The Sewing Room

It has been a very exciting week at the Fashion and Textile Gallery with the opening on Tuesday 9^th March of our History of Wool Exhibition.

The exhibition explores the progression of wool from a functional fibre in the 19th century to its emergence on the fashion stage as a luxury commodity utilized by some of the world’s most prominent designers, Christian Dior, Michelle Jank, Jenny Kee, Linda Jackson, Thierry Mugler and Vivien Chan Shaw

From a Victorian bathing costume to a 1960s Dior suit to the 2009 Supreme Wool Award winning evening gown from the Australian Wool Fashion Awards (TAWFdA).

The Faashion and Textile Gallery is an educational facility for emerging designers, dressmaking enthusiasts and an inspiring venue for anyone interested in fashion and fashion history.

Exhibition venue: Fashion and Textile Gallery
8 Hill Street, Level 7, Surry Hills
Dates: 9th March – 8th May
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11am – 3pm
CLOSED THURSDAY (or by appointment)
Admission: $5 adults, $3 concession

The Dreaming of Dior exhibition draws to a close as did the Grant Cowan Fashion Illustration workshop on the weekend. Grant Cowan is the illustrator of HarperCollins Book ‘Dreaming of Dior’ by Charlotte Smith. His class was an intense one day drawing workshop using the garments from the exhibition as inspiration.

Grant’s one day workshop looks at the basic skill of producing fashion illustrations.Grant teaches his students to visually communicate the fashion figure in a simple pose and silhouettes in basic artistic media.

The day was divided into three parts, firstly an introduction into fashion drawing as a form of communication and brief introduction from Grant Cowan and his experience as a Fashion Illustrator. How fashion drawing is used to communicate within the fashion industry

Then students are instructed on how to develop their own female fashion figure. Grant will discuss the difference between the human body vs. fashion figure through the anatomy of the human body and its relation to a fashion illustration, anatomical study and observational sketching.

 With the final part of the day focusing on experimentation with a range of basic artistic media techniques to represent silhouette and texture with the use of tone, variation of line and shape to create a image that looks 3-D. Also simple techniques to create design details such as the texture of lace, feathers and embellishment was touched upon.

It was sad to see our first exhibition come down. But very exciting to know that there is another on it’s way with the ‘Wool in Fashion’ opening on the 9^th March 2010.

You will be pleased to know Grant will be given more Illustration Classes in the future at the Sewing Room. Contact me on 9360 0585 or via email on penelopeleonard@thesewingroom.com.au if you would like to enrol in one of his future workshops or short course.