Author: chapmanf309

I finished the Hawaiian shirt and it turned out great. Today I also made a tie with leftover fabric. I started the vest but did not have to finish. I did all the measurements and cutting and interfacing but didn’t get a chance to do any more. I included final pictures and progress pictures. 

I ran out of interfacing today which is crucial for making the vest so that is postponed until tomorrow. I did however have the materials to make another shirt so that was today’s project, I made a floral Hawaiian short sleeve which is all finished except for the buttons. Of all the things I’ve made men’s shirts are my favorite as they demand the most patience and attention to detail. I’ve finished (almost) three pieces as of now and hopefully will finish the vest tomorrow in time for Friday. I took some finished product pictures of the shirt and tie and a few of the Hawaiian shirt.

Today I made fantastic progress, so much that it slipped my mind to take any photographs so I will make sure to take double tomorrow. I finished up my shirt today and moved on to my next piece. I made a printed tie as well as begun work on a vest. The vest will take the most time as it calls for many layers and lining and must be the most clean of all the work. I might have time to make one more piece after these but we will see. Today I learned a great deal, I taught myself a few new stitches and also how to use the buttonhole maker on my machine which was most intriguing and frustrating. I cannot wait to show the fruits of my labor on Friday.

Today was quite productive! I clocked almost 10 hours and my first item is almost finished. The process consisted of planning out and cutting the pattern. Next the pattern is transferred to the fabric, and the fabric peices are cut. Then begins the long process of sewing, ironing, sewing again, lining, sewing again, frustratingly ripping open mistakes and fixing them, and sewing some more. I have a few more steps before completeing my shirt which will be finished in the morning. I included lots of pictures of the process as it might be hard to understand from explaination. This project takes a great amount of patience and persistence being that many parts of the project require hand stitching which takes a monumental amount of time. I have 2-3 more things I hope to complete before the end of the week and I hope to report positively about them on Friday.

 

Now that I am done at Liles, the rest of my time is going to be spent in an independent study manor. I spent yesterday searching through many patterns to decide what I was going to make. I then proceeded to fabric shop for about 3 hours as I am picky and indesisive. I have chosen to make a shirt, vest, and tie. As I only have one week left this is ambitious but possible. Sorry nothing exciting happened today but this part of the process is quite tedious and boring. I included a few pictures of the fabric store for those whom it may interest.

 

 

Today was sad as it was my last day at liles. However, I did get to do my favorite task yet, which was swatches. I was given a list sent to the store from the fabric companies noting which fabrics were out of stock or sold out. I then got to flip through hundreds of fabrics and find the notes fabric to either cut it out of it’s sold out or write it’s delivery date if it’s just out of stock. Although this might not be appealing to most I really enjoyed flipping through the hundreds (most likely over 1000) different fabrics that the store offered for custom suits. It was really cool to see all the possibilities one can have in a suit. The rest of my day was spent talking to staff or customers. My favorite moment was when I was chatting with a custom only to realize he lived I the same town I do (Pittsboro is not very big and is an hour from liles). On top of that he knew many people I knew from my home town, it was very cool to make a connection with someone like that. I learned such an immense amount at liles and it was a truly special experience so many many thanks to Mrs. Werner for making that connection. I learned many things these past few days that I’m sure will be really valuable in the future.

What a day! Today I started off my morning getting to know the inter workings of the shop. I was given a run down on the process of custom orders and how all of the inventory works. I got to see how everything is kept organized and prepared before it goes on the shelf. Today I had an awesome time talking with “Z” who runs the whole back area of the shop. He showed me how order forms worked, what he does when they get new clothes, and many more logistics of the business. After that we talked for a really long time about the retail world and what is good/bad for business and even ways that their own business could improve. I learned about what they call “dum-dum proof” items. Apparently a store should be 80% dum dum proof clothes, or clothes that anyone would wear. So in the case of Liles, black/navy suits, white/light blue shirts, and neutral colored pants. Sure these items can have variety, but if 80% of the clientele are looking for a versatile piece, then that’s how many of your pieces should be versatile. The other 20% can be anything that is more adventurous or stand-out in nature. Z says that in the case of custom suits, typically the people who wan’t a suit that is more of a statement will buy it custom, and not off the rack. Therefore if they have too many “different” items on the racks, there will be lots left over after the season which translates to lost money. Anyways that was today, tomorrow I was told we will be messing around with custom fabrics and showing me everything that goes on when making a custom suit. Also here’s a table of ties for viewing pleasure:

Wow, Liles Clothing Studio is more than I could have imagined. The place is packed with some of the most beautiful clothes I’ve ever seen. The whole staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I learned more about clothes today then I have ever learned before. Mr. Liles was extremely helpful with any questions as well as the rest of his staff. Today I primarily focused on getting to know the store and what they do. I spent more of the morning learning about all the clothing in the store and how everything should be displayed. After lunch they taught me all about custom garments and that aspect of thee company. I look forward to tomorrow and diving deeper into the world of menswear. 

Test