Some things just don't work...but others...

So I had this brilliant plan that was just going to work so seamlessly and probably be a turning point in the whole semesters work and just put me on a level that was so far above any prototypes I'd made so far. With that kind of expectation what could go wrong? Some things just don't work the way you think. At various points along a designers work this always seems to pop up.
What's the idea Laura? I (don't) hear you ask, well it had to do with the stays. I used the singlet pattern as a start and then cut out areas around the neckline and armholes. The space that was cut out was to be held in place by the ribbons. When I started to stretch the singlet I realised this just wasn't working. The fabric was to weak to hold the ribbon that was sewn onto it, and as a result some of the ribbons were torn when I begun stretching them. Big, fat, fail.

The prototype before I began stretching

It's hard to focus primarily on the process with my work because there are no 'final' outcomes that I will produce, and so it's hard to be clear on when to stop. I wanted to sum up what I had discovered in some way with a few prototypes. They wouldn't be final pieces just a summary of techniques and processes that I had gone through this semester. For the first prototype that I wanted to produce I looked back over all the experiments I had completed and found that I wanted to work with one that I hadn't kept continuing to explore. I started with the basic pattern and made three prototypes, a warp, weft and bias. Once constructed I stretched the samples and then pinned them to paper and (as accurately as I could) traced around them. I completed this process 3 times and the results made me feel like the process was working. I wouldn't say that the prototypes had unexpected results but I guess you never really know for sure how the fabric will react to the stretching.
I layered each prototype on each other to create one piece joined at the shoulder seams. You could see the progression of the stretching clearly this way. As designs, I like the results I achieved. The way that you can stumble over design with this process is what I am drawn to. Only a small amount of the 'garment' is designed (the basic singlet that I started with), you can predict what might happen but as the stretching can vary depending on the stretch applied results can't be guaranteed.

Weft-front

Bias-front

Bias-sideFront-Warp