Sew Green 3/31

Today I walked to Sew-Green! I felt guilty for always driving, it was nice weather, my parents said they could pick me up when I was done. It was perfect! The walk was really nice and refreshing, and I got there 15 minutes early! I'll definately make a habit of this (despite the heaviness of the stuff I have to carry) if it's nice weather.
I started off at Sew-Green today by cutting out the front piece for my fabric. It was the same length as the first piece, just ten inches longer because of the cowl. I had brought in two old dresses and a shirt with a cowl. The old dresses will be used as scrap/inspiration/material, while the shirt I brought in to copy the cowl. I love that shirt. It's a purple, babyphat cowl necked shirt, and although I can't wear it easily in Ithaca, I wear it a lot to parties and in Miami. After seeing how the cowl looked when finished, and discussing some ideas on how I wanted it to look, I started draping the cowl. There will be enough cloth since Autumn decided that although draping along the bias would give a better affect (the fabric I'm working with is a little too heavy), draping along the lenghth will be fine.
Draping took me a long time, in fact, longer than it should have. I only got it off the mannequin towards the end of the session. I first pinned the cloth the way I wanted it (which took the most time), and then tried to smoothen the fabric along the body, getting rid of any puckers. I soon realized that due to the cowl, the boddice was never going to be smooth. Because of that, I thought, why not exaggerate the folds, and make tucks instead? Unfortunately, this idea was only thought of after an hour of struggling. I was being a little bit too perfectionistic, and perhaps something I really should learn during this project is to try one's best, but then let go a bit, and be willing to let a little bulge here and there go (or else I'll never finish!). Once Autumn approved my work, I drew with chalk the seam of my dress (litterally! right on the cloth, over all of the pins and bunches). I then kept the pins for the draping of the cowl, but removed all of the other ones and took the cloth OFF the mannequin! I was really impressed how litteral of a translation it was from mannequin to straight cloth. I thought it would be a lot harder.
I'm going to start sewing next time! So exciting!
I also asked for another copy of the sewing machine parts, so FINALLY I have the list! (I had forgotten it the first time, and kept on forgetting to ask for a new one). I know pretty much all of the parts, but it's nice to have a copy for reference.
I also asked for five more bags to sew for practice. This will kill two birds with one stone, since I can help kids by making school bags, and practice sewing at the same time (though we'll see how much time I get for that!)
Finally, I found out that Sew-Green actually has a box of patterns that I might be able to use/borrow! This will definately help me get a head start on making real clothes! Unfortunately the box was hidden today, and we were unable to find it. :( Next time!

Cowl Revisited

I revisited the cowl as well. I didn't want to make it on the diagonal, since that would waste a lot of fabric, and we might not have enough, so I came up with a cowl that would sling across the neckline, and be separate from the actual garment.

Necklace Design

This is a necklace that I designed for my owl dress. It's based off of a necklace in the Hardware episode of Project Runway Season 7. Maybe Chelsea can make this for me...? If not, that's okay. It was fun to think about.

Jacket Revisited

I was having some trouble picturing my jacket myself (this is the yellow jacket from my second sketch), so I revisited, trying to put more detail into just one view

Browsing

After going home, and finishing all of my homework, I decided to sit in bed and research pretty bird types. I had fun looking at pretty colors, and got some ideas, but nothing formed itself into clothing :(
Hummingbirds


http://www.animalwebguide.com/Hummingbird.htm















Kingfisher


http://planetbye.blogspot.com/2009/02/king-fisher.html



















http://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2010/11/out-of-blue.html






























http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/slideshow/gallery.php?Show_ID=3&Slide_ID=209 Great source of bird pics! It also has small summaries about each type of bird- this may be a very useful source for Katherine!

I also found a neat video on the tastes of Men vs. Women in clothing. It wasn't extremely helpful, but it was interesting. I couldn't embed it for some reason, but the link is below
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/the-thread/why-do-men-hate-these-popular-trends-women-love-2467752/

Mentor Meeting and In Class 3/29

Today Ms. Lasher and I talked about my previous visit to Sew Green, what I accomplished, and the plan for the next visit. We also talked about what I need to do, such as start sewing on my own, and getting my hands on some patterns to practice with. We also talked about an idea we both have been talking about for a while, but I'm afraid I never remembered to put in my blog. We had been discussing the possiblity of going ot New York City as a field trip at the end of my project to look at Parson's and FIT, visit Mood, and pick up any materials I could not find in Ithaca. I don't know if this is really going to happen, but it would be fun to plan out. We'll see.

Today in class, we were assigned a 3rd Quarter Evaluation (eek! eight weeks have vanished way to quickly!), and told to make a list about
3 Ways I've stepped out of my comfort zone

4 Ways my project has changed so far

3 Things I wish I'd done differently in working on my project

5 Things I've learned about my field of interest/myself/working with others

This will be in a separate entry, since this one will be too long otherwise
We then saw people's blog and what they had been doing so far. It gave me a good idea about what other people are doing, and how they are organizing their blog. It also intrigued me to look at their blogs.

Mentor Meeting 3/29

This is a space filler
It will be filled when I have more time
Talked about last Sew Green visit
Future visit
progress
what I need to do

Went home
researched pretty bird types
had fun looking at pretty colors
ideas

In class...
Lists...

Wow.. I have a lot of writing to get done...

