Deconstruction Project: Week Two

Over the weekend we were asked to make four collage designs using photos of our garments combined with magazine cutouts or any other materials we wanted. I liked my final collages, and worked into a few with drawings and sewing.  The combination of textures and patterns achieved from combining my garments with magazine samples is interesting.

Collage One

Collage Two

Collage Three

Collage Four

 I decided to try and make my deconstructed garment using material from each of my original items and cutting them into triangles which I would then sew together so that they fell in diamond shapes, as inspired by collage three. Due to the strange composition a traditionally shaped garment wouldn't really work to I decided to make a front panel shirt that fastened around the neck using ribbons taken from the bright blue dress and black cardigan I brought in. I had no idea if this would actually work as a construction method but I thought I'd try it anyway, drawing out a final design and making a sample which worked reasonably well:

Deconstruction Design

Therefore I started making my final garment for the project, which took up most of the week as I did all the sewing by hand. I also decided to sew wire into the shirt to give it more shape and make it bend around the body. I used chicken wire as it was what was available to me and moulded easily.

I sewed together 22 panels to make the final piece and then stitched in the chicken wire as a base. As I was working I liked the colour schemes that the  garments I had originally picked brought together, and the combination of textures and some print made for an eclectic design.

I finished making my garment at the end of week two and photographed it over the weekend. I was happy with the outcome but think I could have pushed myself and added  more to it by working onto the fabrics, sewing in patterns and adding colours and design of my own. In general I feel I did not push myself enough or create enough work in this project, yet the patchwork construction I tried was something new and different for me and got generally positive feedback from my peers. Sewing in the chicken wire was perhaps the most challenging part as the edges often scratched my hands. In the end it was effective nonetheless and moulded the garment to the body well, making it more of a stand-alone piece which is helpful because its unconventional design.