FIDM Student Blog: Adelle Burda

Class Project: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

 One of my classes this quarter is Line Development for Fashion Knitwear and it really started out with a bang!  We had to design a nine-piece collection with the theme Recycle as our first assignment.  Part of the assignment was to find an already existing designer who recycles or does “green” design and come up with a collection to sell to them for Fall 2010.  I chose local designer (and FIDM Alumna) Claudia Grau. She specializes in one-of-a-kind hand crafted pieces that are unique, a little wacky, and overall very creative. Claudia reuses cashmere sweaters, men’s shirts, etc., cuts them up and sews them into new designs.  I was really inspired when I saw her pieces so I knew this would be a good match for me.  Here is her website so you can take a peek for yourself.  

Grau Design

            The first thing was deciding an inspiration for the collection.  I chose Autumn being that it is my favorite time of year.  After that, the ideas for my swatches came pretty quickly as I find autumn leaves so inspiring and the colors so vibrant and cozy.  Since this project involved recycling I named the collection, Autumn Salvage.  The collection was divided into three categories: Silhouette, Pattern & Color, and Stitch Manipulation.  I named each group after a tree that changes color: Hickory, Poplar and Sumac.  Then I made a trip to The Goodwill and found all sorts of gems.  I picked up a whole bag full of sweaters, a corduroy jacket, and a tie and wool skirt.  The colors were primarily brown, orange, red, green, golden and blue (pretty easy to find this time of year).

             My first group, Hickory, was made from a mixture of pieces I knit and parts that I cut up from the store buys.  I used my sewing machine for some of them and hand stitched others.

            My second group, Poplar, had a running theme of reused denim in each swatch.  These denim pieces are ones I already had at home from jeans that became cut-off shorts. I had saved the denim hoping someday to have a chance to use it, and this was the perfect opportunity! I knit little pieces, sewed them to the denim, designed and crocheted leaves, and I created a jacquard pattern that is done in two color ways then sewn as patchwork with a flower mixed with the men’s tie and denim.

            My third group, Sumac, was made up of intarsia patterns.  To sell it to my client I would say that the yarn was unraveled from sweaters, washed and re-knit into the patterns.  I added embroidery and hand stitching to group.
            In all, I learned a lot about designing a collection under time and material constraints.  It teaches you to buckle down and quickly focus (it also makes you think more creatively).  The late nights all paid off and I’m so happy with the collection of work just from this one assignment. I’m grateful for this time in my life to explore and learn (fail & succeed) full time.  Next on my agenda, you hear about MY collection. That is exciting…. please stay tuned. --Adelle
           

Fashion Knitwear Design Student Blogger Update: Year 2 Begins!

And my second year begins……

The break was over so fast and now I’m already three weeks into the Fall Quarter!  Sheesh!  Where does the time go?!  To wrap up my break time, I did manage to knit the vest you see below and of course it drove Bob absolutely batty.  Cones of yarn and kitties, well, you do the math.  I even wore it out to dinner one night with friends.  It’s such a cool feeling walking around in your very own designed and handmade clothes.  

 

There was also the annual Textile Show at school that I had to prepare for.  I did make a couple of trips to school and had to go through my homework that would be on display, just to tidy any last minute details.  I also had to knit two dog sweaters to be shown with my final project, a dress, for my Shape & Detail for Fashion Knitwear class.  If you want to see my knitted pieces in person they are displayed on the third floor in the display window facing the entrance to the library.  The show was a really nice way for me to feel like my first year was officially over and now on to the last year.  My husband was really excited to finally meet all the teachers I’ve had in the program.  A couple of my friends also came out to support me and it feels so good to see the people closest to me have a visual for what I’m doing now with my life.   I can’t believe my time at FIDM will be over in 9 months.  Kinda makes me sad, but I can’t dwell on that!  Too much to do…

