Exciting news and Final Projects

So...uh...next Wednesday I'm trying out for a Fashion-based Reality show. No, really! I have no idea what it entails other than that. They're holding the casting call at one of my school's buildings, so I was like, "What the heck, I'll email them" My email was a little bizarre (I think I referred to MTV as 'banal' at some point...but hey! I like banal, tacky stuff) so I was really surprised when they called me this morning.

Wish me luck? I guess!

On a more important front, hahah, let's see what I've been up to currently! I've been busy catching up, and that seems to have made me behind again.

Advanced Fibers--"Membrane"

I'm stretching the assignment a little to include 'light' as something to fill a membran, if only because I've had this idea of 'stained glass crystal-cluster lamps' for a while. It's a little hard to explain, the pictures will probably help out.

So I started by making some paper crystal models out of bristol. There's about 6-7 different structures, but most have been disassembled to trace them onto the plexiglass, some of which you can see here. As a tip: don't use plexiglass if you can help it. I had to buy a dang jigsaw to cut it, and it smells awful because it melts a bit as you're cutting. Big props to the hardware store on 20th between Pine and Spruce for taking pity and giving me $10 off. Thanks dude!

Then i drew out some stained glass designs for each face. They're all blow-ups of details of real windows I've found online.

Then I dyed a bunch of china silk in really nice, jewel-tones for the glass. China silk is quite translucent, and takes color really well. Except for the red! I had to over dye it three times to get that deep color (first bath, Acid Red, second, Golden Yellow, third, MX Scarlet treated as an acid dye)

Cutting out the designs. I originally wanted to use silk crepe and reverse-applique it, I must have been insane. Even in the best situation, that would have taken me forever. And it was far from the best situation, the silks kept slipping around. So I went a bought this odd coated cotton (? Maybe? it's from Jomar, so who knows?) It cuts super cleanly, so I'm just gluing it all in. As long as it looks clean I don't think it'll raise any issues.

One of the plexiglass crystals assembled. I'm shooting for each lamp to be a group of 3-4, and for there to be 3 lamps. Don't know if this is possible~!

Partially covered lamp. These will probably be illuminated by LED christmas lights wrapped up in some sort of fabric to diffuse the light.



And Projects "Production"

Me and my mate Astrid really want to collaborate over the summer to create a whole collection of clothing, so this is our test-run. If it goes well, our adviser, Mi Kyoung, is going to help us write a proposal to get studio space over the summer. We're making three garments right now, each loosely based on Space, Ice and Earth, respectively.

Ice:



Working on the bodice right now, it's some sort of odd Christmas garland I'm covering with wool and fabric medium to tone it down a bit. The netting is just sewing thread, it's going to get a good deal denser, then will probably also get treated with medium. Astrid is working on the bottom, which I believe will be shredded cotton gauze, treated and stiffened at the end to resemble icicles.

Space:


Pieces of the skirt. The fabric took the black dye rather oddly, and now I'm going back with bleach to create an almost shibori like effect. The coloration really reminds me of hubble space photos.

These don't look like much now, but they'll be coiled together to form the top, forming spiral shapes reminiscent of galaxies.

Ughhhh, so much left to do! I haven't left the studio before 2 o'clock at all this week I think. Just have to pull through for 2 more weeks!

Sometime next week I want to make a post about all the talented ladies I work with up here, you folks should know about them too!