Missed my Deadline

And it's embarrassing. ayiii

I'm doing Work Experience, see, and the owner of this childrenswear company was kind enough to take me in. It's voluntary but still I'm after the experience and not the money at the moment.

I was supposed to start working December 1 after school ended but since I got held back because of school work, I was only able to start working after the Fashion Parade. I was able to do about 12 or 13 mood boards including those I've emailed her (the owner) back in November. I had my very first review on the 23rd and was told which of the images she liked and didn't. Next was to translate the mood boards into designs. I told her I would submit them today but I wasn't able to. No excuses, holiday mode or not, I wasn't able to do it. Shame on me.

I emailed her today and told her I'd email her the designs two weeks from now. Time to start working.

Boris Vallejo

I'm not good with names nor with remembering titles of songs or novels. I tend to remember the bits and pieces, filing them in my head until like an itch that won't be ignored, they force themselves into my consciousness. When I'm watching those game shows like Jeopardy (my all time favourite), they're very useful but when I'm doing work (the really important ones), they do tend to get irritating. It's the feeling you get when you know what something is but you just can't seem to say what it is. But if there's someone who's in the same wavelength as you and tells you what you want to know, it's fun.

That was the case a few minutes ago. I've been attracted to certain works of art. Yes, I enjoy looking at works by Monet and Manet, never liked Picasso, but there are modern artworks that I do find arresting.

I've been a fan of those romantic novel covers, you know, those broad-shouldered muscled men who always seem to be sporting flowing hair and open shirts (Fabio was a favourite of Johanna Lindsay, I think). I liked the fantasyish way they did the covers. Then photography and other digital media came became more popular and those covers dwindled.

But I digress. Again. So, I was watching some of these youtube videos and reading some law-based blog when I suddenly remembered those artworks. I remembered V showing me a similar artwork so I turned to him, distracting him from his day's programming. It was a good thing he understood my vague description and told me the artist's name: Boris Vallejo.

Here's what Wikipedia says about him:

Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian painter. He emigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter and model.

Vallejo works almost exclusively in the fantasy and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have graced the covers of dozens of science fiction paperbacks and are featured in a series of best-selling glossy calendars. Subjects of his paintings are typically gods, monsters, and well-muscled male and female barbarians engaged in battle. Some of his male figures were modeled by Vallejo himself, and many of his later female characters were modeled by his wife. His latest works still retain heavy fantasy elements, but lean more towards the erotic rather than pure fantasy themes.

Vallejo commenced painting at the age of thirteen and had his first illustration job at the age of sixteen. After emigrating to the United States in 1964, he quickly garnered a fan following from his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan The Barbarian, Doc Savage and various other fantasy characters. This led to commissions for movie poster illustration, advertisement illustration, and artwork for various collectibles - including Franklin Mint paraphernalia, trading cards and sculpture. Along with Bell, Vallejo presents his artwork in an annual calendar and various books.

Vallejo's preferred artistic medium is oil paint on board, and has previously used digital media to combine discrete images to form composite images. Preparatory works are pencil or ink sketches, which has been displayed in the book Sketchbook. He and Julie Bell have worked on collaborative artworks together, in which they sign the artwork "Boris and Julie" or "Julie and Boris".

Vallejo has created film posters for numerous fantasy and action productions, including Barbarella (1968), Knightriders (1981), Q (1982), and Barbarian Queen (1985). He has also illustrated posters for comedies, notably National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), European Vacation (1985), and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007), co-created with Bell.[1]

Here are samples of his work from his website: http:vallejo.ural.net

I personally prefer his earlier works to the those in the later years.

Love these ones, especially this Vampire Woman

Boris Vallejo, you rock!

Finally, the Fashion Show

It started late as is usually the case. V and I arrived at 6.30 pm when the casting call was 7 pm but the show didn't start until 8.30pm. Left V to his devices while I did some checking of my rails in case there were clothes-swapping that happened. Nope. Everything was as it was.

Models were getting their make-up and hair done. Was feeling a bit hungry so Jade and I hunted for food. The food started coming out and we started feasting on the crackers and sushi, sipping our champagne before one of the staff removed the plates. Unbelievable! Melissa said probably because the food wasn't to be consumed until the commencement exercises had ended. Still, it was rude of the guy. Anyway, at least I had some nibbles. Some of the models weren't even able to have some nibbles because they couldn't leave until their make-up and hair were done and when it was done, we had to put them in their outfits already.

Models having their hair and make-up done

Touch-up

I didn't even get to see the models walk the runway because I didn't dare leave the rail and I was right not to since the change over was fast. The models rushed back in, out of their clothes, into the new ones, out into the catwalk again. Ewoudt had it tough. Not only did his model have some really quick changes but in one case, he had to undress the model 3 times before the walk. She put on the outfit, rushed out, rushed back because it was inside out, rushed back out again only to be told by Daniel (the designer) that she was wearing the wrong outfit. Ewoudt had to help her out of the clothes, into the right one, then they had to look for safety pin because the jacket won't close. Then Daniel said, disregard the safety pin and just wear a bra. By that time, even Ruby was there helping out. Kudos to the model though, she was still laughing about it. Even when her skin got nipped when they were doing up her dress for the last designer. Poor girl.

Anthea in her first outfit before the madness started

Lovely model in yellow

I had it easy compared to Ewoudt. Anthea was just so calm. She was in and out of clothes even remembering the accessories (which I forgot). And even towards the end when she was already in her street clothes because Melissa said there was no grand finale so I told Anthea it was okay to change, she had to change again because Melissa changed her mind. It was a struggle with the buttons and in the end, I only had them half-way up. But it was fine, her hair hid that part. The other model said no flat out so not all of the models did the grand finale. Couldn't really blame them. Even the male models had already left after their turn was done. But it was fun.

