I am a Master

It has been so so so sooooooooo long since I have written on this blog - or even written a crochet pattern...  but that doesn't mean I haven't been stitching.

For those that don't know, I have spent the last three years getting my master's degree from Colorado State University in Design and Merchandising.  It has been a crazy ride learning to sew, use computer design software, create apparel patterns, teach a product development class, and conduct research into cultural appropriation in fashion, clothing comfort smartphone apps, and feminist media portrayals of women and dress.

Now that I am no longer writing research papers or my thesis...  I'm getting back to writing a few crochet patterns and words cannot describe how psyched I am.  Some things I hope to have for sale soon include a filet crochet wall hanging with fringe, a warm and cozy winter vest, and some pillow cases that play with cables in crochet.  Stay tuned, cause I'm working hard on getting those ready for you wonderful wonderful stitchers!

For now,  I'm sharing pictures of my master's thesis design line.  I combined historic filet crochet lace techniques with digitally printed textiles.  I researched textile traditions of West Africa and used a computer software to design textiles.  They were then printed on cotton and silk using a digital textile printer (a gigantic printer that puts dye onto fabric rather than ink onto paper).  I draped patterns to make my designs and made some elements a crochet piece that used the filet crochet method to pick up on the textile motifs of the fabric.  I shared all this design work in a gallery of all my own design work that was up from September through December of 2015.  It was a ton of hard work and the most incredible experience and I learned so much.  Enjoy the pictures below.

My thesis work also lead me to research feminism, social responsibility, fair-trade, the cult of new domesticity, historic crochet, adinkra symbols, wax print cloth, and cultural appropriation...  All info I hope to write about and share with you one day...  but maybe after I've had more of a thesis-writing break.

So excited to start crocheting with all of you again.  Happy stitching.  Love, Sara

All photographs taken by Gretchen Gerding.

One of my favorite designs - I can't wait to wear it! 

A picture of me and my advisor at my gallery opening.

Explaining how filet crochet works to make a pattern.