xkcd

http://xkcd.com/1141/

encouraging the discouraged in textile

cramming at its best. here's my take on how to revive the philippine textiles industry. my homework for ct 109 ^_^

The status of the textile industry in the Philippines is very discouraging. It is a product of poor planning and pressures brought about by globalization. Common economics knowledge dictates that those who can produce should produce, and those who can’t should simply buy. If it is cheaper to import goods from other countries, we shouldn’t be wasting our resources in it. Rather, we should simply turn our energies towards products that we are capable of excelling in. The Philippines is a miniscule country compared to first world countries. Opening ourselves up to globalization just caused our local industries to admit defeat to multi-national companies, leaving us dependent on imported goods.

It is too late to say that we shouldn’t have let USA bully us into accepting our 3^rd world fate. Our current status is probably better than being ostracized, because there’s nothing worse than being labeled as a terrorist country and be bombed constantly just because. All that we could do is conform to the economic system and analyze how we got to where we are, what we could have done to prevent our unfortunate status, look for ways to mitigate loss, and act on possible solutions to our problems.

It is only the government who is capable of causing a country-wide change with just the country’s interest in mind. There has to be a serious, honest to goodness re-assessment of the status of the country because we can’t just keep on producing stuff that will not contribute much to our economy. We can put extra efforts in cultivating crops that can be our star fiber producer or develop new and innovative ways to synthesize fibers for fabric manufacturing. This way, we can easily market ourselves better because we can offer the world something that is not available anywhere else. We can treat the industry like it is just in its infancy stage and train a new work-force for research and for production. As clothing technology students, we can be pioneers in transforming the textiles industry into something that the country will be proud of.

There’s a lot that needs to be done before we can be anywhere near a thriving textiles industry. The government would have to eliminate corruption to ensure that the budget for research and development of our textiles really gets the funding that it deserves. Government institutions should find better motivations for their employees. Unlike private companies who require their employees to work quickly and efficiently, government offices are not pressured to present outputs immediately because income is not part of the picture. There should be a more effective rewards and recognition system to hasten developments in our technology. Education will also play a big role in helping our country. Values such as patriotism should be instilled in each and every citizen of the country. We must work hard with our country’s status in mind, and not just for our personal gain. Knowledge is also important in improving the textiles industry. A good academic foundation is crucial to ensure that all these efforts are taken care of by capable thinkers.

The presence of more than one fashion school in the country means that the Philippines is still willing to keep the clothing industry alive. We, clothing technology students, have the most exposure to critical issues. We are expected to contribute a lot more for our country especially because our education is subsidized by taxes. We should make it a point to pressure ourselves to give back to the country as early and as much as we can not just because we are expected to, but because studying in UP made us think this way. We must never forget to think and act, and never stop seeking solutions until the textiles and garments industry of our country is back in its full glory.

workshop part2

we had 4 workshops. we were the first with weaving, then pegs with fabric manipulation, then embellishment then tie dyeing.

for embellishment i added sequins to a plain white shawl. it adds texture to it and makes it a little more interesting.

for tie dye, i brought an extra large white shirt. I dyed it with pinks and blues for an interesting contrast. when i find the time, i might turn it into a summer dress that i could wear to the beach.

workshop

for ct11, we had workshops that were headed by each group. our group was assigned to construction techniques, but we focused on weaving. we used knit shirts as starting materials then cut them into strips. this is my product:

it's a multi-layered necklace that I might embellish with a brooch, depending on the occasion.

for the next workshop, we had fabric manipulation. I made a flower by cutting chiffon into squares and gathering them at the center to make it appear like they're petals. i burned the edges to keep it from fraying. i glued it into a hair clip.

make-up

it was my first time to have lessons on make-up. i realized that the make-up that i have is not adequate for the class. i needed stuff for color correction, highlights and contours. i don't think i will have any need for these things anytime in the future except for school related projects. i don't think it would be worth my money if i buy these things.
the class that we had was very informative. i learned a lot of things that i would not learn by trial and error simply because the only face i put make-up on is my own. because of the experience, i promised myself that i will not use liquid foundation if i had a choice. learning about make-up emphasized the fact that it's fake. it's like temporary plastic surgery. i don't mind light make-up -- powder, lip tint and a little eye shadow, but i don't find the need to do all out make-up on a daily basis.

the difference in the before and after photos are not obvious because the lighting is different. photography did not do justice to the make-up, but either way, the difference really wasn't that obvious because it's a day look. maybe more practice would make a difference.

Compass ring - project3

I made the band of the ring from a thick wire thing that i salvaged from one of the computer components. I love the copper color, and i love the way that the conductive material is visible, but not obvious. I glued in a compass that i got from a broken flashlight, then wrapped a pink wire around it. The pink wire is from the power supply of a friend's old desktop. I can't believe how much wire there is in a power supply.