Sewing at Home

I bought some black pants a while ago for work, and I never got to altering them because I was always too intimidated. So yesterday, since my current ones are now unbearably faded, I set about altering them. However, even though we had a whole spool of black thread, and two spools of white, they are all mysteriously missing!! Why??!! My mom usually does alterations with the sewing machine, but she always puts the thread back in the right place. Anyway, I had a bobbin with black thread, and a spool of khaki thread, and decided I would try to sew it so that the khaki would be on the inside, and the black on the outside. So I rolled up the pants, but I didn't measure it carefully. I folded it twice, but that was too thick, and didn't fit under the presser foot, so I folded it back, but in one long fold. There was only small flecks of khaki on the outer side of the stitch, since the tension might have been too loose, but there were two problems. 1) The stitch was not very straight due to the pants moving around a bit, but most of all 2) the pants were now too short!!

This is a bobbin. It's surprising how many types of bobbins there are, but this is the usual plastic bobbin that I am working with, and that most modern-day sewing machines use (they used to be made of metal)
http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/BOBBIN?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=BOBBIN&sa=Search#906

This is a standard presser foot. It holds down the fabric, while the dog teeth move the fabric. (see dog teeth below)
http://www.pfaff.com/global/3194_3432.html

These are dog teeth. They are little sharp ridges that are below the cloth, and move the cloth as you sew in order to have an even stitch.
http://en.item.rakuten.com/mishin-shop/jp510/

This is what it looks like to have loose tension. Mine wasn't so extreme (and was barely noticeable), but you can see that the bottom thread shows through as it loops around the top one, and it's not pretty.
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/images/Articles/tension-loose350.jpg

I undid the stitch, which took a long long time, and by the time I was done, it was really dark, and bed time already. I called it quits for the day, and put away the machine. But I learned two things: never try to sew when you're tired and impatient, and ALWAYS check the length before you sew!

This is a seam ripper. Unfortunately mine does not have a nice bulb on the short end, causing it to snag on the cloth a lot. It takes a while to rip seams...
http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Seam-ripper-5033.jpg

Update: 3/28
My parents bought black and white thread while at the store today! Yay!! I will fix my pants soon!

Sew Green 3/24

Today was a very exciting day at Sew Green. I got to start my first dress! (the owl). So, first thing's first is that Autumn and I looked over my sketches again. Since I wasn't experienced making very detailed sketches, I was missing a lot of stuff. One thing that she noted was that in the flat sketch of my owl dress, the back was low slung, and that if both the back and the front were low slung, then if the model relaxed her shoulders, the dress would fall off! I needed to sketch a new back for the dress, and after much thought, I decided to have a wide racerback. I didn't want a halter, because then the straps would have been too close to the neck, and I didn't want a narrow racerback, since that would make it look like a tank top. I wide racerback looked a bit more formal.
Autumn told me that the biggest limitation in Ithaca is fabric, and especially since I have a limited budget, I should design with a specific fabric in mind. The only problem though is that I don't know how much of what kind of fabric to buy. So when I walked in, and we were planning to make my owl dress, I still didn't have any fabric for the dress. We decided to visit the Sew Green store, and I was about to settle for a fabric that was a little rougher and stiffer than I wanted, when I spied the perfect fabric in the back of the store. I seem to always find the best stuff in the unmarked section. Since there were some stains on the material, I got the whole thing for free, but I feel bad taking the fabric without paying, so any fabric that I have left over after my project, or that is left over from my own personal inventory, I plan to donate to Sew-Green (along with any left-over money).
I now have two gifts from Sew-Green. One is approximately three square yards of the material I needed for my dress, and the other was a small, half yard portion of fake fur, which will be perfect for the sleeves of the jacket that will go with the dress. The dress fabric is the exact color that I had wanted, and even had some stretch! The only problem is that it was shiny polyester, and although I can turn it inside out, and then it won't have any shine, I need to think about whether I want it to be shiny or not.
We then started draping. First, I used bias tape (though it wasn't real tape, but just shoelace material- I actually liked it better, since it draped like my fabric), and pinned it on the mannequin in the shape of the neckline and arm lines of my dress. This probably took the longest, since I had to make it symmetrical, and just how I wanted it. I then cut the fabric for the back piece. When cutting the material (polyester fabric is woven in a loom, with one continuous strand), one cuts parallel to the finished edge (or selvage) along the lengthwise grain, unless it is a fabric that one can rip along the crosswise grain. The link below explains the weaving process, and how to cut the fabric properly according to what kind of fabric it is.

http://www.scrapquilts.com/fabric_grain.html

The image below shows the selvage, bias, and grains, but the website isn't as good at explaining how to cut the fabric or why one needs to be so specific.

http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2010/02/clothing-sew-along-week-2.html

The dimensions were as such: for the width, I measured from below the armpit on one side of the mannequin to the other, and then added ten inches. For the height, I measured from knee height to the shoulder, and added ten inches to that as well. After cutting the fabric, I then folded it in half and sewed a loose stitch down the very center (so that I would be able to pin it straight down the back and have it even on both sides). I pinned the fabric along the spine of the mannequin, and smoothed it out. I then traced out the neckline on the fabric. Unfortunately, that was about as far as I got. We ran out of time, and there was also the problem on how to drape the cowl neck.
When draping a cowl, one needs to leave about ten inches of cloth on the inside, so that the cowl hangs, but does not fall. Because of this, when we had cut the cloth along the center, we could drape the cowl along the top of the cloth, but we wouldn't have enough cloth if we draped it along the bias (diagonally), which may produce a more dramatic cowl, like the one in my sketch, as well as have less fabric along the straps. Personally, I don't really see the difference, but if we do drape it along the bias, I would have to have a seam in the middle of the dress to add more fabric. I really don't want to do that, but I guess if I have to, I could add a belt or something. However, this would mess up my painted coral. Perhaps I can do a diagonal seam, which I would mostly paint over with the coral, and hide it. We'll see.

