Schedule:
Work with a strikethrough is completed.
Work done in preparation for class on 4/24/15:
Creation of schedule to manage time for project
Modification of pattern armholes, hood.
Thesis writing, explaining goals of final project.
Ordering final fabrics
Work to be done in class on 4/24/15:
Updating this blog post with images of muslin prototype, sketches that led to this garment, and pattern that I have printed on fabric.
Updating this post explaining why I selected the fabric that I did.
Discussion with Annette for feedback on pattern modifications,
Work to be done in preparation for class on 5/1/15:
Source all materials that aren’t going to be ordered online
Work to be done in class on 5/1/15:
Clean up any prior work that can be improved. Reiterate pattern to make sure all is correct. Test sample garment to ensure all is well.
Work to be done in preparation for class on 5/8/15:
Cutting up pattern pieces
Work to be done in class on 5/8/15:
Sewing of final garment
Work to be done in preparation for class on 5/15/15:
Finish up anything that needs to be done…
Photoshoot! Studio and street/ Edit images,
Presentation Post
Work to be done in class on 5/15/15:
Final Presentations and Critiques!
Project Work!!!
My thesis, in short, for this project is that mobile technology causes psychological and emotional pain. As a result, I wanted to make a garment that protects and shields the wearer. The garment does this in structure, but in print it will come across as very aggressive. While this isn’t proven, I believe that the psychologically damaging aspect of mobile phone usage is the information overload that mobile technology demands our attention for. As a result, a print with several overlaid patterns and many colors speaks to the idea of information overload. In other words, the print speaks to the cause of the emotional damage that mobile technology users face, while the structure acts as a solution for this problem.
Muslin Prototype:
See more about this silhouette study here.
Sketches that lead to this silhouette:
More about these sketches here.
I have elected to order two yards of my OCEANEMOTIONS print. I printed on a spun polyester jersey knit. For me, this fabric seemed to be the perfect combination of breathability, comfort, and rigidity,while still allowing an interesting surface texture which would continue to enhance the print.
This is one tile of the print, which was repeated all over the fabric.
Other people working in this field/ Inspiration:
Anouk Wipprecht’s Spider Dress defends the wearer from physical space invasion
Signal Blocking Phonekerchief 
In particular, there seems to be a growing interest in preventing facial detection. This is useful in that it means nobody can connect us with the ideas that we are advancing. This is especially pertinent as Facebook’s DeepFace Program has the capacity to recognize faces 97.35% of the time (humans can do this only 97.5% of the time… not a very significant difference…).
Prep for 5/1/15
This week, I acquired a black fabric very similar to the feel and stretch of my custom print fabric. Finding this exact fabric took quite a bit of time and effort at the fabric store…
5/1/15- In Class blog post
This is in many ways my “down” time. I am currently waiting on my custom print fabric to arrive. For today, I’m cleaning up this post, gathering resources for my final presentation, and trying my sample garment again. I think I want to give a little more room in the back and move the armholes forward a little bit. I would also like to maximize the amount of fabric that I’m using on the front of the garment to cover as much of the body as is possible.
Prep for 5/8/15
When I received the fabric, it was not in great condition, so I had to sew the pieces they sent me together. so that I was working off one piece of fabric. This was an unexpected delay in my project.
Fabric (Where it looks good)
Upon cutting my pattern pieces and sewing the garment, I learned that there are some essential differences between this knit fabric that I ordered and muslin, a woven fabric which I used to draft the garment. In particular, woven fabrics retain their shape a bit better than knits. The hood of this garment is more prone to collapsing than the hood on the draft garment. With that, I think that the flexibility of the fabric greatly improves the body of the garment, which flows and drapes a lot nicer now.
Pattern Pieces!!!
5/8/15- In Class blog post.
Today in class, I sewed my pattern pieces together. This was the first time it really felt like the garment was coming together. Upon finishing the first round of sewing, I noticed some new things that could be improved in my garment. For example, keeping my arms inside the garment didn’t allow enough fabric to drape over the front. Additionally, there wasn’t enough fabric to add to this such that it could function as a cape. With that, I decided to add armholes. This brings the garment closer to the body and allows for more fabric to drape in front. I also added pleats to the front panels so that the fabric would move more beautifully with the wearer.
Prep for 5/15/15- Final due!!!
This week, I worked on small improvements to the garment (cutting stray threads, topstitching etc). Then I shot the garment near the East River. While I think this shoot could be improved, I am pleased with the results given that I did it by myself… In the future, I would use reflectors to eliminate some of the harsh shadows that are apparent on my face/ on the garment. I also cleaned up this post and worked on finishing everything that needed to be done for studio/seminar.