The idea of the ring is to destress. Stress usually comes about when you don't know what to do from the dozens of requirements, which is one of the problems of CT students. By looking at the compass, it amuses the student and reminds the student that they just need to find the right direction and leave stress behind.

ukay

i rarely buy from ukay-ukays. Previously owned clothes are not my thing. I normally buy stuff from ukay-ukays for the fabric and not for the garment. I don't like the idea of having clothing donations from the USA being sold in the Philippines for a price. It may cover the cost of transportation and the sales people's salary, but i do not feel like it's fair that clothes that should go to the needy (when they are in need) are being used for profit. I also think that the presence of ukay-ukays do not help the clothing industry in the philippines. Instead of buying from local garment producers, filipinos would resort to buying cheap imported clothes.

There's an issue with the fit of clothing of imported clothes. Their standards are based on western figures, which we are not. We are smaller and slimmer. The weather in USA is also different from the tropical Philippines. There are clothes that might not suit the needs of a filipino.

The class activity did not change my mind about ukay-ukays. I enjoyed it, it was fun, but i won't do it again if it's not required.

shawls

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

beaded earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

sewn fabric necklace

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

threads in earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

carved wooden earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

sewn fabric earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/

woven fabric necklace

commute

there have been a lot of responses to that girl who wrote about her jeepney ride, published on inquirer. The one where she realized a lot of "profound" things that, in my opinion, are too mundane for a respectable broadsheet. I actually pity her for being told about her ignorance in front of the whole nation. I also pity the people who laugh at her because they don't know that they too live a sheltered life but don't know about it. Maybe not in the same extent as that girl, but compared to the majority of the population, they don't know the extent of their ignorance.

Unlike them, I am aware that I live a sheltered life. I live a very comfortable life. I don't have a problem finding cash, and I have the freedom to do anything that I want. I am a privilaged person because when I commute, it's my choice. When I expose myself to the hardships of life, I know that I have other options. But I don't think of i am naive. I used to be, but I went out of my way to get to know the world around me. I commute, I observe, I explore, and I am not afraid to try out things.

I wish that people don't just base their knowledge on what they read or hear. I wish people would expose themselves, be vulnerable and step out of the classroom. I don't want to change the educational system, I want people to go beyond the classroom experience. I'm not talking about exposure trips or alternative class activities, because it doesn't matter how unstructured it may be, it will never be real life.

kolorete

i'm required to wear make up whenever we have performances. i get that. when faces are far away, they disappear. make up helps the audience see where we are. it helps exaggerate expressions, it helps emphasize emotions. performers are required to have faces on when they are on stage.
normal everyday make up does not make sense to me because i can't find the right motivation to do it myself. maybe it's because it requires a lot of physical scrutiny and analysis of one's face, and i can never successfully look at myself in the mirror and analyze my face in an objective way. it will always be personal. maybe that's why a lot of people hire make-up artists to fix their faces because it's always easier for us when strangers judge us and correct our facial imperfections.

feather earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/earrings/

twisted wire earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/earrings/

metal earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/earrings/

clothing clusters

basic piece: black tank top

Activity: Chasing After Boys

Black tank top + gray sweater + purple jogging pants + pink rubber shoes
there's nothing more physically demanding than running after boys

Activity: Walking on Sunshine

Black tank top + white floral tiered maxi skirt + flip flops
Ohhh... I'm walking on sunshine.... Ohhhh....

Activity: Feeling Hot

Black tank top + denim short shorts + blue scarf + flip flops
it's summer time, I want to wear my scarf and you can't stop me

twisted wire necklace

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/necklace/

sewn leather shoes

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/shoes/

reformat

i'm slightly anxious because of the fact that Jam88.3 has announced that it will have a different format come sept11. i got so depressed when Nu107 shut down. i wasn't even able to listen to zach and joey's last show because the signal was crazy with my cheap player. i hope jam won't resurrect as a non-alternative/indie/rock station. i hope that jam will prove to us that opm is not dead, that there are radio stations who prioritize local music and rising artists. nangangarap akong magbubuhay muli ang dating astig na nu pero may lambing ng jam.
change is sometimes good, but it doesn't have to be too drastic.

design

a few years ago, I didn't even know how to draw. My designs are very simple because I'm very limited by my skills. I want to be better at drawing, which is why I chose to draw and paint in order to practice the skill, and hopefully, by doing this, I'd improve.

