Fashion Design for high school?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

AMDG

 

So next  year is going to be a real slobber-knocker!  My daughter will have Theology, Latin 4, Classical GK 2, Chemistry, Geometry, and Socratic Symposium (for college credit -- will cover history, lit, phil, writing).  It pains me to even type it out!  Did I mention violin and swim team?

 

For the past two years my daughter has taken sewing lessons.  She LOVED! them and would love to continue but our teacher is moving.  She loved all of sewing but particularly loved designing a dress, drafting  a pattern, choosing the fabric, and making it.  Oh she just loved it.  

 

So, without her sewing teacher we won't be having lessons anymore but my girl will still know how to sew and would like to continue.  I would like to do some kind of Fashion Design course but . . . I need it to be ZERO stress.  It has to be 100% enjoyable.

 

I would kind of like something that we could log as an art or home ec credit on her transcript but I'm not wiling to kill her to do it.  Good Mommy.  The first priority would be zero stress/100% enjoyable.  Only after that would credit be a consideration.  It would be nice but not a deal breaker.

 

Also, her sewing teacher (who has a BA in something domestic and an MS in something sewing related) said she would meet with her over skype so if I had a program/book/whatever we could work it that way or we could go it on our own.  

 

I can say that she will not want to get bogged down in the history of textiles, et c.  Included? okay.  Focus or too meaty that way?  probably not a fit for our needs.

 

Now bombard me with your awesome ideas! 

[Rebecca VA]

That sounds wonderful!  I was thinking about your post overnight, and while I don't have any specific courses to recommend, I think it might be wise for you (or her) to narrow down what she's trying to accomplish.

 

For example, is she really looking at pursuing high-fashion design of the Vogue kind?  Is that something she has an interest in?

 

Or is her interest simply being able to dream up a design of her own and then make it a reality?

 

Does she need volunteer hours?  Maybe she could spend time designing clothes for a special-needs population, or sewing costumes for a local ballet company.

 

Would she want to combine an interest in, say, history, with costume design, and make historical costumes?

 

Has she ever studied out why certain people look good in certain colors or certain garment shapes?  There was a book called "Art in Dress" back in my college days which the home-ec majors all had to study, and that's what they were learning.  I always wanted to take that course, but I wasn't a home-ec major.  I think information like that would be incredibly useful.

 

Anyway, if you will narrow down what she hopes to achieve, that would be a helpful start.

[Mrs.MacGyver]

Sounds like a fun and interesting idea!

 

Another idea on the volunteering side would be to help out with costuming at a local children's theater or something similar. They can usually use the help, and many times there is a parent or another adult volunteer who is fairly experienced who could be a good mentor on the sewing/costuming side.              

[MomOfOneFunOne]

That sounds wonderful!  I was thinking about your post overnight, and while I don't have any specific courses to recommend, I think it might be wise for you (or her) to narrow down what she's trying to accomplish.

 

For example, is she really looking at pursuing high-fashion design of the Vogue kind?  Is that something she has an interest in?

 

Or is her interest simply being able to dream up a design of her own and then make it a reality?

 

Does she need volunteer hours?  Maybe she could spend time designing clothes for a special-needs population, or sewing costumes for a local ballet company.

 

Would she want to combine an interest in, say, history, with costume design, and make historical costumes?

 

Has she ever studied out why certain people look good in certain colors or certain garment shapes?  There was a book called "Art in Dress" back in my college days which the home-ec majors all had to study, and that's what they were learning.  I always wanted to take that course, but I wasn't a home-ec major.  I think information like that would be incredibly useful.

 

Anyway, if you will narrow down what she hopes to achieve, that would be a helpful start.

AMDG

 

Thanks, Rebecca, these are excellent points for consideration.  I'm thinking about this and trying to think what she is thinking.  However, I rather want it to be a surprise so I haven't asked her yet.

 

I think for now she would just love to do the second, dream up her own designs and make them a reality.

