Speaking of that busy semester....

Here are a few of the sewing projects I completed and collections I designed this semester.
These are from my first design project...I was focusing on lots and lots of pockets with an urban explorer inspiration.

 These are from my second design project...They include technical garment drawings too

Here are the promised sewing projects...Trousers and a Tailored Jacket...don't worry there is more but for now here these are :)

Whew....I have been busy with school!

Man oh Man...It has been a busy few months for me thanks to my full time class load. But as the semester is winding down I find myself thinking hmmm...what about my blog.
Here is a little tutorial on some fun with tea bags. They go perfectly with the cold wet weather because what better than a hot cup of tea on a cold day. The teabags themselves are quite hardy and even sewable.

Fun with Tea Bags
- a tutorial suitable for any season but especially the cold tea drinking ones.

1. Drink several cups of tea and save those tea bags

 2. Once you have about four or five tea bags you will need to open them up and send the used tea to the compost bin.

• Remove the string and staple and unfold the top of the bag. 

 

 



 

• Once this is done you will most likely see that the bag is folded in half-unfold this and in the center there will be a seam where the bag is stuck together. 

• Very gently open up this seam and clear out the tea leaves inside. This works better if the tea bag is still slightly wet.

3. After you have cleared out the tea leaves you may want to rinse the tea bag and then wait for it to dry (*hint* I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds to speed up the drying)

4. After the tea bags are dryed out sew them together to get a larger sheet.

For a card I sewed four together and covered a piece of card stock with them. Unfortunately I have already given away the card but here are some other ideas for fun tea bag projects

• journal pages
• art project
• mini treasure map 

School has STARTED!

This week in Fashion School we have been having a very interesting discussion about what fashion is for us and for others. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and hear what others think.


For me the most compelling reason for fashion is re-usability. I think at this point the world needs to find more ways to reuse our assets. In fashion this could mean using some really fabulous notions from the era you love so much. It can also mean finding vintage clothes and re-fashioning them into something today. This is especially compelling this season with so many designers giving an inspirational nod to the show Mad Men. The stars of the show were recently on the cover or Rolling Stone and I think they are giving off a modern vintage vibe thanks to their styling but also their deconstructed vintage dress.  I personally love a reconstructed party dress that I feel I am able to modernize but still keep the vintage vibe from. In my everyday fashion I look for functionality but love to add big hair or a fun print to keep it young and hip. 

In our discussion I have the chance to respond to my classmates my mate Emily is very interesting and fun to respond to. She has her own blog you can find it here http://ee-mfa-ds.blogspot.com/. Here is a quote from her and my response.

This connects to an ever present notion in the fine art world, that art is dead, that nothing new can happen because it's all been done. And while the internet and international media have diluted creativity with omniscience, there are people who are still stroking genius and creating heart stopping works (for example in the painting world, Brian Rutenberg). I think the important thing in any creative endeavor is to stay true to oneself and let all the little pieces of experience commingle to create something truly original and honest.-Emily Ellingsworth

When I think about fashion I mostly think of the designs I have seen as often I only see the designer as they take a bow at the end of a show or in some sort of interview. I think the designs should be able to stand for themselves. However I think there is a way as designers that we can live our design aesthetic and become a part of the art through our look. 

To hit on Emilys comment about the the ever present idea of art being dead and seen before. I think that while something may have been seen before in fashion that is partly because those things are what  people want to wear. The first consideration for most designers is their customer and who will wear it. I think designers have the capacity to create something new and never seen but who would wear it. For me in fashion the question of design vs designer begs the question designing for the customer or designing for art? Haute Couture is the part of fashion where I feel more experimentation and creativity can flow. Still in most of the Haute Couture for Fall 2010 I saw new and exciting remixes of old silhouettes.

       Chanel Fall 2010 Couture   Dior Fall 2010 Couture  Gaultier Fall 2010 Couture 

                                               (check out style.com to see more)

I also wanted to comment that I really like your sentence Emily "I think the important thing in any creative endeavor is to stay true to oneself and let all the little pieces of experience commingle to create something truly original and honest." I agree with you and think this is the best way in terms of this discussion for designer and design to be indistinguishable and unique. 

Illustration-Blind Contour

This Summer I took a fashion illustration class. Apparently my figures could use a little work but I learned a lot! Have you ever tried blind contour drawing? It is a fun way to improve you drawing skills without worrying about the outcome to much.
1. Choose something to draw
2. Look only at the contour line around the thing
3. Place your pencil or other media on the paper
4. Without taking your eyes off the object or looking at your paper draw all the way around the object

If you do this often you will be amazed to see how your blind contour skills can improve. The picture on the left is from the beginning of my practice and the picture on the right is later on. It is fun and interesting to see the changes.