Degree show visit, 3/3 Students work from degree show

Sioned Medi BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
Display at the degree show

Sioned Medi's work I really admire. I love the way her project has formed from initial drawings to final collection. There is a direct link from drawings to knits, this is something that in a few projects I have struggled with, the transition from drawing to knitting. I think the combination of multiple techniques within her knitted garments work wonderfully, especially the way the use of foiling mirrors the shapes created by plating, adding another layer of texture.

                   I found Sioned's display to be very well done, the two garments alongside one another along with some beautiful imagery taken on models wearing them. This display was one of my favourites as it looked very professional and clean cut, much like the style of her work. 

                  Within my third year projects I hope to bring forward what I have seen and learned from the past third years. What really makes me look forward to the year ahead is seeing the multiple garments created from the knit students. I hope to do the same this year and have a collection of my own.

Degree show visit, 2/3 Students work from degree show

Emily Eason BA (Hons) Textiles in practice

Emily Eason's work stands out to me for the combination of knit and print. In my last project I focused mainly on print, this was digital printing designs made on Photoshop using my drawings from wildlife. I really enjoyed this and would love to again print some of my drawings, I want to try printing on knit as I feel it will be the perfect combination, as I do not want my love for drawing to fade out, I want to incorporate drawing directly from start to finish. 

                   In this final year, I want to really initiate confidence in combining print and knit, I hope that my past projects show a strong understand on what works well and what does not, when it comes to looking professional. I hope this knowledge pushes my work forward to create high fashion garments. 

Degree show visit, 1/3 Students work from degree show

When visiting the Manchester School of Art Degree show, I found it really interesting to see everyone's work, as during term time I never had to time or opportunity to see anything of the third years progress. I thought that the level of the third years work was good and the variety was great, there where no two things alike. 

Collection of multiple designers from the Manchester School of Art

Above is a collection on the work that I really found inspiring, the detailed embroidery was lovely, So intricate and well done, with a very professional look, Also was the fashion students work. The fashion students display was really amazing, the room was very high fashion, what I loved most about the fashion students work, was the combination of fabrics, the cross over of knit against other textures like velvet for example looked beautiful. I feel that it made the knit stand out so much more. This is something I have tried I the past but really want to push it forward, not limiting myself to just knit, but bringing other qualities. 

Hannah Durman BA(Hons) Textiles in Practice
Display at the Degree show

On my visit I particularly like Hannah Durmans work for the variety of techniques and processes used. I find the bright bold colours beautiful and very complimentary. what I find that is parallel to what I want to achieve next year is this mix of techniques, to really show what skills I have on the knitting machines (both domestic and dubied) Also this striking and eye catching colour pallet. I believe that the colour pallet within work is what really makes the garment/ Accessory/ object really stand out.

Hannah Durman BA(Hons) Textiles in Practice 

Unit X, Post 3, Reflection

Initial Drawing

Initial Drawing

Initial drawings without colour

A Final Print 

During the last few weeks of the unit I started to really now where the project was going and found what was working with the prints. I found that the larger flowers on the prints are more what I like, but others in the group thought that the smaller more subtle colours and flowers are more their kind of thing, so I have done a variety of the both styles, which I think work well together.

The below image shows the variety of final prints in the collection, I have found a real love for print this unit and am going to continue printing, and try out screen printing in the weeks continuing after hand in, as I feel that this unit still has a lot that can be developed but have no had time to do it all. I like how the flowers are very literal but I think it would be interesting to see them a little more abstract.

Final Collection of Print Designs

During the weeks of Unit X we have had multiple tutorials with the tutors at university. These tutorials have been helpful, for both being able to tell others about our project and also get feedback about what is working well and not so well. What was suggested within the tutorials that was an interesting point was making the fabric waterproof. As we contemplated the fabric wrap being something that can be also used as a kneeling mat, making the fabric on the print side waterproof would both make it more for practical to use outdoors and also protect the print. I have researched into how to make the fabric waterproof and it is possible to do this multiple ways, such as spray or rub in oil, the best way I found was to iron on a glossy vinyl fuse, this would make it easy to wipe down.

Presentation at the Whitworth

During Unit X we also had the chance to take a visit to the Whitworth to present to them our ideas. The presentation went well and they only suggested a few things to consider. We originally thought to have a trowel of some sort with the kit, but as it can also be for indoors with the pot, it was said that there was not a need for a big trowel and that a spoon would be more suitable as it is smaller and this can then be used in the kitchen too.

Our Product 

Jemma's plant pots before ceramic transfer

I am very proud of our final product from this unit, it has been a lovely starting point and I feel that everyone has been enthusiastic about it, though some members contributed more than others. In spite of this, the product has come together well, and along side the plant pots and seed backs everything looks like a collection, its really nice to see everyone's different styles and specialities come together, and working in a group this unit has made me excited to do group work again in the future.

