FIDM Student Blog: Adelle Burda

Update from FIDM Student Blogger Adelle Burda

It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the halfway point in the quarter.  I still can’t believe this is my last quarter and then I graduate!  Wow, that is exciting.  I thought it was time to tell you a bit about the classes I’m currently taking. 
  Knit Construction & Specification:  This is a new class and I feel so lucky to get a chance to be in it.  We focus on cut and sew knits, sweater specs and also building a fabric resource book.  One of the main assignments for the class is designing one sweater that will be made three times, each with a different fiber content.  The sweaters will actually be manufactured for us and I cannot wait to see the results.  I think it’s a really good lesson to see how different fibers can change or affect the very same pattern. 
  Draping & Garment Construction:  We the basic fundamentals of draping in this class.  I have Ms. Jackson for the third time and it’s kind a of fitting in a way. I had her my first quarter for Industry Sewing and now again in my last quarter.  Hopefully she sees growth!  So far, I feel a little slow with the draping but I really enjoy it and can myself really getting in it once I’m more familiar with the basics.  I love that a simple piece of muslin can be draped and pinned to a dress form, transferred to paper and then sewn.  I find this very exciting. 
  Professional Practices:  This class is really about preparing you to go out in the world and apply for jobs.  Even though I’ve worked in the “real world” for many years before going back to school, never was it in the Fashion Industry. So I have a lot to gain from this class.  Dusting off my resume is a great start!  It is also interesting because the class incorporates students from all the majors and I like to hear their questions and concerns.  My teacher, Mr. Keele is very good at making sure everyone’s major is covered when he lectures, so no feels left out.  He always starts the class by saying we can ask any question about eh industry that we always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.  It’s nice having a place to do that.
   I also have two elearning classes, American Political & Economic History and Critical Thinking.  Both of these classes are a lot of work. Between the reading, note taking, weekly quizzes, and discussion question I’m always busy with homework.
  Time is just flying by; I hope everyone is having a great quarter so far!
-Adelle
 

Update from Student Blogger Adelle Burda

As usual, this quarter is flying by so fast.  Are we already halfway there?  This past Saturday I had my last CAD II (Photoshop) class.  I opted to take the 5-week Saturday class even though it can make the first part of the quarter pretty intense.  This is the second time doing a Saturday class and that seems to work out for me.  Then I get my weekends back!  It was really fun learning the basics of Photoshop and it’s funny how I notice how the program is used all over the place now.  I was looking at Donegal website (through the online FIDM library) and in the trend forecast you see all the effects being used that we learned in class.  That was great to be able to see how they did something and feel like I could do it too.  For me, I could see using Photoshop a lot to make myself fashion/design inspiration collages (much like the trend reports).
Creating Fabric Structures is another class I have this quarter.  I go to the Loft for this one.  In this class we learn how to use a loom to make woven structures, hand knit, crochet, felt and do some embroidery.  Last week we started on the hand knitting and I forgot how relaxing it is.  I instantly felt calmer just sitting and going row and after row on my little swatch.  I think it’s the motion of my hands and the repetition that feels settling.  I’m often thinking I’m too busy to make time each day for a little knitting or crocheting but in reality I do have time, even if it’s just a 15-minute window.  There is a knitting club at school if anyone would like to learn how to knit, it can be a fun way to de-stress and learn a new skill. 
I’m back in a class with one of my favorite teachers this quarter, Survey of Western Art II with Mrs. Shurtliff.  We started in the Early Renaissance and are now moving into Baroque.  As much as I loved learning about the Renaissance painters (Raphael in particular was a favorite for me) I can see that Baroque is going to really speak to me.  We watched this incredible movie last week about the life of the painter, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and not to overdramatize but I think I fell in love.  Wow.  His artwork is intense and amazingly beautiful.  It takes your breath away.  I have to do a museum paper soon and I think I will do it on a Baroque painter.  The book we receive for the class is fantastic as well, Janson’s Basic History of Western Art.  This is not dry reading; it moves well and is a wonderful resource.  I feel so lucky to be getting all these great books as part of our school supplies.  FIDM is really helping me build a library for resource and inspiration.
I also have Textile Science with Ms. Durant-Hamm.  I have to admit I was kind of dreading this class because I heard that it was really difficult and anything with “science” brings back bad memories of science classes in high school (those didn’t go so well for me).   What I quickly learned though is that the class itself really isn’t hard, it’s a lot of information to take in a short amount of time, but this information is incredibly useful to us students as designers and is actually quite fascinating.  The class has become vital to me.  How I choose fabrics will be forever affected because of this class.   It makes me a smarter designer, I know what I’m working with, what are the positive/negative points of the fabric/fiber and how will this affect my customer (and me).  
On Friday’s I have my six-hour Pattern Drafting Essentials class with Mr. Via.  I have to say, this just might be my favorite class this quarter.  I had no idea that pattern making would be so much fun.  It is nice too that all the girls who I share a table with love it too.  The class is a lot of work with making a pattern and sewing it every week but it’s homework I get really excited about doing.  I really enjoy sewing, and now I’m very itchy to make some of these patterns for myself.  The book we get with our supplies is going to get a lot of use from me!  I plan on trying as many patterns as possible from that book.  This week I will be making a blouse with shawl collar for the first time-so exciting.  I’m doing a really big collar!  I haven’t found the perfect fabric yet though…  I’ll show you what I come up with. 
Okay, I’ve got to get back to my studies now.  Have a good week, everyone!
-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…