 

No, she doesn't need volunteer hours; she's got them running our her ears!  Still, one thing she said she'd love to do once was make some things for the clothing distribution center at our Catholic Charities.  I know she'd love that.  

 

We've never discussed the historical thing . . . I'll have to think about that.

 

I do think the colors and garment shapes thing would be of great interest to her.  I'm going to ck out that book and see.  Funny enough, when she created her last project, I strongly objected to the color scheme/fabrics.  However, I must admit she has an eye for that kind of thing and the finished product is lovely -- though it has 13 year old written all over it! Sparkles all over and twirly enough to satisfy the girliest girl.

 

 

[MomOfOneFunOne]

What about investigating what your local 4-H has? They might have materials to take her from the design stage to the production. Look under your extension agent under your county government.

AMDG

 

Margaret, do you have any experience with 4H?  I am interested but know very little about it except that one year I considered it for some other reason and when I asked a mom whose daughter was involved.  She said that her daughter was enjoying it but that The Book was becoming too much work.  She didn't say much else but what she did say made it seem that there has to be a paper trail for everything and that it's a lot of work.

 

That made me not want to do it.  

 

My daughter does love the idea of having a sewing group or club but I couldn't think of how that could work.  4H would be a nice second but I don't know about that book.  She has such rigorous academics that I don't want to add stress over a book.

 

So, what can you tell me about that?  I am really interested but don't want to over do.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Sounds like a fun and interesting idea!

 

Another idea on the volunteering side would be to help out with costuming at a local children's theater or something similar. They can usually use the help, and many times there is a parent or another adult volunteer who is fairly experienced who could be a good mentor on the sewing/costuming side.              

AMDG

 

Oh Heaven Help Me!   :lol: My daughter LOVES theatre!  Did I say love?  pshaw!  That's way too small of a word for her feelings!

 

We have to limit her to summer plays only just b/c they are so time consuming and we (well, okay, *I*) need our evenings at home.  However, you're right on the money.  It is something that she might enjoy.  I wonder if she could act and sew for the same play.  She would love that but I think if she could only do one, it would be act.  I imagine that if she could do more plays she might alternate but only getting one, maybe two . . . it's act.

[Rebecca VA]

The book I mentioned was actually called "Art in Home and Clothing" by Mabel B. Trilling.  It is ancient (1928) but full of timeless, sensible -- and surprisingly sophisticated --  advice that people today seem to have lost.  The book can be purchased from Amazon marketplace sellers.

 

There is a professor at Notre Dame named Linda Przybyszewski who teaches a course on the decline of good taste and sense in women's fashion during the 20th century.  She is writing a book, to be published next year, on the subject.  If you google her name, you will find some interesting articles about her.  Her main point seems to be that women used to try to look beautiful for their families and for the general public, and they would carefully study out lovely color schemes, fascinating details, etc. in their clothing.  Beginning in the 1960s, they became more lax about their appearance.  Professor Przybyszewski wants to make gorgeous clothing fashionable again.

 

 

[Amethyst]

My daughter bought a DVD collection called How to Fashion Design with Bob Martin. She bought Series 1, lesson 1. That particular one covers sewing in the 1st disc, then fashion drawing in 2nd, then design process. I'm sure the 1st disc would be too basic for your daughter if she's had lessons for 2 years. I don't know how much fashion drawing your daughter knows so she might like disc 2 and 3. Or maybe they have other things over at the website www.HowToFashionDesign.com. Ugh. I can't get a link. I don't know if it's my stupid computer or their website. Maybe do a google search. It looks like Bob Martin also has some YouTube videos.

[TechWife]

Do you have the iTunes U app? I just did a search for "fashion" and "fashion design" and several possibilities came up. Also, here is a list from an education portal - two of the classes listed are from MIT. Also, SUNY offers online fashion degrees. Maybe she could take a course or two there. 

 

Just some ideas. 

 

[Candid]

Woa! Why do an added course? It appears she has plenty of credits. Why not let this be more interest led and have less stress over it?