LSU Hemp Expression Exhibition
Flow Pants
For my design, I wanted to create a wearable piece of art. In class, we had learned about hemp fabrics, but had not used it for any projects. Therefore, I felt this project was a perfect opportunity to gain a better understanding of hemp.
Here’s some pants I made for an exhibition over at LSU focused on making art out of hemp. These pants were made out of a 50% hemp and 50% cotton blend. I found that creating the garment took some time with prototypes and fixing mistakes but it was so worth it.
Thanks to my professors, Dickson (Egan) Marianne and Colleen Pokorny, PhD for telling me about the opportunity, donating the fabric, and helping me with writing the prompt response! Also thanks to my work, ZooCity Apparel for letting me use your power and sewing machines when the power was out.
Below is a more in-depth explanation of my design process for these pants.
My design process
For my design, I wanted to create a wearable piece of art. In class, we had learned about hemp fabrics, but had not used it for any projects. Therefore, I felt this project was a perfect opportunity to gain a better understanding of hemp. I patterned these pants on my own, using my skill set from school and practical experience. Using junk mail, I taped everything down and started patterning. With the rough idea of a pant pattern, I drew the pants and then created the patches down the leg as a tribute to my love for abstract art. I let my pencil guide me around the paper to create my pattern. Creating a muslin prototype to start off, I learned how hard this patched look was going to be. Sewing some of the tighter curves was a struggle due to the number of times the fabric caught under the needle, and I had to rip it out and redo it. The prototype pants fit, and I was confident that I had the look I desired, so I cut the final fabric. For the final design, I used a 50% hemp, 50% cotton blend fabric. I prewashed the fabric to minimize shrinkage and for better movement when sewing. From there, the process should have been simple. I’ve made pants in the past, but due to a severe storm, I lost power. To finish the process, I had to hand crank most of the top stitching and waist band. This process taught me that clothing be more than function; it can be a fun way explore creativity.