Anthea in her final outfit. Dang buttons.

I had a really fun night. Met new people who were really cool.

Pre-fashion show Madness

Follow-up on what's happening before the graduation fashion parade today.

Monday, I went to school 2 minutes before the appointed hour. Now, I would normally be in whatever places I need to be about 30 minutes (sometimes an hour) before the time but last Monday, my phone arrived. It's not exactly my phone, it's more of a company phone but I'm using it so it's mine. hehehe. To be honest, I was excited before receiving the phone because V kept on praising it. But after I read some reviews, I wasn't that keen on it. Now, I'm not a techy-savvy person. The more user-friendly a device it, the more I appreciate it. When it comes to camera phones, the crisper the image, the better I like it. And that's what I was worried about with the phone. I primarily wanted to use the phone for taking photos of my inspiration as well as taking photos during fashion shows. So after reading from the reviews about all the bells and whistles then reading that the camera wasn't as good as say the N95, I wanted to look at another phone, say, Sony Ericcson. Unfortunately, V already ordered it so I have to stick with this.

Anyway, I digress. So, the phone arrived and it was sleek. And I was starting to like it. So I tinkered with it, played with it a bit. Read the manual a bit then had to dash out to catch the tram. I wasn't late just nearly on time which was uncharacteristic. R who was usually on time if not late was earlier than I was for the 2nd time since I've known her. Teased her about that.

This is not the actual phone that I have. Mine has a Vodaphone tag at the bottom. But, there you have it. My new phone, the Nokie E71.

At first, things were a bit slow. There was only one model. One designer. And two dressers, R and I. The designer (3rd year graduating student) didn't wait for the dresser and started fitting Sally (or was it Sarah? I know it starts with S). Then other models arrived and other dressers arrived. Then it became a bit chaotic. Mel had to some quick changes with the clothes and dressers since some clothes of some designers didn't fit the model or the dresser for a particular model wasn't available that day. I had to dress up Kellie because the appointed dresser wasn't there then my model arrived, Anthea, who was really nice not that Kellie wasn't. So Melissa assigned Kellie to Yusran. Nearly made a boo-boo with the instruction I gave Yusran and he nearly got in trouble but it was fixed and everything was cool.

Juliet dressing Sarah (Sally?)

Anthea was so patient, so were all the other girls. There was swapping of clothes, swapping of designer's range. Some clothes were tricky to put on. I kinda felt sorry for them. They had to undress infront of all these people, girls and guys alike, sometimes just in their undies and wait while the dresser looks for clothes or while a decision was being made. It was a good thing it wasn't cold in the room. Everyone was just matter of fact about it. I finished fitting Anthea, she only had 5 outfits to put on, thank goodness, unlike the other girls who had to put on 7 or 8 outfits, some would even be quick changes.

Anthea who gamely posed for me. This is one of the dresses she'll be wearing during the parade. I forgot who the dress belongs to but will find out tonight to credit the designer.

I think this dress is Maja Mueller but I'm not sure. Will double check as well.

In a way, I like the buzz. I liked the activity. I liked helping out and feeling like I'm part of something. I didn't mind being one of Mel's go-to-girl because I was able to catch a glimpse of how to put on a fashion show. This was just a graduation show but there were a lot of things that needed to be done (kinda like staging a production or a theater show now that I think of it). Imagine how much more chaotic it would be at a professional level with hairstylists, shoe stylists, make-up artists, photographers, production people mingling, shouting, where mistakes mean money or lost account. Hmmm...sounds nice.

Done with 1st year

Yesterday, I finally finished all of my garment construction projects. I had to redo the sleeve with placket and collar since the ones I've made on my shirt was soooo bad. M said she couldn't pass the shirt as is. I had to come in for private tuition but since there were others who were doing it with me, the cost wasn't as bad. In addition, I learned a few tips and tricks from M. Wish she was there when we were doing the shirt but all that is in the past.

****

So, today, I went to school supposedly for fitting. I volunteered as a dresser for the school's graduation fashion parade on the 17th. The model I was supposed to fit wasn't scheduled to come in til Monday so I helped around instead. The clothes made by the 3rd years were really good. I wasn't able to take photos because I didn't bring a camera but I will on Monday. Sneak peak. hehehe

I'm really looking forward to the event, it will be held at the Crown Palladium this year. This will give me the experience and confidence (I hope) to be a dresser when I start working with PP.

Updates

Haven't uploaded in a loooong time. I was just too busy worrying about submitting projects on time (while reading manga online on the side) that I haven't even had the time to write about the projects we were doing in school. But, almost everything's done now. I still have to finish the tailored jacket and do my 5th scales but the most time-consuming and demanding project is done - the Fabric Enhancement Project we did for Fashion Design I.


According to the brief, we had to produce 10 - 15 swatches of fabric enhancement. S, gave us 3 options and we picked the most favourable one. Produce 10 swatches and 10 designs. We had 5 weeks to do it including 1 week of vacation but I was panicking all the time. I bought 3 books on beading, embroidery and fabric manipulation.


I didn't even bother tallying how much I spent since I kept buying fabrics, beads, and other materials. The most difficult part was starting. I have very basic knowledge of embroidery, I only know running stitch and back stitch, but I don't do them well. I've never beaded in my entire life. And I know nothing about fabric manipulation. I envied J who had a clear idea of what she wanted (she chose Comme des Garcon as her designer) and just went at it.


