w8-final by

knitwear development

sophiagreentree — 2023-10-05 02:28:48 UTC

finalising tension (decided on 7 on the chunky gauge machine), number of stitches/needles across (approx 46, could move to 50 on the top in look 2), and number of rows (96 for top).

final knit toile for look 2

sophiagreentree — 2023-10-05 02:35:03 UTC

very happy with the tension and knit of this - going to use this technique for the dress and top. in final i will extend the number of needles to 50 i think to make the shoulders a bit longer, and will dye the final knit

repeat?

sophiagreentree — 2023-10-11 22:17:45 UTC

i needed to figure out how i was going to use this photo of my dad across a skirt that used upwards of 3 metres in pleated fabric. i decided that the most important part of the photo for me is the essence of it; because i know this photo off by heart, the colours, landscape, people, and objects in the image are evocative of a specific memory. using photoshop techniques, i deconstructed parts of the photo and layered it on top of each other so the final print will look like a fragmented memory of this photograph. i don't know if this is the final print i will use but as an artwork i do like this

making it a seamless repeat

sophiagreentree — 2023-10-11 22:19:33 UTC

digital print process

sophiagreentree — 2023-10-11 22:20:20 UTC

at this point i am trying to create a repeat that means i can print as many metres as i need and have it seamless. i like how the photo looks 'glitchy' but i also don't really want the image to repeat every metre or so. i want it to look like the original photo

tension 7 sample

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:19:34 UTC

casting off

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:29:15 UTC

making a curved waistband for look 2 process

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:31:30 UTC

now cut into calico and pinned on mannequin - fits well

making a curved waistband for look 2 process

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:31:52 UTC

sewn onto pleated skirt

making the curved waistband for look 2 process

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:47:04 UTC

fitting the pattern in paper onto the mannequin before cutting out into calico

measuring the sections of the skirt for look 2 to ensure i can replicate the pleating/smocking in final fabric, and to transfer measurements into segments of curved waistband

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 22:49:35 UTC

the entire pleated part of the skirt when laid flat (not pleated) is 3.5 metres, and the non pleated panel that goes underneath is a little under a metre

AI generated extended image

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:16:28 UTC

i decided i wanted to A) keep the original image in tact and B) not have the two people repeat as this kind of takes you out of the idea that you are in a glimpse of someones memory and makes it look fake. i learned how to use the AI generative fill feature in photoshop, and dragged either side of the image out so that the entire image is 5 metres long and 140cm tall (height of fabric). i was SO impressed with how well the AI created this new background that actually makes you feel like you're seeing dad and uncle chris in the bush. its like an actual panorama view. i knew the fabric needed to be approx 4 metres long, but made the image 5 metres to be sure and so that there are no overlaps

digital printing at digital fabrics

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:18:07 UTC

a process image from Ella at digital fabrics of my 5 metres being printed onto cotton voile

pleated strike off on cotton poplin

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:25:52 UTC

i had a strike off (40x40cm) made on cotton poplin of the AI expanded image which i loved - the colours were perfect, the image wasn't pixilated, and the fabric pleated well.

days after i had already ordered the fabric i am told that they've run out of cotton poplin and that the wait would now be another 5 days. i decided to swap to cotton voile as it was the same fabric height (140cm), light weight, and i tested that it pleated well too. at first i was unsure but now that i've constructed the skirt, i am happy that i went with voile because it is so lightweight

finalising fabric colours with the digital print

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:27:22 UTC

final digitally printed skirt

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:29:44 UTC

i absolutely love how the print turned out. the positioning of dad on the skirt is perfect - the pleating opens up when the skirt is in motion and reveals his face. the colours work perfectly with the knit and the waistband and belt loops seamlessly attach to the rest of the skirt

sewing the pleats

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:32:28 UTC

cutting out waistband into final fabric

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:34:12 UTC

because the fabric printed at 140cm in height, i was able to use the top of the image (trees) as the waistband so it seamlessly connected to the top of the skirt

