Fashion Club, January 2018

The catwalk is calling our Fashion Club for the fourth year in a row.  As you may recall, this Fashion Club designs an outfit made from recycled materials.  Students collaborate on the design and work together to construct the entire ensemble.  With the help of our master fashion designer, Tat Buchholz, our model always steals some hearts on the runway.

Suffrage Safety Gear, 2015

We started this group in 2015 in hopes of having a model walk in the Recycled Runway Fashion Show.  That fashion show is an annual fundraiser for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.  By participating in this fashion show, students get a real-world view of entering an art competition.

Age of Reason, 2016

This art competition requires a design to be submitted for a juried decision for acceptance into the show.  Anyone who wants to pursue a fashion or art career must become familiar with this process and learn steps involved in a successful effort.

Glitter Ghost, 2017

The work that is produced on our fashion club is similar to what you might see on Project Runway, but with young artists.  Tat keeps everyone going with enthusiasm.  Students love learning new folding techniques and processes of construction they might not learn in school or until much later in life.

The "Palette"

Our "palette" of materials consists of punched paper packing materials, which were donated by an enthusiastic patron.  Scraps from the 3-D printing process will be used as colorful embellishments on the surface of the design.

Hot Glue

What would we do without hot glue?!?  It seems to be the most versitile adhesive for this group.  We love how quickly production goes when the hot glue does it's job correctly and is our hero.  It's upsetting when we burn our fingers and see hot glue as the enemy!

Will we Wing it?

The structures created in this first session have so much potential.  Will they be a corset?  Will they be wings?  Only time will tell, but I will keep you guessing over the next few posts.  The final design will be revealed after the Fashion Show on May 5, 2018.  Stay tuned!

Fashion Club with Tat

Our next class meets during Wintet Break.  Two afternoons in one week of design and embellishment.  Oh Joy!

See you next time,

Erica

Fashion Club with Tat- Recycled Runway Prep Continued

Recycled Runway Fashion Show is the key focus to Fashion Club with Tat.  We've moved beyond the standard Fourth Friday meetings in order to keep up with a tight schedule and looming deadline.  This is the portion of classes where everyone just follows what is instructed.

Today, we are sewing plastic and denim.

Tetyana Buchholz, Tat, is the mastermind behind this program series and has all of the ideas and techniques stored in her experience.  Teens are quilting images between plastic and denim.

Life Skills, recycled

Learning to make chains with Blue Apron packaging keeps these teens very busy!

Hot Glue can be a crafter's best friend.

In creating "Glitter Ghost," our proposed design, we are striving for an ethereal look.  Trying to mute the glitz of light-catching silver is difficult.  The loops end up flattened in this first attempted method.  Testing the materials so early in the game (we haven't even gotten the official word that our design is approved) is important, because what you intend the material to do versus what it actually does is a time hog.

Strips of Packaging

Strips of packaging are cut, then glued into loops.  The strategic placement of these loops creates an interlocking system, or "fabric," which will be a main focal point of this design.

Loopy Fiasco

Although we're almost 5 hours into this design, the loops must keep going! 

Like I mentioned, this task is a time hog. 

Quilting with Trash

While one team worked in the Looping Station, another team quilted with trash.  Taking denim, printed tissue paper, and clear plastic pouches, a new fabric has been developed.

Hazy Imagery

The plastic over the images give a hazy quality, lending to the ethereal feel.  We'll be working on this portion of the design for a few more hours to perfect the technique.  It's great to have gotten an extra work day in February, because of Winter Break.  Our dedicated designers were willing to forego their school vacation and work towards the completion of this community project.  They are excited to follow directions and keep the wheels turning, knowing the vision will come together and once it does, they will have important input to the final details of this design.  Many hands make light work.  Many teens make this fun!

More Imagery

This concludes 2 more Fashion Clubs with Tat.  

Check back next month to see our progress.

Thanks for visiting!