I chose Oscar de la Renta for his sophisticated and very feminine evening dresses not to mention his luxurious ruffles. I couldn't replicate what he does but I tried to combine 2 to 3 kinds of fabric enhancement techniques.


In the end, with the help and guidance of S, I managed to come up with 10 simple swatches and 10 passable designs. I was and still am quite happy with my work but I do agree with S that my drawings still need a bit of work. They suck (pardon the word).


Anyway, here are some of the swatches. I wasn't able to photograph my favourite swatch.

This is a North American style of smocking. I got the instructions from the book "The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff"

Sanwiched cording with beads

Sequins and beads with a fabric flower. My first attempt at beading.

One of my favourite drawings. Not as bad as the others. hehehe

D'Italia, Spotlight - Malvern

I was feeling panicky the past two days since I still haven't completed my fabrics for the Children's wear project (question: what's the correct way of writing this, is it Childrenswear (like menswear and womenswear) or do you need to put an apostrophe to show a possessive nature?). V and I were supposed to go but he had to work on a project of his own so I had to go alone.

Saturday morning. EventhoughI wasn't going to Glen Huntly (meaning taking the packed train to Richmond station courtesy of the Footy finals. Don't ask who's playing. I only know one is called Hawks, maybe the other is Geelong.), I knew the tram would probably be full. It wasn't exactly, but it was a bit crowded since the tram was late.

Transferred trams and found myself in the suburb of Malvern (had a bit of scare on the way when the tram stopped right on the train tracks while going uphill. Was looking the other way for any oncoming train and didn't find any only for me to look to my left and find the train bound for city, some metres away.) Found Spotlight. Wow! Had I known that Spotlight had a lot of cotton and silk fabrics, I would've visited the place more often instead of going all the way to Darn Cheap Fabrics. Not that there's anything wrong with Darn Cheap. The staff are lovely and I can buy 10cm of fabrics instead of 20cm at Spotlight, it's just that Darn Cheap is so far away.

Unfortunately, I overhead that Spotlight was going to transfer as well. They'll be going to Carnegie. Drat! So, I found solid coloured cotton / cotton blend fabrics and wanted to buy more but I saw that service was a bit slow. They had 4 girl working but it was a busy morning and some customers were a bit irritated that they had to take a number just to pay for a small purchase. Bought some emroidery thread, couldn't find the needles, and some fake feathers.

Then I started looking for D'Italia. They stock European fabrics and fabulous french lace. I was a bit apprehensive since it looked like a place that wouldn't really welcome a browser but the shop ladies were nice and allowed me to buy 10 cms of 2 french lace and a silk fabric ( I ended up buying 15 cm of the laces since the patterns would be cut and 30 cm of the silk since the pattern would've been cut as well). Another nice thing is that they give 30% discount to students. Still a bit expensive for those who are on a budget but for those to-die for fabrics, it's worth it.

Finished my shopping and had a bit of a look see at some of the boutiques. Malvern's shopping precint is buzzing with activities. Lots of cafes and restaurants as well as small shops. It doesn't have the relaxed atmosphere of home but it's a nice place to visit.

Cowl Neck

Did variations of the cowl neck today at patternmaking class. But first we did grading of the bodice. It was different from what R taught us, A commented we had this shocked look on our faces. We still did the grid but this time, it wasn't an increment of 1.25 each side of the grain line but in 3mm, 6mm, and 1.25 cm. I found it easier to follow than R's method though. It was much more accurate if done right. I just had to learn how to blend the lines properly.

A mentioned that patternmakers actually earn a decent amount of money. Some charge per piece of work. Some charge by the hour. She said that the going rate could go to AUD80 per hour or AUD5-AUD15 per piece. Not too bad, I thought. It was also interesting to learn that that there are still companies, small and large, that still prefer a person to do the patternmaking rather than having it done on software. I had always thought that it would be easier, faster and cheaper to have things done by computer. Apparently, I was wrong.

With the cowl neck, A showed us how a fabric cut on the bias would look when draped on a fabric. I kind of thought that draping then creating the pattern would be better rather than learning the flat patternmaking first then doing the draping then redoing the pattern. But A said that students have to learn the flats first to understand the principles behind the alterations and what-nots. In addition, we were doing it based on industry practices and industry requires mass production and not couture. And to do that, you need a pattern to work on since you can't go to all your potential clients and measure them. (Interesting side note, Australia still does not have one sizing standard. Companies here pretty much make their own sizing which explains why I'm' a size 6 in one shop and a size 8 in another shop or even a size 10 in another). However, we will be doing couture next year so depending on who the teacher is (I prefer S's husband, T), we would be doing a lot of draping and making our own patterns as well.

Can't wait.

Ready To Wear Project

Done.

Had a so-so presentation 2 weeks ago. Not at all happy with myself nor the work I've put in. Still bashing my head over it.

This was my final Design Board.


Did everything by hand then just put them together using Photoshop.

***hmmm...my photo is not uploading. Tried Opera. Won't upload. Using explorer. Not working. This is not nice. Used Mozilla. Uploaded. Mozilla Rocks!

Back from Vacay

Had a relaxing holiday up north. Saw a lot of crocs.

Now, I'm redoing some of my designs. Not really happy with what I initially did.

Saw a Probe TV video on clothes made of recyclable materials at crichi.com's website. Really neat. Would never have thought of it. I'd share the video if I knew how but I don't so just go crichi.com. Enjoy!

