Buttoned Up

As a sustainable approach the reuse of textiles gives these materials a second life and limiting the waste of unwanted or used material. The idea of these fabric pieces as survivors, or old things that have kept their value thus also give the final garment an association to sustainable values (Fletcher, 2008). In this piece I have worked with the more difficult pieces to upcycle in a garment namely the collars

Botanically Knit

Botanically knit is a couture design utilizing digital print in combination with finger knitting in an effort to create a garment focusing on a mix of new technology and the ancient and simple technique of finger knitting. Inspired by images from the Orchid Mania exhibit at the Botanical Gardens the flower design was manipulated in an effort to create a textile where the flowers turned into yarns in an array of colors. Through my current work the knit stitch is a main focus and looking at how the approach to the simplicity of the stitch can be utilized through different perspectives looking at shaping in woven garments, such as this one, as well as scale of the stitch and the visual approach in the design of piece

Knit Stitches Squared

Through the past few years my design scholarship has been focused around the knit stitch. I have looked at the form from different perspectives and been inspired by its shape, form and function in designs. In this dress the aim was to look at how I could use the knit technology of the Stoll knitting machine and the M1Plus software to develop a knitted design with shape and surface appeal that both utilized the stitch as a way to create the garment yet also showed the stitch in the surface design. Through extensive sampling and exploration of the machine and the software the development of the dress took shape with the intent on pushing the knit technology yet developing a file and a garment that could be reproduced