Week One

I have now finished my first week at House of Sunny. This week I worked from Monday to Friday, and on most days 10am-6pm.

Day one- Monday 23^rd April

10am-6pm

Today was a good day. I and two other interns were introduced to the studio and what Sunny Williams (the designer) and his team do, which I have mentioned in my previous post.  Me and the other making/ construction started work on a pair of trousers. Firstly we cut out the fabric, which Sunny was excited to tell us that it was the same fabric that Armani was using in there collection. As I was placing the pattern pieces on to the fabric, I noticed that there was no seam allowance on the patterns. Sunny cuts out his fabric in a different way from what I have been taught.  He adds the seam allowance on the fabric by drawing round the patterns with tailoring chalk or a pen, think that this makes cutting take up time. He also does not use pins to hold the pattern pieces to the fabric, he uses small weights. This is done to avoid marking the fabric, which I think is a good idea, as with particular fabrics once they are marked they are marked for ever. One more thing that he does which I find odd, Is that he irons the fabric after it has been cut out!

Once we had cut out all of the pieces, we then over locked all of the edges of the trouser legs, a part from the top edge. I then out layers of interfacing on the waistband to make them extra strong and would hold their shape. The way that he keeps the trousers looking smooth and crisp, is by putting the zip of the trousers that the side, on the right hip. At the front there is a fake zip guard, which is sewn together in the same way as a normal pair of trousers just minus the zip.  

Next me and the other intern moved on to making pattern pieces for the intern facing, and cutting out pieces for the jacket to go with the trousers and then some stay to go on the inside of the jacket.
Whilst I was doing this, a model came in for a fitting to check the fit and the hang of the garments. And with that, came the end of my first day.

Day two- Tuesday 24^th April

10am-3:30pm

Today we had to finish early, as Sunny Williams had a meeting.

Sunny has interned in Savile Row, so he knows the traditional tailoring techniques, but as he is doing women’s wear he had found a cheaper, happy medium of mixing ready-to-wear techniques with traditional ones.

Firstly me and the other intern cut out the interfacing pattern that we had made yesterday, ironed in the interfacing and sew in the stays. Next I hand sew onto a shoulder seam to keep it extra smooth and to help the seam hold its shape.

The above two images are of tape that I hand sew to the jacket, just next to the roll line. This makes the roll line look really straight and crisp.

I learnt a new tip today about welt pockets. When you sew the one cm allowance in to join the two sides together, do not cut off the seam allowance. This is done because when it is turned through, it helps defines the corners of the welt. 

Next I put a pleat into the lining of the jacket down the centre back, by ironing it in. Sunny taught me to use the tip of the iron when ironing a seam, pressing it out to make sure that it is a defined line. To conclude my second day at HofS, I pinned together sleeve linings and cut out the pocket bags.

Day three- Wednesday 25^th April

10am-6pm

Today was a good day, even though I started the day carefully unpicking trousers that were made from Dog tooth fabric, which liked to fray a lot. Then I ironed on interfacing to black silk satin, which was going on the shoulders of the grey Armani fabric jacket.

Next I moved onto working on the welt pockets and pocket bags from yesterday. Firstly I had to put strips of interfacing in the potion of were the welt pockets would go, using the pattern as a guide, onto the cut out fabric. 

I and the other intern were doing the stages together on different sides of the jacket. We then cut through the fabric in-between the pockets bags and cut a ‘V’ shape at the ends and right into the corners. So when it was turned through nothing would pull on the outside shell. Once we hand pulled/ turned the fabric through the hole that we had just cut, we pressed the welt pockets to make sure they were equal. Another thing that Sunny does which I find odd, is that he does not hand sew the side edges of his welts down, instead he machine sews them down. I personal think that it makes the £500 jacket look more manufactured and ready-to-wear.

Next I sew the pocket bags together; I sew them twice for extra strength. Finally I sew together an interfaced waistband and then pressed it, unpicked side seams on the dog tooth trousers, so tomorrow I can add in black silk satin panel, to make it the same as the other trousers in the collection. 

My fourth  and fifth day at the House of Sunny will continue in my next post.