Range Planning

Finally finished the Range Planning project. I didn't do so well during the presentation. Rambled and just plain did garbage speech. A one hour sleep isn't a good idea, better just stay awake.

I think my development book is good though. It's organized. Not sure if it's very appealing but I made so that I could look back and be proud of what I've done. Not so sure about my Window Display. The others in class really had this imaginative creations. Mine was just plain boring.

Anyway, here's the photo.



Now, on to the next project - Ready-to-Wear. Sigh.

It was a Good Day Today

1. My thread didn't break.
2. I only had to unpick once.
3. My overlocking skill is improving.
4. I didn't have a headache from either the cold (weather) or the heat (from the weird heating system.
5. I had a 90+ mark on my pants assessment (although my self-assessment was way below that. I know. I'm too critical of my self.).
6. A stranger sitting beside me on the tram gave me, yep gave me, her pen because she saw that I was using my finger (writing in the air) to answer the jumbled words in the newspaper puzzle section.

Te-dum-te-dum

I just finished the flat trades of my fifteen chosen designs. I kinda prefer free hand trade sketching but the french curves and ruler does help in making my flats look neat. I suppose it will take constant practice, not to mention years, for me to do a reasonable free hand flats.

Tomorrow, we'll be doing the costing for our chosen garments. Can't wait.

***

Started sewing bodices yesterday. The darts were a bit hard to sew. I'm trying to curve my sewing before I reach the dart point but it just ends up straight. See. When I want to sew straight, it curves. When I want to add a bit of curve, it sews straight.

But I finished early which was good.

***

Suppose to be doing my 5th scale patterns but my head is just tired from the flat trade sketching I've done. I had to redo some of the flats since it just didn't look good. My pens blotted, and I've used different types of pens at that. Will just have to do it tomorrow.

Range Planning

So...we had to take a photo of a display window, then do a clandestine survey of the chosen shop. I got a very good set of photos from one shop (super duper nice). They even allowed me to take photos inside the shop and moved the clothes so that I could take photos of the mannequins from the inside. Unfortunately, S told me to choose the other one instead instead since the demographics of the first one "ESSE" couldn't properly be pinpointed. But I loved their dresses anyway. I bought two dresses from them a summer or so ago.

Then, I had to go inside the shop and check the top to bottom ratio, the fabrics used on the woven and knit fabrics, the price range of the garments and the lay-out of the store. Managed to get some of the details but had to go to the other branch to do the the fabric requirements since I didn't want to be recognized by the staff in the other branch. hehehe

Tonight if I can manage it, I have to design clothes on full bodied figures in order to reach the 30-50 design requirements by Wednesday. I already have my trims and my fabrics as well as the prices so I'm not stressing about them. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish everything by then.

We have 5 weeks to finish but S said we have to follow the timetable she prepared otherwise we won't be able to do everything in time.

Next week, S is going to look at our designs and then help us choose 15 garments for our capsule collection. From those 15 garments, we need to do flat trade sketches of them. The week after, we have to do costing and sizing.

Whew! Lots of work but I'm learning a lot. =)

Still About Marks and Fashion Design

Last Wednesday was the culmination of all late night and weekday/end work. Finally finished my Fashion Forecasting project. Of course it didn't go so smoothly. Never did. Had a bit of goof offs and temper tantrums with myself in the process. But the best had to be the last.

On the day of the presentation, I checked that I had everything I needed to bring. Mind you, I prepared them the night (1.30 in the morning to be exact) before so I was confident that I had all my stuff with me. I did have to go back for my notebook but I was sure I had everything. I was even going to school an hour early just to be on the safe side.

I think there were some higher beings teasing me that day. When I was approaching the tram stop, I saw bumper to bumper traffic like I've never seen before on that road. Well, heck I thought, that couldn't be good. So I watched the traffic and watched for the tram. The traffic moved which was good but the tram was nowhere in sight. 25 minutes later, just as the lady and I who were both waiting at the tram stop were about to call Yarra trams, we see not only 1, not 2, but 3 trams coming down the hill. The first tram was full so we both got on the second tram which was definitely less crowded. Then the traffic eased and vehicles started moving fast again.

When I was nearing the tram stop near the school, I had the sinking realization that I forgot not only 1 but 6 important items - my designs! I had to sms V in panic asking him to take a taxi and bring it to school. I had forgotten that I've placed them under a book so that the adhesive would stick faster. In times like these, I'm so glad that taxi service here is so reliable (in most cases, that is). You just dial the number, tell them you need a taxi right now and the taxi arrives in 5 minutes (minimum) depending on the location.

V arrived (looking adorable I might add) after 15 minutes and I was able to paste the designs on my development book.

Then I had my presentation and wouldn't you know it? I had good feedback from my classmates. It helped that I was third on the list and was hyper so I got everyone's attention. =)

Those were the hilarious parts.

Then I finally received my homeworks submitted a month or so ago. I received an "Excellent" comment on my 2nd homework but didn't get full marks. I got a "luv em all" for my visuals on the third homework but also a note that I relied too much on the internet for my bibliography. Overall, I had an above average mark but I wasn't quite happy about it. Never am when I get lower marks than expected. But I did better than others who received failing marks.

I know that I'm placing too much emphasis on marks but I just can't shake off this need to have high marks since I've been taught that it was the best way to convey intelligence. Unfortunately, the courses I'm taking do not really require intelligence but skill and the ability to follow instructions. At the same time, there is the subjective aspect of it wherein teacher's marks can still be colored by bias.