I'm never going to be a designer. I don't find fulfillment in being a creative professional. I don't think I will be worthy of being paid for it. I don't even see myself as a stylist. I know the theories, I understand the logic behind optical illusions, but I don't see myself doing it for a long enough span of time. I'd rather sew 24 hours a day than work as a designer or a stylist for an hour a day.

molded polymer clay earrings

http://pinterest.com/nagpapataba/earrings/

origami, paper beads, polymer clay beads

I developed an interest to origami while I was still volunteering at a community library. The kids had nothing to do. They were tired of listening to me read them stories, they've already finished their exercise, so I told them to do origami. They knew more animals than I did. A girl actually gave me a heart, a broken heart. I'm not sure if she knew what that meant, but I'm sure that she loved me so much.

I stumbled upon the instructions for this butterfly a few years ago when one of my korean students saw me folding paper. She wasn't even my regular student. I was just a substitute tutor. It wasn't an easy thing to make, but with a lot of patience, anyone can do origami. I was a little disappointed in the workshop because it was limited to fashion accessories and dresses. It was too literal. But I realized that it was because of the lack of time that we were limited this way, and I appreciate the lesson. I also realized that not everyone is willing to make tiny objects just as I did, both in origami and for the paper beads.

Paper beads are new to me, surprisingly. it's my first time to do this even if I've been exposed to it. They're very popular in the arts and crafts department, but I've never had the motivation to do it because it's too mainstream. I'm glad that I finally experienced it and I guess it was a successful project. The samples that were being showed in class were not really my type. Honestly, the quality of the samples could be better. Contact between layers were not done well and could be improved. Again, I realized that a lot of my classmates prefer making bigger beads because it does not require a lot of precision. I wish that the workshop was not limited to paper beads. There are a lot of ways where paper mache can be applied to accessories making if only more research was done. My sister was complaining because they made a whole mannequin from paper mache. They called her Ginang CHE. If I had it my way, I would have made a bag from paper mache. Maybe someday I will.

I'm not really a fan of polymer clay because I don't know how I can bake them. I don't want to use our oven toaster because the fumes might get into our food, but because I already bought the clay, I have no choice but to make use of it. I like the way that the workshops for jewelry making and polymer clay was handled. I found it interesting even if I've known about it before. I've been making earrings since 2005 but I was still able to learn something from the workshop. I like it when the information in the workshops help me improve my skills.
In the future, I might try working with salt dough. It's a cheaper substitute for clay than synthetic stuff.

weaving like a viking

i've been so obsessed with weaving since summer. i've been watching videos on how to weave on youtube and i stumbled upon the viking weave. i never tried it until a few days ago when our workshop was about wire art.

tutorial can be found here:
http://youtu.be/_Ynf5jjpL1U

i have wire but i don't have the block with the holes where the loops are compressed into a pretty chain. luckily (well, not really), my dad undergoes dialysis twice a week. my mom suggested that i use the tubes. then i realized that the plastic clamp things can do the job just fine. before all this, i've contracted my dad to make me a block thing. at least now he doesn't have to go through all that trouble.

I was too excited to make my bracelet that I forgot to take a picture of the chain before it got compressed.

it's really great that the workshop was about wire art. it was a great opportunity for me to explore wires. i could have learned more from class but i've realized that i shouldn't expect too much from my classmates. their references for their workshop are accessible to me, which is why there's always a chance that i'd already know what they're about to teach me unless they've had a class under an expert.

what to wear

textures and prints have a tendency to be tacky. i've seen episodes of HowDoILook on the Lifestyle network where the victim has too much print or too much fur. i could not understand how stores still produce tacky clothing, and why consumers keep patronizing them, then i realized that clothes that are tacky for me, might not be tacky for others. it's always a matter of taste and style. we just have to be aware of the occasion and how people expect us to behave whenever we are faced with fashion dilemmas.

i'm not really a fan of the show How Do I Look because their approach is too personal. they have a tendency of attacking the person's taste, which is still part of their personality. they make it too dramatic. i like the show What Not To Wear on TLC because they criticize the clothes of the person. it doesn't hurt as much. they tell you how clothes affect the way you look and how it can be improved. they give you guidelines and let you think on your own. i like the show because they tell you what's wrong then teach you how it can become better.

i will never dream of becoming a style consultant. all that i'd tell them is wear whatever you want because i'd much rather be worrying about the future of the clothing industry than bother thinking about what to wear.

