Looking back, I never expected I’d be where I finished this project. While pattern making in Adobe Illustrator was one of the things I wanted to learn in this class, I didn’t think it will be the forefront of my project. If only I knew the multiple things I can achieve with the program, I would have started there and really pushed myself further into learning all about pattern making and grading digitally. In the beginning I thought I’d be learning the old school, high end way of making suits, but half way through, thanks to the circumstances presented bu Covid-19, my interests had changed. Don’t get me wrong, I love tailoring and everything about it. But this project had reawakened my childhood hobby of computer graphic design that I had almost forgotten I enjoyed. That was the most unexpected part about this project. To be able to apply my old computer skills onto my newly learned fashion skills is very exciting and rewarding for me (not wasting my high school in front of the computer that is).

I learned so much in this paper that I wanted to keep going and keep learning more of the process of pattern making digitally like grading, and more complicated projects. I hope to one day use this skill and sell patterns online. Why not.

The first part of the project also did not disappoint. I kept learning about tailoring and how to draft a block and patterns as part of my digital pattern making learning to understand how a tailored jacket is produced from the beginning. There’s more to learn in tailoring that the research process is on going. I would love to one day make sample in different fabrics to see how tailored garments behave and what interfacings are best in which fabric. I would love to learn more detailed pocketing, like the inside details. I still need to dive into proper pad stitching and other hand stitching needed in tailoring but for now, what I got myself into are enough for a 12 week project.

I surely made a lot of mistakes during this paper. Having no structure to my week and day was my biggest drawback. It was difficult to transition from studio space to home space especially when home space, for me, was to relax. It took me weeks and weeks before I got myself into a good routine, but even the. It was easy to break it. Not having space and having too much time suddenly was what set me back into having a more refined project planning. If there’s something that needs great improvement from, it was be a more thorough project planning.

Nonetheless, I have enjoyed this paper so much that I will take the structure of this paper (learning history, researching process, sampling) into my future fashion endeavours. But most importantly, I have learned so much in this paper that I know I will be bringing a set of new skills with me outside of University. And! Now I can up my Illustrator skills a few levels on my CV.