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

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.

Busy Bee

This past week just flew by and another week is already beginning. I've had all my classes so far at least one time.  My Shape & Detail for Fashion Knitwear is already proving to be a lot of work.  For homework we had to knit mini versions of necklines, front and back.  How to actually make the knit garments to fit is something I've been excited to learn. I'm using math more than I ever expected to in my adult life. I wish I had paid more attention to math in high school!  Oh well, it’s okay. Dusting the cobwebs off of my brain.

Another class I have is Fashion Sketching For Design II.  We're learning how to make our drawings come to life with color.  I love having arts and crafts supplies at home, so I was giddy to dig in with the markers and play.  I never knew you could blend colors with markers, but you can.   My classes give me so much to look forward to each week. 

I did my presentation last week on my Constellations board and I think it went well.  I love cutting, pasting and creating beautiful clean designs.  I’ll show you the board when I get it back.  In the meantime here are some pics of my assignment due this week.  It is the same stripe pattern with three different color ways and using the same four yarns.  Isn’t it amazing how different they look for another? 

Until then, don’t melt.  It is going to be a hot week (time to break in new sandals!).

-Adelle

Back in the Saddle

I started my third quarter last Thursday with the class Stitch, Color & Surface Design.  This is a 6-hour class related to my Knitwear Major.  I was already familiar with my teacher Robin Wagner as she was a lab instructor last quarter.  I’m excited to learn from her and see where this class can and will take me creatively.  I’m also a little nervous after going home and reading through my syllabus.  How am I ever going to get all these assignments done?  And done well?  I still have two other classes starting next Tuesday...

The only thing I can do is tackle each day and each assignment as it comes.  My first one for this class is a group project: my classmates and I are putting together inspiration/trend boards for Fall/Winter 2010.  We decided on a common theme, “The Universe”, and then each board has a leader directing the work.  For my board I chose, Constellations and a color trend, jewel tones.   

I’ve spent the weekend collecting inspiration pieces for the board such as yarn, photos from astronomy magazines, paint chips, colored paper, etc.  My teammates and I are going to embroider our own interpretation of constellations on small knitted swatches I made in lab on Friday.  I’m looking forward to seeing what we all come up with.  Then we have to put it all together in a cohesive, neat professional display.  We turn that in next Thursday.   I’ll have pictures to show you in the future.  Until then, Good Luck to all the new and returning students on the first week of classes!

~Adelle