Thursday 11 October 2012

The Red Cross Design Challenge

Just when I thought my pattern making course couldn't get any better, on monday we had some special guests come into the classroom. Something exciting was in the air...and I got giddy as soon as I caught a glimpse of the guest's Red Cross name badge. ooeee something op shoppy?

We were assigned the challenge:
From a mystery bag of 5-6 clothing items from The Red Cross, make two complete looks, 
one daywear, one formal/evening.
Due Tuesday 16th! (THATS ONLY 7 DAYS
ummm...pretty much what I live for!
OMG!
After a bit of legal swap and trade amongst the classmates, 
I reviewed my items & began to sketch some design options 
(sorry my camera was failing me miserably through this week so not too many pics)
With the point of this challenge being a sustainable look at fashion, and the endless possibilities that upcycling from our op shops can bring... I have focussed on what is most imporatant to me, sustainability & longer lifetime of garments with more loose fitting/adjustable options to give room for size changing, or clothes swapping too! 
I only have buttons on the garments I got so everything has to button close! no zips!...perhaps drawstring! I started first up by laying out my patterns on the linen green blazer to form my culottes. Check out how lucky I was to just miss the button hole (above) ooo thats a lil bit of op shop karma. I used this sleeve (below) to cut up strips for my drawstring. Drawstrings sound rather sportswear, or grandad trackpant-esque, but I think I have done my best to make them funky street for this challenge...
It has been suprising unpicking everything and pressing out facings and scoring some larger homesewn seam allowances - so much fabric to work with.... and in other ways, so little fabric to work with. dah!
Everyone is getting super creative chopping and mismatching textiles together. Classic shapes and fun summery looks with all this inspiring sunshine about. If you are a fan of shorts, there are plenty of styles being made out of many items: Linen jackets, flannel shirts, a pleated skirt even! A lot of stressy moments too with the 'is this going to work' screams! - we need Tim Gunn in house for morale.
Our completed looks will all go to judging next week, and also online on facebook for public voting too. I will share the links when I know what they are. So PLEASE stay tuned in! :) & feel free to send in any op shop/upcycle questions I am more than happy to help. xx

2 comments:

  1. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exciting! looking forward to seeing what you can rustle up with this challenge! Oh if only Tim Gunn would visit ...... S:)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to share some cheer. Xx

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