Gold Finch- Flat Sketch 3/15

I realized that I had not done a flat sketch of the jacket for this outfit, so I did it in the background, since I was running out of room on the adjacent page. Unfortunately, the sketch make it look more like a windbreaker than a fahsionable jacket though...

White Rooster 3/17

This dress was actually, legitimately inspired by a bird, unlike the other ones, where I sketched them, and was then like, oh, this looks sort of like this bird... Anway, I was looking for pictures of roosters (I have no idea why, though I am born in the year of the rooster, so maybe that's why), and I saw pictures of white roosters (see below) that I thought would be fabulous as a dress!

http://www.claybiddle.com/Chickens___Roosters_tiles.html

Then, for some reason I was looking up flapper dresses, and I found the perfect style for the dress. The dresses are completely different, but they have the same style. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to look at the picture below, and see the similarity. It's inspiration.

http://plushpaparazzi-embassy.blogspot.com/2009/01/1920s-style-icon-louise-brooks.html

The dress is full of pleats, and would be very difficult to make, once again, but who cares? It's cool from head to toe (oops I forgot to add the shoes!). The pleating on the top is much like my prom dress as well, so once again, I have something too look at for inspiration.

Jasmine dress 3/15

Carly had been talking at lunch about her prom dress, and how she wanted to dress up as Jasmine. Fooling around, I decided to do a "consultation" with her for her dress, but she got bored, and I got carried away, and ended up sketching this! I like the skirt, and it's very Indian, which makes me think that Shonali or my aunt may like it, since it's fusion. The top is more western, and the skirt cut is western too, but the actual dress is very eastern. I like how the skirt is like petals. I would also wear this dress in a heartbeat, but not to prom. I would probably wear it to a wedding instead! I can get this made very easily in India. Maybe when the time comes when I need a dress for a special occasion I will get this made in India. It would be fun, and they would know mroe about how to make the skirt fall just right then even most Western seamstresses, since it requires a fall, much like a traditional lehenga or sharara (described at the following site: http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-clothing/dhoti-kurta.html The first one is hindu while the second is muslim. They're both very similar in style to the one I designed, but with short sleaves).

Swallow 3/15

I was trying to make the Nest dress more bird-like (before I settled on making it a nest), when I ended up designing something completely different. I had started out making collar with a zip, which would be a turtle neck that had a protruding portion (think soccer jackets zipped all the way up), that was orange on the inside like a beak. I then made the sillouette the same as the Nest dress, and added some chinese brush painted swallows. Before I knew it, it was completely different, but it may be very useful, since I can use the same pattern for this dress as the Nest dress, just altered slightly. I would make this dress out of a light blue knit material, so that it stretches around the body, and makes those large pleats at the bottom.

Nest- Flat Sketches 3/15

These are the flat sketches for the Nest dress. I drew in darts for the dress (though I didn't know their name until later), and changed the pleating to the front to prevent bulges at the sides. I also decided to have the back straight with, once again, a zipper down the back. Sorry if the sketch is a little distorted. I'm taking pictures of my sketchbook with my camera, and the page keeps on flipping over!

Nest 3/1

This is the sketch that Ms. Lasher and I were talking about during our Mentor Meeting on 3/14. It was inspired by a Project Runway Season 7 episode, where the designers were asked to make a formal party dress out of potato sacks, or burlap. I was curious to try out the challenge myself, and came up with a dress made not of burlap, but of muslin. I really want to make this dress, especially since if successful, I know I would wear it, and it would also be really cheap to make, since it only uses muslin and a bit of tulle. It would be difficult, but the pleating looks very similar to my prom dress, so I would have an example to work off of. Also, I found out that the pleating along the front is different in the sketch than on my prom dress. On my dress, the pleats go up the center, but in the sketch, they go up the sides (see my flat sketches for this dress to see how they look on the prom dress). I may change them to go up the center so that it does not make the model look wider than she actually is.

Peacock- Flat Sketch 3/17

This is the flat sketch for the peacock dress. As you can see, it is a half wrap around. I think I simplified it a lot more in the flat sketch than it would actually be in real life. there would prbably be some gathering at the hip on the right side of the dress, and a lot more stitching at the skirt to make it full and flowy. It would probably require an underskirt as well to make it fuller. But I don't know how to show all of that! The flat sketches look like sun dresses, not the formal gown in my 3D sketch!

Peacock 3/16

This was initially inspired by a peacock, though looking at it now, it doesn't resemble one at all. The curvy cut out along the skirt was like a peacock's tail, and the skirt is supposed to fall in a long, curvy train. It will be made of very light, swishy materail. At first, it was just a skirt, and it was going to be orange, with a fuscia cut out. Now I'm thinking that it will be black, and the cut out and sash will be a yellow or lime green. It could also be a royal purple. I don't know, we'll see. It's going to be really, really hard to drape, since this is pretty much a red carpet look. I probably won't be sewing this :(. Maybe over summer! The back of this dress is my favorite, since I have a thing for seams down the back and a low slung back. In order to make it look fitted, but still be able to be taken on and off, I was thinking that the the back seam could be a zipper, perhaps even of the same color as the sash, or that perhaps the swishy material would have a little bit of stretch as well. The only ting though would be that the skirt needs to remain really light and soft.
I wish I could make this! I would wear it to prom in a heart beat! (but I already have a dress! Haha)

Michael Jackson Inspired 3/3

I sketched this pretty late, after listening to a lot of Michael Jackson. Go figure. I played around with different kinds of collars, with zips and studs. The point was to have big collars. I was thinking perhaps I would change my theme from birds to high and low collars, or better yet, maybe I'll just make up a theme based on what I've already drawn, like I'm doing right now! Anyway, I've been coming back to this sketch, adding a belt, or the shoulder pads. It's really the one on the right that I care about, not the one on the left. The collar could have a zipper, which would make it transform from the view above the head, to the view on the model. The shirt/uniform is worn with pleated pants, though I'm worried it might get too bulky around the waist if it's worn that way, so I might just pair it with leather leggings. The belt buckle should be big and jeweled.