~erica

Fabric Holiday Cards

Fabric Holiday Cards

As a wrap up to 2016 and another chance to make gifts for loved ones, we hosted a Fabric Holiday Cards program with the fabulous Tetyana Buchholz, lovingly known as Tat.  We discussed offering this simple project to give students a chance to craft a gift, while learning valuable sewing skills.

The Lesson Begins

Tat started the class showing the basics.  Everyone needed a square of cardstock, a piece of fabric cut to the same size, and the same size sheet of Heat and Bond fusible fabric.  The process involved sandwiching the fusible fabric between the cardstock and fabric, then ironing them to bond the three as one.

Heat and Bond was a new experience for these crafters

After fusing the paper and fabric, Tat instructed everyone to cut out two different fabric patterns in half moon shapes with a template.  Once that step was complete, she showed the students how to roll and fold the fabrics to create a tree shape.  This tutorial from Life After Laundry provides clear instructions to create a different version of the tree.

Simple Folds make a Tree!

Once this step was covered, the projects started taking on individual appeal.  Each artist had their own vision and were on a mission to make their's perfect before class ended.  The tree needed a straight stitch running down the center to hold it onto the fused fabric square.

Stitch down the Center

When the tree was stitched to the fused fabric square, then individual designs stared to pop up.

"Gift Boxes" were placed under the "Tree"

Rhinestones, pom poms and more stitches

A border accent frames this card

Craft supplies were flying at all angles, but these students worked until the final seconds to finish.

Hot glue goes a long way

Each card was unique and made with love and care.  Projects like these are wonderful for creative outlet, as well as utilizing important skills like sewing.  The success of this simple project will lead to more of these classes in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Thank you for visiting and staying awhile.  Check back in January for the next installment of Fashion Club with Tat, where we start the process of designing fashion from trash for the Recycled Runway Fashion Show.  You don't want to miss it!

Taking Trash to the Catwalk

Wishing a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours' in interweb land and beyond!

xoxo,

erica

Friday Fashion Club - Accessorize!

For Fashion Friday Club, we had a TON of bric-a-brac donated by the Art Institute of Chicago.  Our resident fashion designer, Tetyana Buchholz is an alumna of the school and we are grateful to have this professional connection.

Craft 'til the table is clear!

We emptied the contents of two large tote containers and told the budding designers to "Craft until the table is clear!"  That joke was quickly understood.  These supplies are the type that never deplete.  A few parents also offered to add to the collection after seeing the projects at the end of the program.

Sewing lessons included

For some students, it is difficult to dream up a project when seeing a pile of supplies.  Some students had a mission from the start.  The hurdle several students faced was wanting to sew something, but not having the skills.  Luckily Tetyana is a seasoned sewing instructor and at least 3 students were trained on sewing machine basics within the 90 minute session.

A project in process

Learning to sew and design your own bag is fun, but requires some patience.  This designer had to remember how to place the fabric right sides together and pin the trim correctly in order for it to be sewn in place, but not bunched or cinched.  

Patience leads to project success

This rainbow bag inspired another designer to create a pouch for her mother.  Gifts made for parents always make me happy!

Pouch made for Mom

If you grew up in the 1980's, you are sure to remember, and possibly used these t-shirt clips.

Well, move over T-shirt Clip, you have now become a Veto Necklace.

Power of the Veto

The Big Brother reality television show inspired this simple necklace.  You can spend over $50 to get a replica from the CBS Store or you can get crafty in the studio to make your own for free!

Beginning of a Halloween Costume

With Halloween just around the corner, it was suggested to make costume essentials that cannot be purchased.  I look forward to seeing how this designer finishes her Chess Piece costume design.

Our designers had a blast rummaging through supplies and creating good and bad designs.  This is part of the process.  Not all creations are great.  Not all creations take forever to make.  We all appreciated the freedom to make without fear.  It was especially fun to get together and learn, while sharing silly stories and giggling away the afternoon.

Thanks for visiting.  Check back soon for more exciting stories from the SSC Library!