Hello! It’s been a while but I’m back! Just to let you know that I’ve not stopped making garments but have just been busy in updating my blog. But fear not, I have a collection of garments lining up to be photographed and posts waiting to be written about them. Let’s start with a recent project I have just finished.
My black backpack had seen better days and it’s time for me to make a new one. This time, I used plain calico in different weights (heavy weight calico for the outer but a medium weight for the lining). There is no simpler and more natural fabric than calico. It’s creamy and untreated nature appeals to me and I love the smell of calico when it is ironed.
One of the reasons I used a plain fabric for this bag was to create a blank canvas where through time, the bag would create it’s own natural print either through my sudden impulse to paint/draw on it or when the natural progression of time creates a stain/mark on the bag. Call it arty farty but I just want to have a bag that essentially reminds me of my life or during that time when the bag got dirty when I went hiking and saw the most amazing view. I want to have an item that is personalised to me so when look at it, I can see the natural prints of my memories.
Anyway, through the trail and error of making previous bags, I was able to modify the pattern to ensure that this time everything was as I wanted it down to the different compartments this bag has (including a section for my laptop and a zip pocket for valuables.
I went all the way and even made straps using the calico. The only thing that was not made were the zips and toggles for the straps.
I was a bit careful yesterday when using this bag for the first time and obviously forgot that this bag was meant to get dirty! Old habits die hard.
Stephen Yong 