Designing Traditions
Collaboration
In collaboration with the RISD Museum, each student in my class chose a piece from a curated collection of Asian textiles. Ultimately, the curators would pick a handful of pieces by the students to exhibit alongside each textile in the Designing Traditions show. I chose to draw inspiration from a Chinese Qing dynasty court hat (above) and two of my designs were chosen to be displayed beside the hat at the RISD Museum.
Knitting
At the right is the dress I designed and knitted on a double bed manual knitting machine.
inspiration
The Qing dynasty hat inspired me with its material, color, and form. I loved the sheen of the yarn cascading from the peak and the contrasts of the red, tan, and black.
design
I drew literally from the hat: the form inspiring me to create a dress, and choosing materials as similar as I could find. I ordered a red mercerized cotton yarn that perfectly resembled the silk cords on the hat. In the RISD yarn library I found a delicate cotton yarn to mimic the straw that the frame of the hat is made from, and a matte black wool to mimic the chin strap. The skirt was given four layers for each layer of the hat.
Knit
I chose knit patterns that best resembled the points of inspiration on the hat. For the silk cords, ladders were the best to create vertical lines in the skirt while also being somewhat see-through. For the straw, a loose jersey. For the strap, a dense jersey. The bodice of the dress was a single rib and a double rib to cinch the waist.
Knit as 11 separate pieces, they came together to be a red dress ode to the Qing dynasty court hat.