Update from Student Blog: Getting Out & Staying In

Painting by Edgar Degas

So far my break has been spent out & about exploring and experiencing wonderful Los Angeles while also taking time for resting up at home.  I have gone to a couple of my favorite museums, The Norton Simon and The Getty.  I love the collection of paintings and sculptures at The Norton Simon by the artist Edgar Degas, especially the ones of ballerinas.  It is such a peaceful small museum, a perfect place for an afternoon date with myself.  A bonus is that I got in free with my student discount.  This past weekend Duane and I went to The Getty and were fortunate to experience two fantastic art exhibits.  The first was the French Bronze collection (unfortunately that one is over now) and the Irving Penn photography exhibit.  I love old black and white photography and I particularly like photos of people.  This was right up my alley!  It was a collection of people from London, New York, and Paris from 1950-1951, I believe whose jobs where considered “small trades” (also the name of the exhibition).  I really recommend it.

On the home front, I’ve been working on a sweater that I have been hand knitting for what feels like forever.  It can be calming though, just plugging away on each row.  I’m also working on designing a couple of sweaters to make on my knitting machine.  I don’t know how far I will get with those on this break, we’ll see what I can get accomplished.  Another project at home has been practicing my sketching and exploring different mediums for color.  Right now oil pastels have been fun to explore.  It’s time for me to get back to that hand knit sweater.

--Adelle

The Latest Update from FIDM Knitwear Design Student

Quarter break is finally here and I feel like I am just starting to relax.  Finals were the most intense two weeks I’ve ever experienced to date here at FIDM.  I slept so little and was working, working, and working all day and all night.  I have heard from previous Knitwear Design students that this past quarter is the hardest of the program.   Well, I wholeheartedly agree!  I hope what they say is true because I don’t know if I can do what I did another time around.  In the end, I somehow still managed to make honor roll and I’m pleased with the final projects I turned in.

The photos in this post are from one of my final projects, I crocheted 9 different motifs and then color matched all 27 of the yarns used with oil pastels, watercolor pencils, colored pencils and markers to make paper flowers to match each motif.  Phew! It was a lot of work and my husband and our little pets seemed rather worried about me once 3am rolled around.  Like I said, I am just starting to relax.  It always takes me about a week to recover and then I have one week to enjoy and do all the fun stuff that gets put off during the quarter.  I’ll let you know what I have planned and what I have already done soon enough.  For now I must de-pile my house and put away the last quarters homework strewn all about every room.

--Adelle

Little Joy

For my Shape & Detail For Fashion Knitwear class we have to design and knit four “mini” versions of full-scale size sweaters. These sweaters are 3/4 scale of the actual measurements. They are knit in a smaller scale and front pieces only as they will be mounted on a board for display purposes and also so we can learn how to design and make the sweaters in a reasonable time and use less yarn. The sweater samples are a nice size for our portfolios as well. 

This process has really got me thinking about how I want to achieve a look or a concept through patternmaking. Sometimes the sweater design will change as I work out the pattern in full scale on graph paper. You have to adapt as you go along if your original idea doesn’t translate the way you originally intended. The process can be challenging, but it is a challenge I end up appreciating in the end; to have more than one idea, to think in a limited time frame how to edit and make necessary changes.  This is good practice for the “real world”.  You always need a back up route to your destination. 

A thought floating in my mind these days is to not let myself feel precious about my designs. I have to be ready to accept that someone may dislike my ideas all together (even if at that moment I think they are marvelous) and keep pushing my creative brain to find new ideas. If you only have one great design, well, how good are you?  I struggle with the concept of feeling “proud” of what I’ve done. To be honest, I never feel truly satisfied. I know in my soul that I’m following a path that feels authentic and… right, but that doesn’t mean I’m familiar with feeling content. I itch for more, it keeps me going. 

 --Adelle

Fit to Be Tie-Dyed

Well, I survived my Sketching Midterm. I didn’t do as well as I hoped. The good news though, is that last week Ms. Riegelman said I was making a lot of improvements in my drawing, in particular with faces and hands. Sketching does not come easy for me and at times feels emotionally heavy, as I don’t see results as quickly as I would like. It meant a lot to me to hit a new milestone with my drawing.  Practice really does make all the difference. I think sketching is similar to learning a foreign language, if you don’t keep up with it, you can get rusty rather fast.  As a designer, sketching is something that will always be a part of my life.  I’d better stay on top of it!

