Final Semester of Degree

Well as from Monday it is my final Semester of my degree and it will have taken four years. Its been a great journey and I have met some amazing friends for life out of it, plus extending knowledge. Although at this stage I feel that I would actually like to start it all again and I could do so much better! (mature student talk!!)

Will be pushing forward with my Shreds of Evidence and have been researching book binding, printing press (visiting a Book Binding company in Huddersfield on Tuesday) and quilting for my textile art book. I would also like to show that I can produce surface pattern within this and tell the story of traditions in the printing industry.

I've been to some wonderful exhibitions over the past two weeks. The Sashiko Exhibition has finished at York now but it was amazing. Dionne Swift at the Bankfield in Halifax wonderful and I urge people to go see it.

Taking the time to go see exhibitions is so important, personally I feel it makes you think more in depth what you can do with your own work. We all take inspiration from different things, surroundings and also from other peoples work - obviously in a positive way, even a simple stitch can lead to great thoughts of interpretation. It kick starts an idea that you had but was stored at the back of your brain, that is why I feel blogs/diaries are such a good way of exploring how you feel and taking work forward. A discussion in your head - typed out to clarify things!

Re-Make Project Complete

Well I did it - with a little help with Sylvia in the Fashion/Textile workshop and a few fashion students! They were a great help the days my tutor Hannah wasnt in.

It was certainly a challenge taking apart a man's shirt and making it into a womans, I now have great respect for all those shirt makers out there!

The interesting thing was not to be defeated really, there is always someone you can ask (or google for that matter!). Problems like the collar shrinking due to printing the fabric! Little things can appear very challenging until you ask for advice and someone shows you how to do it and it wasnt so difficult after all.

I am really pleased with the shirt and the attached apron as it fits in with my Shreds of Evidence project.

Finished photo here. It is actually too big for my daughter so she wasnt comfortable wearing it so I will post another photo soon showing it off better really. The stained cuffs represent the ink stains of the job working within a print environment, the back of the shirt is still unprinted as I wanted to show the back "clean" and the front as the working part of the shirt.

Crit - done and dusted

Crit last week went well. Although you have the words in your head once you start talking you forget to say things which is very annoying! Its always a lot of hard work getting everything organised and boards completed but I was really pleased at the end of it all. Need to catch up of my sleep now though.

The general opinion was that I carry on with my Shreds of Evidence theme. I think because it is so different to what I normally do it will challenge me and the idea of a textile book which lead me on to book binding, quilting etc so new skills to learn.

Its such a relief when all the files/sketchbooks are handed in but there is also the little nagging doubt in the back of your head - if only I had more time I could have done more work! We have a week away from college now so I am hoping to see a few exhibitions, Dionne Swift at the Bankfield, Japanese Sashiko Textiles at the York Art Gallery and Rob Ryan at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I may in a few weeks try get to the Slow Movement exhibition in Edinburgh as I unfortunately missed it in Birmingham. I need to get organised!

Assignment week is looming

Next week is our crit and presentation of our two projects we are currently running. Mine are Shreds of Evidence - Print and its machinery and Blodeuwedd - The Flower Bride.

I've been busy doing lots of embroidery samples having completed alot of printing before Christmas.

here is a peak of some samples. Blodeuwedd - very floral obviously, cut work and lots of stitching.

Shreds is machinery colours, blacks, greys etc and metallic threads symbolising the words running the books, newspapers. If I continue with this one I need quilting materials to get the precision required. We shall see!