Promised Pattern-free Poncing

 

Throughout the year, I've made a few more pattern-free garments, and made mention of them here with the promise of photos.  Today's photos serve as an example of why (until now) I have not been inspired to ponce about in front of a camera in them. 

 

I no longer have a big open studio with white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and loads of foam-core board lying about the place.... I can never get enough space and light.  It's all murkiness, distortion and movement... but I hope you get the picture.

 

 

This (oops, I should have arranged those drapes... perhaps pressed out the creases..?) toga-esque number was a toile (muslin) for an idea I had for a dress for my book launch.  It is made from something I found on a bargain table in GJ's (I may have paid $2 or $4 per metre for it).

 

I wore it to my book launch.

 

 

 

In order to get my legs in shot, I either have to shoot downward or upward... and then there's not enough light or it's out of focus.... so I move in closer.

 

Behold, a really bad angle on the neckline drapery....

 

There were better photos of the dress itself, but ...ahem... they showed that it is more see-through than I thought it was.  (I'm glad that when I've worn it out, it has been with a more appropriate slip!)

 

 Again... I hope you can squint, use your imagination and see that it looks ok in real life.

 

 

 

You may have seen this top before, so just focus on the skirt here... I draped it on the stand (dress form), rather than on my body, and originally put the tucked detail at the front. 

 

 

When I put it on my body, I realised that the stand was somewhat taller than I, and the shortening/widening effect did nothing for me.  I turned the skirt around and hey-presto... a modern asymmetrical bustle-ish effect. 

 

 

(I love a bustle!)

 

 

 With two more garments to photograph, the camera battery ran out and the spares were flat.  By the time they are charged, there will be little or no daylight left.

It occurred to me to write off  this afternoon's attempt at a photo shoot completely, but I'm not too sure when the next opportunity to ponce about will arise.  So here they are... sort of... the promised photos.

I'll be running Pattern-Free classes at Handmaker's Factory and CAE soon.  It's heaps of fun and you get to play with lots of new ideas. 

Oh, and please don't think that all the garments are made to suit pixie-size bodies - the idea is that you drape garments that fit and flatter your own body, and mine just happens to be too small to carry loose garments or too much fabric.  You can see lots of examples here of the fab things that suit other shapes.

 

News from the classroom (at Grampians Texture... ahem.. a couple of weeks ago)

Lately, there has been much to show and tell, and my inner-blogger is always taking photos and mental notes.  My outer-blogger appears to be otherwise occupied, and things like my fabulous week at Grampians Texture nearly slipped through the net of bloggy documentation.... I'm remedying that NOW!

 



What a fabulous week it was... spent in beautiful Hall's Gap with hundreds of textiles-loving people, and 2-day and 4-day workshops in all manner of textile-related skills and projects.

 

My 4-day Pattern-Free Garment workshop was a hoot.  With 4 days, and 11 bodies of varying size, shape, age and personality, we were able to explore the concept and come up with lots of great garments and ideas.

 

These are just a few of the photos of garments that were made. It's a very image-heavy post, so I'll lighten the load on the wordy bit and let the pictures do the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were many more... and lots of giggles, collaboration and creativity.  It must have looked like fun, from the outside looking in.... this fella really wanted to join us!

 

My 2-day workshop was a bells-and-whistles Travel Bag, with loads of different zips and pocket construction methods.  We had a few finishes and lots of nearly-finished bags by the end of the 2 days, but absolutely no photos of the actual class.  We were too busy!

 

 

These are a few of the bags on "show and tell" display at the end of Sunday, when all the workshop participants and tutors gather to see the results of all of the different workshops.

 

 

Grampians Texture was so much more than the snippet I've shown here.  I have more photos, more stories and more thoughts to share.  I may or may not get back to doing that.... there are other very exciting things to tell.  I'll be back soon... or when I can! 

 

If you're interested in learning some zipper pocket and zipper closure methods, there's a class coming up in a few weeks in Melbourne, and there are a couple of places left in it.  You can book here.

 

If you'd like to do a 1-day Pattern-Free class, I have one coming up (and booking up!) in May - book here (quickly).

 

 

Headless in a Pattern-Free World

I've been whipping up a pattern-free garment storm, in preparation for my 4-day workshop at Grampians Texture in a few weeks.

 

I've also been Photoshopping my head out of a bazillion photos for student notes, which is strangely liberating ("Tired, middle-aged face, begone!!"). 

 

 

My week has been a world of ideas and experiments ..and of making myself a few new outfits.

 

 

I've also been working through ideas for shapes other than my own.  The whole notion of Pattern-Free is that you work around your own particular shape, and the more you do it, the better you get at judging what will and won't work (and you start to be able to eye-ball measurements on fabric that will fit your body's proportions).

