Dreamcatcher:
This technique is very textured nd at the same time very organised. Smocking is now one of my favourite techniques – for some reason looking at it reminds me old dresses. I think of clothes which princesses used to wear, and at the same time, I know that these type of designs are used for decorating purposes in different interiors.
I chose this type of smocking technique because the texture and pattern of it remind me of the dreamcatcher net. It is also very organised and structured, though in the video the design is even too structured and complicated. I decided to used a slightly looser technique – I did not use a ruler. Dreamcatchers have to catch dreams, and the little pillow that I made even has pockets like honeycombs for collecting stuff.
I saw manipulations like his in Alaia’s designs. This line is very famous for its gorgeous feminine dresses.
Paper towels:
Inspired by the way paper towels are folding and getting all sorts of different forms I decided to create all-sides gathering manipulation. I experimented with the way fabric might look like when it is purposefully distorted and mashed.
I did a couple of stitches from the behind to cause those folds, and I tried ti make the fabric look like it is not valuable. I did not treat the edges of the fabric I just left them as they are to get the feeling of the ripped paper towel.
A Box of Chocolate:
The box is made out of cardboard, so the main inspiration for the next manipulation came from the material rather than the appearance.
I tried to make these folds as stiff and edgy as possible to convey the feeling of unfordable cardboard. I used the sewing machine and iron for this manipulation. This technique is called tucking.
The Photo:
This is so far is one of the most valuable artefacts. I have only one paper copy of this image. I was thinking of what can I possibly take out of this artefact for the manipulation, and I suddenly realised that the dress which I bought for the photo shoot was full of different folds and fabric manipulations. It was all crumbled, and I decided to get the same effect on muslin.
I was not even planning to do something like this. I was just playing around with the stitches, and this is what I got.
Beads:
This is the craziest experiment I conveyed for this project. I decided to work with tactile feelings and the color of the beads. I tried to convey them trough the fabric.
I sewed the beads to one piece of fabric in a sort of organic way. They looked like seaweed stems, but I did not want them to be visible, so I have sewed another piece on top to cover them. I got the tactile feeling but the result looked too boring, so I washed it with acetone to transfer the color of some beads on the fabric.
Nail Polish:
The last fabric manipulation I made was related to nail polish. This time I worked with color.
Black is my favourite nail polish color, so I just made a pattern on the fabric using black thread. I tried to convey the feeling the spilt polish through the pattern.
