Miranda Lin Final Project Documentation

Intention 

I was inspired to create this piece because I have always been curious about combining different textile techniques, and I have never sewn a garment before. I really liked the idea of recycling old clothes, so I found a dress from a thrift store that I modified and added to the crocheted top. I wanted to explore crochet openwork and designing my own openwork in this project. My goal was to create a dress that I could wear to a nice event and be something that could be mistaken for a store-bought garment. The feel of the piece is intended to be elegant and flowy, in a light and airy way.

Process

I chose to use light blue cotton yarn for the crocheted portion, because cotton is breathable and durable and thus is a good material for clothing. I chose my dress skirt based on the intended feel of the overall garment. I wanted to find a skirt that I could detach and alter to fit the top portion. For techniques, in the crochet portion I used a variety of different stitches. In the solid part, I used single crochet increases and decreases to shape the bodice, and in the openwork I used double crochet, treble crochet, and chains to achieve the desired effect. It took a lot of experimentation and undoing my stitches to get it how I wanted to. It took a lot of trial and error to get the fit right, as well as making the garment look cohesive.

To attach the bottom portion, I had to detach and resew the skirt. I had trouble deciding how to deal with the zipper, but I ended up moving it to the back and cutting off the top part. I used a folded over ribbon to stabilize the bottom and attach it to the top. I decided to hand sew the two sections together so that the stitches would be more invisible.

For the overall look, I added barefoot sandals to balance out the look and give a sense of symmetry with the top.

Learning

I learned a lot of different techniques, especially sewing and repurposing old garments. I also learned a lot about designing my own crocheted patterns. I definitely would like to further explore combining crocheted work with thrifted clothing, especially lacework.