First Fall Fiber Update

Welcome to the first post of a new series!  In an effort to be a more consistent blogger while away at college, I'm planning on writing monthly updates throughout the fall semester.  In these Fall Fiber Updates, I'll be documenting what I'm working on in classes, as well as any personal sewing projects if time allows.  So, if you're interested in a preview of projects to come, or what's on the sewing table, loom or even in the dye pots, this series is for you.  If you'd rather just see pretty pictures of completed projects, those will continue too!

Yarn wall in the textile studio at KSU

As for my overall blogging goals this semester, I have three in mind: 

1. Fall Fiber Updates - a series of monthly catch-all posts for the blog to share any current and in-progress class projects.  There will also be periodic updates between these on our Facebook page, here: The Young Sewphisticate
2. Completed Project Posts - a continuation of the current style of updates which include finished project pictures with a short description of any inspiration, related research and/or construction process details.
3. Past Projects - as always, occasional updates to recap past work, the majority of which is currently projects from the previous two semesters.  I'm hoping that if I stay on top of these fall fiber updates, I won't have to play as much catch-up next time...fingers crossed. 

Loom #45 - my space in the textile studio for the semester.

And now, without further ado, let's begin this First Fall Fiber Update!

Flash back to the first week of classes in August, my initial impression was that I was in for a challenging, though rewarding, semester.  Unlike past experiences (as this is my third university haha), I enrolled in only upper divisional, studio style classes, which require very different time (studio classes each meet for 6 hours a week!) and artistic commitments than the more traditional, familiar lecture classes.  Already, I can tell that time management, quick learning and application of new techniques, creativity and craftsmanship are essential.


Textile Arts: Design & Production

In this class, ARTS 35350, the focus is on the mechanics of designing and constructing patterned and dyed cloth on floor looms.  Drafting both by hand and computer is expected as a universal system of notation for cloth design.

We jumped right in on the first day, calculating and having to dye our warp threads by the next class.  Looms were assigned and threaded in the second week for our first project, which many may have seen on our Facebook page, a 65" study in color and weave.  Right now, I am finishing the 20" section of twill exploration with weft ikat, and will be removing the sampler before the next class.

Winding skeins in preparation for dyeing.
We are using a 2 ply Crown Colony Wool for our weaving.

I left my skeins in buckets overnight to cool down and
to finish exhausting all of the colors from their dye baths. 

Drying rack in the shared dye lab.
So many colors!  Acid dyes can be so vibrant.

Winding skeins into balls and preparing the warp threads.

Threading begins!  First through the reed...

...Then straight draw through the heddles

Taking a break to learn about color drafting,
both by hand and computer on WeaveMaker.
I feel like I've learned a whole new language!

Finally we're ready to weave!  The first 10" were purely exploratory,
I played with horizontal stripes and three different weave structures. 

Here's part of the plain weave section.

And my favorite, the 2/2 twill section. 
Twills I found were the easiest to achieve a balanced sett 

Textile Arts: Surface Color & Design

This class, ARTS 35306, is also taught in the textile studio where we have a state of the art dye lab space.  The focus is on all things that dye (be it natural, MX or acid), the application and removal of color, resists and immersive techniques, and fabric manipulation.  Both historical and contemporary practices are explored. 

Our first project was a collaborative experience.  Each student was responsible for creating a dye reference notebook and assigned various 5-step value and hue gradients to dye on both cotton and silk swatches for the class.  Once dyed and done, we amassed nearly 100 individual gradients to present in a personalized swatch book, which will serve as a reference for many of the hues achievable with natural, MX and acid dyes.  

Top:  Weld and osage dyes extracting on the stove
Bottom:  5-step value gradients on cotton and silk

Acid dyes in the cutest, little pots!

Top: MX 5-step hue gradients on cotton
Bottom: same hue gradients, but using acid dyes on silk
Such a difference in color!

Here's an example of my swatches in preparation for the class exchange.
Each of my gradients were stacked, cut into 2" x 2" squares and labeled.
After our exchange, we a had until the next class to create our dye notebooks
with all of the swatches and relevant information displayed 

Flat Patterning for Theatre

This is a class I've been wanting to take for years!  THEA 31526 provides an introduction to flat patterning and its uses in theatrical costume construction.  In our first meeting, we were each paired and will be patterning for these partners throughout the semester.  So far, we've patterned a moulage, turned it into a sloper both on paper and in muslin, and fitted it on our actors.  Once properly corrected and refit, these slopers can be manipulated into a variety of garments and period looks. 

