Colouring proces by Claudy Jongstra
I do not claim to give a full definition of slow fashion here. These are only a few personal reflections on the subject. The term ‘slow fashion’ is not easy to define and can be widely interpreted. A lot of initiatives are being taken under this flag, including mine. However, a few of the following aspects should be taken into account:
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Two years ago I bought a knitting machine at last! It is so exciting to explore the new possibilities! People tend to think that owning a knitting machine gives you the possibility to make anything you want in no time. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, it doesn’t work like that. It can do things you wouldn’t be able to do with needles and vice versa. It is really a very different kind of craft. You’ll first have to get acquainted with all the do’s and don’ts. I actually took lessons to learn the art of machine knitting.
A straight piece of jersey is quickly made, that’s true. I could make pullovers out of these quickly made pieces of jersey, that’s also true. But I don’t want that. I am keen on using the possibilities the machine gives me in a creative way, to make advantages out of its disadvantages (disadvantages in the eyes of a former hand knitter, that is to say).
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Jumper with orange trimming and extra long sleeves in ajour.
In the years before and after the turn of the millennium good knitting yarn was very hard to find. The same goes for fabric. Most people didn’t have the time to make their own clothes. They were busy earning a living. Besides, supply of cheap clothes was abundant. Economics were flourishing.
I remember once pulling out an old alpaca cardigan out of sheer frustration not to be able to buy good material. The cardigan was warm and functional, but it looked a bit too baggy for my taste. Wonder well the yarn had stayed intact all the time and it didn’t give me any trouble pulling it out. I knitted a nice jumper out of it and I received plenty of compliments. It made me so happy: it hadn’t cost me a cent and I got a unique piece of garment in return!
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My great-great-grandmother wearing my great-great-grandfather’s hat … just kidding, it’s me after a plunge in the dressing up trunk.
As my study got more demanding and it really needed me to focus I curiously got drawn away from it by a strong desire to further professionalize my crafts as a tailor. I never liked to copy anything already existing. Therefore I often altered the original to better meet my taste, running the risk of a complete failure. Of course that happened and I decided to do something about it. Thus I began to take lessons in drawing and designing my own patterns. I learned about forms and proportions and after I had passed my exams I could call myself a certified costumière.
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Snapshot of Barbie taking a pee
My grandmother and mother were knitters. I grew up with the sound of zealously ticking needles. They made anything from socks to bedspreads. I remember wearing cute little knitted dresses, skirts and jumpers. They even knitted me a pair of bell-bottomed trousers. For my birthday I used to get mini knitwear for my dolls among other things. I was five years old when I first saw a barbiedoll and immediately fell in love with it. She was so different from the baby dolls I knew that I didn’t want to play with them anymore. I desperately wanted to have a barbiedoll. At first my parents wouldn’t allow me. Since a barbie has breasts she was considered a doll for teenagers. But I ardently kept asking for a barbiedoll and at last my parents gave in and I got one for my sixth birthday.
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