LAST BLOG!!

So last blog,

I am happy with the outcome of our project, it was pretty short but it was fun and it has defiantly got people thinking which I’m sure was the whole point.

I am happy with my garments, and for me that is important, I generally don’t mind to much about marks as long as I pass and so far so good. We have to do a design philosophy before we hand in everything so here is mine:

Do what you can and try to do better.

Everyone has limitations, you honestly can never be entirely sustainable because at the end of the day we are trying to get people to consume which is the fundamental problem but also the way our economy works. I don’t know if it is allowed to be as simple as that but I read through some very long winded ones and that’s not me.

Cheers, it hasn’t been as bad as anticipated!!

Week 4 day 24

I havn’t blogged in a while, and I can’t find my camera so I can’t post any pics of the garment but I’ll let you know it’s looking good! I’ll fill you in on this week’s activity:

So on Tuesday in class we talked with Paula about our design philosophy. My opinion on this is similar to the blog, I find it a little self indulgent and seeing as none of us are established designers. However I think it is important to recognise early on what you stand for and what you won’t compromise on. For me I think the most important thing in life (not just business or design) is at the end of the day, when your dead and buried, for the world and society to have benefited from you existence. Now that might sound a little grandiose but if no one benefits from your existence what is the point?  I’m not saying save the planet single handedly, but do what is within your power to improve things, if everyone did things would slowly change.

Then there was the Wednesday Ekka holiday and I rode my bike over to Westend to check out Reverse garbage, but unfortunately they were closed, but luckily the lady from there came and spoke to us all today which was great. They are a really interesting business structure and I admire their work allot. I like hearing stories about people with the will and business ability to make things work and expand or improve the company. I think that is part of Fashion as well always moving forward… anyway I’m rambling!

Garment progress is great almost done, just need to figure out a couple of things but I’ll be sure to do that on the weekend. Dean did say he didn’t like my top stitching on the darts but the fabric just pulls so easily and I want Max to wear it so I don’t really mind… much.

Week 3 day 19

So I have done my pattern for my dress basically it will be a boat-neck, sleeveless dress with a low back and the skirt will be cut on the bias with an uneven hem, I know that will annoy Wendy but the fabric is already damaged quite allot and I don’t know how the pattern will fit so I want to run with the fact that it is not perfect, I feel as though the damage gives reference to the past, it is still telling the story of the original garment.

Week 3 day 15

So using the lace in previous blog I have made a scull cap. I did this my pinning all of the bits of lace onto the Styrofoam head (not eco friendly material but anyway the worlds not perfect) and then had stitching them together and also creating darts so that it fits the head! It was really fun, and quite therapeutic, I quite like the hand sewing aspect.

 

Week 2 Day 12

So I’ve started deconstructing, there is heaps of fabric, it is amazing, and the appliquéd lace will be great too, don’t know about the rest, I kind of feel as though there is too many possibilities and not enough time. This seems to be a reoccurring theme with this project… although Dean assures us that it will progress throughout the semester, but by that time we will have handed this in. Here are a couple of the lace bits, I would like to make something to go on the head as well as a dress but not a typical veil.

Week 2 Day 11

P.S. didn’t realise how HUGE eco wedding dresses are becoming just look through this list! It is ridiculous!

http://www.greenunion.co.uk/weddings/8060dresses_gowns/index.html

Week 2 Day 9

MAX IS MY SAVIOUR!!!! Max is a girl in our class who has donated a second hand wedding dress she bought for a party, I have done her a deal saying she can have whatever I make out of it and I think I might buy her a bottle of red too. It is a pretty funny dress, true 80’s style with big sleaves, beading and lace and the fabric is shiny and slippery, in other words it is perfect and I shall start deconstructing asap. Here is a pic of Max and the dress at the party it was worn to.

Week 2 Day 8

So I’m stressing a little I don’t have a dress. But I plan on going for a trip with mum to the op shops this arvo to get one. In the mean time I have been looking at other reworked wedding dresses and found these beautiful examples of wedding dresses that were made in WW2 out of parachutes! How great!

 

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2007/05/heirloom_parachute_wedding_dre.html

Week 1 Day 4

So I came up with what I want to do, and I’ll tell you in a bit. My friend Tom who I work with the other day was telling me that way back in the Greek and Roman times people weren’t a genius as we would say today, but had a genius which was a spirit that would give them their idea and thus they got away with allot more because they could attribute their wild idea to another being. This interested me because this is mainly how I work, I don’t mull over things for days I just get an idea and run with it, they can pop up at any time and I don’t think that I can take full credit. This is where my idea comes in, I was thinking about the saying “waste not want not” and then for some reason I decided I wanted to re-make a wedding dress. Wedding dresses are a classic example of waste; they are very expensive, use heaps of fabric and are only worn for one day. So now I’m on the hunt for a second hand wedding dress to make into a new one. I think my design will be more practical though, I never got the whole poofy wedding dress look that screams bride, you can never wear it again so mine will be more understated. My own mother had a great wedding dress it was classic boned bodice to the waist with spaghetti straps and a circle cut skirt that fell to just below the knee. I would wear it today if it fit me which really says something seeing as the same could not be said for any of my auntie’s dresses.

Week 1 Day 3

Ok, so what I am quickly understanding is that a) this is a quick project and I really need to hurry up and pick something to do otherwise I will inevitably be in the studios in the wee hours of the morning before it is due and b) as soon as you want to be sustainable in fashion you are a hypocrite. There is just too much to take into account and you can never do EVERYTHING! For example looking at sustainable fabrics, obviously a natural fibre is better than synthetic (which derives from crude oil) but the cotton industry uses up vast quantities of water a valuable resource not to mention pesticides etc. then wool has issues of mulesing (in Australia) animal welfare etc etc. so you can see what I’m getting at with that, then if you look at power according to a much trusted engineer friend solar power is a farce, apparently it takes more power to make a solar panel than that panel can ever produce in its lifetime, and the list goes on, I guess this is where you have to pick and choose what you think is most important and how to incorporate it into your designs.