PRODUCTION METHODS AND INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTORING
To be honest, this period was bit of a boring one. I know it sounds a little bit bad to say but I find pattern making quite boring when you compare it to creating moodboards and drawing ideas. However, I did learn a lot of usefull things about patterns and digital patterns as well as a little bit about sewing which are important skills and definetly useful in the future. So maybe as I learn more I start enjoying patterns when they don't feel so difficult.
Anyhow, here are the things that I learned during this second period called "Production Methods And Industrial Manyfactoring" which contained three courses project competence, manufactoring project and working English.
Project competence
In this course we learned about projects and how to create a project plan, a poster and a release in case we need to file for financing or report about the things we do. It is important for designers to acknowledge that a lot of the work you might end up doing are projects, therefore, it is important to know how to define and tell about those projects to others.
Poster
Poster is basically exaclty what it says to be, a poster. But when it's connected with a project there are few things worth mentioning in your poster. Fistly, it is good to tell about the aim and name of the project, how you're going to do it, when, where and with whom and what is the end result. Then you need to think about the visual look of the poster and include logos, website address or social handles so that people can find you and your project easily.
Project Plan
Project plan is a document where you explain everything important concerning the project such as the background, aim and purpose, organizations and resources, risks, tasks and how are they devided, schedule, purchases and how you use them, budget as well as reporting, communication and sponsors or partners. It is also good to keep it short but informative so do not tell too much just enough for other people to understand what you're doing. I know this sound a bit tricky but when you think about for example the possible sponsors reading the plan you don't want to bore them but also make them confused with too little information.
Project Release
Release is kind of like a newspaper article where you tell very shortly about your project. Therefore it is important to tell what you are doing, why, how, where, when and for who. Relase is also something you can send to newspapers to be featured but apparently it is very hard to get right so perhaps I shouldn't tell you more since I am no means an expert of releases.
Manufacturing Project
This course was all about patterns in footwear and how to, especially, create patterns for manufacturing in the footwear industry. Therefore, we learned both manual pattern making as well as digital pattern making and cutting. Also this year we concentrated in boots and ankle boots oppose to last year when we learned about walking shoes. Moreover, after every manual pattern assignment we also had to created a prototype using the patterns we had made.
Derby Ankle Boot – Manual patterns and a prototype
Upper and lining
Chelsea Boot – Manual patterns and a prototype
Only upper for this one
Palmroth seam
Elastics on both sides
Boots With Vamp And A Zipper – Manual patterns and a prototype
Upper and lining
Zipper
Vamp
High Boots With Vamp – Shell only
No cut out patterns. Only the shell which is the one piece that contains all of the patterns.
Final Assignment – Brand X
For final pattern making assignment our task was to choose a brand that we liked and one design from then with either zipper and a vamp or a derby style boot. I chose Chanel because I just really like Chanel's style and they always have shoes that appeal to me. Therefore, when I saw this style of ankle boot with a vamp and a zipper with the classic toe cap I thought it would be perfect for this assignment. If you go to Chanel's website you're propably able to find this style there if you're curious.
Last M35 – Size 4 ½ – Heel Height 30 mm
Prototype of the upper with lining, zipper and a vamp.
CAD – Digital patterns in Shoemaster
CAD or shoemaster is a digital program which is used to produce patterns digitally for shoes. In this period we learned how to use the shoemaster program as well as a machine that cuts the patterns out of the computer.
At first shoemaster seemed really difficult to use but in the end it is not that bad and with a little practice you are able to do patterns so much quicker than when doing them by hand. Also grading (the range of sizes for that pattern) is enormously quicker in shoemaster or so I can imagine. . . just think about drawing seven different sizes by hand. It would proably take days.
Anyway, I did three patterns in shoemaster a derby pattern, a chelsea boot with palmroth seams and a chelsea boot with a vamp which I then cut out from the computer using the cutting machine.
How to use shoemaster in brief:
First you need to draw a shell by hand.
(The one piece of paper that has all the patterns in).
Secondly, you need to digitise the lines of the shell into shoemaster by using a digitise board and a remote.
After digitising the shell into shoemaster you have to mirror all the needed lines onto the other side of the shell as well as fix and draw new lines if needed.
Then you start making the pattern one by one using the lines of your shell as a guide.
After you have managed to create all the patterns you need you can either cut them out or grade the pattern into multiple sizes before cutting.
Patterns for Derby which I have also graded from size 35 to 41.
Upper with Shoemaster Creative – 3D picture
(my favorite thing in this whole period by the way.)
Shoemaster program can do multiple things aside from creating digital patterns. Namely, you can also draw 3D pictures or 3D models in it but in order to do that the last has to the be scanned (or something like that) into the shoemaster. After the last is in the shoemaster you just draw lines on top of the last and then create different patterns using your lines (just like you did with the real patterns) and after that you can color and style the patterns. Lastly you can add even a sole and some components such as buckles, lace holes or buttons on to your 3D shoe.
The first picture is where I have drawn the lines of my shoe on top of the last.
The second picture is where the upper shoe is patterned and styled.
The third picture shows you the complite shoe with upper, components and a sole.
. . . and then I accidentally DELETED IT. . . most unfortunate!!!
Therefore, naturally I had to do another one which looks the same but has better colors and is done using a different last. Luckily, I actually prefer the second one to the first so no harm done. At least I got some practice. . .
Thank you so much for reading!
Siiri
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