Self Evalutaion of Project

1. Develop ideas creatively and imaginatively through research and sampling  Through out the unit I have explored many areas to gain inspiration for sampling, such as visiting to the zoo, aquarium, and library. All of the pictures (excluding the ones of the designers work) have been my own. The emphasis in colour in the project is something i have really enjoyed, this approach allowed me to look at images, yarns, and threads in a new light!     2. Respond to challenges and risk taking.   I think i could have been a bit more risk taking with my samples such as dying them (but i would have needed to get an induction to the dye lab). Other than that i experimented with washing my samples afterwards, weaving paper through them and mixing different types and qualities of yarns and threads, and experimenting with various weave structures.       3. Identify and apply appropriate methods of organisation and planning.   In the first part of the project with opposites i had not planned enough, with printing images out and working from them. Learning from my previous mistake, as soon as we started this project i printed all of my images out so i could see the true colours and textures which allowed me to work with the images while weaving. Something else i learnt was using white card to do the thread wraps on, in the first part of the project i used grey card which was very distracting from the true colour schemes i was working with. so in the second part i only used white card. Also doing drawings along side weaving gave me new ideas for patterns, colour schemes and threads to use.      4.Communicate effectively using a range of media.   through using different textured yarns and weave structures i think i was able to translate my ideas and images adequatly into representative samples. Having the images beside me, and drawings i produced before the samples or along side them (in the second half of the unit) really helped me convey my thoughts.  Being on the electric loom rather than a hand loom gave me the opportunity to explore a whole new range of structures and effects which you couldn't do on the hand loom. But starting on a hand loom introduced me to the potential outcomes of future samples.         5.Work independently in a safe manner, using appropriate health and safety procedures.   Once being inducted onto the looms (and especially second time round, having previous knowledge) I was confidante enough to try new techniques and go in alone to the weave room on a daily basis. Mind, the weave room is a very comfortable environment, knowing Rebecca (the weave technician) was there to help was very comforting. 

Ptential Display Samples

These three samples I am thinking ill out up for my display.

 I feel like they are the most complete samples, they also best represent the ideas I am trying to communicate.

Shelly Goldsmith Talk

Shelly Goldsmith- Fine Art - Instilation - Textiles
all in all very interesting to see a very different approach towards textiles......and was she ever DEEP !!! 

BDLE (best drawing lesson ever)

BDLE - best drawing lesson ever
This lesson was the one we had to make our own tools for drawing. I went a bit crazy at the pound shop and bought the most random things i could think of......curtain hooks, potato masher, shower hose, pegs, children's building blocks straws forks and combs.....were just some of them. I took huge enjoyment out of making the tools. The image below is off my tools!

My favourite one is made of lots of clothes pegs tapped together. It made beautiful thick lines when dragged but also gloppy marks when pressed on. I took a picture of the tool itself, even when its on its own and as an object it was interesting to look at, and the tool had characteristics of an image of coral in my book. 

These two images are of marks created by the tool.

Yarn suppliers

I have been looking at the list of Yarn suppliers Leslie gave us, and I came across 'Handweavers studio and Gallery' this named sounded very familiar....turns out last year i went there while i was experimenting with a knit machine. The store is full of very interesting threads and yarns, such as glow in the dark threads, metallics, and loosely spun and even un-spun wools.
Weirdly I tried to googled 3M united the company and all this mumbo-jumbo came up about '3M United Kingdom and Ireland innovations and technology........clearly not the right one.....surley calling them !
George Weil....what a good one!
On their website they sell a magnitude of stuff relating to crafts'- like screens, dyes, weaving, knitting ect.!!

A plie of rubish- destined for the bin

While in the weave room I saw a pile of threads lying on the floor just about to be thrown into the bin. This pile of "rubbish" reminded me of anenmoies and its entangled 'tenticles'.

SS-2012

Spring Summer 2012 trends in fashion
My aim for this project is to put my weave in a fashion context. So, to see the current trends I had a nosey around on Style.com. Much to my surprise one of the major trend this season is 'Oceans 12'. There has been a number of designers working with the ideas of coral, sea creatures, anemones ect. These designers, such as Alexander McQueen, Versace, Balmain and many more have been experimenting with rich colours, textures and elements of 3D design. 
My personal favourite was Versace, possibly favoured over the others because of the story behind the collection- 'a surfer falling in love with a mermaid' what a fantastic thought ! 
The image below is one of the campaign pictures, i loved the use of vibrant blues and water, almost as if a mermaid was emerging from the ocean. The colour scheme reminded me of an image from the aquarium of an almost elegant piece of coral. So, i took inspiration from the two images and created a series of samples from them.

TENSION DRAMA

Can you see the tension ?

Recently I discovered tension is a major issue when using these looms, because there is two different beams with two different qualities of yarns-thread on them they have different tensions. I came across this issue when i was trying out all the different weave structures (to see what they looked and reacted with different thicknesses of yarn) because they started to get a wave in them, it got to a point where the idea of  cutting it off and tying the warp back on (thank god) i managed to fiddle around with it and get the tension right!!

This image above was taken when the tension was off and the sample began to develop a wave !

Cotton Vs.Wool

COTTON VS.WOOL 
This time around i have been put on one of the electric looms,which is intimidating but exciting. Because of this I can now experiment with a technique called 'seer sucker'. To be able to do this you must have two different types of yarns-threads on two different beams, as to allow you to change the tension.
Originally I had planned to use just wool, but discovering they treads had to be different 'types' i added in some cotton to the plan. 

The image above is a picture of the thread wrap where i incorporated cotton into the all wool plan. I had to add sections in the middle of the wool so it would pucker. (The colours stayed the same, but they were in cotton rather than wool).

Project 2: Aquariums

Personal Brief
The theme I have decided to undertake for project two is about Aquariums (coral, anemones, aquatic creatures. ect). The idea for this project came from the previous task of ordered opposites, mine were trapped and free. Whilst at the zoo taking pictures for this I went into the aquarium section, where I was amazed at the beautiful colours textures and shapes contained in these environments.
I plan on going to another aquarium and a pet store, the library, and a few exhibitions; where i will collect visual images, information, and drawings. Then incorporating it all into the workshop weave. Through experimentation with textured colourful materials (yarns-threads) and weave structures, I will also be experimenting with a technique called seer suckering.
Having done weave before I am more aware of the techniques and materials to experiment with, also the ways about starting. This time around I will be working directly from all my own images, and incorporating my ideas into a fashion context.