FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Urban Ecosystems
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
It is the way of urban nature to hide in plain sight. This leads some to believe that the nature of the city is to decay from within, but this is not the case. An urban landscape is just as layered as any other ecosystem, from the expertly dressed apex predators walking the streets, to the small creatures and vermin coexisting between the cracks. Humanity makes for a pyramid effect similar to apex predators in the wild, although some species fare better than others in humanity's wake, and evolve further to make their home there.
This all led me to design an ensemble that was both structured, like an urban landscape, but with plenty of folds and layers for wildlife to hide in. So the bodice TV463 gave me the structure, and skirt TV216 provided the habitat. I also already had a corset and bustle TV163 made for a previous early-bustle costume, so I would only need to make the outer garments. Overall, I've had this idea for a costume since 2009, so this year's theme finally gave me the focus to make it a reality.
I've also been trying to decrease the carbon footprint of my sewing habit, which matched nicely with the Nature theme. So I did my best to source materials for this project that I either already owned, were ethically sourced/made, or were deadstock materials (organic/recycled lame' would be tricky to find). I think I achieved about 90% of that goal.
Outline the construction…
In May I had all of the fabrics I needed to start, and given my CFS/ME I figured that was enough time to work on this project. The setbacks started immediately after that- frantic job hunting, new job training, and then my first case of Covid in November, which exacerbated my CFS. I had far less time and energy to devote to this project as I planned, and had to crunch right up to the deadline. I'd planned to add moving electronic elements to this costume, but unfortunately didn't have the time or energy to build or install them, which is my biggest disappointment.
I'd made a severely oversimplified version of the skirt before, so I had to teach myself the techniques to make the skirt-back pouf. In the picture, those are all things I luckily got right on the first try: interlining with tulle, sewing the puffs to the straps, etc. Bodice TV463 was new to me, so I taught myself interlining, but the interlining fabric I chose was way too thick- I needed to add more ease into the vertical seams, and then topstitch the bodice fabric to the lining around all edges. The interlining was too thick to make the back pleats, but I like the curled bits better. For both garments, I used pleats instead of gathers wherever possible.
For the bugs, I used a ton of jewelry supplies I already owned in my stash, giving them sparkle, flexibility, color, and dimension.
I truly love how this turned out. It’s such an interesting take on the theme and very well made. I love the shine of the green fabric, like shimmering beetle wings. I wish the judges had chosen you as one of the finalists. I think it’s stunning.