WEEK 5 : 24 AUG ~ 28 AUG

TRIP TO ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM

This week i visited the Asian Civilization Museum with my mother. I was very grateful that i brought her with me. As firstly, it was our first museum trip together and secondly, she was a wonderful companion. Most of the artifacts exhibited were relatable and familiar to her. She remembered seeing her grandmother getting dressed for her wedding in the traditional Malay gold belt and decorated in the embellished headgear. She was reminiscing and explaining to me about her past and i learned so many new things. Also, there were Indonesian fabrics and i remember my father having those hung in our house in indonesia as a child. I always found the details and repetition interesting. I never knew what they meant or that it was something traditional till now. [chuckles]

Also, I was really drawn to the Yao clothing exhibited. The hats, clothes and shoes were so cute! And this made me see traditional clothes in a different view. I've only known of the common 4 races and maybe a few others from neighboring country. But not a ethnic group from China. 

It was a knowledgeable experience. Maybe in the future, I can incorporate something that is inspiring through clothes, a technique of sewing, print or embroidery, who knows!

WEEK 4 : 17 AUG ~ 21 AUG

BRAINSTORMING

 Our group chose "Recycle Materials" as our random word to develop our ideas on. As a 4 member group, we decided that each of us should take charge of each materials. The material i chose was plastic and my other group members chose metal, glass and textiles.

Here are some of of them which i wrote down.

And doodles of my ideas!

Some of the points were :

• Gluing a magnet onto the plastic bottle cap to stick notes/photographs onto refrigerators/whiteboards.
• Adding sand or pebbles onto the bottle cap and use a paperweights.
• Using the plastic bottles as a coin saving bank.
• Using plastic spoons to make a paint palette by adding a fastener in the center, it makes it easier to keep too.
• Tying a plastic bag around your feet to keep your shoes dry.

IDEAS

Recycling Plastic Bags with just one technique, Crochet. Just by replacing yarns with plastic bags, so many things can be created.

Plastic Grocery Bag Crocheted Clutch 

[Cr. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=23222.0]

Crochet Clutch Bag using different plastic bags to create different layers of colors.

CROCHETED PLASTIC BAG SHOULDER BAG (MADE BY KISHA OF SERBIA) 

[Cr. http://bagsbegone.com/2010/10/31/crocheted-plastic-bag-shoulder-bag-made-by-kisha-of-serbia/]

Shoulder bag made by crocheting plastic bags.

granny square crochet tote made from plastic bags 

[Cr. http://www.billygrrrl.com/2014/03/26/granny-square-crochet-tote-made-from-plastic-bags/]

Handbag made using 'Granny Squares' technique from crochet.

Crocheted grocery bag shoes!

[Cr. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=87737.0]

How unique! creating sandals out of plastic bags. They look pretty decent to me. This idea never crossed my mind.

Crochet Stool / Ottoman 

[Cr. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8796161748880520/]

Similar to crocheting rugs and coaster, an ottoman can be made too.

Spoon Lamp 

[Cr. http://www.boredpanda.com/plastic-bottle-recycling-ideas/]

This is another idea i found that killed 2 birds with 1 stone. We can recycle plastic spoons and bottles to create a 'Spoon Lamp'.

Intricate Bottle Vase 

[Cr. http://www.boredpanda.com/plastic-bottle-recycling-ideas/]

I did thought of recycling bottles to as a flower pot, pen holder and vase. But this gave me an idea to make it more decorative by cutting the sides to make it appear less like a bottle and more like an expensive vase of some sort.

Reuse Soda Bottles | recycled bottles 

[Cr. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/302374562454877566/]

This was another idea i saw. In one of my points, i did state to tie the bottle together to create a raft/float. But this was possible too! a trash bin using plastic and soda bottles.

I've learnt that there are countless of ways to recycle materials. So before throwing them out, think of ways to make them useful to you.

WEEK 3 : 10 AUG ~ 14 AUG

Fashion

No ordinary fashion designer - Nkwo Onwuka at TEDxEuston

Nkwo Onwuka, a fashion designer who resided in Oxford, has recently moved to Africa. There, she spent her time learning about the process of bronze casting and created accessories. She also created textiles by tie-dying. Going back to Africa, going back to her roots, she wanted to bring that culture back to the 21st century. She din't want us to "lose" our culture.

Her textiles are mainly inspired by Africa and it shows through. She is succeeding in binging her culture back one bracelet at a time or one dress at a time.

IRIS APFEL

I watched the IRIS movie recently and was deeply inspired by her. She emphasizes on how style is important and it doesn't have to be expensive. 

She collects accessories and clothes when she travels. She mixes and wears different accessories in one go. I love how she makes the accessories like it's one piece when there's actually multiple layers. To me, it isn't overdressed, it's artistic and aesthetically good to look at. 

These were her exhibition at Peabody Essex Museum.

Her quotes which i found relatable were, 

"You have to look in the mirror and see yourself. If it feels good, then I know it’s for me. I don’t dress to be stared at, I dress for myself.” 

and 

"Downtown, they think they're stylish, but they all wear black. That's not really style. That's a uniform."

Singaporeans need to have style, people have narrow minds and dress really boring on weekends. We create what society defines as "normal" or in school, "the trend". And if the trend is something like "minimalist", i say that's "boring". We use the term minimalist but we interpret it as "basic" or "casual" and that's wrong. I do know Singapore is not exactly a fashion city but i would hope for it in the years to come.