Draping as meditation

It looked so easy. The tutor grabbed a men’s shirt from the charity shop and transformed it within the shortest time into a folded beauty. It perfectly fitted the mannequin it was made on. Only using plenty of pins.

The idea of this upcycling transformation was inspirational. It had a hypnotic effect on the 20 or so students in this Zoom workshop held by Christine Mayer. The participants were dotted all around the world – from southern California to northern Scotland and Australia, with the tutor teaching from Berlin.

Next, the students were asked to apply this technique to their own dress form and their own men’s shirts, in my case, collected from various neighbours the day before. It had looked so easy.

What you see here is attempt number 3. It is a start.

I will keep at it because it is a completly engrossing activity that makes you forget everything else.

As you would expect, Christine’s workshop pieces were much more inventive and striking. She asked her students to “listen to the fabric” and switch off rational thinking. It takes some practice.

Apologies for the thumbnail quality of the photos. You can appreciate Christine’s work by visiting her website. She creates beautiful clothes out of antique flour bags, military uniforms or even old tents.