Women's Wear/3D Form

This term has been the most trying by far but it has been an experience from beginning to end. My family and I have battled homelessness since January this year and it's gone on a lot longer than we anticipated it to. Nonetheless I've been focused on my studies and trying my absolute best to do well.

This term I had Womens Wear and 3D Form2 (I didn't even realize I had done 3D form 1 Probably called Draping and was a transfer credit) So I've been diligently working on this masterpiece right here. Yes it's a drawing in this photo, but I'm on my way.

I was determined this term that something I drew or had created already would be made into an actual design. Come on, who doesn't want to see a vision come to life? She told me I couldn't submit any old things from a previous class so I just took the time to draw it over differently and submit it as the assignment entailed.

After finishing my croquis and floating flats, the next thing I did is ask my professor to take my measurements. I then drafted the basic block (skirt front and back, shirt front and back, sleeve, and another block for the pants). Trust me this became harder than I thought and I fought with the shirt draft as well as had to readjust it twice in the middle of the design process which has forced me to do at least 2 designs over in the middle of the term.

After creating my basic block for my personal fits I then moved on to testing my basic block to see if it fit. My pants were absolutely perfect. I didn't have to adjust anything. As you can see I was photo bombed by my toddler. She's always showing up somewhere with that little stern face of hers. The poor thing can't help it that she has inherited her fathers look. Anyway! The first time I did my muslin for my bodice I could tell I fought with it and yes I put my shirt on underneath it since I knew it was going to be posted on social media. Later on I learned this was a mistake but I did in fact change the bodice because...well if you had seen my pattern draft you would've understood this looks weird. The shoulder was off to me, and the place where the armpit connected looked worse. So of course it didn't close at the front, because there was extra fabric as well as fit issues.

 Back to the drawing board I went and reconstructed my bodices again in flat pattern. This time my professor told me to take off my shirt and put it on, so I did that. As you can see it fit beautifully and I was able to move on to the next step which is to do the exact design that I drew in the photo. In 3D Form I was making a jacket with High Waisted pants that were wide leg. In Womens Wear I had to make 2 dresses. One was a halter top circle dress, and the other was just a regular pencil dress with princess seams.

3D Form Jacket and High Waisted pants:

Here is the pattern draft for the halter top part of my circle dress

This photo is actually from the first time I did it. I ended up having to do it over and totally had to trash this one after I was done with the second version of it where I made all the adjustments in order to fit my waist. It is week 9 and I have not started the dresses yet but my patterns are basically done. 

Battling Homelessness has been trying, especially for my grades. I'm staying focused but sometimes the instability pulls on what I'm able to do. I spent the first two weeks of school trying to prepare myself for anything to happen by staying ahead. I took patterns home, I had my sewing machine and serger in my husbands car, and I didn't know what would happen. Now at the end of the term EVERYTHING is in the car (fashion fabric and sewing machine) and the car is somewhere else being repaired.  

Everyone assumes that when your'e homeless or in a struggle that you're not doing anything with your life or you're not trying. I've had my fair share of nay sayers this entire year trying to put me down, and I've campaigned more than once to raise funds for school and my family needs so that I can stay focused on my work. I've also solicited services for a business my husband signed up for called "ItWorks" and even said I'm taking orders for my own business. People seem less supportive these days claiming everyones spamming their timeline with some offer. It's as if folks live in the Stone Age and they don't recognize that it's been over 20years since the MARKETPLACE was an actual physical location. The Marketplace is now online, and it's easy for people to sell or get involved in business transactions.

 It's getting to a place where now although I may need the money I value a good friend over anything. Someone who will keep me motivated and support my endeavors without being judgmental. I'm so sad to say the only ones who are somewhat understanding are the ones in similar circumstances to me. I know that in order to move forward with my life I can't focus on that. I can't beat myself up about the past, but I can move forward to the next thing, and graduating is my next thing.

After Graduation in 2020 I intend on taking the GACE (Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators) I want to take the Art Assessment to become an Art Teacher and teach grades Pre-K to 12th grade. Right now I have no preference with an age group because either way I love speaking to children of all ages about Art and how it relates to life. With Pre K and elementary age you can kind of give them the basics, but when they get to middle school you can challenge them, talk about comics, and how people used their art to speak about Equality and Civil Rights or even shift them into Art Therapy where they can use art as a means to cope with negative emotions. I've already worked with a wide range of students with my experience as an After School Teacher, Teachers aid, and years ago I was an intern at a camp. I've experienced babies all the way to teens and I'm only 28. I intend on teaching Art only for a time so that I can get my student loans paid off as well as share my gift with children and lead them in a direction where they realize that they can use skills they have now to be something later. I call it "connecting the dots". We often have a habit of teaching them random things without helping them to make sense of it, and that's where I bridge the gap for them with Art. 

Although this year has been hard it has been a real eye opener. I started teaching art at my kids school. I used to work there as an After School teacher and when I left to begin working I couldn't really afford the copay every week. I began teaching the art class as a part of a bartering contract with the school, and it's been a lovely experience speaking to children ages 6-12. I realized I love to teach-I mean I know I come from a background where my relatives are teachers but finding my own identity in that has been a journey. I might not teach like my mom, or my great aunt Alice, but I teach like me. I love art and that's the thing I'm ready to share with the youth of the world. I'm ready to tell them they can use their skills they build today long term so they won't have to be out here figuring it out. I mean yeah there are some things they will have to find out on their own, but they will have the confidence they need to kind of ignore the people who are not very supportive and they'll chase their dreams with a passion. My love for Art, fashion, entrepreneurship and teaching have somehow collided at this time in my life, and all I want now is MORE.