collecting many many bags of red onion skin

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:38:14 UTC

dyeing my final knit panels and silk overlay

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:39:44 UTC

first time dyeing all of my final pieces at home. i bought a 20L stock pot to dye them all in one go

silk overlay colour in dye bath

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:41:41 UTC

at this point, the knit and silk pieces had been in the bath for almost 2.5 hours and the colour was still very light. i was so confused because i had used about 4 bags of red onion skin, and usually i would only need to put my samples in the bath for half an hour - an hour max to achieve very rich colour

blocking knit and drying silk overlay the first time

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:44:34 UTC

after the first dye bath i blocked the knits by pinning them onto drying racks, and dried the silk on a washing line. the colour is not accurate in this image, but i wasn't happy with the outcome because the greens were too vibrant, too light, which was not what i wanted and did not go with my other fabrics. i was super worried because i hadn't ever dyed with red onion skin twice so i was hesitant to overdye it. at this point i had not yet figured out that if i used an iron modifier that it would reach basically the perfect colour. looking back this would have saved me a lot of time, effort and trips to woolworths to the onion section!

after second dye and iron modifier

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:46:24 UTC

so much happier with this outcome - it is a big darker than my samples but the tone is perfect and this colour ended up being even better than i imagined. only small issue was there is a few black spots of iron on the silk which is a non issue for me as the imperfections that happen when you are using natural materials are all part of the beauty

final fabrics together

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:49:59 UTC

dyeing bought cotton check fabric from drapers with red and brown onion skin

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:53:27 UTC

the original fabric i bought from drapers was light brown. i dyed a small sample with red onion skin and i much preferred how it worked with the other fabrics. at home i then dyed 3 metred of it for the final shirt in look 1

knitting the dress

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:57:04 UTC

59 needles wide X 300 long

trying to block the knit on an ironing board

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-13 23:58:11 UTC

i tried blocking the dress panels the way i have done with the smaller panels but it was too big - and i now realise that i would only need to block it after it is dyed

mordanting with alum

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:06:50 UTC

mixing a colour that works with the rest of the fabrics

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:11:22 UTC

i mixed a few different browns and greens until i landed on the right one. i tested each on a small strip of the dyed check shirting material. i also needed to use a different kind of print paste that made the pigment more opaque on the check fabric

screen printing a passage from dads memorial book on the cuff

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:12:20 UTC

i pre cut all of the pattern pieces and then screen printed as the text was a placement print and the exact location of each piece of text is important

drying the cuff

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:12:57 UTC

using masking tape to section off the screen so i can choose which parts of it i want to print where

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:13:36 UTC

printing the final piece of text that is across the front of the final shirt

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:14:55 UTC

"memories of him"

final shirt

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:16:08 UTC

final shirt

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:17:27 UTC

piece of text printed along the button placket. i had to pre fold the placket to ensure the text would be in the right spot when the garment is sewn

drying the back panel

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:18:38 UTC

final knit dress in look 1

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:21:33 UTC

final knit top in look 2

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:22:07 UTC

smocking in look 1 in the prototype

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:25:44 UTC

i loved how the smocking looked in the prototype. its so structured and visuallu appealing. i thought that i could achieve this exact look in my cotton final fabric. i didnt take into account that this calico was VERY stiff and structured, and my final check cotton shirting was a lot softer

final look 1

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:27:44 UTC

the smocking for the final took HOURS whereas i smocked the prototype in 30 minutes flat. i unpicked it probably 4 times. it was a lot more difficult for it to hold any structure because of how soft the fabric was. next time i smock i need to take this into account. however, this shirt was wad more wearable and moveable than the prototype

final look 2

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:28:42 UTC

the pleat/smocking hybrid looks really visually striking in the final skirt

silk overlap drape in look 2

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 00:31:30 UTC

sophiagreentree — 2023-11-14 01:49:36 UTC

150 words