Week 14

This week:

I've been preparing for my presentation that is coming up. I plan to bring (if not wear) my sweater and show picture of what I've made.

Last thoughts:

This project is officially drawing to a close. I'm not where I wanted to be at the beginning of the project, but I have learned many things. I started out as an amateur, and I am now less of an amateur. In terms of construction, I learned how to mark and cut fabric as well as how to sew different pieces of fabric together. In addition, I used many different fabrics, from denim to cotton. In terms of design, I learned how to draw fashion figures, and I experimented with different design ideas.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Week 13

Sweater weather:

Last week I got the fabric to make a sweater, and this week, I completed it. Construction is getting easier, but it still takes a long time.

Future Plans:

I will keep working on my PowerPoint presentation, which is coming up very soon. I might have time to make another piece, but that depends on when I present.

How I'm Feeling:

I'm happy with this sweater. I absolutely love the color and I love how soft it is. I'm a little disappointed that I will probably not have enough time to make the dress I planned to make at the beginning of the project; however, I've made many other things I like. I've learned how to cut and sew clothes during this project, which are vital skills if I decide to pursue this further.

Week 12

This week:

I decided to make a sweater. I went out and got some fabrics this week. At this moment, I think I will use this:

Although the picture doesn't show it, the fabric is light blue and is very soft, which is perfect for a sweater.

Future Plans:

Next week, I will begin to cut and sew the sweater. The presentation is coming up in early December, so I will start preparing for that.

How I'm feeling:

I'm excited to make the sweater. I think it will look very nice with this fabric. Moreover, it will be comfortable because of how soft the fabric is. I'm a little concerned with the upcoming December presentation since that officially ends the project. I don't know where I will go from there yet.

Week 11

Skirt:

I finished the skirt this week (finally!). Unlike other times when I started from fabrics, I began with some old jeans. I did not fully deconstruct them, and I kept the waistline. To be honest, I don't really like how this skirt turned out. It would have been better had I fully deconstructed the jeans. That way, I would be able to create my own waistline. I really enjoyed using denim, though. Its sturdiness is wonderful to work with, and I enjoyed using a fabric I'd never used before.

Future Plans:

In the future, I plan to make a long sleeve top. I will try to incorporate more of my own designs in it as well. Research continues.

How I'm feeling:

I'm not a fan of this skirt, but it was good practice working with denim. It's a very versatile material and I wonder what else I could make with it. I realized that I won't like everything I make, especially at the beginning stages when I'm still experimenting.

Week 10

Designing:

This week, I practiced sketching fashion figures. They are very basic, and I definitely need a lot more practice before I can really begin to effectively put my ideas on paper. I began on the skirt construction, but I am not yet finished. The pieces are all cut, but I still need to sew them together.

Future Plans:

I plan to finally finish the skirt next week, although it’ll be a busy week. I will continue to practice drawing fashion figures.

How I’m Feeling:

With whatever minuscule time I have to ponder my feelings, I have conflicting feelings. This project takes more time than I originally thought. Despite this, I am still as excited as I was in the beginning of the project and I plan to continue improving.

Week 9

Update:

The skirt is still elusive. I changed my idea for the skirt from a free flowing one to one that is little more structured. As a result, I’ll need to buy a zipper so that the skirt will properly fit. Without it, the skirt would either have to be held up by an elastic band (unstructured) or there would be no way to wear it.

Future Plans:

I plan to make the skirt out of deconstructed jeans from my closet. I haven’t found an appropriate fabric at Hobby Lobby, and reusing jeans will be perfect. In the future, I want to explore different fabric stores other than Hobby Lobby. I also want to move from purely construction to designing in the coming weeks.

How I'm feeling:

I don’t feel great about this project. Fabrics are expensive and this project requires a lot of time; however, I will make it work.

Week 8

Halloween:

I originally planned to make a skirt this week, but I did not have the materials I wanted, so that'll have to wait. I'm running low on fabrics and I plan on getting some more this week. Talking about this week, it's almost Halloween! For the last few years, I've made my own costumes and this year will be no different.

I am thinking about creating a costume inspired by the work of one of my favorite artists, Yayoi Kusama. Born in Japan in 1929, she has been associated with many movements and her work has many classifications from Surrealism and Minimalism to Eccentric Abstraction and Feminist Art. Kusama's symbol  - if there is one - is the polka dot, which appears in many of her pieces. The story goes that when she was young, she observed a flower with circular petals. When she looked up, Kusama saw those circles everywhere: the sun, the moon, the earth. One of her most interesting projects is when she painted polka dots on volunteers to show that everything will eventually self-obliterate into its original form. These occurrences were called "happenings" (1965):

Although she is in a mental hospital, Kusama continues to create art. The following is from her exhibit titled "I pray with all of my love for tulips" (2012):

I hope to incorporate some of her ideas not only into my Halloween costume, but any future clothing pieces I make.

How I feel:

I'm a bit frustrated with how little time I have between school assignments and college applications, and I wish I could have constructed something this week (but que sera, sera). I'm still excited about this project, and I'm especially happy that I have an inspiration for my future pieces.

Future Plans:

After buying more fabric, I plan to make the skirt that I could not make this week. At the same time, I plan to continue researching about all aspects of this project.