Patterning the moulage

Green lines are the adjustments to transform the moulage into a sloper

Swinging the darts and creating a princess seamed bodice

Bodice pattern ready to be cut in muslin

Bodice stitched in muslin

Insides of the bodice - thread traced, stitched, clipped and pressed

Skirt pattern, also ready for muslin

Skirt in muslin - stitched, pressed and hand-basted hem

Left:  patterning the sleeve using the Sartor System
Right:  sleeves assembled in muslin

Sloper dress ready for a first fitting! 

Independent Study for Theatre: Corsetry

Last but not least is the class I am most excited about, an independent study in corsetry!  The focus of this study is on all things corsets - the patterning, making and exploration of a variety of period styles - and their adaption for theatre.  So far, I've drafted a personal sloper as well as fitted a mockup and corrected patterns for an 18th century corset or stays.

My personal body block or sloper pattern.

The "textbook" we are using - Stays and Corsets:
Historical Patterns Translated for the Modern Body by Mandy Barrington -

superimposes historical lines over a modern body block. 

Patterning, mockups and finished pattern!

All three versions for one final pattern!  (Labeled in orange marker)

Once the pattern was correct and the boning placement finalized, I could take it to fabric!  Each piece was traced and cut from two layers of coutil and one layer of fashion fabric:

Cutting out the front in two layers of coutil.

Cutting again, this time in the fashion fabric.

All the pieces cut and ready to stitch!

And that concludes this First Fall Fiber Update.  Thanks for reading, and 'till the next one!  

COPA Presents: The Bluest Eye

"PECOLA:  My eyes...I want them blue.  I want them blue so people won't turn away from me when I walk down the street.  So I can go to school.  So my stomach stop growing and my baby be strong.  I want them blue so my mama love me and I have friends and they think I'm pretty.  I want them blue so people don't do ugly things in front of me and I stop being invisible." 

~ The Bluest Eye, adapted by Lydia Diamond

from Toni Morrison's 1970 novel

A whole week ago now - time sure is flying by - my first experience of college theatre, The Bluest Eye, produced by Point Park's Conservatory of Performing Arts, came to an end after a two-week, 10 show run.  Playing from February 25th through the 28th and March 10th through the 13th in the Rauh Theater at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, it was such a memorable show.  Each performance began with roaring laughter, and by the end, complete silence.  Many reduced to tears, and everyone changed.


About the Play

Pecola Breedlove's story is not a happy one.  Rather, it is startling and uncomfortable.  Pecola's world is intolerant, impoverished, unsympathetic, and unloving.  Except for her two classmates, Claudia and Frieda Macteer, with whom she bonds over a love for Mary Jane penny candies, jump rope, and Shirley Temple, eleven-year-old Pecola is alone.  Alone in the face of great social injustice and racism, alone to face the horrors of rape and incest, and a victim of poverty and scapegoat to pin society's ugliness upon.  Through following Pecola's riveting, heart-wrenching, two-hour journey into madness, we, as the audience, are called to reflect upon our own distorted perceptions of the beautiful and the ugly in our society.

"PECOLA: My eyes...I want them blue so people
don't do ugly things in front of me and I stop being invisible."
Source: Point Park University

Lydia Diamond's adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel is unforgettable.  Here's what Emily Bennett had to say on March 8th in her review for The Globe:

"The production, which takes place in post-depression Lorain, Ohio follows the story of the young and unendingly sad Pecola, played by junior acting major Toree Alexandre, who longs for the blue eyes and blonde hair of a white girl.  The show allows audiences to have a glimpse at the world through Pecola’s perspective and experience her personal journey in an attempt to relate to the human vulnerabilities we all share. 

"'I love the eloquence and poetic nature of Toni Morrison’s words,' Alexandre said in a phone interview Sunday.  'It is a stark example of the ramifications of white oppression.  Pecola’s desperate desire to have the blue eyes of a white person…it’s such a tragic story.'" 

~ Excerpt from Emily Bennett's article: 

"'The Bluest Eye' challenges society’s views of perfection"

About the Players

"PECOLA:  Are my eyes really very nice.
VOICE:  Yes.  Very nice.
PECOLA:  Just 'very nice?'
VOICE:  Really, truly very nice?
PECOLA:  Really, truly, bluely nice?  The truly bluest eye?"

~ Excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Lydia Diamond 

 Torée Alexandre as Pecola Breedlove in The Bluest Eye.
Photograph source: Point Park University

One of the neatest privileges of having the opportunity to be on the wardrobe crew (my production assignment) for The Bluest Eye was getting to work with so many theatre professionals.  For instance, the director was Monica Payne, a freelance director and founder of Theatre Lumina; the scenic designer was Steffi Mayer-Staley; the lighting designer was Cat Wilson; the sound designer was Steve Shapiro; the fight choreographer was Samuel G.C. Munoz; and the stage manager was Daisy Wolford.  I worked mostly with the fabulous costume designer, Cathleen Crocker-Perry, and the assistant costume designer and wardrobe supervisor, Terra Skirtich.

At the same time, some of Point Park's finest actors were cast.  These include Toree Alexandre as Pecola Breedlove, Kendall Claxton as Claudia MacTeer, Saige Smith as Frieda MacTeer, Amer Jones as Pauline Breedlove, and Perris Drew as Cholly Breedlove, among others.

About the Set

The flowers looked magical under the stage lighting!
Photograph by Point Park University.
Source: The Globe

The fantastic set was designed by Stepanie Mayer-Staley.  Though the set itself may appear simple, the details of each piece were carefully designed and built.  In fact, the entire back wall was plastered, painted, and fitted with a carved foam addition to achieve that crumbling, 3D textured appearance.  A raised and tilted platform transported the audience closer into the heart and soul of Pecola's story.

Amazingly, both the flowers and the house were made from paper!

About the Costumes

Cathleen Crocker-Perry, the head draper and cutter of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, was the costume designer.   Though there were only a few costume pieces, her vision, with its soft, earthly palette, befit each character perfectly and breathed life and color into a dark production.  

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to work on alterations for several of the dresses.  In the picture below, all three of the dresses that I stitched on appear: 

Photograph source: Point Park University

Swatches from the two blue dresses that I altered: 

Cathleen also designed and built two of the most adorable 1940s dresses for the Macteer sisters:

Photograph source: Point Park University

Here is a swatch from the dress that I stitched on:  After setting in the side pocket, sleeves, and hem, we had a dress!

This pretty, peach-colored print became the cutest 1940s dress
with light blue ric-rac and matching buttons!

Final Words

Without doubt, The Bluest Eye is truly an unforgettable, haunting play that resonates with audiences well after the show's end.  And, it was such an honor and privilege to serve on the wardrobe crew for such a production.  Many thanks to the talented professionals, cast and fellow crew members.  

"CLAUDIA: And so is the how and the edges of the why of it.  A little black girl yearns for the blue eyes of a little white girl, and horror of the heart of her yearning is exceeded only by the evil of fulfillment.  A little black girl steps over into madness, a madness which protected her from us, simply because in the end it bored us.

"I talk about how I did not plant the seeds too deeply, how it was the fault of the earth, the land, of our town.  I even think now that the land of the entire country was hostile to marigolds that year.  This soil is bad for certain kinds of flowers.  Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear, and when the land kills of its own violation, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live.  We are wrong, of course, but it doesn't matter.  It's too late.  At least on the edge of my town, among the garbage and the sunflowers of my town, it's much, much, much too late"

~ The Bluest Eye, adapted by Lydia Diamond

Novel by Toni Morrison

In Lieu of a Catchy Title...

"Some Sewing Stuff" just didn't cut it...Titles seem to be the hardest part, always!

Anyways, hello, loyal readers & welcome, new friends!  Today's post is a catch-all for the busy weekend last, with Spirits of the Past & Trick or Treat Day at the village, and a "throwback" to my earliest attempts at millinery:

Bustle dress & hat on the stairs of Hyde.

But first, you may have noticed a few changes to the blog...probably the most obvious addition is the new banner!  Yes, The Young Sewphisticate finally received the banner it had been waiting well over a year for, and I hope you like it is much as I do.  Also, speaking of overdue updates, check out the completed GCV&M Internship.  Lastly, I discovered that I somehow deleted quite a few pictures from earlier posts.  So, I spent some time combing through my posts and updating those broken links.  If you ever come across similar problems with my blog, please do not hesitate to let me know!

