Week 1-3
The first few weeks I did research on salsa costumes and 3D printing facilities. I went to the engineering department at CSULA but they only worked with an 8×8 size scale. After I gathered all the information I realized 3D printing would not be the best option for my project.
Week 4-7
Now, I have decided to work with LED lights and I think it will add on to the flamboyant costumes they are known for. In the first picture I draped muslin on the mannequin and it was a HUGE mistake. When I cut out the pieces, they looked really big. I should have used mesh to drape instead of using muslin. However, I did not realize this until I cut out the pattern pieces. I was upset because I wasted time and fabric but at least I learned through my mistake. I started all over again and bought different fabric because I didn’t want to work with mesh. I used lycra instead and created a different pattern piece. The second picture shows all the pattern pieces I created through the process.
Week 8-9
Throughout these two weeks I put the garment pieces together. First I used the overlap to close the sides, the crotch, and the straps. Then I used the cover stitch machine to allow the garment to stretch without breaking the stitches. The cover stitch was sewn along the areas where the two pieces connect as well as the leg and arm holes. The most difficult part was binding the neck and back area. I used the same fabric by cutting a long 1in wide strip. I had to redo the binding about 20 times because I kept messing up and it took me longer than it should have. The last picture shows the garment on a mannequin. I pinned a bow on the lower part of the back to see how it would look. I had also sewn tassels along the right shoulder to decide whether or not to keep it.
Week 10-11
I began experimenting with the LED lights. I went to Home Depot and specifically asked for the LED wearable lily pads but they had no idea what I was asking for. Instead, I experimented with the regular Christmas lights and sewed it onto a handmade bow. I also added rhinestones on the back.
Week 12
I began working on the pop-up. I cut out the same pattern I used for the costume but I used red and grey color fabric instead. I made 12 pieces: 6 red and 6 grey all in sizes S-XL.
Week 13
The LED lily pads I ordered online finally came. I realized that the cell battery holder was too big and obvious so I thought of buying appliqué to try to dissimulate the battery holder. In the first picture I played around with the placement of the objects on the garment. I decided to add the lights only on one side and place rhinestones on the other side. I didn’t like how the bow came out because the lights didn’t look presentable and I didn’t know where exactly to place the big battery that came with it. Therefore, I attached a bustle and thought of adding lily pad lights to it as well.
I tested out the led lights on muslin before sewing it onto the garment but it wouldn’t turn on. I tried it several times using different stitches and watching youtube tutorials. I noticed that people used embroidery hoops to help them make stitches so I used a picture frame hoping that it would work this time. Unfortunately, it was no help. The led light still didn’t work. I got extremely frustrated and didn’t want to continue so I took a long break 
Week 14
I continued working on the pop-up. The original plan was to add rhinestones but I figured I wouldn’t finish on time for the pop-up sale so I made gold chains instead. I cut the chains in different lengths depending on the size of the bodysuit. I used a body form to guide me on the length and placement of the chains. I also made little loops using plastic strips to clip the chains onto the bodysuit. When I tested it out I noticed the clasps were too small so I purchased bigger ones. Thankfully it all worked out at the end!
Week 15
I made the tags for the pop up sale. I purchased little tags, plastic boxes, and hemp cord. I made the logo using canva and glued it onto the back side of the tag. I also kept working on the final project. I glued down all the rhinestone on the front part and the back. Since the led lily pads did not work I decided to use the bow after all. I was disappointed because my visual did not come to life.
Diana Ponce 