Mid Semester Break

31st August - 13th September

As with the last two weeks, this period of time is heavily influenced by limitations of being in a level 4 National lockdown, which I expect to last for the entirety of the time period. The work is having to be pivoted and restructured, and I can't entirely be working in the format I'm used to, or work at the speeds I'd like to be working at.

Setbacks, Lockdown and University Updates, and further working changes and adaptations...

To be entirely honest, working at home is enormously demotivating and progress stunting, no matter how well of a home setup I have. For this reason I've been disappointed with the lowered quantity of work I've been able to put out over this holiday period, although I don't yet feel that many compromises to the designs and collection need to be made just yet.

Undergarments and Toiling

It's seeming to me that I'm going to want to keep these first primary garments toiles for references, and being in lockdown and working at such a slower pace while trying to still stick to the working process order which I'd set for myself just isn't entirely working for me. I need to be making steps to make better progress.

On top of all of this, a few weeks ago I started working through ideas about working through with entirely sustainable and biodegradable natural notions/components and hardware as much as possible, extending to things like 100% rubber elastic and 100% cotton thread. These are things I'm able to source for a fully sustainable collection of final garments, but lockdown means I don't have access to these things right now for toiling.

The compromise that I've decided on is that, like with my very first toile bra, I intend to make all of these toiles out of quality finishing fabrics (not collection fabrics) using conventional elastics and closures in my own size so that I can personally wear them after I've made them. Given that we haven't finalised any models so I don't have any other sizes to work off of anyway, this is my best option in lockdown so I can perform fittings and get a good idea of how the garments sit. Additionally, using proper materials and elastics in toiles rather than calico is far more appropriate for undergarments and will give me a much better idea of how the garments will sit. And the fact that these will be in my size and I can wear them will mean that I can better justify the use of any less sustainable notions in the toiles such as synthetic elastic and polyester threads.

Further setbacks... (emotionally...)

04/09/21

On Saturday while still in lockdown we had quite a significant garage fire 🙃 so this sort of halted my progress for the week!! Luckily none of my belongings or progress was affected, but it's been a bit of a big family event and distraction. My next steps were to work towards making most of the patterns and toiles for the undergarments, designing labels, and doing some printwork designs or paintings to use when I have access to printing facilities eventually. I also wanted to update this blog with fitting notes and continue to draw/render my collection as it stands so far so I can better express how the garments might be working together and what may yet still need to change.

Lockdown for the University

12th Sept

As of so far, the university has decided to cancel all further in person classes for the rest of the year regardless of alert levels. The fashion department will supposedly allow us small periods of time in the studios in small groups if the alert level manages to lift - however the collection is (supposedly) due in a month and it's pretty unlikely to get in much before then.

The work I would prioritise for if I get back into studio: besides printmaking and metalwork, would be the denim garments. I've ordered denim threads and needles for my domestic machine, but the industrial machines create such a better quality finish so I'll definetly be saving making these garments for as long as possible. (The ivory denim corset and the indigo raw denim jacket.)

My biggest allowances which I'm going to have to be making really depend on whether or not I'm able to get into the printing lab or not, given how my collection is based on techniques such as photographic cyanotype and van dyke printing, screen printing, and metal etching. It's not entirely clear yet whether I'll get the chance to get into the labs at all. Some of these processes are possibly things I could be doing at home - I could get a hold of printing chemicals and use old fashioned sunshine UV light to develop the prints, but even creating the print pages by printing on big sheets of acetate or similar presents me which a challenge. I think not being able to print as much as I'd hoped would quite severely restrict the project, given how much I'm going back to my roots of detail and artistic designs, and making the volume and silhouette of the garments less sophisticated to make way for the details of printwork. Alternatively, if I could cyanotype from home but not screenprint, I could always buy fabric silk paints and paint the screen printed colour sections of the printwork by hand.

As soon as I've done more patternmaking, I do want to use the rest of my lockdown lime (at least a week at level 4 left guaranteed) to develop and finish these prints so that I don't get stuck for time working on them any later.

Fits and Sizings

One of the biggest things that's been confirmed for this semester is that we won't be having any more fit models. Given how I'm making relaxed sizing zero waste main garments, but fitted (gradable) undergarments that need to display proper fit to be flattering, and how I've decided to make my toiles in good quality fabrics to fit myself, I intend at this stage to design the whole collection to my own measurements as long as we have no opportunity for proper model fittings. I think that fit is particularly important in the technicalities of undergarments so at this stage this feels like the best decision for me, and helps me to develop a better connection to the clothing.

