Week Nineteen

This week has been mainly aimed at mounting samples/drawings in order to get them looking presentable for the project deadline. I am pleased with the results believing it makes my fabrics for fashion samples appear more professional. This has also given myself opportunity to reflect on the work produced during the project and think about how could of improved as well as looking at things I could continue to work on.
I now feel that from looking over this project I could have produced more samples, even though I am happy with the ones I have create I understand that the hand process of embroidery is that of a slow one and hope that is taken into consideration when marking. I have been able to speed up the process with time but it still not a quick process to get correct. I am pleased with my hand process approach with the creation of sequins to hand pattern making, this feel like a more personal approach and feel that on this occasion it was appropriate to do so.

PE Presentation Evaluation

From the previous presentation given to students and staff earlier in the project, I will reflect and give a brief evaluation on my personal feelings towards the task. From a personal point of view my feeling towards the presentation were good, It went better than I expected. Visually I considered my presentation to be simple but effective and feel the images used were that of relevance. Verbally I could have been clearer and less mumbled but unfortunately nerves did not help with this problem, maybe this could have made my presentation clearer I way of explaining. Although I feel, I did put over my plans which appeared clear to me at the time knew that my importance was to test, experiment, and felt I could explain how I would be able to do so.  The ideas of my project are that of simples ones but hopefully ones that will appear effective and unusual in the contemporary.

Overall I feel that I have an underlying interest to processes and methods of the traditional combined with the use of contemporary materials and feel this will continue through to my next Unit X project with further investigation of these processes. As my interest is that of surfaces and patterns this will most defiantly continue through to my next project however I am unsure if it will be followed on from that of the previous or will further to a completely new theme. I feel this will become clearer when everything is put together at the end of this unit. 

LEARNING AGREEMENT

BA(Hons)Textiles in Practice

Student name: Kate Victoria Ward

Unit title & no: Practice Unit

Project title : Fragments of beauty

Project statement (aims and outline)

The concept of my project is fragments of beauty, which has stemmed from a summer research project where I found myself inspired by fragments of broken tiles on a trip to Barcelona at Park Guell. I found these fragments inspiring so much so they later led me to look at other types of fragments, which then appeared as butterfly wings which I also, consider fragments of beauty. I plan to use the information and photographs to create drawings which I hope will led to new imagery in which can be used for pattern and mark making.

Identify areas of research: My aim within this unit is to create a series of fashion fabric samples from a researched subject that I will aim to translate with a mix of contemporary and traditional methods. The project will be a chance for me to experiment with different types of fabrics used within fashion and some that are not so well associated. I will use hand embroidery to experiment that will hopefully allow me to create unusual and exciting samples by way of using contemporary media against traditional methods of embroidery.

Identify context for work: I feel the series of fabric samples produced for this project will be aimed towards a fashion audience although I would like to show this in contrast showing how the samples could be simply translated into an interiors context if so wished.

Future intentions: For future work, I am hoping this current project will give me the basis needed to create a solid Unit X project, where I aim to further ideas with the previous successful sampling experiments.

Week Eighteen

These are images are my patterns formed into repeat patterns of 100cm x 25cm. These images have been saved as tiff files and sent for the competition opportunity created by Lampara. A company who creates lampshades who is requires patterns to their shades. I though this would be an ideal opportunity to show a contrast in audiences in order to show how my patterns created could be used in that of interiors.

Week Seventeen

Here I have been using my prints that I did not like which were digital prints of my patterns onto cotton but the cotton did not give the feel that I wanted to create, it felt to crisp and to sharp. I was trying to create a softer more delicate approach to it so I found way that I could make it more my own where I could still use the prints and not waste them. The samples shown here are ones created by these cotton prints combined with the use of the embellisher which I feel created a organic and softer feel to the samples.

I experiments with various materials and found that I preferred that of wool, felt and silk georgette. Some fabrics like the silk viscose did not work as it pulled the fabric instead on bonding them together. I feel that these samples could be worked back into with mix of previous samples methods.

Week Sixteen

Here I have been using the same plastic fabric used previously but experimenting with the sequins circles in a different way instead of sewing them on I wanted to try and create a flatter feel to them. I have done this by using either cut out sequins or cut out fabric circles from the prints I had originally done and gluing them with fabric glue flat. The glue dries clear after a few days and leaves the fabric looking like this. I find this process interesting as the fabric allows movement with the samples making them good for fashion. As before the laminate printed could not be used for garment construction but now this method has made this possible.

Week Fiftteen

From looking back at my previous samples I have created I realised I had not been sewing in the traditional tapestry method much, this was purely because it is a lengthy process and my aim was trying to use it in a non conventional way. So I thought I would have a go at sewing on different fabrics to challenge this leading me on to the experimentation of plastic like the sample above. I understand that the circles being translated from my previous patterns are not perfectly round but I like this feel, the butterfly wing I took my inspiration from originally were not perfect. If I wad to do this sample again I would try and use water soluble to follow the pattern instead of the original mesh for tapestry this makes it easy sewing but sometimes creates it to thick and as you can see on the images above it can sometimes leave the white of the mesh sticking out of the stitch.

Week Fourteen

This week I have been to the print room and got more prints done. Still sewing grids on my work and cutting out sequins so therefor not much has changed. Although I would say I am happy with the samples worked on this week. I feel that the samples I have had printed would have been better in the single silk georgette but I tried the habitai because I wanted to show a range of light fabrics, I just happen to prefer the georgette.

Week Thirteen

This week I have been cutting more circles out for the purpose of creating new patterns. This time I have been using images of tapestry that I have created, trying to change the feel of the pattern. It has become apparent from my experience in embroidery that tapestry can be a long process to get right. Therefor I felt this was an idea opportunity to create patterns with the tapestry prints onto them. This would make the process quicker as well as effective. 

This idea came from the fashion designer Giles Deacon who has created garments such as the ones below which contain printed tapestry and embroidery on them. I find these images especially inspiring because of my personal love of embroidery and beadwork.