CTS2: Materiality: Knit Project

Hello Everyone,

In this post I will be documenting my work in regard to our knit garment homework assignment. I decided to make a floral, rayon jersey knit dress in pink and purple; that reflected the fixation on the repetition of a print or pattern. My last case scenario was the sequence of body parts printed over and over; in this dress with the pinked flower petals cascading up and down the dress irregularly, shadows the intent of coming back to the subject of having the focus of one subject as my garment. Since spring is here, we should be seeing the change of season soon I hope, hence the correlation.

I first began by going and testing out various knit swatches; (knits come in all stretch lengths, ranging from under 25% to over 75%).

After that, I went onto sketch out some ideas for my new garment, based on our previous project; and also took my measurements, (since this dress was made to fit ourselves personally).

From there, I began to draft out a pattern based on the measurements I took and the ideation sketches I proposed. Since knit, requires an over-lock and cover-stitch machine due to its flexible properties; I also tried my hand at an overlocked and cover-stitched hem; I sadly was not able to complete my bound cover stitch in time due to the absence of a tech and the machine not working after my first try. (My patterns are wavy due to irons not available at the time (high volume usage/classes in open studios…apologies)).

Furthermore, once I began to cut out my patterns, I sewed my pieces together to create this beautiful dress, and hand sewed my multiple flower petals; I did my best to incorporate zero-waste tactics by using up every scrap I had, and also made a waistband for decoration (optional).

And, of course; I did not forget to fill out my cutter’s must!

Reflection:

Throughout the process of this dress, I encountered several upsets to my progress which delayed my project or altered it in a way I did not initially envision. Most of this had to do with the high volume of use due to the electrical fire of studio space and machinery, lack of machinery as a result; and inconsistent assistance of tech managers for problems such as bunching or breaking of threads at the cover-stitch and overlock machine. An example of this is the fact that all of my pattern pieces (except for the petal appliqués), are overlocked due to the cover-stitch machine failing to operate properly when the tech lab was closed. Nevertheless, I found a way to finish! If I were to pay more attention to anything in particular next time I sew, I would be extra attentive to the stitching process and do my best not to pull the fabric through the machine, this is because; I noticed, that the more one pulls the more your seams become wavy or curly as opposed to flat as a result.

That’s About It! Hope you enjoyed it!

 

Hello, My name is Megan Taylor, I am a returning student here at Parsons; my major is Fashion Design with a peaking interest in environmentalism and animal welfare; I hope to transform the industry someday...slowly but surely. My wish is to combine luxury and aesthetic appeal with the consciousness of how and where it is made along with the idea of what to do with it after use. I have been following my need to create and share with the world art and fashion since the tender age of eleven years old.

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