Photoshoots

One of the things that I'm wanting to do, particularly whilst I have time in lockdown is to really artfully document the process of this collection, in both photo and video, so as to illuminate the sustainable processes. This is more important especially given how I'm making toiles in good fabrics and then cutting up and upcycling them. Before cutting these toiles, I want to create proper photoshoots with them (photo and video footage), in photoshoot posing layouts styled to mimic some of my favourite historical romanticised nude portraits from The Body Laid Bare. Some favourites that I might love to mimic whilst wearing the toiles are below:

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Upscaling Zero Waste Denim Jacket Pattern

I began the week by upscaling this pattern from half to full scale. As I'd very slightly mis-measured the half scale pattern, I also had ato adjust to add an extra 8cm of width in the pattern, which I added to the central vertical collar strip, mostly in increasing the seam allowance. Given how the pattern is very geometric and runs off of gridwork, using measurements to scale it up to 200% is a simple process. This is the most complex zero waste pattern I expect to be using in the collection (given that some of the work is developing in a form-follows-process ZW approach) - but already I'm noticing how much more simplistic it is to work to be entirely zero free (and possibly have to work with awkward seams or small shapes at times), than it was to develop geometric patterns with specific offcut shapes for secondary garments in the way that I did last semester. Combined with the idea of upcycling toile materials (and even some toile garment details)shows I'm aligning with and feeling more confident in this sustainability approach.

Workings...

I was actually really happy with the outcome of this as a first toile! The calico is very light so it's slightly hard to judge how the weight of the final garment will differ, but I think that it's worked out really well given that working at half scale can make sizes and proportions difficult to judge, like the sleeve widths and lengths. At the moment, I'm liking all of the proportions (slightly cropped body isn't too boxy thanks to the side slider buckles, long sleeves with semi wide cuffs, body is quite wide with lots of room). I also think the straps as a collar works quite well as long as they don't get too rigid in raw denim. I would like to see the garment on a thinner frame but overall I think it'll work really well as a more casual and interesting statement piece to dress down the rest of the collection slightly.

Without access to a model I did fit this garment on my mother to see it on a body - but she's a size 12 and over 6ft which is why I think the body of the jacket looks a bit shrunken on her. I definitely don't see the issue so much on the mannequin or worn myself, but the length of the jacket body in the zero waste is actually something that's easily adaptable if needed.

My biggest next question for this piece is what to do next. I've found myself so happy with the pattern (the only thing I would change is that the interior pocket bag is too small to be functional) so I do question whether aI need a final toile in Ivory denim - however I do need to make this in that material so that I can end up upcycling it into my corset design, and it will give me a good view of the weight of the final jacket.) I also need to start better designing personal designs, logos and branding so that I can make the design for the buttons I'm wanting to craft.

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Statement Lingerie Set

Gloves Pattern

I had a pair of existing cotton gloves, so cut up one side of the pair to use to trace the pattern and start prototyping. The only immediate alterations I made was lowering the thumb hole by 2 cm and raising the length of the fingers by 1cm, to make allowance for the original being in knitwear.

The glove fit sort of well - mostly needed width added down the whole side of the glove, the thumb a bit bigger and thumb hole moved down slightly further. Other than that I just need to keep practicing toiling and sewing these to get the skill right.

Bra Pattern

I developed and then sewed the pattern in a cotton silk. As above, I decided (during this making process) to make all of the toiles in my own size, also using conventional hardware and elastic so that the piece would be wearable beyond the toiling critique process - actually being worn justifies the use of these materials. (After I made the bra we discovered that lockdown meant that we wouldn't have any further model fittings, so making undergarments in my size to prove good fit on myself does seem to be the best option with social distancing considered)

I crocheted lace cups for the cup of the bra, and then drafted fabric demi cups to go on top of this. I also cut my own underwire channelling, using the main cotton/silk and a cotton twill lining for stability.

Final 1st Bra Toile. At this stage, I'm envisioning this bra, along with patterned gloves, garter belt and knicker in this brick coloured gauze cotton silk:

(I brought this fabric online and it's turned up just a shade off of what I'd prefer, so I'm going to doctor this colour slightly to match my colour story by adding in orange eco-dye gently. )

Next I need to draft the garter belt and knicker as well as altering the gloves slightly and toiling both sides, purely to keep updating the pattern and getting the practice at the same time.