But I'm there to learn. I have to learn and have to learn them well. Lesson learned: expectations are high. I have to keep pushing myself to do everything well, not only to the best of my ability. I have to go beyond that. I don't really mind. I love to learn and learning isn't always a smooth path. There are potholes on the ground and some odd prickly bushes. I just need to learn to avoid them or pick myself up when I fall into one or get pricked by the other. =)

Marks

Nope, not those marks that are left behind by staying up late at night rushing to finish homeworks that should've be done days before. I'm talking about marks from my assessment. Second one this week. This time from my patternmaking class. Whoppee! I think I'm really getting really good at this. =)

Back to School

Just came back from a brief holiday. Saw my family and friends (who were available) and did some shopping. My head is still on holiday mode. Lesson learned: reserve moderately long holidays overseas to the end of the term for maximum enjoyment.

First day back in school, did a relatively good job doing the fly zip and the whatchamacallit pocket. Wasn't paying attention. Just kept sewing. Was doing well, too until the overlocker jammed my calico and then the unpicking began. Thought I could finish it before the end of the class but ended up being one of the last to leave. Ah, well. Better to be slow but knowing what I'm doing.

Had my marks for my first assessment. Did very well, thank you very much. =)

Last Day Before Holiday Break

As usual, the last day always involves a lot of work.

We did the classic tailored pant block at school today and different pant patterns. There was a lot of measurements involved so we didn't get to making the pattern for the tailored pant block. I didn't even finish doing the different pant lenghts.

R said we are supposed to do an assessment immediately after vacation but she might postpone it. Not sure if she will. M, on the other hand, said we'll be having an assessement for our garment construction class after we get back from the break. sigh.

And I still haven't decided on what to focus on for my Fashion Forecasting homework. Dang.

Assessment Done

For Patternmaking and Garment Construction. Finished the 6 Gore Skirt last Monday and the Assessment for Patternmaking - Front and Back Yoke Skirt today. Got my first ever perfect score for my 5th scale. Wohoo!

The Patternmaking assessment was worth 50% according to R. So if the Grading was part of the assessment. The total would only be 75%. Hmm...how come? I thought they always do them by the 100. Oh well.

***

Started on fashion forecasting. Need lots of photos for my Journal. I'm excited though. Will try to take photos when done. =)

Assessments and Marks

Last week, we started having our assessment, a test to be basic about it. For Garment Construction, we had to sew a whole skirt with two scoop pockets infront including facing. No waistband this time. The connecting seams would be a combination of open seam and closed seam.

I finished the front part last week. I still had problems with the overlocker especially with the scooped pockets. They weren't that bad just annoying to have the threads running off. Redoing it isn't a good idea since it would mean taking out a few millimeters to put in the overlocked threads and I'm still not good at determining acurately the exact millimeters and thus I take out as much as half a centimeter when I'm re-overlocking.

Will continue tomorrow.

For patternmaking, we started the assessment last week with the Grading of patterns (forgot the exact term). We learned how to increase and decrease the size of a pattern. For the nesting, showing three different pattern sizes based on one size (Size 10, we used the Tailored Straight Skirt and increased the size to Size 12 then down to Size 8. We did the same for the waistband. I got a perfect score for that one. Yippee for me.

On a sad note, I got a lousy mark for the Basic CAD course. I received the Certificates from last year and I'm peeved. How did I get such a low mark???? Tomorrow, I'm going to ask. It probably wouldn't change anything but at least I'd see where I made mistakes.

Homeworks

Had to do my History of Fashion for Fashion Design class. Procastinated, and I mean, really procastinated thus I had to do some late evenings, can't really say all-nighter because I did manage to get some 4-hour-sleeps.

Anyway, performance in Patternmaking and Garment Construction classes were affected. My eye and hand coordination were bad. I had to really concentrate to understand what was being said. In Garment Construction, I had to unpick my threads several times and it took me the entire day just to finish the waistband on my skirt.

I got my scores for my Patternmaking and my effort paid off for the first set of 5th scales. Didn't get perfect scores but I did get 1 seven and 3 8s out of 10. So it's good. It's the second set that will probably get low marks since I was doing them at night when I couldn't even clearly see what I'm doing. Reminder to self: buy bulbs for the lamp.

Promised myself never to procastinate. Not sure if I can keep my promise but I'll try. Saying that, I have to work on my other 5th scales now.

Half-a-Skirt

Technically, not half-a-skirt; it's a straight skirt with vent but I wasn't able to finish it today so I'm calling it that. Then again, I only need to do the waistband so I suppose that would be 3/4 skirt. hehehe

I managed to construct the garment better than last time, except for the overlocking. Darn thing still needs to be mastered by me. But I will conquer it!

I'm getting the technicalities now. I understand why things are the way they are (where to put the notches and why)rather than just blindly following. I've learned to slow down rather than trying to keep up and not understanding at all. And I've gotten more assertive when it comes to getting the teachers' attention. And it worked to my advantage, too. =)

Still have to do my Fashion Design. Aaarrgggh. I kept saying that but I still haven't made heads or tails of the piles of info I've collected.

Getting the Hang Of It

Took things slow today at Garment Construction Class. After the pressure and frustration trying of to keep up last week (Different Kinds of Seams, I decided to take things slow and be more assertive in getting the teacher's attention. Hey, it worked!

Of course, it didn't come without glitches. As usual, the sewing machine I chose had problems with it. I thought it was just my inability to control the speed of the foot pedal but after M checked it twice and didn't get the problem resolved, I decided to ditch it and choose another one. Unfortunately, the 4 vacant ones all had problems with them so I asked to use the automatic one, the one I used the first time.