educated

i hate it when my academics interfere with my education. i can't wait for the sem break. i need new clothes. i need a dress-form now please

paper

it's fun to play around with paper. and it's biodegradable

http://pin4fun6660.blogspot.com

http://www.inewidea.com/2011/10/06/40650.html

http://packaginguqam.blogspot.com/2012/03/t-milagros-maria-bouroncle-rodriguez.html

http://uponafold.com.au/blog/post/janna-syvanoja/#

http://uponafold.com.au/blog/post/sabrina-transiskus/

http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/24488391694468883_eiGOYEPu.jpg

tie dye, decoupage, mosaic

jobos is what it's more popularly known. we also call it venus because that's the brand name of the dye that's very popular for making tie dye stuff. it's cheap and easy to find. it's an instant update to cotton garments. I enjoyed the workshop. I turned a normal white muslin jacket into a distressed looking jacket. the gods of the 70's will be proud of me for trying to bring the hand-me-down look back in style.

unfortunately, when I checked the safety information of sulfanilic acid (one of the components of the dye), it wasn't really meant to dye clothing. this component causes skin irritation. hopefully, the amount of substance is so small that it would not cause harmful effects.

honestly, I appreciate tie dyeing more than I did decoupage. maybe it's because all we did was paste stuff on top of the thing that we want to embellish. it's so simple that I don't feel motivated to decoupage anything. revamping has never been my thing. I'd rather make something new from scratch and create something overly minimalist than take a semi-broken thing and try to fix it by making it look different. I feel like it's putting too much time and effort into fixing something that ain't broke. I have a similar perception of mosaic but I would really want to make a mosaic out of tiles someday in our backyard. I don't see it as a skill that I could and would ever use in accessories making but I can really use it at home in the garden.

shapes and style

what's beautiful about clothes is that they're things that you could easily change and replace. they're external. they can be used to make you look a certain way only if you know what you're doing and if you have the resources to make it happen. vertical lines make you longer, horizontal lines make you wider. these are old rules. if no one who is a plus size wants to look fatter than they already are, why do we still have plus size clothes with horizontal cuts in their dresses? because there's more to to the rules than straight forward horizontal and vertical.

not everyone we design for will be model size. there will be horizontally challenged clients in our lifetime and we'd be forced to create something to make them look great. I don't understand how seasoned designers prioritize their creative point of view and create something that only looks great on a mannequin. not everyone who graduated from design school are successful as designers because not everything that looks good in books translate well in the real world.

flowers on a dress

finally done with my floral dress. there's an invisible zipper at the side. you can't see it because it's invisible.

i was thinking about making it a dress instead of a top, but i ran out of fabric. i only bought 1 yard of this last year. it's cotton voile from kamuning market. it's the first time to sew an empire cut garment using my pattern making skills. congratulate me. it fits me perfectly :)

unfortunately, my tripod lost its camera mount device thingie. now, i can't use it because i can't place the camera on the tripod. i had to do it manually, and my camera's so heavy. the weather wasn't cooperating with me either. it was dark, so i had to increase the ISO number. at least the noise didn't ruin the pattern on the fabric. i don't really like floral patterns, but i'm happy with what i came up with

color schemes

complementary

red-violet + yellow green

http://www.academichic.com/2011/06/01/1-june-2011-last-day-of-classes/

magenta + teal

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/slideshow?loop=0&event=show2182&trend=trend22&iphoto=18&play=false&cnt=19

analogous

pink + orange + yellow

http://romanticjourneys.tumblr.com/

purple + lavender + pink

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/slideshow?loop=0&event=show2182&trend=trend22&iphoto=39&play=false&cnt=44

triad

light blue + violet + orange

http://fabliz.wordpress.com/tag/achromatic/

light blue + violet + orange

http://www.academichic.com/tag/triads/

split complementary

violet + red + yellow

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/slideshow?loop=0&event=show2182&trend=trend22&iphoto=54&play=false&cnt=67

tetrad

yellow green, green, purple, red

http://www.womens-styles.com/fantasy-maxi-print-flower-wedding-dress-2012-for-women.html

yellow, green, violet, red

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/slideshow?loop=0&event=show2182&trend=trend22&iphoto=65&play=false&cnt=78

square

pink + lt. green + yellow orange + lt. blue

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/slideshow?loop=0&event=show2182&trend=trend22&iphoto=38&play=false&cnt=39

monochromatic

white + red + pink

http://www.womens-styles.com/fantasy-maxi-print-flower-wedding-dress-2012-for-women.html

brown + yellow

http://fabliz.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/ms-match/

achromatic

black and gray

http://dress.ankletss.com/miss-sixty-black-dress/

Carolina Herrera - Resort 2013
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/fullscreen/2013RST-CHERRERA/

Colors were mostly monochromatic, which gives the whole collection a sense of sophistication, but there were some pieces where they explored with colors.

The scheme is a primary triad. The colors were evenly dispersed all through the dress, making it balanced and equally sophisticated as the rest of the pieces.