Another office...

At first I just sat down to do some more research before I was asked to do some more fabric sourcing and labelling for a new project, I then had to steam all the garments made in these fabrics which took a toll on my right arm as a few were cotton and held the creases.

This meant I got to see more of the pattern room, watching all the sewers on the machines and people draping on the stand. This was my kind of heaven!
I had to be careful however when steaming to not to steam the pleats on some of the garments as this would make them lose their shape and be wary of the types of fabric I would be steaming.

Today was very busy as people kept asking me to do things during other tasks however I was glad that I always had something to do. I had a lot of t shirts to fold up neatly too and to put away all the hangers. I also had to help move garments from the showroom down stairs to our design room for fitting.
I was then asked to go to the finance office in a different building in brick lane to hand some paperwork in and collect a ID card, thankfully brick lane isn't very far and it was a nice sunny day. As I like going to brick lane at the weekends and have been here for our past degree shows I found it very easy to get to however finding the office its self was a little different as there are no signs, not even on the door of the building.

swatches

There were a few tec packs that I could not find yesterday and a few more added to the list that I was given to complete today along with some pricing up of fabric samples.

I was also taught how to measure up garments to see if they are measuring to the specifications before being put on the fit model. This involved taking measurements from the top to bottom, hem length, back cross measurements ect.

Whilst I was doing all of this around me models were being fitted in different garments for the new season. This was really interesting to see as this whole process is new to me, all the garments are measured and are slightly adjusted by pins to get the perfect fit and for the garment to move in the correct way. This is a long ongoing process as garments are altered by 0.5 of a cm at some points.

I was then given a big pile of fabric boards which needed to have swatches cut from and put onto designed sheets whereby I can write up all the information for that type of fabric. This was a very long task as my scissors were very blunt and I had a wide variety of fabric types to cut into a very specific size square. 

   

Round two

I woke up very tired on day two not being used to working till 6 and having to get in at 9 again.

I was immediately given a different task today that involved sorting through a list of all the tec packs and finding them and printing them out. This took a long time as I had to do mens and womens wear. 

However it kept me busy and this I something I preferred as I knew it would be helpful for the team too. In doing this I also saw how working drawings are done in industry and the amount of detail usually added. by going through all the tec packs I got to see the different styles that will be out next season and just notice how many variations there are and these are just the garments that were chosen for the buy. I was also shown how to use the K drive where all of All Saints staff save their files so that each member can see what they are working on and share files. 

I was also shown to another room where the printers are kept, feeling all a bit like im in a maze office.

After this was completed I then went and did more research looking at mens jersey, polos and tees. I went outside to some of the local shops and did some research into what styles were already on sale and what is on trend. 

  

My first day

First day at All Saints started at 9.30 with a tour from HR girl called Katie who showed us the whole building and all its stair cases and corridors as well as the sections we would be working in.

I was shown to the design team where I would be working and introduced to Thomas and Charis who are head of the department for menswear and work experience.
Set up on the light box I was given a laptop for my use during the three weeks here. Thomas gave me some guidance on what to research for the new menswear collection being started for aw/15.
As this was my first day I mainly spent it doing research although I was introduced to the rest of the department.

I wasn’t sure after my first day how I felt about interning at All Saints however I did have to remind myself of the less interesting tasks I did at hand and lock in my first few days there.

What one week off does

To give myself a break from interning before my next one at All Saints I decided to take a week off.

Before this I had been working hard in the evenings to find accommodation for myself and 2 other girls, ready for when we start back at university.
It was pretty tough because I had to consider the location and more importantly the price. I had a very specific price range given to me and this needed to include bills.

During the week, I had arranged to go to Coventry and see 6 houses. Each were very different and some a bit disappointing when we viewed them. After a very long and tiring day we still hadn't found the house for us all. Luckily one of the landlords had another house in the same area which looked good and was in our price range.

This was a huge weight lifted as I could finally stop worrying about my accommodation for September.

I would recommend anyone to plan this before you even think about taking a gap year, I had difficulties finding people from my course who had taken a year out and hadn't gotten any housing. I was unfortunate in the aspect that my previous house mates would be graduating and not need a house in September.

I also had some time to explore London and the wonderful sewing machine shop in Lewisham. It was cluttered and bursting of sewing machines, industrial, vintage, embroidery, all different makes and brands. It was my kind of heaven which understandably meant I also couldn't leave without buying something of my own. A rare German hand crank vintage sewing machine which would sew perfectly if I can find a replacement handle.

Right now I am just enjoying researching into my machine as much as I can and also looking at the other brands of vintage machine. I feel it is quite apt to own one now that I will be starting my internship at All Saints soon.

The last day

On my last day I felt a bit sad to be leaving my Hand and Lock family but I was determined to finish the 15 gold work kits and the rest of the badges that needed touching up.

Now that I had the golden felt I could prick and pounce my design and cut out 15 pairs of the design ready to be sewn down. I also had to pack 15 sets of needles making sure that they all had the different types for different materials. 

                                               

The last of the badges had to be touched up as some parts hadnt been sewn properally and I had to hand sew over the black felt. This took rather along time as I couldnt sew with double thread as it would break and frey very quickly and with double thread it knotted constantly. This was a bit of a rush as the client wanted 50 by 4pm. Eventually they all got sewn and completed and the client was happy with them all.

As it was my last day I bought a big Millies cookie to say thank you for taking me on and teaching me all sorts of different skills. 

I really felt like an equal and one of the team at hand and lock, never like an intern unpaid and useless. 

During my time at Hand and Lock I have learnt basic gold work, how to sew using lots of different materials and onto different fabrics. 

I am the master at unpicking and restitching suit linings. 

I have sewn onto shoes, bowler and flat hats. 

I have framed and re framed again and again, for tambour beading, feather sewing and monogramming. 

I have learnt how to be organised and organise a studio.

I have learnt about different sewing machines, computerised machines and their digitising software.

I have visited the Ritz, Sloane street, Savile row and many other exciting places in London. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Hand and Lock and would always recommend them as a company to work with either interning or as a business that needs some monogramming. Their work is always of such a high quality and they always try to cater to your needs. 

I feel sad about my time coming to an end but I have a lovely card and book to keep and hopefully they will have a big job requiring past interns (fingers crossed) 

More badges

Today I started making some more gold work sets ready for the classes coming up, I had to make 15 sets making sure that everything was equal and that each set had the right equipment. I also had to find some golden/ yellow felt to use for the padding as in the last set I used black and it can be seen if the gold work isn't sewn close together. 

I then had to help with an order of badges for a children's TV program as some had black threads that had gotten caught up in the machine. I just had to try and pull out and cut as much of the joining black threads as possible and as neatly as I could. This took a long time as there were a few that were very messy. 

                                       

As the badges wasnt of high priority I was given a gold work task to do. I had to sew extra pearl purl around the outline of the original square as some of the pile from the velvet had worn away and this piece would be use as part of an art work display and could not be used if in poor condition.