i fell asleep last night thinking about texture. the dress languishing in pieces on my ironing board ordered me to go to bed: oona, don't COMPLETELY ruin me, at this point you've emerged victorious. quit while you're ahead. tomorrow is another day. insert more cliched phrases here, but really, just go your ass to sleep.
Rational Dress was right, i had done an ABYSMAL job of pattern placement, and all the best parts of her print were lost in the remnants or on the back. not that folks don't get a kick outta gazing at le boo-tay, but i would have liked some orange and purple sharing the wealth between face and behind. but! i had an a-ha moment and started some fancy (cotes du rhone) cutting, layering some texture on the neckline. it reminded me just how much i love texture, and how little i use it in sewing.
these shots were taken in seattle's sculpture park. for real, i saw inspiration everywhere i walked in that sunny town. ruggy has learned not to give me the side eye when i'm taking twelve macro shots of a panel of rust, god, yoda and yaweh bless 'im. often, i will exclaim I WANT TO SEW THAT!!! while my man nods calmly and whatever friends we might happen to be with step quietly and carefully away, eyes widening as i take it down to a dull roar iwanttosewthatiwanttosewthatiwanttosewthat...
but, i can't say that i do sew that. i'm inspired by craggy textures and mossy growths and sweeping architecture, stuff that physically reaches out to you, but i think my makes are mostly one dimensional. i'd like to get more 3-D with it. make a dress that one requires special glasses for (besides the mandatory cocktail glass). tasia's latest jacket and the peplum craze come to mind, both beauties i'd like to try.
as for Rational Dress, we went for round two today. she may tell me it's time for bed again soon.
do you sew dimensionally?
I think that you sew very dimensionally, you choose very textured materials ahum, feathers! Even your promballoona dress had some dimensional flowers attached, I couldn't help but notice how creative you got with that. I sew very flatly compared to you!
ReplyDeleteshortly after i hit "publish" i thought about that feathered skirt, and realized i need more coffee.
Deleteand any dimension on my promaballoona dress was COMPLETELY due to your vintage frilly fab dresses!
Good old Seattle. And, I definitely say experiment. Why sew if you can't play?
ReplyDeletebeen reminding myself of that lately. it's supposed to be Fun.
DeleteI would consider all the prints you use to be implied texture. Love that you find inspiration in art.
ReplyDeleteright back atcha, artsy mama.
DeleteNot about 3D sewing, but I had to tell you that I spent THREE evenings this week cutting out a dress, because the print has BIG ovals on it, and I didn't want to end up with Mount Krackatoa or two big boob ovals. I cut it out single layered and laboured over the pattern placement more than I laboured over my last child. (I may have exaggerated there a little tiny bit, but you get my drift.)
ReplyDeletedamn. if i can't cut in a single layer, i'm not too hopeful on the labor front.
DeleteI almost always cut on single layer, and I sew with solids or small-scale prints all the time. I think it's more precise that way...
DeleteAre you serious? When I think of your projects that is exactly what comes to mind, texture and dimension. Mexican Coffee any one, adult version? ;)
ReplyDeleteSeattle is hella inspiring, I completely agree.
Hmm, do I sew dimensionally? Nope! How would dimension work on curvy mini-plus figure? Sounds scary.
are you kidding me? you already got the 3D tatas, work em. that reminds me, i have a HAWT pic of you from prom that i need to send you...
DeleteI am glad I know better than to drink while reading. Funny that you mention them, they kept bumping into my guy friend this weekend. They were out of control. lol
DeleteWoo, I can't wait to see.
Oh gosh, I could stare at those spirallng waves forever. I have dreams of dresses that are so wildly textural. Not just in the fabric print but the actual shapes. I think that's why I loved Alexander McQueen so much. I love what you are inspired by....
ReplyDeletearen't they gorgeous? that's encontro das aguas by sandra cinto. i'll put the link in the post.
Deletemcqueen, THAT's the kind of 3D i'm talking about. i have a feeling we would have a blast together in a museum, you & i.
I don't seem as dimensionally as I like, but I love finding fabrics with textures that my fingers can remember the feel of. Your post made me think of Nick Cave. Have you seen his work? Amazing texture & dimension. Plus noise.
ReplyDeletei do!! in fact i thought i posted a very cool piece of his here but it looks like i never got around to it... must remedy that...
DeleteI love some textures, but I am mostly a 2D girl. I like simplicity and that is something that is majorly lacking in my wardrobe since, well, forever. I need more basics! I thought that your feather skirt was rather textural! Rather... 3D? But if you don't think so and are interested in textures and the like, have you ever thought of investing in some Pattern Magic (http://www.amazon.ca/Pattern-Magic-Tomoko-Nakamichi/dp/1856697053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354933603&sr=8-1)? Mayhaps that could help with some interesting future oona wardrobe pieces?
ReplyDeletei've got one, and the math is keeping me from it. i glaze over, i do. but i love the craters and hills!
DeleteI know, just looking at it online, I'm like, yeah I won't be able to even try that for like a year. But it is still mighty pretty!
DeleteI read this post this morning and I thought about it a little. You are definitely a 3d sewer and you look so good with that extra dimension added to your you-made stuff. I on the other hand am definitely 2D because my body is most definitely 3D and doesn't need the extra dimension because good lord my hips would look shocking! 4D? But isn't that time? Time to sew something 2D perhaps.
ReplyDeleteSo after thinking about it I went to 2 gorgeous fabric stores and what do you know? Suddenly I'm the owner of a length of silk linen crushed fabric for a skirt, and if silk linen crunched fabric doesn't scream 3D then I don't know what.
that is AWESOME!! the silk linen, i mean. your bod is loverly and deserving of any dimension of silk :)
DeleteWell, they do make fabric designed to be looked at through 3D glasses, so what's stopping you?!
ReplyDeleteACK. DON'T TELL ME THAT.
DeleteI think I'm not really a dimensional sewer. I think bling-a-ling texture-y fabric tends to look best made up into the simplest most basic garment shapes that let the fabric be the star of the show, and what draws me to sewing is technical-fiddly type patterns with a bunch of structural and finishing details. If I would smarten up and stick to basic shapes I'd probably complete and wear a lot more of the things I start, but... if it hasn't happened by now I don't see myself smartening up anytime soon.
ReplyDeletebut your awesome shirt (which i wear weekly) is SO 3D. those gathered sleeve caps! i get compliments every time and seriously need to get a post up.
DeleteI've never heard of sewing dimensionally but it's an interesting way to think of inspiration. I'm inspired by EVERYTHING but I'm not always inspired. Certain times of the day, month, and year determines whether I am inspired or not.
ReplyDeletei didn't quite explain myself fully.... but i AM eyeing rational dress with a more dimensional eye. i know what you mean about the month. there's a week out of every month where i know i can make a closet full of clothes if i jump on it.
DeleteI took a picture of that exact same wall! Isn't that sculpture garden amazing?
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about texture the other day, mostly because I keep making the same dress in slightly different variations. I don't know why 3D sewing never occurs to me, even though I love seeing it on others.