Launch on the Runway: A Psyche Fashion Line
Alyssa Armstrong & Hope Elliott
Major: Mechanical Engineering & Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics)
Genre/Medium: Crochet and Digital Painting
About the work: “For this project, we created crochet fashion pieces inspired by the Psyche mission. Alyssa also painted “Inspire the Next Generation” representing this project’s theme to raise excitement about space exploration.
Hope:
I incorporated different colors, weights, and styles of yarn and thread while completing my collection. I liked using the different gray tones to portray shadows and craters as well as metallic thread for the metal aspects of Psyche. The colorful yarn on the ski mask was chosen because of its resemblance to the colors from the Psyche logo, and I liked the nod to it. I wanted my pieces to all be centered around Psyche 16, specifically, so they are all constructed to be reflective of its shape. My inspiration for this collection came from an artist Alexandria Masse, who crochets amazing art and whose balaclavas really spoke to me. She has brought so many ideas to the plain masks, that I really wanted to see what I could create.
Alyssa:
My pieces were created to inspire more people to get involved in space exploration. I made a Psyche doll based on Psyche’s design in “Soul of Psyche” for children to play with. I hope little girls with big dreams that play with the Psyche doll will be inspired to achieve those dreams in the future. I also created a pink crochet tank top that matches the doll’s dress. A simplified version of the spacecraft design is stitched on the front with sparkly light pink yarn. To complete the look, I made pink ruffled armbands that match the doll’s design. Pink is the main color of my pieces because the Psyche logo is the first NASA logo with the color pink. In addition to my crochet pieces, I digitally painted “Inspire the Next Generation”. This piece features a little girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. She holds the Psyche doll as she imagines the vastness and beauty of space in her room. Within the painting you can see toys, drawings, and books about space showing her passion for it. This painting represents the importance of allowing children to run free with their imagination because it might be the dream of a child today, but it could be the greatest discovery of tomorrow. ”
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