Apparel and Textile Design Projects
My apparel design projects often focus around swimming, upcycling (such as using the scraps from one project as the material for another), and comfort. Swimming inspired both the functional and aesthetic qualities of several projects. I was inspired to address functional needs of swimmers when I designed novel swimming-related garments, formal clothing made to fit swimmers' bodies, and upcycled training swimsuits. I was inspired by the aesthetic qualities of water in my hand-dyed swimming-inspired textile collection and in my collection of formal clothing for swimmers. I also enjoy making casual athletic clothing, crocheting blankets, and designing functional apparel.
Adjustable, Athletic Heating Brace for Multiple Joints
This versatile brace is adjustable to fit the wrist, elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle. It stays on during activity and stays secure during the movement of the joint.
Arthritis Garment for Senior Dogs
Supportive garment with hot and cold pads for arthritis relief
Beach Bride
Custom wedding dress for a winter wedding by the beach
Breathing Room
"Breathing Room" is a fashion collection that I designed specifically to fit female swimmers. As a swimmer, it has often been hard to find clothes that fit my body properly, especially in the shoulders and across the back. This collection of formal clothing is made to fit the muscular bodies and wide shoulders of swimmers. I drafted original patterns for each fashion piece.
Breathing Room Beach Collection
"Breathing Room" is my collection of clothing designed specifically to fit the body proportions of female swimmers. For this part of the collection, I made lightweight activewear that is easy to layer if the weather changes and is ideal for the beach or other outdoor activities. I chose soft knits that dry quickly, sand does not cling to, and are comfortable to wear while lounging or being active.
Breathing Room Business Apparel
I expanded my "Breathing Room" collection (clothing made specifically to fit the wide shoulders and muscular bodies of female swimmers) to include business clothes for professional environments.
Comfy & Casual Spring 2021 Collection
This spring collection features bright colors based off of the 2021 color palette. The collection includes lightweight knit shirts, tanks, shorts, and skirts for warm weather, and fleece jackets and shorts for cooler weather. I incorporated color-blocking, citrus and floral prints, and diagonal lines.
Crocheted Blankets
I love soft blankets! I crochet as a stress-relieving activity between races at swim meets or to keep my hands moving while watching movies, reading, or waiting around.
Crocheted Clothing
I have been crocheting clothing, including tank tops, skirts, and scarves, out of yarn. I love the sculptural quality of crocheting, and how simple it is to build 3D shapes without using any patterns. I start by either crocheting a tube or by crocheting a rectangle, then give it some twists or connect sides with a seam in order to create 3D shapes.
Crocheted kitchen towels and coasters
Here is a collection of coasters and kitchen towels that I crocheted with 100% cotton yarn. The yarn is very absorbent, so it works well for drying hands, drying dishes, cleaning spills, etc.
Crocheting Instruction Book
Here is an instruction book that I made to demonstrate a basic crochet stitch. I often use this stitch for making blankets or scarves because it is simple to learn and looks nice. I taught a crochet workshop and made this book as a review/reference guide for students.
Digital Textile Design
These seamless repeat textiles were designed digitally and either screen printed or printed with a digital fabric printer onto fabric
Fleece for the family
Here are custom fleece jackets that I made for several family members and friends.
Functional Fleece Clothing
Here is a collection of fleece jackets and hoodies featuring several different functional and aesthetic design features!
Hand-Painted Shirts
These are shirts that I painted with fabric paint for family and friends. I mainly use mixtures of black, white, gold, and silver paint on colorful shirts.
Hand-dyed upcycled bed sheet pajamas
I sewed pajamas out of old flannel bed sheets. The elastic on the fitted sheets was too old and worn out to hold the sheets on the mattress, so I cut up the sheets and sewed pajamas. Next, I hand-dyed these in an indigo bath using the Shibori method to give them a fresh color and design.
Hat knitting
In 2005, I learned how to knit hats on knitting looms in elementary school knitting club. I taught a few friends on my swim team how to knit hats, and we would knit them at swim meets while waiting around between races. We sold the hats annually as a fundraiser for our swim team for five years.
Indigo Shibori Dying
Here is a collection of clothes that I dyed using the Shibori method with indigo dye.
Lots of Knots: Summer 2021 swim, sand, sun, and sleep collection
This summer collection consists of beach apparel, swimsuits, and comfy loungewear. I have trouble tying tie-back suits behind my back due to past shoulder injuries, so I made several other options, including tie-front and tie-shoulder styles. The styles are adjustable but are designed specifically to be easy to adjust and tie for individuals who are recovering from injury or have a limited range of motion. The suits are beachy styles, but are secure for swimming and water activities. Many swimwear brands make swim trunks for males but not females, so I also made a few swim trunks designed for females.
Miscellaneous Fashion Design
I designed various garments for practice sewing and pattern making. Personally, my favorite style is relaxed-fit clothing with simple color-blocking, diagonal lines, or plain colors. Here is a variety of comfortable, casual clothing made to be worn while lounging or being active.
Painted tote bags
Sturdy, reusable bags are great for using for groceries or for packing for a beach outing. I sewed these bags from denim and then hand painted designs on the outside. They have sturdy straps and are made from double-layer denim to add durability and structure to the tote.
Screen printed Arctic Animals
I designed an "Arctic Animals" novelty border print, then printed the design on shirts and hand-dyed textiles. The print has walruses, narwhals, and whales.
Sporty Skirt Collection: 2021
Here is a collection of sporty skirts made from swimwear fabric. Swimsuit material is soft, stretchy, and dries fast, which makes it a great choice for athletic skirts or swimsuit cover-ups. These skirts have wide, comfortable waistbands in contrasting or complementing colors and prints. Some of these skirts have large pockets on the sides.
Swimming apparel for staying warm and dry
Here is a small collection of parkas designed with features for keeping the swimmer dry and warm.
Swimming-Inspired Textile Design
Here is a collection of hand-dyed swimming-inspired textiles and the process book documenting the research, fabric tests, and techniques used. The motifs are based on swimming pool tiles, symbols such as the "T" on the bottom of the pool and the "+" target on the wall, and water. The color palette and textures are inspired by water.
Swimwear: Adjustable Strap Swimsuit
This swimsuit has adjustable, removable straps so that it can be worn in several styles. The straps are fully removable so different sizes of straps can be used for different looks. I made one long strap and two medium size straps that can be used to tie the suit. The straps are secured in loops in the inside edges of the suits so that they stay in place.
Swimwear: Tummy Tanning Swimsuit
This is a one-piece suit that gives a two-piece tan. I don't like wearing two-piece suits during training because they don't feel secure enough and I feel like I have to readjust them too often. This suit stays secure like a one-piece but allows for sun exposure on the stomach like a two-piece. The suit has a fully-lined top and bottom made from a dark, opaque swimwear fabric, and an unlined, lighter-colored middle panel to let sun through on the stomach.
Swimwear: Upcycled Swimsuits
These suits are made from cutting up 100% polyester suits with worn-out elastic, and sewing them into new suits with new elastic.
Ties, Dyes, and Tie-Dye Summer 2021 Collection
This casual summer collection includes clothes with ties, natural dyes, and tie-dye techniques. I sewed these clothes and hand-dyed each piece using Shibori techniques.
Upcycled plastic clothing
These are apparel pieces made from upcycled plastic, giving a second life to plastic grocery bags and plastic cups.