My Butterick 4610 tailored jacket!

Butterick 4610

So this is the jacket I have been working on for most of this semester. I love the material (can you believe I actually found it at Joann's?) I know feel like going and making a jacket in every color possible so I can mix and match them with the rest of my wardrobe!
The hardest part about making this jacket would probably have to be all the hand-sewing I had to do. (There was some bleeding involved in the making of this jacket.) The lining, sewn  by hand, was a pain to do, but I think it turned out ok for it being my first jacket I have ever made. Now my dad is already asking me for one!

Frank Gehry Inspiration

One of our projects this semester is looking at the buildings and sculptures of one famous architect and using them as inspiration to create three new looks. In May we will then have to do a presentation that includes the three looks we make as well as what materials we used for them and why. 

My partner and I have to do our project on Frank Gehry.

This architect’s sculptures are known for being inspired by fish and deconstructivism. In fact, he has even been criticized for using a lot of dead space in his buildings. Gehry is known for working with steel and metallic colors such as golds, greys, silvers, and some blues. The textures of his designs are usually smooth and ‘scaly’ looking. For the sketches that we had to come up with, we decided to keep the metallic colors he is known for using such as silver and gold. 

 

Tailoring

So for our class this semester, our projects included making a pair of tailored pants and jacket for ourselves. These would be the best fitting pants and jacket we would ever own, said our teacher. I had already heard the stories as I got ready to start this Contemporary and Couture Tailoring class. It's hard, you'll die, you'll cry, and you're gonna hate yourself were some of the things people that had already taken it told me about the class. Of course, by my first day I was already scared and expecting the worst. You know how every major has that one class that either makes you or breaks you? Well, this was it for the Apparel Design and Product Development students. By the first week two students had already switched to Merch. I thought, "this is serious...."

Well fast forward to today when we have like only two weeks of class left, I am still waiting for that "OMG this is so hard! I'm never gonna get this right, I'm gonna flunk!" moment....still waiting....

I mean it has not been an easy class at all. And I mean that in that it takes like 99% of my time. Seriously, I have had to stay up sewing til 2:00 or 3:00 am only to get up at 7:00am and finish sewing before my class starts at 9:30am. And even though I may feel like dying at the moment (when I have been working on the same seam for what seems endless hours or my teacher tells me to re-do something) I know I will eventually get it right and will never (ever!) forget how to do it next time.

I love how everyone that has stayed in the class works hard and is willing to help out each other whether it be with the group texts late at night explaining how they did a step or letting you borrow their pins!

Dr. S. is one of the best teachers I have ever had (and I'm not just saying that because she'll be reading this). Seriously, I have learned more in just this one semester than I have had my previous three semesters here combined.  Now I just have to survive through my senior collection next year and I will be fine! As long as you work hard for what you want, you'll be fine, no matter how hard or impossible other people tell you it will be.



I leave you now with some sewing memes only a few of you can  relate to:

DIY dip-dyed ombre sweater

One of the newest trends I am loving right now is the dip-dyed ombre look. I've seen pants, dresses, sweaters, jackets, and over-sized shirts sporting this hot trend.

This ombre sweater sells for $24.80 at Forever 21

I decided, hey, maybe I can make my own ombre sweater! So I did!. There's tons of videos on youtube on how to ombre pretty much anything, if this is something you wanna try to do as well.
I found an oversized sweatshirt at my local Goodwill for like 5 bucks and I got the dye from Hobby Lobby for like 3-4 bucks. So overall I spent less than $10!

So how did I do this? First you prepare the dye solution and then place it in a bucket (you need to do this while the water is still hot!). Next you dip the bottom half of your sweater in the bucket. Keep the water moving. Since this part will have the strongest color, keep in the bucket for at least half an hour. (You probably do not want to be holding the sweater for the full 30 minutes so try to find a way to hang it while at the same time have the bottom half soak in the bucket). Last, lower the sweater into the bucket a little more and leave in here for another 15 minutes. After this, wring it and rinse it in cold water. You can then place it in the dryer or hang it to dry and Ta-dah!

I'm kinda obsessed with studs right now, so I put some on my sweatshirt.

Doggy Fashion

One of the newest trends these past few years is dressing up your furry best friends in cute and adorable outfits. Although this is totes adorable, these clothes can be quite expensive!!

How cute is this little fellow?

If the expensive prices are what's deferring you from dressing your puppy in the latest trends, fear not. I have a solution. Look for old clothes or pieces of fabric you may have laying around your house and start cutting away. You don't know how to sew? No problem; use super-hot glue if you have cut more than one piece of fabric. I decided to make my Chihuahua a denim vest.

Here's what I did: I found a sleeve of a denim jacket I had already re-fashioned (blog entry: The Perfect Denim Vest) and used that sleeve to make a vest for my doggy. I did not even have to sew up anything! I just had to figure out where I wanted her front legs to be and cut two holes there.I also trimmed the sleeve so it would not look so long on Chiquita. I had some studs laying around too so I added those to the vest as well and eventually got this.

Chiquita looks so hardcore.

My fall line 2012

So for fashion illustration we had to create a clothing line either for fall or spring. I chose fall. We were responsible for coming up with five different outfits and coming up with the fabrics we would use for our outfits. Leather was one of my main fabrics. We then had to come up with a color scheme. I chose blue because I keep seeing blue everywhere lately. We then had to draw the five outfits on croquis and here is what mine looked like:

Illustrating was not as hard as I envisioned it to be. This has been one of my favorite classes I have ever taken and I have learned so much!

 

Here is another favorite from the class: Sequin dresses!

 

Cholos

So you want to be a Cholo? According to wikiHow, to be a ‘cholo’ there are three certain steps you should follow: The first step is to look like a cholo. Wear black, navy, or brown pants that are 8 sizes too big; remember you’re going for the ‘baggy’ look. Buy some plain white tees, striped polos, or button up shirts. If it’s winter time, wear plaid flannel jackets. Again, the shirts should be at least 3 times larger than what you usually wear. Wear some tight shoes that won’t slip off easily when you have to run. Knee high socks, military belts, and black beanies are a must. The second step is to lean like a cholo . Don’t let anyone disrespect you. Don’t back down. Don’t move out of the way for anyone unless it’s a homie or a lady. Be mean and aggressive. Learn how to fight. The third step is to speak Spanglish. Mix your English and Spanish. Use a Spanish accent when speaking in English. Add “vato”, “foo”, “way”, “ese” to your vocabulary. If you see one of your friends yell out “Orale vato!” or “What up, homie!”

You’re almost ready to be a Cholo but not quite there yet. Get some Cholo music like oldies, funk, homeboy rap, old school. Guys, get cholo haircuts like fades or shaved heads. Ladies, draw your eyebrows on your forehead with a black sharpie and put on a dark shade of lip liner on those lips, but remember no lipstick, I mean, you don’t wanna look dumb. Don’t wear the wrong colors unless you are ready for a beat down. And if you don’t know anything, don’t say anything at all.

“Cholo” usually refers to a Mexican-American youth associated with a street gang. Cholos became very popular in 2007 with Down aka Kilo’s popular song “Lean Like a Cholo”; Fergie and Gwen Stefani have also used the chola image in their music videos. If you thought Cholos could only be found in L.A., you were wrong. This Mexican-American movement that originated during the 1940s to the 1970s has now reached Japan.. Lowriding has become very popular in Japan in recent years and you can now find youtube videos of Japanese cholo artists mixing English, Japanese, and Spanish. These konnichiwa homies can now even do their shopping at a store that caters specifically to them, located in Shibuya.