Should have done it earlier since that sewing machine and I just worked wonderfully. Could've saved me all those times of sewing and resewing all those seams.

We did the back of a skirt today including darts and zipper. Was sooo time consuming not to mention laborious. But it was all good. The importance of measuring the centimeters and keeping those measurments were being reinforced. Hopefully, I do well next week when we do the full skirt.

On other subjects, I need to finish up my Fashion Design assignment. Whew!

Whirlwind

That's the best way to describe what's been happening in class. Barbara took over Sharon the past 3 weeks to teach us about the history of fashion. It wasn't as boring as I've expected. Barbara was like energy in motion and speech. She could talk about multiple topics in one sitting. She even brought us to the NGV and the Ian Potter Gallery and taught us to observe the fashion of the past and how they've been reinterpreted today. It was tiring but it was enlightening. Must attend other exhibits in the future. It was also fun that Barbara handled the subject because she lived through the important years and had an opinion of a lot of things. Her experiences as a buyer, retailer and lampshade designer in various times were also glimpses into what we would be facing in the future.

In patternmaking, it was draining. It's where precision is required although I had to fudge some centimeters here and there in my first pattern because I didn't get the cutting right. I liked the garment construction class better because we were just buzzing away in the industrial machines. It was fun seeing what you're creating. Hopefully, we'll soon be able to use the patterns we made in the patternmaking class in our garment construction class. I can't wait to sew my very first garment.

Learned to sew stitches on an Industrial Sewing Machine

Had my first class on garment construction yesterday. I thought it would be the patternmaking class. It was a good thing, I brought the little items with me in my tin can. I didn't want to spend on a big sewing box so I made use of what was available. Then I saw the sewing box my classmates have and mentally slapped my hand on my forehead. Everything would fit in there! Even those long dangerous looking tailor sheers.

So, we have Maida for our teacher. After some intro, we each selected a machine (an industrial sewing machine) and had to learn how to wind a bobbin, thread the machine and check the tension of the thread. At first, I got a bad machine, it wasn't winding the bobbin so I had to select another machine. The one that caught my eye was the automatic ones since there were no non-automatic ones available.

It was fun after I got the hang of it. You just need to tap the foot pedal lightly. The first time I pressed it without thinking and my needle broke. Good thing I was wearing my glasses or the splinter would've have hit my eye.

I managed to finish the 4 lessons that day. I surprised myself and my teacher. She asked if I had done any sewing and I said, nope. Yippee for me.

Zac Posen for Target Australia

I've only read about Zac Posen in Fashion commentaries but never really paid attention to his creations. Things I know about him: 1)showbiz people wear his clothes, 2) P. diddy is his financier (if I remember it correctly and 3) he is one of celebrated young designers today.

When the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival came to town, I didn't really want to attend the fashion shows, especially when I saw the schedule. Most of the fashion shows were scheduled at night. I wasn't in the mood to travel to nearby suburbs just to watch the fashion shows. I convinced myself to just buy the fashion magazines (Collezioni for one) and focus on the photos there. Then, towards the end of the festival, the info about there having a fashion festival in town suddenly filtered into V's consciousness and he egged me to go. So, I checked the schedule again and found a fashion show that fit into both our schedule - Target's Target Rocks Red Market at Central Pier at the Docklands. It was on a Sunday, the last day of the festival and it was at 2.30PM (local designers) and 4.30PM (International designer).

We got the 4.30PM show. And when I saw the clothes, I think that was the only time, I got frustrated with the lighting. I wanted to see the damn clothes in all their glory. And record them, too, for posterity. Hehehe. But with just my digital cam, I couldn't capture the clothes. But what I saw really made me an admirer of Zac Posen.

Here are some of his designs. I took them from the Zac Posen Brochure.

First Day - Fashion Design Class

Can't help but rave about my lecturer, Sharon Leong. She knows her stuff. Not only has she worked with and for big name fashion houses (she started as Junior Design Assistant - what she calls the tea girl - before being headhunted for United Colors of Benetton). She does works for Valentino and other European brands, mostly garment manipulation. The beading is done in India, though, because she finds it expensive to have them done in Australia.

She likes to talk but not the kind that rambles and gets you irritated. Her anecdotes are funny and in some instances, insightful. She's strict in deadlines and prepared the syllabus in such a way that the student really has to do a lot but in the end will learn a lot.

The sad thing is, she won't be our lecturer for the entire year. From what I gathered, she's doing something major in her business so other lecturers will take her place. Also, she'll be giving birth and will be having 3 months maternity leave. Regardless, what little time we have with her, I'm sure, will be entertaining and informative.

The class is multicultural. We have a Japanese guy, a Swedish girl, a girl from England, a girl from Colombia, a Thai girl, a Filipina (me), and Aussies. I wonder how we'll interact since groupings have already been formed. I did manage to converse with Sara (from country Victoria) and Viviana (from Colombia).

2nd to the Last Week

We just continued working on our final projects today in both class.

I showed C my completed illustrations and she gave positive feedback in all except 1 - the fur. As expected, it needed to be redone. Since I still had problems rendering fur, I just decided to do a new set of clothes on my template. Instead of fur, I drew a satin - chiffon blouse - Satin for the bodice and billowy chiffon for the sleeves. For the bottom, I drew a simple grey cotton pants. Added more folds to the back of the knees where the leg was bent as instructed by C and my drawings were done. Now I just have to organise my flats, think of a background for them, and my inspirations and colour palette.