This shirt would be really hard to make, I feel, since it has a lot of detail and needs to fit perfectly, much like a fitted shirt. The belt would probably make it a little easier to fudge, but I don't want any bulging around the belt, so that would be complicated. I wouldn't even know where to start. Maybe I would start with the pattern for a fitted collared shirt, and work from there. Also, the zipper is off-centered, so that would be a little different too!

Owl- Flat Sketch 3/8

This is the flat sketch for my owl sketch. Autumn had said that this would probably be the easiest dress, and that we would start with this design, however, as I was drawing it, I realized that the draping will need some skill. I hope to make this out of a light, drapy material, which will definately make the fall more natural, and easier to achieve. I was thinking of using light cotton, but I could also use a more sheer material. I might have to go with the cheapest in the end though.
The sketch might look very simple, but it was actually a lot harder to draw than I thought it would be. Perhaps I was too tired, or too picky, or bother, but I ended up having to earase it a lot, and redraw the lines, because for some reason, it just was not looking right. Even now, I think the back view is a lot more acurate and better than the front view. Really, I was debating how long the dress should be, where the bottom of the sleaves should be, etc. It ended up being a lot longer than the original sketch (the first sketch was a mini-skirt, while the flat sketch goes down to the knees). I did this because I found that it had a slimming effect (or at least I think it will, I haven't made it yet!), seeing how loose it will fall on the hips, and then lightly flare out. The mini version hugged the hips too much, and I wanted it more like a flowy summer dress.

Fatherly advice

I just talked to my dad around two minutes ago, because I was worried about my project, and getting started. When I told him I was trying to learn how to sew, but wasn't really going anywhere, he asked me why I hadn't pulled out the machine. I came up with some really lame excuses, and then he said something really important. "You need to become friends with the machine. You're friends with the paintbrush, it's part of your arm, but you're not friends with the machine yet." Basically, I've become afraid of the machine. It's been a good six to eight years since I last used a sewing machine and made perfectly straight lines. The last time I used one was my first time at Sew-Green, and all of my lines were crooked (though I was rushing it a lot). He suggested that I get used to using the sewing machine again by taking an old sheet, and following straight lines, as well as curvy ones, just getting used to sewing again. Old sheets, watch out! I'm coming to get you!

Mentor Meeting 3/21

Today I did an emergency meeting with Ms. Lasher (not really an emergency). I really needed some reassurance that I can actually succeed, and Ms. Lasher is just the person for that. I told her about Wendy's doubts about my being able to accomplish my task, and I decided that perhaps I needed to supplement my learning at Sew-Green with some other sewing, now that my sketches are pretty much exhausted.
Ms. Lasher said that she knows some people who might be able to give me their old patterns, and that I could practice with those, using muslin, and being really economical. I can also alter/redesign some of my old clothes, and do repairs around the house, mainly so that I learn how to sew, and get comfortable doing it. It would be a chance to experiment, and a challenge, since redesigning old clothes is harder for me than just making something new. I have some of my mom's old clothes too that she doesn't want anymore.
I need to start sewing! I'm excited. Now all I need is the time. Last weekend was jammed packed, and I think I'm going to have to start planning my time even more carefully than usual to get things done!
Haven't really decided exactly where to start with my sewing spree, but I'll keep you posted!
P.S. I always want to sign these blogs like a letter... This is becoming too much like a journal!

Second Day at Sew Green (3/17)

I didn't write about what happened during my second day at Sew-Green partially because I didn't have time to craft a good journal entry, but mostly because I had difficulty putting it into words. Here it goes:

I was really excited to go to Sew-Green on Thursday, since I thought I would be able to start sewing. Unfortunately, Autumn was sick! I feel guilty for being disappointed, but honestly, I was a little. I wish her the best at getting better! So for the first five minutes, I didn't really know what I should do, since everyone had their own project, and I hadn't really started mine. So I went around, looking at other people's work, while they looked at my sketchbook. It was pretty neat, and I wish I could have had more time to see their work.

Then Wendy called me over to look at my sketchbook. Flipping through my sketchbook, she asked me what my goal was. I told her that I wanted to be able to create five of my sketches. She immediately started trying to tell me that it was not possible, and that I should settle for something less, like just sketching, and then making only one of the dresses I had sketched (the simplest one). But I already know how to draw. I want to learn how to SEW. To say the least, I was crestfallen. I know that fashion design students spend years learning about fashion design, but I want to learn as much as I can, and I don't care if I don't finish all of the garments. I want to try.

I tried not to get too disheartened (or worse, cry!), and put on my game face, saying I just wanted to learn, and didn't care if I never finished, but honestly, as it was I was second guessing myself. Having someone put it so bluntly was really sawing away at my confidence. I need to build a thicker skin.

Thankfully, Gir saved me with a destraction, and she started to teach me about draping. We got out a manniquen and a bunch of different fabrics, and I started draping a pinning the fabric onto the body in a resemblence of a dress. The purpose was to feel the different fabrics, and know how they fall. I think I did pretty well! Check out my work below!

She also got out a book on draping, which was a college level book, and had pages and pages on how to make cuts fit the body by using darts. Darts are the seams around the bust, accounting for the chest. They can be really complex. I didn't know there were that many kinds! There are princess seams, darts at the shoulders, and ones that come up from the waist. There was even one that cut accross the breasts and made a t-shape, though that's not very flattering, and is out of style because it flattens the breast.

