Deus Ex Machina

Karolina Zarzycka, Denmark (Karolina Zarzycka Corsetry)

Photography by @paw_some_photography
Shoulder harness by @kittysmortensen

The Design

We strive for the perfect society, so we explore, discover and build things of exceptional beauty. But we forget what we abuse and ruin to get there. And what we create and worship is nothing but an empty shell. With no God erupting from the machine to save us!

A city of steel and glass and lines. Immense, unbelievably tall skyscrapers touching the heavens. Utopian Metropolis, put down in calculated geometric patterns. Perfectly happy people in perfect designer garbs with perfectly drawn smiles, like automatons, they mingle on the streets. Everything shining brightly. But underneath the veneer, is desperation, bleakness and no meaning of life to be found.

- Decade: 1920s Germany spun into a futuristic dystopia
- Genre: The geometry of Art Deco and Bauhaus
- Buildings: Slim, blinding skyscrapers
- Movie: Metropolis, about a beautiful futuristic city build of scientific progress and human despair.

Challenge:
I wanted to make something crazy and over the top awesome but my mind was blank. It took me a long time to realize that I was holding myself back by focusing on greatness in form rather than what I loved: detail.

Goal:
To use the stripes to their best advantage, depending on where the pattern is placed on the body, visually enhancing it. By looking on the light, the dark and which way the stripes should turn. Same way as an architect decides which way to place the building and its windows, depending on the sun and incoming light.

The Construction

Materials:
- Rose metallic cotton canvas with stripes of black flock
- 5mm artificial whalebone
- Boning channels from 1cm black satin ribbon
- Flat steels at CB on both sides of eyelets

My two biggest challenges:
1. Deciding how to cut the fabric for each pattern piece.

I knew only the following beforehand:
a. having the centre front (CF) and centre back (CB) with diagonal stripes
b. having the stripes on the three diagonal pattern pieces to go into the point of the panels.

I started from the CF, laying each piece on the floor before moving to the next. I also had the mock-up next to me, so I could see where each piece would end up on the body. This helped me to visualize where I was going, and showed me how to place the larger top pieces, with the stripes pointing in the same direction, curving around the body towards the back.

Not only was I looking on the placement of the stripes for each pattern piece, but also where to place the darker and the lighter parts. For instance: the hip piece is lighter, while the pieces above are darker where they join the hip. This visually slims down the waist.
I was going back and forth between fabric, already cut out pieces and the mock-up. By the end my mind was one big stripey knot!

It took seven hours to place, mirror and cut the fabric!

2. In which sequence to sew the pieces together.

Normally I would sew from CF towards CB. I discovered this could not be done here because of the diagonal pieces cutting through the others. It was a fun puzzle to figure out.

Surprisingly, the two pieces to start with ended up being the back hip sewn with the back skirt, working my way up towards CB before going towards CF, with the CF being the last one sewn. Also, one piece was sewn halfway before being sewn fully later in the process.

My pattern pieces ended up having letters as well as numbers, which set the sewing chronology (some pieces had several letters). But I still had to have the mock-up next to me, checking constantly, to make sure each piece was turned the right way and sewn in the correct order.

What was it like to compete this year? What would you say to someone who is on the fence about entering next year?

Do it for you. Don't compete with the others but with yourself. Set goals about your entry; when you reach them you have already won :D.

More information on my entry can be found here.

My comments Subscribe RSS

galadriel 5 months 22 days

I've been fascinated by your entry since I first saw the in progress pictures - it turned out really nicely! Congratulations on a lovely entry.

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

I'm so happy you like it and thank you so much for sticking to it and seeing the process <3

clockwork_faerie 5 months 22 days

I took have enjoyed seeing this come together on your Instagram! Its so high concept and you pulled it off beautifully! I love these photos! The designing with the cut of the fabric stripes is really incredible. You got skillz, woman!

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

Oh my, you made me blush. That is so kind of you <3 <3. Though I don't feel I have skills, since I blunder through most of it and am frustrated most of the time..:P
The photos ARE awesome! Thanks to Kitty Mortensen, she was so kind to help me out and she has an incredible entry in the intermediate group (SHE has skillz ;) )

certainsundries 5 months 22 days

As others have said, it has been a delight to see your process on social media, and it's wonderful to see your finished product. I definitely see your Bauhaus influence! Nicely done!

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

Oh my, thank you for following all my blunders :P It was fun to share and for the first time share the good and the bad. So happy you like the end result <3

equinoxxlatex 5 months 21 days

Beautiful use of fabric design, it really draws the eye and emphasises the natural lines of the body. Love it!

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

Thank you so much :D..Means a lot to read that, that the intended effect did work out as planned. I've stared at that fabric so much, that I was not sure anymore confused

kitty mortensen 5 months 20 days

I'm so proud of you! This came out so well, your contouring with lines- genius

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

<3 Means a lot Kitty, thank you. And "contouring with lines", that is such a great way to describe it, blew my mind..<3

jema 5 months 20 days

The way you used the stripes to create planes and angles within the curved body pattern is absolute genius. It's dramatic and clever and modern and deeply architectural, I love it!

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

Thank you so so much Jema! This is exactly what I was going for :D

royalblack 5 months 20 days

After following the your posts on social media I was really looking forward to seeing the finished result of this project.
I love how unconvential this is and how cleverly you used the stripe pattern.
Especially the sitting down picture also shows what a striking silhouette you have achieved and I think it's perfect for the theme.

P.S.: I love the hooded collar!

artoftheneedle 5 months 20 days

Thank you for the kind words Barbara, am so glad you like the finished piece. And me and Kitty had so much fun on the shoot; I had an idea, she went for it and she simply brought it all to a higher dimension.

The hooded collar is actually two pieces: the leather shoulder collar that Kitty borrowed me and a hooded top out of stretchy mesh underneath which I made for a Fetish ball once :P.