Fashion Illustrations

Whilst researching on the internet for fashion illustration I have discovered a brilliant collection of vintage illustrations on the Fashion Institute of Technology Department of Special Collections and Archives

I really like these Chanel Illustrations and I can actually visualise the cuffs I have been making on this style of jacket.

These will be an invaluable resource for me as I have to visualise how my embroidered cuffs can be used on garments.

Beaded Cuff

My latest sample cuff definitely has a historical feel to it. The addition of the beads and french knots have given it an opulent feel and a great surface quality.

Cuff made from needle felted fabric embellished with french knots and beads

I have found the process of creating, distressing, beading and embroidering extremely therapeutic and it is very satisfying making something beautiful from scrap fabric.

Close up of beaded cuff

Close up of french knots

Embroider the cuffs to prevent wear

Cuff made for strips of fabric , distressed and embroidered using text

Last week I picked up a book from the library called  "Stitching for Victory" by Suzanne Griffith which documents the role of stitch in the second war.  I found it interesting that whilst embroidery was banned on clothes being produced under the Civilian Clothing Order of 1942 , at home items were embroidered to prevent wear. Collars and cuffs were turned, refaced and patched! I was also surprised to learn that a dressmaker was arrested in 1948 for selling underwear which had flowers embroidered onto it.

Inspired by this I made this cuff by refacing a cuff from one of my deconstructed shirts using strips of fabrics which I have appliqued and then distressed to represent wear. I have then used the preset text of the Pfaff Sewing machine to embroider the sentence 'embroider the cuffs to prevent wear' all over it. I have also included a few embroidered flowers in memory of the dressmaker.

Bespoke Cuffs

My recent samples have become increasingly decorative even though they have been inspired by mending and darning. Preparing for my tutorial on Monday I came to the conclusion that my idea of making a craft/ fine art installation based on cuffs was not really going to work as I could not visualise its installation. The samples I am producing are all quite different and would not work together as a whole. During my tutorial with the full time embroidery students I had an eureka moment and realised that what I was making at the moment actually lends itself to a fashion outcome- designing bespoke cuffs for garments. This did come as a bit of a shock to me because for the past three years it has been important to me that my work has a meaning and a narrative.  However I have decided to embrace this idea and relish the freedom it has given me to be influenced by the materials and explore pattern and surface qualities.
I have started to produce a number of samples of cuff using different materials but relating them back to the  'Austerity Housewife' mood board.

Hessian and silk

Willow Pattern design using felt and silk, French knots added to background to simulate signs of wear

Reconstructing

I have set myself a challenge of totally deconstructing a very worn,white, polyester cotton shirt and then reconstructing it in different ways. (But with cuffs in mind)

The fabric has worn very thin so I have started by manipulating the fabric into swirls and have sewn them together to make a cuff.

I have used one of the cuffs from the old shirt and have layered a mixture of fabric on top of it. When I have cut it back to expose the gold fabric it gives an opulent yet worn effect.

London

I have managed to get down to London for a couple of nights . In between installing my daughter into her new accommodation I managed to get to see a few exhibition and visit the fabric shops on Berwick St.

"A Charmed Life" Wellcome Gallery.

I really enjoyed visiting this exhibition as the magical and evocative powers of objects and charms is a subject I am interested in and has in the past fed into my artistic practice. ( In fact I was surprised to see how many of the charms I actually own). My favourite piece was this sovereign size charm inscribed with the Lords Prayer which was later taken into battle by a World War 1 soldier.

I would have got a lot more out of the exhibition if I had visited it earlier , its theme is so relevant to the concept of Protection that I am sure I would have found inspiration to base my current project on something I have seen here.

The tomb of the unknown craftsman - Grayson Perry British Museum

Grayson Perry's glazed ceramic pot 'You Are Here' is displayed at The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman exhibition at the British Museum on October 5, 2011 in London, England. British artsist Grayson Perry has created this exhibition to showcase his new works alongside objects made by unknown men and women throughout history from the British Museum's collections.(October 4, 2011 - Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Europe)

I have always liked the way Grayson Perry uses craft as a vehicle for his narrative and his ironic sense of humour, although I do find some of his ideas around the position of Alan Measles in his work, a little difficult to appreciate.  Last year I  listened to the 'History of the World in 100 objects' series on Radio 4 , and was struck by the realisation that most of the objects were made by unknown makers.

The Art of Making at the V&A

Large scale knitting at The Art of Making

Unfortunately this exhibition was really crowded when I visited so I could get to see the smaller items .

This is the piece that caught my eye due to the immense scale of the knitting.

Cornely and Fagotter Inductions

Although it is almost the end of term I am still having inductions on the various industrial machines. I have always wanted to be able to use the cornely machine as it produces a lovely chain stitch effect. However it was a lot harder to use than I had evisaged. You control the direction of the stitch with a lever which is under the machine. I am not the most co-ordinated person ( it took me ages to master driving a car) so I think I will have to practice a lot on it.

First attempt on Cornely- you can just about make out my name

Second session still not very controlled but have stitched on a layer of fabrics which I have cut back and frayed.

One of the full time students told me that the best way to learn is to take in some patterened fabric and try to follow the design.

Skeleton Shirts

Homage to Jean Shin - Skeleton Shirts

Deconstructed Men's Shirts

Short Sleeved Shirt

I have been deconstructing these men's shirts and using the fabric for darning and sampling, so I thought I would take the opportunity to pin the 'skeletons' to the white studio walls. The shirts have taken on an eerie appearance. They are like disembodied representations of their previous owners. I could be more playful with them and have them adopting poses on the wall. I have had fun with these but they are a dead end as far as my project is concerned and has brought home to me that installations such as these can only really be done once.