Draping is important to know what your style is going to look at. From draping, one can sketch what you drape, or even start cutting and sewing while draping. I also learned about sheaths. Sheaths are when you take a basic cut in muslin, and stretch the cloth so that you have perfect corners, and a perfect fit in muslin. Then you can use this muslin template to make more of the same style, or edit the cut to have sleaves, darts in different places, or different versions of the same shape. I will probably be using sheaths at some part, since Autumns said I should use similar bases in my sketches, and build on similar cuts. The only problem is that they are very time consuming and difficult to make, so most people don't use them.

After I was done draping, I took a look at two saris that Gir was planning on buying, and as we were about to leave, I caught out of the corner of my eye a piece of faux fur that would be perfect for my Owl sketch! Wendy let me keep it as a gift, and even gave me a special box to keep it in! I was really excited.

We then started talking about manniquens. I had seen some duck-taped mannequins that people had made to fit their own bodies, and asked how it was done. Basically you wear an old t-shirt and get taped all around with duck tape. Then the duck-tape cast is cut off of you, and stuffed, and you have your own model! I was really excited at first, thinking I would have a really cheap mannequin, when suddenly I thought about the duck tape. When I asked Wendy how much it took, she said I would need 3 rolls, or 15 dollars worth! I know this may not sound like much, but with my $100 budget, it would be really a blow on my finances. I don't know if I'll be able to make one, at least not right away. Right now, my plan of using myself and stuffed animals seems like my cheapest alternative.

Then we had to leave, since a class was starting. On the way out though, Wendy asked me if I realized that Gir was just a helper, and that I was not Gir's apprentice. I wonder why she asked me that? I know that Autumn is my mentor, and I hope that I was not imposing on Gir. After all, it wasn't very busy that day, and Gir had been really excited to teach me draping.

I hope that at the next Sew-Green session, I will be able to start on my dress, and if not, be able to start learning how to make a certain kind of garment, even if it's a simple t-shirt.

Oh! One last thing! At my first Sew-Green meeting, I seemed to have lost an article that was one of my main inspirations. I was really sad about it, but then I did a thourough search on the internet, and what do you know? After about three search sessions, I found it hidden in someone's wedding blog! It's an Oscar de la Renta wedding gown! I love Oscar de la Renta. I posted it below. Enjoy!

http://honeybeeweddings.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-love-you-oscar-de-la-renta.html

Homwork due 3/22

For our homework, we were given two pieces of writing. One was Robert Frost's "Two Tramps in Mud Time," while the other is from a webpage, called "Practicing."
Robert Frost's poem talked about a man who was chopping wood, when two tramps came along, who's job it was to chop wood. However, the man would not pay the tramps to do the chore, because he was enjoying doing it, and didn't want to give up the task. Even though the tramps depended on doing menial chores such as this for their livelihood, the man desired to do the chore for pleasure. I wasn't sure whether what the man was doing was good or bad, or what I should think about it. My first thought was of India, where everyone has a chore that only they should do, so that each person has at least one job. For example, one would not take out one's own trash, because that is the job of the garbage man, and one would be taking away his livelihood by doing so.
Is it alright to take away from another their vocation, only so that one can have the pleasure of doing it oneself. In my opinion, I do not see what is wrong with trying out another profession, but if one is competing with someone who really needs that job, perhaps it is not so good. I know that in terms of my project, I will never become good enough to take the job of a fashion designer, however, I do have to deal with the fact that I am taking a space at Sew-Green as an apprentice, even though I am not going to do sewing as a profession. I'm just doing it to learn. Is that okay? My whole project is learning about a vocation that I will never actually do, and only rarely use as a hobby.
However, this is not a waste of time. I'm learning how to use a valuable tool, and be able to create what I draw and imagine. It's like learning to paint, or play the instrument. It might not be extremely valuable to me in the end, or necessary in any way, but I'm learning something new for fun, and that's very important to me, since in school, we normally just go through the motions of learning and forgetting, just to get into college.

Perhaps this is the true point of WISE. To learn only for fun, with no real purpose.

Realizing this, I have come up with a theory. Perhaps when we learn for fun, and actually have a reason or desire to learn something, we remember it better. For example, I still remember most of what I learned during my first Sew-Green lesson, however, I barely remember anything from the last unit in Chemistry.

Practicing is the part that is sometimes not so fun. Although practicing is a part of learning, it is often the most boring part. In the article, "Practicing," it talks about how, when learning to play the guitar, one must always practice what one has learned, and then expand one's knowledge by practicing what one has yet to learn, constantly building on what one already knows. I haven't practiced sewing at all. This article, reminded me that I need to pull out the sewing machine, and start practicing!

More coming...

I have eleven more photos to post. I got a late start today, so I'll post them tomorrow... Good night!

Gold Finch- Flat Sketch 3/8

This is my first flat sketch. It was actually a lot of fun. I hadn't expected it to go so well, infact it became harder to imagine the dresses as flat than the pants. I still ended up having traces of a body in the sketches, but for the most part, they're flat. It will take some practice, and looking at how clothes lay flat. I liked drawing the pants flat because I was able to put a lot of detail in the seam, which was something I had difficulty expressing in the modeled sketch. Now the viewers can see the detail I had meant to add in the actual design, and see that it actually sticks out of the pant leg.