Final Product in the garden

Our Exhibition 

Our Exhibition 

Our Exhibition 

Setting up the exhibition was fun, it is always difficult trying to make cardboard look good but I think everyone managed it, it all looked really good. Seeing work in an exhibition at the end of the unit is a lovely feeling, it concludes the end very well. Also the fact that we made a product made it feel like we had something to show, rather than just having samples.

unit X , Post 2, Lines of enquiry/ investigations

Initial Staring point, Linear drawings 

Over the Easter break I continued to gather imagery and visual research of flowers. These flowers where of flowers found in the Whitworth park and also because our focus is to encourage wildlife and bees, it was flowers that would encourage these to the area such as Cosmos, Coneflower, Salvia, herbs etc. My drawing took a while to get going, as I did not know what style to approach in, I knew that we wanted some sort learning quality involved in our work, to teach children a bit about the flowers, so this made me think that the drawings I created needed to be recognisable. I found this very exciting working in a very illustrative way, and found a real love for drawing in this style.

Work on my colour pallet

The final group colour pallet

It has been difficult at times working in a group especially at the beginning of the unit as it took a while to decide on a solid foundation for our work, deciding on a concept and colour pallet etc. But after the the first week and a bit back that was sorted and we all started working much better and more collaboratively. The colour pallet was still not definite, and things continued to change, due to everyone working with different colours. To solve this problem we placed all work together and took colours out that were included in everyone work. I feel that this is one of many examples where I have shown an understanding of interdisciplinary perspectives, and have overcome these hurdles by communication with my group.

visualisations of my prints on ceramics

A quick illustration of what the collection will look like

We decided as a group that we would create a product focusing on 'bringing the outside in' but taking it back outside. This product we decided would be a fabric wrap including gardening seeds, a plant pot, a spoon to be used as a spade, and a fact file about flowers and bees. This we thought would be ideal for the Whitworth as they show great interest in their garden space, and also have interest in getting people connected with the outdoors. We have focussed on 'the bee' because of the Manchester Bee. The Manchester Bee represents the worker bee which symbolises Industry. Looking at Manchester as a community and bringing everyone together. We thought that this was very relevant when collaborating with the Whitworth as they are very Manchester proud and I think it is great to recognise that within our product. With this in mind we have created a hashtag #keepthebeesbusy to keep followers up to date with the work we have been doing also to remind people that their is a decline in bees and we need to do what we can to help them thrive.

#keepthebeesbusy, Bee drawn by Laura 

This wrap will allow everyone in the group to continue their practices. Jemma would focus on the plant pots as she does ceramics, Lizzie on the knit lining the wrap, Laura doing the embroidery of the seed bags. This leaving myself to design the prints for the outside.

Within this project I have been designing the prints, to then be digital printed. I chose digital printing as I am not the most confident at screen printing, and as I am confident on Photoshop I knew I could achieve the style I was looking for. The fabric we chose for the wrap was Cotton canvas as it was the most sturdy material, and we needed the wrap to have structure, this is because we had thought about what the wrap could be used for other than to store seeds, we thought it could be a knee cushion or otherwise used as a pencil case etc. The flowers in the prints needed to be very bold and colourful as this is what attracts the bees but also in keeping with the colour pallet we decided as a group. 

I have enjoyed working in a way that I can show my work to my group and get constructive criticism back in order to push my designs forward. I have really loved constantly showing my work and keeping them updated, and also seeing what everyone else is doing and reflecting on how everyone works differently.

multiple drawings layered in Photoshop

unit x, Post 1, Research

For unit X I chose the Whitworth Threads project. This brief interested me because the outcome is a product and I have never had the opportunity to create an end product before, so will be great to see a project from the beginning to the end. For the first few weeks of this unit we have been taking visits to the Whitworth. I have learnt a lot from the visits to the Whitworth, I have learnt that the re-build theme was to 'bring the outside in'. This theme runs throughout the building, from the large glass windows all around the back making it very connected with the outdoors. This theme in particular really interests me as drawing from nature has always been one of my favourite starting points. So within this project drawing and taking inspiration from nature and the outside will be a strong narrative. 

With this theme in mind, the current exhibitions at the Whitworth are very nature based , for example many of the wallpapers include drawings of floral and trees. The wallpaper particularly interest me as print has always been an area of practice I have wanted to push further but not had the chance to do so, so during this unit feel that I will be able to use the time as an opportunity to try working in a way that is very new. The above image of one of the many wallpapers caught my eye as it is a very literal way of drawing, and again drawing in a way that is very literal is something that I love but do not get chance to do, as I specialise in knit so is quite an abstract way to work. 

Lucienne Day Special Collections

One of the many visits to the Whitworth included a look in the special collections, looking more into Lucienne Day. All the prints of hers we where shown where lovely though her style is not a style that I work in. Though what did interest me was her inspiration, and this was of nature and her bright bold colour pallet. 

