Gesundheit: good health
More commonly it is used as "bless you." It is German and my grandmother would always tell me this whenever I sneezed. I distinctly remember being a little girl and hearing her say it for the first time. I thought it was the funniest word I had ever heard. I didn't know what it meant, so she explained it to me. Ever since then, I would giggle whenever she would say it, and as I got older I began to say it to her when she sneezed. It became a saying that I associated with my grandma's love, care, and joy. She always had a good sense of humor and loved with her whole heart. Now that she has passed away, I can't help but think of her whenever I hear the word. I never use it with other people because it is reserved for her in my mind. My grandma was definitely one of my favorite people and is someone who I continue to strive to be like in my own character and actions. She never complained, always joyfully served others and continually found joy in the joy of others. I think it is appropriate that the letter "g" is the first letter of gesundheit and grandma, so that both are so closely tied to my garment and it's inspiration.  

Draping "g" ideas on half scale.
            

half scale jacket 
   

Paper: g_paper

Half Scale Sleeve conception 
 


Knit Muslin Full Scale Drape
 

Muslin Shoulder Attempts
 
   


Cutting Notching and Sewing Final Fabric

  

Lining



Final Garment Shoot
       

Final Reflection

The amount of dimensions in this project really pushed me as a designer. Starting with the conce-ptual idea of choosing a word and using that letter to drape was a new process for me. It was very uncomfortable to start with something so literal at a letter and to turn it into this abstract idea where traces of it are not easily found in the finished product, but it was process that really showed me a new approach as a designer. The next dimension being taking that word and the meaning behind that and still incorporating that into the feel of the garment and thirdly having to match that to another garment was difficult. At first I was thinking of doing a garment that was more fitted and structured and I went into the project aiming to do a jacket, but as the draping evolved and the other factors came into play, it made more sense to do a blouse.This was my first time using lace and it was also a knit, so having to stitch all my notches to mark them was a new approach for me as well. I ran into a few problems when it came to deciding how to finish the neckline because I knew I did not want a knit binding on it but I had to attach it to the knit lining. I am very pleased with the way it came out. If I could change one thing, it would be the drape of the bodice of the blouse. I think I could have played around a little more with the shapes and options there. I liked the proportions of the blouse with itself (the sleeves to the bodice) but when I put it on with the pants, I felt the proportions were off a bit when matching the blouse with the pants and the waistline was lost amongst the big sleeves and the flair of the pants. To fix this, I tucked in the blouse to the pants to give it a slightly more defined silhouette. I think overall the project was successful because of the new approach and techniques I worked with in my technical process and overall I think the entire look is successful and true to each of it's respective inspirations.