Blue Jay 1/24

This sketch I hadn't posted before because I hadn't thought it was very good, but a lot of people like it. I hope you guys like it too! It's inspired by a blue jay, and the scarf is actually connected in the back, like a PhD sash. It's a lot more frivolous than the other outfits, but it would be a lot of fun to make, and I might try to make the skirt on my own... We'll see! It would take a lot of work, since each piece would have to be cut out and then stitched in a curve. I don't know if I would want to spend that much time on this particular outfit. I would rather make my yellow jacket...

Note to viewers...

Sorry that I'm taking so long to post pictures of my sketches. It actually takes a lot of time, in fact, about as much time as making two fresh sketches! I have to photograph the sketches, sometimes multiple times to get a clear photo, and then upload them with footnotes. That's one thing I'm regretting about having a blog, but reading my journal just wouldn't be fun without the pictures! I hope you enjoy them.

Oh, also, I just noticed that all of the posting times are 3 hours off! I wonder how I can fix that... They all read 3 hours early (so it's 10:01 now, not 7:01)

Homework 3/15

In class, we got a homework assignment. It is as follows:
Read and comment on at least one other blog, and reference your learning in your journal.
I will edit this journal entry once I have completed it...

And now I am finally completing it! (3/21)
I commented today on Jackie Cheri's blog about composting. It sounded very interesting, and I could tell that she was putting a lot of effort into the project. I learned about different composting techniques, kinds of gardens, and troubleshooting on how to get your garden healthy again. I was particularly intrigued by the idea of lasagna composting. I really enjoyed the way she had written that post, and it really attracted my attention. Like lasagna, in a compost, you need a balance of water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. I guess this is so that you have suitable conditions for bacterial growth. Yum!
Since I always kill plants, I hope that Jackie will be able to teach me how to maintain my garden through her blog!
I also learned that I need to step it up a notch. I'm still struggling to get a strong footing, and really commence (after all, I still need to learn how to sew), and there's only so much sketching I can do. Seeing other kids moving forward so quickly is making me really antsy. I wish I had ten times more time!!

In Class 3/15

Today, people shared their projects.
Natanya is baking, so she brought in cookies (yum!)
Jimmy is doing mixed martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (which is sooo awesome! I've always wanted to learn it!).
Carrie is doing slam poetry, and performed one of the poems she had been working on. She described how slam poetry consisted of three minute competitive presentations, and one is graded on a 10 point scale. One also has to use body language in slam poetry, something she was finding very difficult. Perhaps it is more like a soliloquy in acting in that case?
Mary John is training to become a clown, and at the school carnival, she had done balloon making and juggling. Her clown name is Marigold, and she's trying to not be a scary clown. I was really impressed that she had made 85 balloons at the carnival, and could already juggle.
Jordan contacted a website that allows authors to self-publish their work. He managed to talk to someone, and is really excited about the possibility of getting his book published.
Dylan finished his project already! It was a really complex physics device that I didn't really understand. Maybe part of his project can be learning how to explain it to non-scientific people... He's going to do more experiments, and learn more about the device, since he hadn't expected to finish so early.
Then it was my turn... I showed everyone my sketchbook, but I went really fast since class was getting over. I think everyone was ready to leave by then, and I found that a lot of what I was babbling might be really hard to understand for others, making me realize why it was hard to understand the technical stuff for Dylan, Jordan and Jimmy's projects.

Mentor Meeting 3/15

Since we had been told to bring in something from our project to share in class on Tuesday, I decided to have our mentor meeting on Tuesday instead. Besides, last week it was on a Monday, so we're a little off, and that's okay. Sometimes we talk about the project outside of our meetings too, so I guess we have an ongoing series of newsflashes.
Anyway, today I showed her my sketchbook for the first time. I really like how Ms. Lasher boosts my confidence, and convinces me that I'm not doing a bad job, and that I'm on track. Sometimes I need that when I'm being really critical. We looked at the sketches so far (I'm sorry I haven't shown you the flat sketches so far, they're coming!), and I talked to her about my newer designs (also coming).
One design, (that's not up yet) was something inspired by Project Runway. It's made of muslin (like the episode when they had to design a dress made from a potato sack), and it's ultra cheap, but ultra mod and almost a prom dress. It's really awesome, but I was having trouble connecting it to the theme that I chose of Birds of a Feather (I just came up with that title. I like it!!). It is in the natural color of muslin (of white/tan), and is really natural looking, with a really modern cut, and champagne tulle (I've been spelling it wrong) that makes it suddenly a lot more sophisticated. At first I tried to alter the neckline, and make it a zip up neck that looks like a beak, but I think that that design will have to be for a different dress. Then, Ms Lasher gave me the awesome idea that it's the Bird's Nest, and I added that the model would wear a chunky turquoise necklace for the robins eggs! It was PERFECT. I had been so set on this dress, I would have been really disappointed to drop it just because of it not fitting with the theme, so I was really excited to be able to use this design. Ms Lasher also voiced a concern that if it's not sewn correctly, the pleating might make the model look pregnant, so when I went home, I looked at my prom dress, to see how it had been pleated, and copied the sewing technique onto my flat sketches. Finally, we thought that perhaps the tulle could be replaced with frayed burlap, making it even more green and cheap, but edgier at the same time.
I love Ms. Lasher. She gives me such good ideas!

CMUNC

Sorry I've been so out of touch! This weekend I was at the Cornell Model United Nations Conference, which took up absolutely ALL of my free time Thursday-Sunday. Thursday and Friday I was at the conference from 4:00-12:00, and on Saturday from 1:00 AM to 3:30 AM and then from 2:00 to late... Fact of the matter is that it was LONG, and took up all of my spare time for WISE. Yuck! I'm behind schedule! Freak out! Good thing I worked on my sketches BEFORE the conference, and now I need to finish/clean them up. I wish I had done more... I will post my flat sketches as soon as I can. They actually were pretty difficult, and I found myself struggling a lot, erasing, and laying out my own clothes to see how they lay flat. In the end though, I think I did okay. I rushed it towards the end, since I was getting tired. I think I'm going to clean them up a bit. Ms. Lasher, Ms. Lord, and my class will be able to see them tomorrow!!