Collaborative Art work with Alice Kettle

Another activity that we took part in was a Visit by Alice Kettle. Alice Kettle spoke a lot about narrative, and encouraged us to work collaboratively and create a big piece of art work. This task told me a bit about myself. When working in a group I feel like I like to take the lead role, though I am very open to listening to what everyone else has to say, I like to have lots of discussion and be productive. I have found this out more whilst working in groups, even when working in groups for the egg throw, were our egg was lucky enough to win and survive.

I feel that I am still figuring out what drawing style I have, though find that when I do draw I choose to draw very literally and with a lot of detail. This is always tricky I find when I am working in knit, as I struggle to translate my imagery. So during this unit I am wanting to push print, I would ultimately want to combine both knit and print. 

The egg challenge 

With all the visits to the Whitworth I felt that the unit was moving very slow. I felt that we knew a lot about the gallery but nothing about what we were actually going to do, and with the fact that it was group work it wouldn't of been useful to start drawing anything as my group may not want to do what I was doing. so with this in mind I thought it was best to hold of doing any drawing and wait until I had a group sorted. Waiting through those weeks made me almost quite nervous as I was not doing anything and felt that I was wasting time. On the last day before breaking up for Easter we finally got our groups sorted. This was decided through a speed dating set up, where we had the chance to talk to everyone in the whole group and find people like ourselves who had similar goals.

For this unit I wanted to focus on floral and the theme of 'bringing the outside in'. This would be using a starting point of nature. I also wanted to create something suitable for the Whitworth gift shop. This is what I explained to the people I met in order to establish a group to work with. After speaking to multiple people I found three others who had similar ideas to myself. Jemma who does ceramics, Laura who does embroidery and Lizzie who is doing knit like myself.

My group and I decided together that over the Easter break we will create a variety of floral drawings, keeping in mind that it would be something suitable for the shop, this maybe to encourage children to get in the outdoors and learn about flowers, and planting things that will help the bees and encourage wildlife. We also considered the thought of designing kitchenware, and with this in mind thought we could create some sort of outside pop up cafe in the Whitworth garden, again to encourage people to get into the outdoors. With this in mind we want the flowers to be painted in a colourful vibrant way.

End of Unit Evaluation, Locating

Starting Imagery

Looking back over the unit of Locating I feel that I have developed my practice both knit and painting skills. I have really enjoyed the choice of media used, using oil pastel and acrylic, mostly to create abstract floral paintings, then translate them into knit using my knowledge on the Dubied.

 I have found it easy to manage my time between my self initiated brief and the branding project. I have really enjoyed how different they both were to each other, and find that my knowledge of the fashion industry has grown within the unit, finding it easier to locate were I see myself and my profession.

Starting Point photos

Within my self initiated project of floral chaos, I was very enthusiastic about my starting point. Focusing on flowers has always been something I have thoroughly enjoyed. I particularly loved the style of drawing this unit and will certainly draw in this style again, it felt very natural and energetic. I feel that within this project the prints that I created to lay alongside my knits, is something that I mostly preferred. I enjoyed painting so much and didn't want to loose the designs so including them in this way I felt complimented the knit samples well. knit I feel worked well for my context of sculptural fashion as it allowed me to successfully produce detailed samples, that I can envisage as a fashion garment. Using designers like Stella Jean to influence my knits, and mixing multiples prints helped me to push forward my knit designs.

Drawings becoming more abstract and more vibrant

I feel that within the unit of locating I have struggled a little to split my mind over two briefs, although I managed it I do prefer to focus my self on one unit, so I can't completely dedicate myself. I feel that this unit has been good practice for balancing two briefs and with more of this I think it'll be great to get good at for the future.  With the self initiated project I have found it very difficult to translate my paintings into knits. I feel that my paining were to busy and maybe to literally of flowers that it was hard to knit because I didn't want to knits pictures of flowers but capture a quality of my paintings.

Final Sample, Knit alongside Print

I feel that during this unit there are a few things looking back that I would do differently. I would try and simplify my drawings more so that they are easier to translate into knit and would also like to spend more time in the print room, dying yarns and printing more. I feel that combining knit and print is something that i want to try out more in the next unit, as I have enjoyed the heat transferring onto fabric that I have done this unit. I would really love to one day make a final collection of garments, and see my knit samples because outfits.

Final Sample for Branding Project

Within my branding project I loved the brand I chose of Marni, and thought that the way I interpreted my started point really reflected the style of Marni. I liked the way grid structures came in and using Photoshop to layer my imagery. Though I liked my starting point and the way it was interpreted, looking back I feel I could of done it better. I used the 7g machine for this project and maybe using the 12g would have been more suitable and high fashion, I think that foiling onto the 12g knits would have given a better finish.

During this unit one of the learning outcomes is to illustrate that we have built networks and contacts. So during the weeks I have been expanding my research of the fashion industry and looking more in depth at wear I see myself fitting. I have created a booklet of fashion awareness to show what designers I am interested in and influenced by. Also for people to see my work I have set up a instagram page dedicated to publishing my work called heather.textiles.