Term 2 will start!

   It was the last day of the Christmas holiday, today. 

I don't remember what I had been doing during the holiday in the last year except a fancy party with friends, but I'm sure that I could do many more things than the last year. I watched loads of films (bbc iplayer is amazing), did sewing, cooked special meals. All of this wouldn't be done if I lived alone, so I really thank my flatmate for being not only just a flatmate but a good friend. She always gives me inspiration and fun.

   About bloom project, recently I've started drawing again, but actually I am spending much more time on thinking of the word 'bloom' than drawing. It is too tough to use brains for me, but I think it will bring me forward when I can hit a good idea. Until then, keep doing it.

small samples focused on texture

collage

a drawing based of the collage above

This was the first time I cooked a leek, and I knew it has beautiful colours inside. 

camisole 3

   This is the third camisole that I embroidered, and it will be the last one that I could make during this holiday. Now there are only 4days left until the holiday is over, so it is time to start drawing for the school project. (I still want to knit some small things if I can...)

   As I did at the last time, I embroidered on a ready-made camisole.

It's been a long time since I've done cut work last time, so I was excited and also afraid about it, but somehow I felt much easier to do this than before. When you've done a big piece of cut work on soft fabric, it's difficult to hold the shape, so I made it with 2 layers; there's organza underneath of the original camisole.  

   For the vertical lines, I applied funny chain stitch called cable chain stitch. This idea came to me last night just a second before I fell asleep. I'd seen the stitch before, but I didn't know how to do it, so it was good chance to learn. Actually cable chain stitch was quite simple, and I liked it.

it's see-through, you see! :)

ideas of design

leather applique, cut work and cable chain stitch

camisole 2

During I was making the last one, I had been bothered with making the garment rather than embroidering on it. 

The second one needed to be simple shape, so I did not make the camisole itself and just embroidered on ready-made one. 

camisole

I have hardly ever made dresses before, although I do like sewing. 

There is a lot of time to make something besides the school project, so I decided to try making a camisole with embroidery. 

I do not really know the proper way of making a dress, so it took about 5 days to make it, and the quality is not very good, but I am still happy with finished one including design that is changed over and over again.

Primary idea and pattern plans

I don't have a pleater, so I needed to make pleats by hand! 

That was the most time consuming and boring work.

smocking stitches on hand-pleated cloth

sewing the shoulder and the back together

sewing upper side and bottom side of the front piece together

I sewed a hook and a eye instead of a zip fastener

make a surprise, get a surprise

Santa exists :) 

Santa Claus is coming to town

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all

top secret

   Today, I read a book called The great book of lingerie. The book was very thick and heavy, so I have been awkward for a long time to borrow from the library, but finally I did for the christmas break. Now I can say that it is worth borrowing it, because it has got much information and there are lots of pictures in the book. 

   I have been dreaming of having my own lingerie shop someday in the future. This is big mystery that I am studying textile design and interested in lingerie, because they are very feminine stuff but I am not—actually I have never been aware of myself girlish. I prefer trousers to skirts, do not like making up too much and cannot speak in elegant way. I do not know why I am so keen about embroidering and doing other needlework, but I thank god for making me be a female, because I would not be as ambitious for textiles as I am, if I were man.

   In the book, there are interesting words about lingerie in the time of Louis XIV. Women generally used to wear three petticoat under their dresses, and named each of them, one was ''the modest'', the middle one was ''the mischievous'' and the last one, ''the secret''. Wow, what a hot name. 

very little sketches on a very little sketch book

our friendship will never die

   I am afraid of saying such a thing, because I do not know what will be going on after 10 years or later, but sometimes I am confident of the true friendship. 

   Yesterday, I met a friend living in London. She is only one who still keep in touch with over 10 years, and the last time I saw her was about 7years ago in Tokyo. Both of us had never imagined that we would become art students nor would meet in London. As we have hardly known what we were doing these days each other, I thought we might be odd, and she said so did she. The worry was totally needless, and we enjoyed chatting.

   Although the main purpose of the trip was meeting friends, I could go to a couple of exhibitions, one is Ballgowns in V&A museum, and the other is Valentino: Master of Couture at Somerset House. Both exhibition was just amazing. I wish I were the one who embroidered on the dresses.

in the coach, on the way to London

V&A museum collections

My friend told me an interesting photographer. I loved his work.

photos taken by Tim Walker

 

ideals, hard facts and escapism

   Recent days have been not productive, but I feel something fresh with my every drawing. It does not mean that I liked themselves, but I believe that they probably help me at the further stages.

   As it is the end of term now, there are works laid on every student's work desk. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th year are in the same studio, so I could see my senior's work. It was absolutely amazing. I thought I wanted to be like them, and at the same time, skills which would be required in the 3rd and 4th year made me anxious. What I can do is believing myself and doing my best!

   The result of the last project is not very good, and it made me depressed enough. The good thing is, there are plenty of time to rest, good friends and good music that recover me from this bad feeling. 

   I cannot help being conscious about marks, but the most successful design is the one which is able to make myself happy, at last. If someone else liked it, I would be happier. 

   In Japanese, we often call students as eggs. In the case of an art student, he/she is an egg of an artist. I will be born when I graduate the GSA, and will be artis-chick!! YES, I will!!!