Even though the museum season has officially ended for the year, there are still plenty of opportunities to be had onsite.  One of those great opportunities is Spirits of the Past!  Very much like the Yuletide Tours in December, these spooky, after-hours, theatrical tours run for two weeks during October.  And, on the tours, guests are led by candlelight through the village to see and partake in the horrors of popular, 19th century literature.

A costumed tour guide resting on the steps of Hamilton.
Poor & bloody Mary has some nasty scratches - she warns her guests
to stay close and be on the look out for demons...she's never lost a guest, yet.

This year's theme was grim and gruesome tales from the Brothers Grimm.  So, each building along the tour featured a short, theatrical retelling or scene pulled directly from the pages of classics like "Cinderella," "Frau Trude," "Godfather Death," and many more.  Sometimes guests stood witness, helpless to save characters from impending doom, and other times they even became part of the scene.  And if the stories didn't scare them, the spooks of the night sure did!

Snow White at the head of the table.

This year, I was thrilled to have the chance to play Snow White in a two-part scene.  The first, in the Hamilton "castle," featured one of the two queens (double cast role), a huntsman and the royal cook; the second, in the Davis "cottage," the same, vengeance-seeking queen and Snow White.

Set & props for Snow White's cottage - the guests loved the dwarves'
place settings which featured each name in German!

Snow White foolishly disobeys the dwarves' warning not to let anyone but them in and is tricked by a harmless looking peddler, the evil queen in disguise, selling irresistible, ivory combs!  

Dressed rehearsal photograph courtesy of Maria.

While the comb may have only put Snow White to sleep, the apple got her!

Dressed rehearsal photograph courtesy of Maria.

Anyways, it was cold, but lots of fun thanks to friends!  And last weekend, the last weekend of tours, we sold out!  So make sure to reserve your tickets next year to take part in the spooky, historical fun...you won't want to miss out!


Sunday, October 25th, featured another Halloween museum event, this time much sweeter and more family friendly: Trick or Treat in the Village!  Children had the chance to partake in all kinds of holiday fun, including, meeting our historically accurate, Disney princess, roasting marshmallows, face painting, coloring spooky cute pictures, and, of course, knocking on historic doors in search of candy!  We were absolutely SWAMPED with children in cute, little costumes!  I heard it was a record breaking day - and the traffic jam to prove it - with attendance figures of over 5,300 people!!  (Wow, I sure wish every museum event could bring in those numbers!)

I was stationed in the grand Hamilton House for the day - lucky for me, next to my good friend and partner in crime, Ariana, in Hyde.  There was a non-stop line of trick or treat-ers between our two buildings, and we both had to be rescued with more candy.  At a rate of just one Kit-Kat per child, I went through three entire tubs of candy in 4.5 short hours...

So, my costume for the day...any guesses?

If you guessed a young, Queen Victoria, than you are correct!  What happened to your Cinderella costume, a few of you loyal readers may ask...well, I didn't end up finishing it for Sunday.  Instead, I fixed up an older costume (more on this to come).  But, never fear, Cinderella is not forgotten and she'll get her day yet...Anyways, I think it was a hit as I've never been called a "princess" or had my likeliness taken so many times in my entire life!!  I'm happy that the children (and their adults) enjoyed it :)

Ariana & I even slipped away at the end of the day to have a few royal portraits taken on the porch of Hamilton:

Doesn't she look regal?  I love her bustle dress!

Photograph courtesy of Ariana.

Photograph courtesy of Ariana.

AND, she even posed and allowed me to take a few more detailed shots of her 'seventies hat!  Many thanks!  This was my first attempt at millinery ever back in 2011:

Front view of Late Victorian tilt hat.

The vintage(?) straw base had to be cut to size, wired and bound with bias tape.  Then, it was attacked with flowers and cheap craft feathers...perhaps not all that period correct, but we all had to start somewhere, right?

She's so photogenic!

Someday, I'll get into the bustle era...but, for now, here's another early millinery throwback from The Secret Garden (2012), directed by Elana Gizzi.  My first hat that made it onto the stage (and, on second thought, may have actually been my first attempt at millinery, hmm...)

Pulled a hat from the box, covered it in fabric and proceeded to tack just about everything I could find onto it.  Yup, I've come a long way...

On stage.  I also made the ghost costume furthest to the left!
It was a challenge to get the fabric to drape and stay the way I wanted.
Photograph courtesy of Facebook.

Well, back to sewing I go!  Unless I "dye" first...more on that to come.  Thanks for reading!