For the Life Illustration, I copied - note: not traced - my original drawing of the two models and redrew it using a combination of gouache, marker and coloured pencils. I initially didn't want to draw the faces but when I got home, I just felt that I had to. And I had to do a bit of touching up on the chin of one of the ladies since it seemed to be too pointy. The white ink was too obvious so I had to draw a choker around her neck to camouflage it. All in all, I think I did well. I just need to add in some background stuff and my final project ofr Life Illustration is done - a poster. Next week, I can put them all in my plastic sheets and not worry about them.

Tomorrow, V will accompany me to the city to buy sewing materials for my patternmaking and garment construction class. =)

Final Project

A week and a half to go before before my classes end. Before that, I still need to finish my final project. Two if I include the poster requirement for Life Drawing. Did I mention I got reprimanded last class in LD? Served me right for being too forward and forgetting my manners. But it was cool afterwards.

Anyway, I've finished my fashion poses two week ago but when I started drawing the clothes on the figures, it just felt wrong. So I kept changing and changing and changing and even when the rendering has been completed, I redo it. If I weren't so nitpicky with what I'm doing, I'd probably be done by now. But I'm not doing it just for the sake of handing in something. I want satisfaction in what I do. The fact that I'm waaay older than the others (late 20s is old to late teens)means I have to do much more than the others. Time is a-ticking.

I've already decided on my theme - Renaissance Woman. A strong-willed independent woman who is not only fashionable but who is smart, appreciates art, and curious about the world. Then when I took a step back, I started thinking that maybe Modern Woman is a better theme. Note that I have problems with vague-sounding-ooh-inspiring words. I'm not a wordsmith much to my everlasting dismay. Or I could just title it - Attempts of a Struggling Fashion Design Student at Rendering Fabrics and Drawing Fashion Poses as Required by the Fashion Drawing Class of the Melbourne School of Fashion. Hehehe

I still have to think of a background for my storyboard. And the accessories, too. Aargh.

Ah, well. Tomorrow is another day.

Sewing Class

It wasn't really a sewing class in the sense that the students were working on their sewing machines. It was more of a demonstration class where a representative from Bernina, Debbie, showed how to do things. It was fun watching and listening to the other, older, more experienced students.

For this class, Debbie showed us how to wrap strips of fabric over a cord and how to sew these cords to make a place mat and a bowl. First, the fabric had to be cut on a bias. To do that, get a folded cloth a meter in length (when you buy fabrics, the fabric is already folded), fold it to make a triangle and then cut it diagonally. She used an 8 millimeter cord. She wrapped the end of the cord with a fabric so the cord didn't show and then she started to stitch.

When she asked if anyone wanted to try, part of me wanted to but part of me was afraid I'd touch a wrong button or something and ruin the project.

The second was a bag with an applique. She took a folded a tear-away towel, placed the fabric where she wanted the applique to be on top of the tear-away towel and then placed some cut-outs of daisies she got from some scraps. One thing I learned from the ladies was to use at least 2 layers of tear-away towel to hold the embroidery otherwise the edge of the embroidery would have a bubble effect instead of it being flat. Someone also suggested spraying the fabric first with starch especially with dense embroideries while using tear-away towels. I forgot the other suggestions but I think those two are the important ones.

I also learned that the type of fabric one uses will determine what needle to use. For normal sewing, a number 80 needle should be used. For fine fabrics like velvet, a number 60 needle should be used. For finer fabrics like silk or satin, a number 70 should be used. And for thicker fabrics like denim, a number 80 should be used.

It was just a two-hour class but it was nice. The next class would be in March. Hopefully, by then, I'd be able to do something with my machine. Tomorrow, I'll be going back to the sewing shop to get a free lesson on how to use my sewing machine.

Miffed

That's my reaction when I got the results for the 4th folio. Among all my folio works, I've done far greater work on the 4th one. However, for some reason C kept marking me down. Some of her comments were point on but some just seemed puzzling to me. I don't know whether it's because she's pushing me (that's what she said) or because I don't do things the way she taught them. I thought I was the only one who thought that way until B also gave the same sentiments. C apparently gave all of us high marks in our first folio although it was kinda crappy as we (most of us) were still finding our feet. But as we progressed, she started giving us lower scores.

I don't know whether it was because I wanted to prove something or because my energy level went up but in the afternoon I had good results in the Life Drawing class. We had F as model again and we had to draw her in her streetwear, evening wear and in a coat (this was for the texture portion).

Only 3 more weeks to go until I get my Certificates for these two classes. Next would be the Patternmaking and Garment Construction Class and the Fashion Design Class.

In preparation for my Patternmaking and Garment Construction Class, I bought my very first sewing machine - a Bernette 90e. V and I got went to C Sewing Centre and bought it there. They said it normally retailed for AUD799 but they were selling it for AUD499. It looked so easy when the store assistant was demonstrating it but when I got home and tried to use it, I became clueless. I have to call them up and attend one of their classes to be able to use it.=)

4th Folio Done

Submitted my 4th folio yesterday. I think I did alright. I checked out my classmates's works and there are areas where they did well and some they didn't. It's the way it is. You can be good in one aspect and not in another aspect.

Most of us did agree that the final lesson was a bit confusing. We've already done faces, hair, eyes and lips previously so why did we have to do it again. Also, C couldn't even explain how to do the "shadow" category. So, we interpreted it differently and came up with different results.

