Making of Dresshack : Wedding

Assorted mess in Mag's house, during the process.Our Resident-fabric-shredder, Hiro. I mean the cat. The one on the other end of the fabric strip is Gette.The back of one of the dress, as modelled by Hannah (Mag's body double, our professional duct-tape dummy)Checking out the proportion of things before calling it a night, so we can all go back and sleep knowing we have achieved something for the day, while dreaming up more gimmicks for the next session.More Work-in-progress here.

Fabric : Tulle

Tulle is a lightweight, very fine netting, which is often starched. It can be made of various fibers, including silk, nylon, and rayon. Tulle is most commonly used for veils, gowns (particularly wedding gowns), and ballet tutus.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Dresshack : Wedding

A while ago, Gette, Mag & I worked on a "DressHack" project. It was Gette's idea to have an unconventional bridal gown that allows us to trash it without worrying about the bridal dress rental deposit at a Bridal Store. Gette, the ring-leader, told us that Edwin will photograph it.

With a deadline given, we gathered discarded fabrics, secondhand curtains, towels, throw-rugs, and so forth from the thrift store. Mag salvaged her clothes from the dark corners of her wardrobe. Armed with assorted sewing gears, we were well on our way.

A typical technical discussion during our sessions would go like this:
G: Did you just cut that?
P: Yup.
M: What would that be for?
(looked at each other)
P: Dunno yet.
G & M: (shrugged) ok ...
-or-
P, M & G: Yay, it starting to look less like a towel!!! (clap! clap!)

At that time, I cringed when I am referred to as the 'seamstress' because I have not really used the sewing machine after I bought it. At the store, the lady there was surprised when I asked her to show me how to use it, citing that I never sewed.

So I kept reinforcing that this is a craft project. At one point, Gette called it 'dresshacking'. And so it is.

First time I had the liberty to just cut up any fabric, as though I know what I am doing, sew a zipper, made a duct-tape dummy and sew on my sewing machine. We were so proud of our creations that we constantly find ourselves marvel over what we can conjure up for instant gratification, which really does motivate us to keep moving on.

Almost each night, for one intensive week of dress hacking, we came up with 2 dresses for Mag. Allan wore his own stuff for the shoot.

Edwin and Shen were the first privileged ones to capture our franken-bridaldress-stein. Then came my turn to experiment ... (the amateur underwater photographer)

From Gette's drier point of view, here.

World Music with Style

This week, since my index finger is out of commission (accidentally slam car door on it while attempting to carry loads of stuff), I have decided to report on my alteration of the Festival t-shirt. And, since the festival is over the weekend, this is also considered my Weekend Project.
When we got our 'work' t-shirts for the Festival early, I figured out that it is not as flattering as it should be. It is already a size 'S', but it still very loose. I guess 'S' means body stature not body girth in this case.
Anyhow I have decided to customize mine. I took another Festival t-shirt I love and overlay it on the one I was about to alter. Marking the new seamline with chalk while the t-shirt is inside out. All the way up the side, curve it under the armpit.
Then I just sewed along the markings. Of course leaving the sleeves still open. Since I was too lazy to hem the sleeves, I just cut it off to make a cap sleeve. Since it's TC/cotton, it won't fray anyway. Flipped it inside out and cut off the excess fabric.
Voila, the before and the after picture.Next, I rummaged through my wardrobe for a sarong I have been meaning to wear (but-where-to). I have had it since last July (2007). It was in my DatumKL's conference pack. I think it was because of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and since DatumKL is an international event, Tourism Malaysia sponsored gifts for the participants.
Anyway, it was a piece of gorgeous black and lime green batik kain lepas (ends not sewn together). So, I just pulled both ends together and sewed it all the way through to make myself a Sarong.
Simple, quick, decent and ready to go to Rainforest World Music Festival in style (since I'm working anyway).

Fabric : Muslin

Muslin is most typically a closely-woven unbleached or white cloth, produced from corded cotton yarn. Wide muslin is called "sheeting". It is often used to make dresses or curtains but may also be used to complement foam for bench padding. Muslin breathes well, and is a good choice of material for clothing meant for hot, dry climates.

It ranges from rustic muslin, with rough texture, to ...
... soft muslin, good enough for nappies.
When sewing clothing, a test or fitting garment may be made of inexpensive muslin fabric before cutting the intended expensive fabric, thereby avoiding a costly mistake. The muslin garment is often called a muslin and the process is called making a muslin.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Voodoo Doll Pin Cushion

What do you do with socks that are no longer a pair?Somehow, one side seemed to always disappear into the washing machine or the dryer. So with all the one-sided socks left, I have made one into a pin cushion. Something definitely useful for me now that I am sewing more.Instead of the conventional blob of a pin cushion, I made one which could double up for my spell casting sessions, one in the shape of a voodoo doll ... a stuffed fat voodoo doll.
First, I rolled a lump of polyester doll stuffing and pushed it right into the end of the sock (I shall call it in singular form from now onwards). Then I tied a knot around it and stitched it through a good amount of times, to make sure the filling stays in place. Then, the eyes. One side was just a stitch and the other a loose button.Okay, now for the arms. Sewn 2 layers of sock fabric together in a 'U' shape and cut it out. Repeated for the other arm. Then, flipped it over and stuffed it with filling.Holding the open end or the arm, I pinched it into place and sewed it on from the inside.Preparing a bigger ball of polyester filling for the body.Figured that I should give him a little nip&tuck, I sewed portions of the fabric from the inside, kind of like darting. Gave him the stuffing and sewed it in. At the bottom, I gave him legs by splitting the fabric and hemmed the sides.To hold the pincushion on my wrist for flexibility and easy access to pins, I made a strap also from the excess sock fabric. Flipped it inside out and added the velcro. Since the velcro worked fine with only the 'hooky' side, I did not add the 'carpet-ty' side. Sewed the strap to the back of the doll and we have a Voodoo Doll Pin Cushion.Parading around with IT on my wrist. MUAHAHAHAH....

Fabric : Satin

Satin, because of its construction and fiber content, is one of the most luxurious fabrics manufactured. Satin is most often made from low twist, filament yarns. It is usually constructed by floating the warp or lengthwise yarns over four filling or horizontal yarns. The long floats give the fabric luster. Silk is the premiere choice of fiber content for bridal satin fabrics. However, silk satins are more expensive than satins containing acetate or polyester. Satin is found in apparel, lingerie, draperies, drapery lining fabrics and upholstery fabrics.

[From Fabrics.net]

Leftover Jeans

After finishing the jeans bag, I was left with one leg ... of the jeans. And plus, the little girl I was going to give the bag to, has a little sister, who would throw a tantrum if she doesn't get something too. So, I converted the 'other leg' into a small sling bag for her.

Cutting the pants leg into 3 parts, I stitched close on one side to make a bottom. I used 2 parts of the jeans I cut out for that. Then stitched both together back to back. In between, I inserted a side seam that I had leftover from the first project, to make a sling strap. To add a girlish touch to a sensitive girl, I added an iron-on butterfly...
... and it was done in a night.

Fabric : Aida cloth

Aida cloth is an open weave, even-weave fabric traditionally used for cross-stitch embroidery. This cotton fabric has a natural grid that facilitates cross-stitching and enough natural stiffness that the crafter does not need to use an embroidery hoop.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]