Hand Sewing

I don't know if this has anything really to do with my project, but today, my parents noticed that ever since I started my project, I've become more confident in mending clothes and toys around the house, despite the fact that my sewing abilities have not yet changed. For example, last week I repaired my brother's favorite stuffed animal, which had a rip about 8 inches long. Then today, I repaired the pocket of my dress coat. Both of these projects were sewed by hand, but at least I'm not so afraid of making a permanent mark on my clothes, and I don't wait until my dad does it (he's the master sewer, and my mom's the one who actually remembers to do it. They're a good pair!). Anyway, I guess it shows that I'm more ready to take things apart/fix things, since I'm curious about how they're sewn together. For example, I was able to see the inner workings of my pocket, which was inside the coat, between the inner and outer layer, rendering it invisible and very difficult to sew. I also found out that some materials are a lot harder to sew than others, and that thread can even pass right through it, so one must always test the fabric, and make sure it will work.

Mostly a reminder for myself...

I need to talk to Chelsea (from our class), and see if she would be interested in designing/making jewelery for my designs. Maybe she could help me create some of my accessories...

Added 3/14
I also should ask Jordan if he can do the hair for my models (if I'm actually going to use models). I'm still procrastinating on making that major decision, though for now, I want to make them all in size medium (like me), and then pin them/ adjust them to my models if necessary/ if I use models at all...

Flat Sketching

Autumn had told me that for our next meeting, I need to convert my sketches into flat sketches. She described this as sketches of clothes laid flat on the ground, with no model, and all the seams showing. Alright, I thought, simple enough. But then I became concerned that my sketches wouldn't be detailed enough. So I decided to do a quick search on google, and this is what I found...

http://www.guashan.com/s/fashion+sketches+dresses/7

 This happened to come from a VERY interesting blog by a designer, showing her sketches and finished projects. I'm really glad I chanced upon it. It's quite a gem for inspiration, with links to fashion weeks around the world as well.

http://www.theswellelife.com/swelle_life/designer-series-fashion-jewelry/

The second image showed me what she meant by "showing the seams." Now I have a better idea of what to do. I just hope it works! Imagining things flat is sort of hard, especially when you're trying to imagine them on a person to make sure that they'll be beautiful. I might do three views like the image above in the end...

One Thing I learned...

Something I learned, and forgot to mention:
During my Sew-Green meeting last time, I learned how to do a close stitch for a hankerchief. Well, today for a present, I got a scarf, and finally realized what they were talking about. You can shift your needle to the edge of the presser foot, and sew right along the edge of the silk after folding it very fine. This creates a thin seam. I will really need this if I decide to use any silk or fine, flowy materials (gauzy materials too!) that need a thin, light hem. I learned how important this is for a polished look in Project Runway, otherwise you can see the jaggedness of where you cut it, and it's a disaster

The other thing I learned that I was supposed to share I unfortnately forgot!!! Oh well, I'll get back to you when I remember...

In Class 3/8, ** Explanation of the Division of my Blog!

Today in class, we turned in our review of previous journals. I had gotten a journal about corsets, which was actually really helpful. It was what gave me the idea of planning my shopping at Jo-Ann's to fit the sales that are being offered at certain times. The journal had a lot of excitement and emotion, which made me interested to read more, and appreciate a project I might have initially dismissed. She really used her journal to communicate what she wanted, was trying to achieve, etc. I would have liked to have learned more about what she accomplished and how, instead of her complaints, and problems, though that is often not how we write, since a crisis, no matter the size, usually take preference.  I also liked how she drew small diagrams to explain certain details in her notebook that was hard to explain with words. This is one thing I really regret about the blog. I cannot just doodle in the margins ideas, inspirations, or just glue a page ripped from a magazine. One thing I would have liked to have known was how the project was funded. Although the author very proudly (and justifiably so) proclaimed that she had only spent $78 (and kept receipts!!!), we never learned where that money came from. I also would have liked to have found out more about how corsets affected society, and the projected image of women. That could have been a very interesting thesis to explore, though perhaps more of one that I would choose.

Another thing that was clarified during class was that when I was learning to sew, that counted as Research, since it was something I needed to learn in order to complete my project. YES! This is great, because that means that I haven't completely forgotten about research after all (sort of).
The journal is supposed to be equally divided in the following categories:
Planning
Doing (in mine, this is divided between Sketchbook, Learning, Sew-Green, and later Sewing)
Research
Mentor Feedback (in mine, Mentor Meetings)
Class Meetings (in mine, In Class)
Reflection
I might need to work on balancing my journal out, but I don't want to change my organization, since it makes sense to me, and I don't want to get lost.

