my necklines hit me harder than I expected

I was showing my aunt some sketches for a new spring line over coffee last Saturday. She paused at one dress and said 'that neckline is trying too hard.' She's not a designer, she works at a hardware store in Akron. But she was right. I had been adding all these extra cuts and layers thinking they looked modern, and she saw right through it. Has anyone else had a non-designer relative give feedback that actually changed how you think about a design?

Vent: Spent $80 on a cheap fabric swatch book and it ruined a whole collection

The colors looked totally different under studio lights compared to the online photos. I had to scrap three sample garments because the material was way thinner than it seemed. Anyone know a reliable supplier for accurate swatches?

My $80 fabric shears from a shop in Seattle were a game changer for cutting silk.

I was using cheap scissors for years and always had frayed edges on delicate stuff. These Kai shears are so sharp and heavy, they glide right through without pulling the threads. Has anyone else found a specific tool that made a huge difference in their work?

I was sketching a jacket for six months before my friend in Portland pointed out the shoulder seams were in the wrong place.

TIL about a fabric called 'mushroom leather' from a documentary I watched yesterday.

They showed how they grow it in a lab in Amsterdam, and it's supposed to be a real alternative to animal leather. It got me thinking about sustainable materials for my next collection. Has anyone here actually worked with a bio-fabric like that?

My entire collection of swatches got ruined by a busted pipe in my storage unit last Tuesday. $400 worth of fabric, gone.

Just hit 50 sketches for a single jacket design and it blew my mind

Honestly, I was working on this utility jacket idea for a project and got stuck on the pocket layout. I kept redrawing it, trying different shapes and placements. I finally looked at my sketchbook this morning and counted them. Tbh, I had done 50 separate sketches just for the pockets and front panel. It felt crazy because I usually stop after maybe 10 versions. This time, I was chasing a specific look that felt both functional and clean, and I just couldn't let it go. The 48th sketch was the one that finally clicked, with a hidden zip pocket under the flap. Has anyone else ever gotten that deep into tweaking one small part of a design before it felt right?

My new silk dress ripped right down the side seam at a party in Phoenix

I was wearing it for maybe two hours when I leaned over and heard this awful tearing sound. I had to safety pin it together in the bathroom and leave early. What's the best way to fix a rip in silk without it showing?