The purpose of this assignment was to learn how to work with flexible material in order to create a wearable prototype. I also wanted to see how used clothing could be upcycled, so I started sketching ideas to turn a pair of jeans into a reversible bag.
Sketching
With a lack of experience sewing, I was unsure how to tackle this project, so I started sketching to better visualize my prototype. After drawing a pair of pants I used dotted lines to represent where I would cut. When initially sketching I had several ideas but I couldn't decide on just one. This led to me combining two of my sketches to create a reversible bag.
Prototype
The bag can be worn either vertically (left) or horizontally (right).
I used two pairs of old jeans to create this bag, so the only source of "new" material was the thread I used to sew it together. I wanted to retain the structure of the pants as much as possible in order to mesh the identity of a bag and pants into one. Because of this, I skipped creating the foundational pattern and simply built off the foundational shape of the pants. The flexibility of the material inspired me to create an interactive fold aswell, leading to the bag's reverisiblity.
Features
Step 1
Detach the handle on the open side of the bag.
Step 2
Reverse the
fold and turn the
bag horizontal.
Step 3
Attach the handle through both side button holes.
For the handle I used the jean waist line with the front two jean pockets still attached, acting as additional bag space. Taking further influence from the pants I reused the tack buttons to attach the handle on both ends of the bag, and cut in new button holes. This buttoning method allowed for flexibility in handle placement.
Analysis
I personally had a lot of fun working on this prototype. I enjoyed thinking through how I could transform an object with one function into another, especially with a malleable material like fabric. If I were to reiterate upon this prototype, however, I would first focus on trying different attachment methods like zippers. This could potentially add a new bag form and additional structure support. I would then see how I could make the strap adjustable as it allows for crossbody carrying. Overall I appreciated the journey in making this prototype and would want to explore different ways to upcycle clothing.
All work created under the guidance of Professor Brock F. Craft