Chapter 1 - Media

For a while I was very into mixed media collage and collected quite a few of the items needed for this module - old newspapers, packaging, a million postage stamps (maybe slightly exaggerated), book pages and so on.  I found pulling this part of chapter 1 together very easy and quite enjoyable indeed.

Image 1 - Media spread:

Image 2 - Tickets form Paignton Pier:



Image 3 - Envelope inners:



Image 4 - Parcel string, puzzle page, playing cards:



Image 5 - Postage stamps and vegetable brochure page - possible colour suggestions:



Image 6 - Packaging from Debenhams online:



Image 7 - Music manuscript and dressmakers pattern:




Image 8 - Tube map and bubble wrap:



Image 9 - Envelope with window, franking label and corrugated card from delivery box:

Resolved Piece - further information

I learnt a very valuable lesson yesterday - that unless I actually share all of my work and give further explanations I can expect lots of questions which have answers that I could have given in advance!  I didn't really demonstrate that I did much preparation work for my resolved piece.  I did do quite a few sketches in a book (I uploaded the pics to flickr but forgot to add them into my blog entries!  Dur!).  In my design sketches I played around with ideas - firstly for a fascinator and then for a floral brooch.  In the end I combined the ideas.

Image 1 - Page of design doodles:




Image 2 - Page of design doodles with felt roving, ideas for threads to use and a mock-up felt petal to see what I needed to do to create a 3d shape to it:

 

 Sian has posed a couple of questions for me to consider.

1) I commented that I think the flower could have benefited from having a stem and being slightly raised - why didn't I act on that at the time and make it so?  When I tried it out on my head (with flat hair!) it was fine - the flower sat comfortably.  When I tried it on my model after I finished she had more of a lift to her hair so the band sat lower 'in' her hair.  I hadn't considered how hair differed on people before (although it seems obvious now!)

2) I didn't make a mock up of my design before I went ahead and cracked on with it (I did try things out as I went along and did spend a lot of time cutting out petals from paper and adjusting them etc to get to the point I really wanted e.g. number of petals, the shape, the size - I just didn't document that part or, indeed, explain this in my post) - I agree that I should have created a complete mock-up instead of working along with my general idea.  This is something I recognise the benefit of and will take on board for the next module. 

3) The finish of the petals is a lot looser than the wrapped-round edges on the resolved sample.  I think this adds a certain delicacy to the flower visually but with greater embellishment the edges would have been crisper as the petals would have been denser (and thinner).  I backed the petals with another sturdy felt to give them more strength but I do wonder about the practical nature of the headpiece and whether the petals themselves would withstand multiple times of several hours of wearing.

Now onto Module 4! 

Resolved Sample - Revisited

I received feedback on my work yesterday it was suggested to me that the criss-crossing of the shapes on my resolved sample were perhaps over-complicating matters and detracting from stitching underneath.  When I went back to look at the sample with fresh eyes (having put it away as quickly as possible after doing it because I didn't like it).  The idea behind the different wrappings was to demonstrate the different techniques in the module (I realise now that that was a touch unnecessary).  I unlaced the sample from the board and removed all the wrappings that I could (I left one as it was too difficult to remove it!).  It was also suggested that using a green thread and stitching the pink base layer in the same way as I had on the green sections would tie the pieces together and also lesson the clash.  It was difficult to do as the green pieces were well secured so I stitched around them.  I found that the fabric puckered (as it would do with this way of stitching) and I quite like that even when re-laced it gives the base layer some texture.  I also took the opportunity to replace the middle bead (I really didn't like it with fresh eyes - it was too big, too garish and reminded me, quite frankly, of a nipple!  Albeit a very sunburnt one!) with one that was a more suitable size.  I couldn't find one in the colour that I felt most appropriate so I attacked it with orange and yellow acrylic paint and then laced green thread over it so that it tied in with both the top and bottom layers of the piece.

Image 1 - Finished revised resolved sample after re-lacing onto board:



I also had a bash at taking a photo of me working on the piece for authentication of the work but it is hard to do on your own.  I've included my effort anyway but I suspect it's not good enough!

Image 2 - Me (how embarrassing)!

 

I do like the resolved sample a lot more now and learnt quite a bit from taking the time to revisit it.

Chapter 12 - Artist Studies

Zandra Rhodes



Deirdre Hawken



Augusto Esquivel

I chose an artist that is unusual and not related to textiles.  This artist uses buttons to form 3D structures that are very intricate in their nature.  He spray paints his buttons to the colours he needs much like we did for the module.  I find what he does fascinating - his work really appeals to me.

Health & Safety Rules Observed in Module Three

 I particularly observed the following health and safety roles during Module Three:
 

• Keeping beads and buttons safely stored in containers (there was one incident where they fell on the floor and I slipped on them in a comedy cartoon style but I learnt my lesson!).
• Covering surfaces with paper etc to protect the floor/desk etc.
• Washing hands after using paint, dyes and pva glue and wearing suitable protective clothing.
• Using Dylon dye powder carefully to avoid breathing it in.
• Wearing gloves while handling Dylon dye.
• Storing spare Dylon dye powder in sealed containers.
• Storing dyed seeds carefully so that I didn't accidentally eat them (or feed them to the hamster!) as I was going through a seed-eating fad at the time.
• Calculating how much dye to make up so that there was nothing left to dispose of (better for the environment if there is no wastage).
• Taking extra care when using the sewing machine with the needle exposed (e.g. when creating cords) so as not to stab myself.  (I confess: I did stab myself once.  It hurt. I didn't do it again!).
• Taking care not to breath in felt fibres when handling.
• Working with caution while handling wire (espcially the thin silver wire) so as not to pierce fingers.
• Using scissors and wire cutters carefully.