Mentor Meeting 2/8

Today we talked mainly about the financial aspect of my project. Ms. Lasher was the first one who really lit the lightbulb that this was something I really should think about. I hadn't really thought of any fundraising ideas, and I quickly realized while talking to her that I had no idea what to do! I knew I had some discount options, and we found out that there are tons of selective sales and discounts at Jo-Ann's, but really, I had no clue!
We came up with a few ideas:

• Selling cookies!- I have already been begged for cookies, obviously they're popular. Perhaps I could sell them in class? The boys would buy them all in two days!
• Getting people to fund my clothes, though I don't think this will work for the following reasons
• I will need them to be my models, and be ready when I need them for fittings. It would be so much easier to use my own body
• They might not like the end result, and not want to pay for it
• Honestly, I don't really want to part with my work. I'm so excited about wearing these clothes MYSELF. What if the model never appreciates it?
• However, during the presentation, it might be tough to present the clothes without models, but if they aren't being modeled, people can touch them. ARGHHH! Well, perhaps I can borrow a few manniquens for that one day, or find other people my size, since I'm pretty average in terms of waist size
• Using discounts to fullest potential and having super low budget
• Ms. Lasher found that there was a VIP card for designers/sewing fanatics at Jo-Ann's that gives a 10 % disocunt. She kindly said that she would help me talk to Jo-Ann's, and that we would try to get that card, because it would be really helpful in gathering whatever I cannot find at Sew-Green.
• Buying/ asking for used clothes and using the material for new clothes

Also, something that just happened a few minutes ago! My mom had said that she would pay me for some babysitting that I had done, and give me the cost of the ticket I would have bought had I gone to the concert as well (it's complicated. Pretty much, I traded going with my parents to a concert for babysitting my brother and having the cash that would have gone towards the ticket instead). Well, it turns out she was serious about her offer! I now have $100 with which to start my project!!!!! It's not much (my initial estimate of expenses had been around $150-200), but it definately is not nothing! I will definately be able to start with this, and perhaps fund my whole project if I am frugal and a super super discount shopper.

Plan for Next Week

This morning, I was working on preparing for my Mock Trial Competition, when suddnely, I realized that I would be at the competition on Thursday! This means no Sew-Green this Thursday. I was devistated, since I was really looking forward to draping my dress, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, since I will have more time to finish sketching, and organize my materials and how I will finance this project. I'm starting to get a little intimidated now that I am getting closer, but I must persevere!

Mentor Meeting and My first day at Sew Green

During my mentor meeting today, Ms. Lasher and I had a short chat about my upcoming first day of my apprenticeship at Sew Green. We decided that since we wouldn't know about how the first day went until the next day, that we would meet Monday of next week in order to have a full meeting.

My first day at Sew Green!
I walked into the room, and was immediately greeted by smiling faces and a warm, welcoming classroom. I finally got to meet Wendy, and Autumn was there too. I recognized Gir, a former student of Ithaca High School, who is now an apprentice of Sew-Green. Everyone was hard at work on their sewing machines, making drawstring bags to be sent to school children in third world countries. Sew Green often has projects aimed at donating to charities. For example, Sew Green once made dresses for little girls in Africa. It's quite touching to know that the bag you were sewing for practice wasn't just going to be a wasted effort, but aftually help someone.
Right off the bat, Gir, gave me a very entertaining run-down of sewing machine, telling me all of the parts of the machine, and how they worked. Unfortunately, in my later efforts on making bags, I forgot the sheet with all the names of the parts. I will have to remember to get it at my next visit. However, the names were quite straight forward, and I remembered many of them from my sewing lessons when I was little.
As soon as my intro was finished, I was set to work, making bags. I made three bags in 1.5 hours, which is VERY slow compared to some of the other sewers, however, I got the hang of sewing again (for the most part!) I realized that my lines have become very messy, and since we had to sew next to a very thin edge, I was having a lot of trouble. I feel like I would have had an easier time on my own machine, but I am really rusty, so who knows. In the future, perhaps I will pin my seams while I am practicing, and gradually reduce the number of pins, in order to have my edges line up.
At the end of the day, I got some one on one time with Autumn. She looked over my sketches, and gave some comments. One was whether or not I wanted a theme. Usually fashion lines have one piece that ties everything together. I need to decide what that will be. Another was that, although I have labeled my sketches, I need to draw flat sketches of the clothes (as though they are lying on the ground) with all the seams shown, and lots of detail. I'm glad I have a lot of space in my sketchbook! Finally, I should be designing while keeping in mind that the more I can alter the same pattern and come up with something new, the better, that way we can work with the same pattern and add stuff on.
Next week, Autumn said that I we would be able to start draping my first dress! I'm really excited. We're going to start with the easiest piece, which is the dress with the coral painted on it (see Sketchbook). In the meantime, I have to expand my sketches with the flat sketches, and come up with some more designs and options so that we have many to pick and choose from. Right now I have 3 favorites. Obviously, since I plan to have 5 outfits, I need some more sketches.
One last thing that I forgot...
We talked about the cost of cloth. Cloth can be really expensive, and currently I don't know how I'm going to get the money. I was thinking of dipping into my wages, but I really want to save up for college. Right now, that's my back up plan. I get 40% off all the merchandise in the Sew-Green store, since I'm an apprentice. That's HUGE! I have yet to explore the store, but that will definately be a way to save money. Also, I'm currently desiging clothes with realtively low cost materials (muslin, stretch cotton, etc).
One idea I had for raising money would be to get my models to sponser me. Since the clothes would be made to fit them, they could pick which outfit they want to model, and bid for it. The highest bidder gets to model the outfit, and then keep it so long as they pay for all of the materials. This would give me a budget, but at least I would have money to make the clothes. Alternatively, I can think of it as an investment for myself, making clothes that I would wear in the future, and paying out of pocket. This would be easier in that I would always have a model (me), but I would probably put an even smaller budget on each outfit in that case, since I really don't want to be broke!

What I Missed 3/1

During the last class meeting, the class watched a documentary about a boy's WISE project to build a barn with his dad. Unfortunately, after the two had a fight, the dad decided to stop helping the boy build the barn, and it was left incomplete. However, the boy continued to try to learn as much as he could, even though he could not complete the barn. The moral of the story is that it is okay if one does not finish his or her WISE project's goal, so long as they try their best, and try to learn as much as they can.