Object 6: Design for the Body
This week's assignment was to make something related to the body. Last week's challenge to ponder the themes that have united the course so far--interconnectedness via modularity, ecology, networks etc. and the "softness" of barriers between things in our world--heavily influenced my design this week. I decided to experiment with the notion of hacking couture, recycling several old, damaged and/or ugly sweaters in my wardrobe into a new object for the body. Creating this object is also a return to my original goal of creating objects that convey comfort, which makes particular sense to me when thinking about design for the human body.
Original Sweaters
Cashmere, purchased nearly a decade ago, large holes in elbows
Wool, bought for $2 at a thrift store, too big to wear, moth holes
Wool, found on street, ugly as hell, though I like the color, also too small
I began the process by sketching several design ideas:
After selecting the design at the top right as my favorite, I began plotting out the design on the grey sweater, which I'd decided to use as the basis for the new creation since it fits me well and was a favorite of mine before the elbows blew out. I quickly realized that unlike it appears in my sketch, the triangular portions at the waist were going to be the largest sections, so I decided to switch the color scheme and use the green sweater for those areas. I cut out the sections from the grey sweater that were slated to be replaced with the other colors, then used them as a pattern to cut from the other sweaters, leaving an addition 1/4" on each side for the seams. I made sure that the biases of the resected section matched the new material so there wouldn't be any weirdness when the pieces were assembled.
Unfortunately, due to a crazy schedule this week, I wasn't able to assemble the piece in time for class (I can't sew in my apartment after 9:00pm because it bothers the neighbors), but I'll be finishing it up this weekend and will post the results here when I'm done. In the meantime, here's a photo of the pieces laid out to give a sense of the final product...