Had a chat with D on the tram and we both shared the observation that we didn't learn as much as we wanted to learn. We didn't really learn about how to render fabrics, how to translate what we see in photos or in reality into fashion drawings. I also did not appreciate getting handouts of lessons which were obviously from different books. I had expected the school to have a syllabus of its own and for the teachers to show students how to do things properly, not to rely on these handouts. Not that there's anything wrong with photocopying pages off books but those should only be supplements, an alternative on how other people do it, not the main basis of the lesson.

Anyway, I did what I could and I'm proud of some of my works. I say some since the others could do a little more work.

Here are some of my works. I should've just scanned them but it takes too much time. =)

The first drawing is a render of a dress with sequins. The second is of knit. The third is of fur and tweed.

Looking for a Sewing Machine

So...it has finally come to this. A serious effort in looking for a sewing machine. Since my sewing experience is rudimentary at best, a result of having had someone else do my sewing projects back in grade school, no home ec in high school, and minimal sewing done (mostly darning) over the years, my knowledge of a sewing machine is zilch. Not exactly zilch; I do know how one looks, as well as the new permutations. I just don't know how to use it. My mom used a Singer manual sewing machine eons ago but she never taught me how. (She said I was never interested in anything domestic, thus she had to make do with my brother who was.)

Enough reminiscing, I've been scouring forums and reviews in the hopes that it might help me decide on which brand and model to buy. I initially wanted a Bernette 65 as it was what a dealer recommended for a beginner like me. I watched her demonstrate and it was like a whole new world opened before my eyes. I was so impressed with the way she picked what seam she was going to use, how she adjusted the tension and even how she managed to make a buttonhole in seconds. I wanted to buy that machine there and then but V was reluctant to do so as we haven't done research yet.

Which explains my current dilemma. I have already read dozens of reviews and now I'm torn. Some say since Janome makes the Bernette series to get Janome instead. Then, I also discovered that Janome also makes some of Kenmore machines which makes me wonder if there was this conspiracy among these brands. The upside to this is that the parts are easier to find, I think.

Well...I'll just have to keep looking.

Dynamic Catwalk Pose and Rendering Fabric

Last Friday, we had Brenda again for our instructor which was good. While she was more lenient than C, she was less critical than M. I managed to produce some good drawings. Not perfect, but not bad either.

For the morning class, she brought in a model so we could draw a dynamic catwalk pose. Although the model was on the thin side, she wasn't exactly a model and needed a bit of coaching on how to strike a pose. Her second pose wasn't a catwalk pose though as she did a reclining pose. We had to draw her and render the clothes she was wearing. I was glad that she wore one one of those fitted bodice dress on top and triangular-handkerchief type below (sorry, I haven't learned the language of clothes so I can't really give an accurate description). The dress was red and had swirling white patterns so it really gave a great visual effect. The tricky part was drawing it in ink. I didn't want to use the red ink (I did have red ochre gouache but I didn't want to use gouache)that Brenda provided since I didn't want the red color to overwhelm the drawing. Instead, I used purple. Purple for the dress and black for the outline of the figure.



As usual, using black to outline the figure was tricky. The line tended to become think. I did manage to control a bit of the thickness with the sable bristled brush I just bought that day before I went to class. I must say the brush was much, much better than the brush the school asked us to buy. It was a tad bit more expensive but worked better.

In the afternoon, we had Jfry to model for us. We were supposed to render heavy clothing on the body but since it was 31 degrees outside, he didn't come in wearing thick clothing. He wore a black netting type of shirt which clung to his upper torso. I didn't mind that he had a nice bod. What I didn't like was that it was hell to draw. We were given the option of using charcoal, gouache, ink, and pastel. I chose coloured pencil to give me more control. The outcome was good but I still had to work on how to show the folds and the lines.

I really appreciated the way Brenda allowed us longer periods to draw. I was able to really focus and correct my drawings. While she did make comments occasionally, it was never intrusive and she did apologize. Sure will miss her.

Drapes and Folds

On Friday, Brenda was our substitute lecturer since our Fashion Drawing and Life Drawing lecturers were on holiday. At first, I wasn't that happy to have her back as our substitute lecturer since she didn't help me much the last time she substituted. But last Friday, I learned a great deal from her. Since there were only a few students who turned up, she was able to give attention to each student.

She was especially helpful during the Life Drawing class although, probably judging from the seeming lethargic atmosphere inside the room, proposed to cancel the class should the model not show up. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the model turned up albeit late. Before the model's arrival, Brenda asked everyone to do an exercise. She called it "Imagining the ant's journey". First we drew a letter of an alphabet, in this case, a "W" and made it 3-dimensional. Second, we imagined an ant walking up the alphabet. At each turn of the plane, we had to differentiate the shade or colour of the planes. The front plane would be lighter if the light is shining on it, the top would have to be darker than the front, the side would be darker than the top, and the lines at the back or where the planes couldn't be seen would be darkest. The object of the exercise was to make it easier for us to draw the drapes and folds of a fabric since a fold in a fabric would have different shades.




I, and I suppose the rest of the class, thought it was great. I wondered why we weren't taught this exercise beforehand. It would have made the Rendering the Fabric" relatively easier, for me at least since I had a problem looking at light, medium, and dark shades on a fabric. At the end of the session, we were able to achieve a better output, that's my opinion anyway. I was able to make 3 illustrations but I didn't like the first 2. I did feel proud of my number 3 illustration.

My classmate, Summer, didn't have any problem rendering or drawing for that matter. Her folio work was just awesome. She could already be doing professional illustration if she wanted to. I suppose that's the reason why she doesn't really pay attention to the lectures at times. She wouldn't be staying long at MSF though since she'd be going back to Korea by the end of the Feb then possibly going on to Europe.