One of the things I continue to ask myself is how best can I use my time now, when things are slow, which puts me in the best possible position for when this thing finally takes off. The answer came fairly naturally to me. First off, I have always loved learning, and I have acutely felt my own lack of knowledge when it comes to the disciplines of sewing and textiles. While I know what looks good to my eye and I have strong opinions on fit, color, and quality, I do not have hands-on knowledge of complex garment construction. Secondly, it has been difficult for me to translate the design concepts swirling around my mind into reality. This could be a mismatch between me and my pattern makers, a gap in my technical knowledge which limits my ability to translate ideas into executable garments, or a diabolical combination of both.
Therefore, while I have some time on my hands as I wait for all our investment in marketing to finally pay off, I worked with ChatGPT to create a one year course for the Martindale School of Fashion culminating in the production of a three-piece suit.
Here is the general structure of the course:
Weeks 1-12: Sewing Foundations and Textile Literacy
Weeks 13-24: Garment Construction Basics
Weeks 25-36: Patternmaking & Draping
Weeks 37-48: Fashion Design & Visual Language
Weeks 49-60: Tailoring & Couture Sewing
Weeks 61-72: Tambour & Couture Embroidery
Weeks 73-84: Advanced Surface Design & Embellishment
Weeks 85-96: Collection Development
Weeks 97-104: Final Collection & Portfolio
Having never been to fashion school, I have the benefit of viewing fashion from the outside and tailoring the program to exactly what I want to learn and yeeting the things I believe to be superfluous. My ultimate goal is not to become a master pattern maker or seamstress, but to have enough knowledge of fit, tailoring, and fabrics to translate my designs into real-life creations.
I will share what I have learned as I go to create a little library of coursework to track my progress and keep me honest.
Here we go!
Until next time,
Elise
