The Creative Process

...or, "Why I'm Not Actually Absent-Minded."
...or, "Don't Interrupt Me, I'm Processing!"

I've always been fascinated with others' descriptions of their creative processes.  How it is that their brains manage to kick out their particular interpretation of beauty, reality, environment, whatever.

For me, so much of the process of "making" (for excellent explanation of this concept, I refer you to Elaine Lipson's Red Thread Studio blog) is purely cognitive - it's literally all in my head.  While I do learn quite a bit kinesthetically, visual learning is my strongest inclination.  If I can't "see" it, I really can't comprehend it.  Until I can visualize the concept in a way that makes sense to me, it's pretty much gobbledygook.  Needless to say this can be incredibly frustrating not only to me but also to the person who is trying (usually in a verbal manner) to explain whatever it is.  It also can be equally frustrating for me to keep trying to explain something that is so completely obvious to me - because I can see it in my head as perfectly as if it was already manifest physically - to others who of course are not privy to my inner vision.

I think that's why makers can sometimes come across as "spacey."  When visual people are processing, they can become completely absorbed by their thought process and retreat within.  I know my family and friends are very well acquainted with my processing mode - when I tune out because I'm working out some sort of construction or design detail.  It's more than just a simple distraction; it's an intense focus that is completely dominating my thought process.

For me, much of the intellectually satisfying part of making is basically figuring out how it will all work together.  I love clothing construction with interesting seam details and structural qualities that are sculptural in nature.  It's so fascinating to puzzle through the construction process and put together all the details that make up the glorious whole.  A form of architecture as much as sculpture, really.  Embellishment is added as "frosting" to finish the look that I have envisioned.  But for me it is the usually just that - the finishing trim - rather than the focus of the piece.  When teaching my "Simply Sewing with Silk" class this fall in Houston, I was asked by a student how these seaming techniques would apply themselves to quilting.  I must admit I was briefly taken aback by the question.  Wasn't it obvious?  Of course it wasn't - this was someone whose creative process and aesthetic was different than mine.  I decided to answer by saying that learning different seams that were appropriate to the fabric you were using (various silk fabrics lend themselves well to alternative seams due to their structural qualities) gives you additional textural and structural elements to add to a design - that seams themselves have their own design merit to consider, rather than simply the colors and shapes that they join together.  I do not know if she was satisfied with the answer but I hope it provided some insight into a different interpretation of design.

Preshrinking Wool Crepe

Don't ever underestimate the ability of a crepe fabric to shrink.
 
I should say - a true crepe fabric, as there are fabrics which are engineered to have a crepe appearance but are not actually made from crepe yarns. A crepe yarn is one that has been spun (or overspun) to the point where the yarn wants to double up on itself. Something I created quite readily as a beginning spinner! A fabric spun with these yarns has a wonderful texture, flattering dull surface and great recovery due to the springy nature of the yarn.

Unfortunately, this is also why true crepe fabrics are prone to shrinkage. Especially in the lengthwise direction. All fabrics are woven under tension and when that tension is relaxed - particularly in the presence of moisture - those springy yarns do what comes naturally and coil back up, causing the fabric to shrink. Add in the factor a naturally felting fiber such as wool and you have a preshrinking challenge on your hands.

There are various traditional ways to preshrink wool fabrics. It used to be common to send your wools to the dry cleaner to be preshrunk but many modern dry cleaners don't even understand what that service entails. So most of us are left to preshrink for ourselves. Here's a couple of the more common methods used:

London Shrink:
Thoroughly dampen a sheet and roll wool yardage up in the sheet. (Some dampen the wool rather than the sheet.)
Allow the damp wool to rest overnight or longer. The purpose of this is to use the moisture to encourage the wool to relax, and therefore shrink.
Steam the wool yardage thoroughly with a steam iron, allowing each section to dry before steaming a new section.

Towel and Dryer - from Pamela Erny at "Off the Cuff": 
Serge or zig-zag the raw edges of the fabric.
Next, wet some clean thick towels with HOT water until they are very wet but not quite dripping.
Now toss the hot wet towels and the fabric into your clothes dryer. 
Set the dryer on HIGH heat, and tumble the fabric and hot wet towels for 40 minutes.
Take the yardage out of the dryer and lay flat until cool.
 
For my latest wool crepe project, I decided to stick with steaming only as my preshrinking method. I put a couple of sturdy hooks in the ceiling so I could hang my yardage up by pants hangers and use a Jiffy freestanding steamer. (Steamers are great - keep your eyes open for gently used models. I found mine at a swap meet for $20. No joke.) I steamed it very thoroughly, shifting the fabric several times to ensure I had steamed every inch. The crepe was allowed to cool and dry completely. Then I placed the wool on my ironing board and steamed it again, very thoroughly. A slight thickening of the fabric did occur, but nothing that detracted from the hand or drape of the fabric.
 
Although I was pleased with the results of steam shrinking, I lengthened the slacks by 2 inches over what I would normally cut and I was glad that I did so, as the slacks still managed to shrink a bit more during the tailoring process, all in the lengthwise direction.

For my next wool crepe project, I think I will try letting the wool soak in a tub of warm water (not hot) without agitation (this would cause it to felt rather than simply shrink). Basically, the same process used to preshrink fusible interfacing. Allow the wool to cool, and then spin the water out and hang to dry.