 

The difference in proportion between this top (below) and the first photo in this post, is the difference between it flattering my shape and being a bit ordinary. 

 

The longer, tummy-covering drape would look a treat on some figures. Perhaps it's the posture here (it sort of freaks me out when I see family resemblance in a headless photo), but I can see this one on my eldest sister. She has about 7'' more height and a bust.

 

 

And I think that a bust wouldn't go astray in this twisted tube dress, too. Perhaps some hips... and maybe even a waist as well.

 

 

 

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a straight-tube sort of gal.  Minimalist....

 

 

...with a bit of a twist.

 

 

There are some shapes that would look fabulously fluid and flattering on anyone except people under 5'2'' with swimmer's shoulders and no bust. 

 

 

But Pattern-Free, being all about adapting shapes to suit the body, offers solutions...

 

 

Yup.  Minimalist and much better.

 

 

This week, I may  have also made my new favourite top.

 

..and dress. (Once again, the shirring elastic came out.)

Here I am, practising for when I wear it to art exhibitions....(art here by Manus Walsh and Ilse Theilan).

 

 ..and there'll I'll be, in Halls Gap in a few weeks time, throwing lots of fabric about the place with a bunch of great gals who love sewing as much as I do. I can't wait!

 

 

Workshop Preparations (and a peek into the pattern-free class)

 This week has seen me back at the sewing machine, making samples of Chunky framed purses, all pimped and customised and ready to inspire people to come to my pre-Spring Carnival Purse-Making workshop at the CAE. 

 

 The red purse is made from the felted remains of my favourite red jumper (sweater).  And I'm so glad I finally got around to getting that slam-pressed gathered purse idea out of my head and into 3-dimensional form.  I also put the handle theory into action, and it works a treat, too.

 

I promised photos of the Pattern-Free Garment class before I looked at the quality of the photos.  The gorgeous light that streams into the upstairs room at GJ's is perfect for sewing.... not so much for photographing moving people with an iPad.

 

I was also a tad busy with the teaching, and didn't take as many photos as I'd have liked to.... but you get the idea, non?  There was much shaping and draping of fabric around bodies.

 

 

 I promised anonymity when I took this photo...hence the paper plate face...

 

We had toga tops and glamourously fluid dresses, asymmetrical skirts...

 

 ..and more toga tops...

 

...and this fabulous dress...

 

Love it.  So inspired by historical costume and so very up my alley...

 

 

I'm also preparing new notes for the Zippers For Bags class next week - adding another technique or two to choose from.  We have one space available in the class, and if you'd like to book in, I'll throw in a free bag pattern of your choice.  GO on... you know you want to.... :)

More Pattern-Free

In preparation for this Saturday's Pattern-Free Garment class, I've been throwing fabric about the studio and poncing about in front of the camera again. 

 

I've been trying to make a few shapes that suit figures other than pixie-size. 

 

 If I were over 5'2'' and a bit broader or curvier... can you picture the statuesque vision of understated, carefree style that I'd be...?

 

Pattern-Free being what it is.. this garment is still a work-in-progress. As soon as it finishes its job of inspiring and educating the class participants, I have plans to fit this one to my own shape and style.  A spot of hacking and slashing, and a bit of a tie, and it will be pixie-size and generally more me.

 

 

(And yes - I remade the double-sided-knit  pattern-free-toga-dress-that-didn't-work into a pattern-free tube skirt, and I love it.)

 

 

It is very, very easy to lose me in a big pile of fabric.... 

 

 

..but pattern-free is all about whittling things down (cut off the bits that don't look like a skirt...) to adapt to any shape.  I like minimalist. 

This one looks fine on me if I wave my arms around like this...

 

..and I'm lost in fabric like this...

 

But if I were taller or curvier, I think it'd be fab.

 

I also made some other wrap tops and jackets and a tunic, and there are plans for more tomorrow (if I don't spend too long at the craft show), but this is getting a bit image-heavy here to show them all.

 

And what of the top part of the didn't-work-toga-dress...?  I made a top, and flipped the inside print to the outside on the back.

 

From the back, it looks like a skirt and top and from the front it looks like a dress.  (Yes, with serious body-reference... and I know that not everyone wants that in a garment... but this one is for me to wear.)

 

 

I'm teaching a 4-day workshop in pattern-free garments at Grampians Texture in February next year, and planning to work through lots of different starting points for tops, jackets, vests, skirts, dresses and tunics.  We'll have loads of fun as we fit and flatter with draping, shaping, pleats, darts and shirring....  I think the 4-day format will really allow people to explore the possibilities and gain confidence to go forth and make a unique and fabulous new wardrobe.

 

On Saturday, I'm going to ask the class (nicely) if I can take some photos to show how this stuff can work on a wide range of body shapes.