Additional experiences that made my course exciting and inspiring.

Taking part in extra curricular activities for a bit of light-hearted fun.

Below is a link to a textile exhibition in which I took part to show case some of the students work based on imagery taken at Arley Hall.
http://www.priestleygraphics.co.uk/summer14/woodland.html
I thoroughly enjoyed taking part; it was a welcome rest from all the hard work I had been putting into my studies.

My work was also chosen to be showcased in the college Fashion Show of which I also took part in to raise money for charity.
http://www.priestleygraphics.co.uk/catwalkblog/catwalk.html

The finished result.

Finished final piece - a combination of all my favourite techniques and samples.

Detail shot.

Detail shot.

For my final piece I decided to use an umbrella as my starting point as I knew it would be a challenge (having to alter designs repeatedly and adding/removing elements to make the piece work). For the details on this piece I used a variation of stitch - some used to create texture, some for detailed work; and some areas with water-dissolved stitch. I feel that the combination of material and stitch worked very well - making me happy with the finished product. I believe it showcases my inspiration from both designer research and my theme of rusty, decaying surfaces.

Designing unusual Textile Art pieces.

Design ideas inspired by unusual approaches to textiles and my artists research.

Inspired by Kris Estenger combined with an unusual approach to textiles.

Expanding my mind to think of more unusual means of combining my research and experiments into a final work of Textile Art was difficult, however it deeply engaged me. I enjoyed pushing the boundaries of what is commonly seen as beautiful and trying to take something average and often seen as unsightly and bringing excitement and interest back into it. My designs ranged from plant pot textile pieces, to umbrellas and lamp shades. Knowing now that I am capable of thinking widely outside of the box from carrying out this project has amazed me.

Creating samples from artists research and primary photograph inspiration.

One of my  more personal experiments - image transfer using sellotape, with detail added using stitch and scraps of material.

One of my favourite samples based on the work of Maggie Ayres; one of my most preferred techniques - using an embellisher.

Using my research into designers who had unusual approaches to material manipulation, I produced a range of samples varying in complexity and material, however each was designed with my theme in mind whilst trying to be original and unusual with my approach. I thoroughly enjoyed thinking outside of the box when designing my samples as it has matured my way of thinking about the endless possibilities of designing with a wide range of materials. When looking for material to up-cycle and reuse I decided the blue tones from metal and old decaying wood would be an appropriate colour scheme.

Exam Unit A2 Textiles - Unusual approaches

Primary imagery used for inspiration for stitch and texture ideas.

Secondary imagery plus a stylised drawing for pattern inspiration.

Development drawing with stitch used to  create depth and areas to cut through. - based on rusting metal.

Due to the success of my coursework unit I started the exam unit in a similar way - finding inspirations from primary and secondary imagery.  I found great inspiration in the textures of rotting and decaying surfaces, which led to the progression of my ideas for textures and a colour scheme. Rust and decaying metal was one of my larger influences and a great base to begin my research. I wanted to use the details from my photos to produced a set of tracings and development drawings that enabled me to refine the kind of style work I wanted to produce.

My Final Piece.

My favourite piece of work that I have ever produced: my final piece.

Creating my final piece was a lengthy, challenging process, but after all the research, experiments, drawings, samples and design ideas came together it was a massive triumph for me. I ensured my final piece was representative of my entire journey through the coursework unit, whilst embodying my enjoyment, personality and inspirations at the same time. This garment showcases the many techniques in which I took a long time to perfect, and dainty details that took a long time to just do (especially the water-dissolved leaves) Looking at this piece now, one year later, I am still incredibly proud.

Combining my ideas and techniques to create a final product.

Four of Twenty-five design ideas - pulling together all my research and development work.

Designing garments has always been easy for me as it's always been a hobby of mine from being a young child, but never have I designed garments based on research, experimentation of ideas and samples I have produced myself. This aspect was very exciting, and I may have gone a little over board with the designing process. I made each of my designs original yet inspired by my influential designers, and each carried within them a common theme. This made it rather difficult to decide on the design ideas to elaborate on and improve to create my final piece.



Developing my own ideas.

Recycled scraps of denim alongside one of my development drawings.

Re-used fabrics and plastic bags.

New ideas created from old, worn materials and book pages.

Recycling materials became a very important part of my designing process. For the majority of my samples I used various scraps of materials combined with fabrics and paper, and doing so gave me great pleasure. Each sample I produced, I experimented with variation of line and stitch, as well as manipulation and layering of my materials. Not only did this allow me to flourish in terms of refining my own abilities but also encouraged me to learn new techniques. Creating samples inspired by the designers I had researched was easily one of my favourite aspects of the coursework unit.

Researching designers and finding influences.

Betty Pepper

Violise Lunn & Georgina Karanika Karaindrou

Carole Grace

Once I had decided on the style of work I wanted to produce, researching for designers to use became much more interesting. I took care to ensure I included designers that carry an element of recycling within their work alongside a style that I admire. I researched into a number of textile and fashion designers in order to experiment with materials and techniques. Violise Lunn and Carole Grace were a heavy influence in my designs and sample techniques - I find the angelic appeal of their work greatly inspiring and interesting to experiment with.

Getting started with A2 Textiles - Re-use, re-form, reveal. (Coursework unit)

Refined primary photographs.

Stylised drawing using my primary imagery.

To begin my coursework unit I collected a range of primary and secondary imagery to give me inspiration for shapes and textures to use in my work. I began with a wide range of photographs taken from several aspects of natural forms (bark, petals and flowers, stone, moss); once I had decided on the aspect I most preferred I then took further images within my more precise theme - wilting flowers and leaves. Doing so allowed me to refine my sketches and stylised drawings to something I was more interested in and steer my work in a more personal direction.