Costing & Time

Image 1 - Headpiece this is based on:




Timing
Design work:  4 hours over several weeks (there was a lot of procrastination and changing of mind!).
Making:  2 hours to make the felt plus a further 16 hours over weekend.
Total time: 22 hours.

Costs
Felt:  Approximately £2.00
Headband:  £0.33 (from a pack of three for £1).
Fabric (pre-painted earlier in module):  £0.40 (fabric plus paints).
Threads:  Taken from two packs of varied colours from the 99p store.  Possibly less than £0.10.
Wire:  2m of 30 gauge wire from 45m roll at £2.45 - approximately £0.11.
Beads:  Three round beads from pack bought at The Works - approxately £0.01 (it was a big pack!); green small cylindrical beads - appromately £0.45.
Total cost:  £3.40.

Evaluation of Assessment Piece

The completed embroidered assessment piece for Module Three is a fascinator/headband based on the design topic of spirals.

Image 1 - Headpiece:



I feel really pleased with my final outcome - I am happy with the colourway and the the spirals give height and structure to the piece.  The beads on the spirals give a sparkle.

I think it is fit for purpose as a wearable facinator - I have tried to make the headband as robust as possible and the spirals are made from thick wire and take quite a bit to bend out of shape.  The only problem is that it is difficult to store and requires some kind of box.

If I were to make it again I would give the flower a stem and lift it up slightly so it wasn't sitting on the head but above.  I would also embellish the felt with machine embroidery before cutting out the petals. 

Chapter 10/11 - Resolved Piece

As with most of my work I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to make without actually achieving a thing!  I contemplated making a brooch, a facinator, a headband and a crazy hat.  In the end I settled on a headband/facinator as I had recently been to a wedding and found that I wished I had bought one for the event!


I stayed with the module colours of orange/red and green and decided to make the fabric that I would use from felt.

Image 1 - Design worksheet:




Image 2 - Carding the felt to blend together yellow and orange:




Image 3 - Laying out the felt tops on a tray (I decided to 'do' my felting the 'quick and dirty' way which involved covering it over with a piece of net, saturating with soapy water and rubbing throughly):




Image 4 - first layer on my vintage tray (ha!):




Image 5 - More layers and the addition of threads:




Image 6 - Felt with silver thread in:




Image 7 - Felt with threads and sequins:




Image 8 - The felt I chose to use:




Image 9 - Hand embroidery on felt (which has been backed with manufacturered yellow felt):




Image 10 - Petal templates overlaid onto felt:




Image 11 - Curling silver wire:




Image 12 - Cut petals and wires with beads held together (before sewing) to see what they looked like:

 


Image 13 - I considered revertering to a brooch for a while but decided a headband would be better.  Here I have temporarily attached spirals of wire (which were actually from an old notebook - wrapped in green fabric (from earlier in the module) and silver wire with beads sewn on) using thick wire and I then I wrapped them with thread and sewed them onto the band:





Image 14 - Finished headband/fascinator:




Image 15 - Close up of the wire spirals:




Image 16 - The band which has been wrapped in fabric:




Image 17 - Close up of the flower:




Image 18 - The fascinator/headband as modelled by the lovely Emily Stevens:




I'm quite happy with the outcome but now I have to make a box to house my fascinator in as it's not the easiest thing to store!

Chapter 9 - Resolved Sample

To decide what to do for my resolved sample I made a view finder and passed it over my previous work to see if anything took my eye.

Image 1 - This is the area that I liked the best:

 


Image 2 - I prepared fabric by hand sewing spirals onto some of the fabric in my colourways collection:





Image 3 - A close up of the hand sewn spirals:




Image 4 - I backed the fabric with bondaweb and cut out sections:




Image 5 - Front view of cut out backed fabric:




Image 6 -  A view of the artwork I chose to work from and the fabric shapes after they'd been laced over cardboard to give them rigidity and thickness:




Image 7 - Final resolved sample laced over board:




Image 8 - Close up of painted beed affixed with a bead and sequin at the top:




Image 9 - Close up of one section which has been wrapped with yarn (all pieced had one corded edge of red wool):




Image 10 - Close up of piece wrapped with string and sequins:




Image 11 - Close up of edge wrapped with fine wire and sequins:




Image 12 - Close up of piece with sequins on:




Image 13 - Close up of edge wrapped with knotted fabric strips:




The photographs look quite garish and I'm not sure that the faded green really works on the bright pink/red (which seems to be emphasized in the photographs!).  I tried to use up fabrics and yarn etc that I already had in the collection - if I were to do this piece again I would choose a much brigher green fabric!