Every scrap used - an exercise in Sustainability.

As they say the stars aligned and all things pointed to ”Sustainability”. Firstly there was a panel from H&M and Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design talking about Sustainability, then there was a book in the library by India Flint called Second Skin that I couldn't put down, and that introduced me to the lovely work of Alabama Chanin, and another library book randomly picked up, brought a chance encounter with another amazing artist Sonia Delaunay. What do these people have in common and where is this all going?

It made me think of recycling, upcycling and rethinking fabric useage and vintage and the Salvo’s, creating work for women in Cambodia, (but that’s another post).

I had a fabulous swing coat pattern that I had been working on, taken  from a coat made roughly 20 years ago in Cape Town, I had lots of off cuts, end pieces and corners that I wanted to use in a reverse appliqué, but appliqué with a sewing machine zig-zag style is so passé, unless you’re a tea towel. To make it unique and valuable Alabama Chanin use mostly hand stitching and organic fabrics in their reverse appliqué work. 

 I also found a beautiful embroidered geometric patterned scarf, made in France 1924-25 by Russian seamstresses for Sonia Delaunay. Russian refugees from Bolshevism who had lost their clientele as a result of the Revolution and had sort refuge in Paris, that fuelled my inspiration.

 I made a stencil, cut it and chalked it up. I didn’t have the time with hand sewn needle work, so I modified my sewing machine to do a “free motion” stitch by raising the presser foot and dropping the feed dog, that way I can sew in all directions and in a free form pattern, which ever way I wish.

So once I had transferred the stencil onto the fabric, I pinned the design in place and started to sew the chalked outline. It is very time consuming, but quicker than hand sewing and gives a lovely effect as the stitch size is not uniform, but lengthens and shortens as you pull and push the fabric around. The direction of the sewn stitch line is also softer and more organic as it falters along its chalk path. 

The layout of the design onto the pattern piece of the shawl style collar.

Chalking it up, next time I might use a dusting technique I'v e seen used in India for marking up beadwork, it reminded me of my grandmothers powder puff that she used for her face powder.

cutting, clipping and snipping out the design.

The finished swing coat.

The end.