GARMENT CONSTRUCTION 5 - THE ONE THAT MADE ME PAUSE

I went into it feeling fairly confident. I’d made a lot of garments by then. I understood structure. I wasn’t scared of zippers or sleeves anymore.

And then I cut the blue dress on the bias.

I didn’t realise how different bias really is until I was in the middle of it.

The fabric stretched. It shifted. It grew while it was hanging. What fit one day felt slightly different the next. I adjusted it. Then adjusted it again. Eventually, I remade it completely.

That was hard.

Not dramatic hard. Just quietly frustrating.

It’s uncomfortable when you think you’ve moved past struggling… and then you’re right back in it.

Bias doesn’t let you rush. It doesn’t let you force it into place. It asks you to wait. To let it hang. To accept that the fabric is going to do what it wants first.

Even now, when I look at that dress, I don’t feel proud.

I remember the feeling of it stretching and me trying to understand why.

At the same time, we were also making structured, lined pieces — coat-style garments where everything had to be correct before you closed the lining. Once it’s enclosed, that’s it. No quick fixes.

So it was two extremes in one class.

One garment that wouldn’t hold still.
One that required complete control.

GC5 didn’t feel elegant.

It felt like being stretched.

But I didn’t quit it.

I remade it.
I finished it.

And even if that blue dress still makes me feel a bit of dread, I know it made me better.