This past Thursday we went back to the dye lab at The Loft for my Stitch, Color & Surface Design class.  We learned how to screen print on knit fabric as well as tie-dye our knitted swatches.  Besides the stifling heat, it was a lot of fun.  My interest in dyeing is growing with each experience.  The photos are of my tie-dye swatches.  I laid them out on the table on my balcony, ran back inside to grab my camera and look who made herself comfortable.  It was Bob of course.  Why do cats do this?  It’s pretty ridiculous how adorable it is even though she is covering up the main attraction! 

You can order your very own tie-dye kit and other dyeing supplies from Dharma Trading Company.  They will send you a free catalog if you go to their website.  My teacher recommended I check it out and now I’m putting together a list of supplies I want to order so I can dye my yarn at home too.  They also sell fabric. So Fashion Design students, you could dye your very own custom colors for your designs.  On the most recent episode of Project Runway, designer Louise Black dyed the lace to match her dress.  It was a favorite of the judges! 

There are many ways to creatively get to your desired end result with design.  Remember to think broad and outside of the box.  This week, think about exploring something creative that is entirely new to you or something you have been afraid to try, set aside to the time and make it happen.  --Adelle

 

What I've Been Up To...

 

The yarn in plastic wrap

 

Yarn drying in the sun

I have been plugging away on the illustrations for my Sketching midterm. After awhile I can’t decide if I like or dislike what I’ve done so far. I’ll keep working on them. Last week I went to the dye lab at The Loft and got the chance to space dye two hanks of yarn. First you mix your colors and then paint then onto the yarn with a paint brush or sponge brush.  Once the yarn is saturated, it is plastic-wrapped overnight for 24 hours. I let mine sit out overnight on the balcony and then hand washed and dried the yarn.  Next up, I will ball the yarn.  I haven’t decided what I will do with it yet, maybe knit swatches for my portfolio?  We’ll see.  Good luck to everyone on their midterms! --Adelle

Jacquard and Croquis

  

August has been a very busy month so far. I came to realize that I’m at school six days a week, just like the quarter before. I honestly wish there was more hours in the day.  My mind is filled with an endless to-do list.

Next Tuesday I turn in my midterm for Fashion Sketching II.  I really need to set aside large blocks of time to work on it. We will be turning in three croquis illustrations complete with clothes, hair, makeup, and accessories. I’m still pretty slow at drawing so I have to be very careful about time management this week. Wish me luck!

On the knitting end of things, these are photos from a recent homework assignment, designing and knitting original jacquard patterns. I am so happy with how they came out. --Adelle

Class Project: A Constellations Inspiration Board

As promised, I'm unveiling photos from the inspiration/trend boards for Fall/Winter 2010. I chose Constellations as my inspiration.

My Constellations inspiration board

I had to design four sweaters for the collections. I looked at the trend reports in the school library for shape ideas.

I chose jewel tones for the color story. The Marc by Marc Jacobs (Fall/Winter 2010) has bright punchy colors mixed with a little sparkle. That was my color inspiration.

I made little mini headers for the swatches.

 Two of my embroidered knitted swatches. This was my first time playing with embroidery and I really like the look and feel it gives to the pieces. I'm really drawn to textured surfaces in knitting so I may explore embroidery again for future projects.

Bob, my cat, had to give them the *sniff* test. I'm not sure if she approved.

Vintage Surprise

 

 

I was browsing through Craigslist this morning looking at garage sale listings, when I came across one advertising a knitting machine for sale.  Intrigued, I hopped in my car and drove to Pasadena to check it out.  Turns out, the “knitting machine” was a little plastic contraption--not at all what I was looking for or needed. On the other hand, the owners had a table set up filled to the brim with vintage sewing patters.  I ended up buying a tunic dress pattern from the 1970’s for $4.  I also found out they have an Etsy store, selling vintage patterns as well as charms and Japanese Import fabric.  Visit the store here: www.reallycutefabric.com.