TuesdayThis morning I worked on my colour board and my concept board, I had been really unsure about which way I was going to with the colour palette for my collection, I couldn’t decide between a greyscale, oranges and reds or different shades of plum, I created 3 different colour boards today and my favourite was the grey scale one, I used the colours of the ash and smoke from a volcano to inspire my colour palette and I think that it is the best option for me especially when I look through my sketchbook, but before I decide fully I will wait until all of my fabric samples to arrive so that I can see which fabrics go best together. Today was also my last technical session working on the half jacket, I really enjoyed today seeing how it came together. I also worked on my design development today, I have found this a really stressful process as I haven’t been able to draw exactly what is in my mind onto the paper, they just don’t end up how I want them which has been really difficult for me and has also started to really knock my confidence, I will keep working on it as I know practice makes perfect. WednesdayToday we had a visit from Ciment Pleaters ltd, this was really interesting and it showed a lot of different techniques that could be achieved by pleating, many of which I had never know where even possible, I think that It something that I might want to explore next year, even though I don’t think I am going to use it this year it was really helpful to see what can be achieved as well as get an idea of cost.
I also did a little bit more design development today, I have been finding it really hard to design at the moment but its only because every time I draw it doesn’t look like how it is in my head which is a bit disheartening but I am going to keep going to hopefully improve! I removed my fabric from the rust dyeing process today and on some pieces it has come out looking really good, I will wait until my tutorial on Friday before I carry on any further with this. If I am given the go head with this process then I will go to the seaside to see if I can find any rusty metal that might have been washed up onto the shore, this will help everything to link together as I will have been using the sea for rust which links to my theme of the navy. ThursdayIn the technical session today we started to make the shorts, I found this quite confusing to start with but once they began to look like shorts I found it okay to get on with, I am looking forward to the next session so that I can learn how to complete a fly. Today I began pattern cutting, I was exploring the pattern magic technique of the interlocking wave (the title is quite fitting I thought), I found this quite confusing but I think I might have cracked it, I will continue to work on it tomorrow, but it felt like a step in the right direction as I think I will be using it in my final design. I also set my rust dyeing, I am really pleased with the end result I think that it will work really well for a lining, I would like to sample it on a different material to see if it has a better result, or just to see how the technique works on different materials. As another sample today I completed a pocket, it has two different pockets in one, I got the idea from my research of the royal navy uniform as one of the decorative features looked like two pockets, it wasn’t two but it looked that way, I decided to try a patch pocket with a flap but also a welt pocket into the patch pocket, I was really pleased with this as It worked first time and it looked exactly how I had imagined it, tomorrow I will play around on the mannequin exploring placement of the pocket. FridayTodays tutorial went really well and gave me lots of ideas to think about, It was suggested that I explore my colour scheme a bit more to have a few more variations of shades, I will continue to explore my colours until I have the perfect colour palette that works with my collection. When thinking about the other items in my collection I haven’t decided about what I want to do but after today it was suggested that I should think about dresses, shirts, wide trousers and oversized plackets and pockets, I will begin to explore these ideas over the next few days. The tutorial made me think of ideas that I hadn’t thought of yet which was really helpful and allowed me to further my development. Saturday
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Monday
tuesdayToday I spent the morning doing research trying to build up my own archive about the Royal Navy, I made it my goal to actually get some answers today so that I am not still stuck in my rut of having nothing, so I emailed the castle study centre and the Royal Naval Association of Norwich. Both got back to me which was very helpful, the NRA are going to ask around in their branch meeting tonight to see if anyone has their old uniforms that I might be allowed to go and have a look at and take pictures, so hopefully this might be a lead, the man who I have been in contact with has also suggested that I go to the Royal Navy careers centre or the RAF base at Marham as they also have a Navy contingent there, but I will wait to hear from him after the meeting.
We also had a technical session today where we put the sleeve into hour half jacket, I am really enjoying this half jacket that we are making as it is quite technical and a little bit fiddly but its interesting seeing how it comes together as well as how many different pieces are needed to make a jacket, we also began stitching the lining together, I had forgotten quite how much linings move when you are trying to stitch them so that was quite fun trying to make sure that it was as neat as possible. Wednesday
ThursdayToday I had a technical session where we began lining the half jacket that we have been sampling, I found this quite difficult as it was really fiddly and although it looked easy to watch as soon as I started I found myself struggling to work out what section connected where and how, but I finished it and I am very happy with the end result, as soon as you can visualise what you are doing it becomes a lot easier. We then had a lecture session on Craftivism (the art of activism with crafts), this was quite interesting and it has got me thinking about my essay I have to write. It was a different kind of session than I have had at uni this year, and allowed us to think of other things not just tailoring, which I feel might be taking over my brain at the moment. We then had an industry lecture from Francis Dove from Inside Out, it was really interesting to see how they had made their name in the fashion industry. Unfortunately it looks like I won’t be getting any help from the Royal Naval Association of Norwich as they are all over 70 and the man in charge said that it is quite hard to get them together at short notice, and the Castle also have two pieces that I can look at however they are going to be in an exhibition. Although I will not be able to use this now I think I will still follow up with my research from these different places to help my research file so that I have some first hand research. FridayTodays individual tutorial was really helpful, although I think I am going to have to change my ideas a bit I found it helpful to be given some direction, it also helped me to understand what I am already thinking but can’t explain. I was recommended a few designers to look at as well as how I can visualise the ideas in my head. I have found myself focussing too much on the military feel and moving away from the sculptural ideas that I prefer and enjoy, I need to do a lot of sampling into the way I can make these ideas. I like to work very sculpturally and I feel that I haven’t been doing it, which could be why I haven’t felt very passionate about what I have created, I think the more I work on the sculptural side the more interesting my design will come and it will help with my sketchbook.
Monday
TuesdayToday I had a technical session where we began out half jacket, I think I am going to enjoy doing this a lot as it seems to be very technical and a little bit confusing here and there, we started by constructing the sleeve with a miter seam which helps give a more professional and bespoke finish to the jacket cuff, I found today really helpful as I had always wondered how to do the diagonal seam and now I know. WednesdayToday we had a safety and etiquette talk about the studio, this only lasted about 5 minutes so I was able to spend the rest of the morning going around Norwich trying to collect more research, I went to Anglian fabrics to have a look at the different wools they have there I bought a metre of one so that I can begin to play with it in the mannequin, I also went around all of the military shops to see if they had any navy uniforms or anything else navy related that could help me with my research but unfortunately they didn’t and they also told me that it will be very rare if I do find anything, but I will keep looking, I also went to the antiques shops to see if they had anything that might help. After I had done that I came home and worked on my sketchbook and research file. ThursdayToday we had our second technical session working on our ½ jacket, the tasks today were to complete the welt pocket and also begin to construct the main shell of the jacket. I found the welt pocket really difficult which really frustrated me as I have done them before but I had done them in another way and I found this way quite difficult but I plan to do another practice to try and perfect it. The rest of the construction was quite simple but it was interesting to see how the patterns are made to that you can get as much movement out of the jacket as possible and so that it doesn’t restrict you at all. FridayToday we had another group tutorial, I found this quite helpful as I got a lot of feedback some good and some about how to improve which is very useful and I will be taking this on board to help improve and direct my work to the best outcome that I can. I had been having some quite difficult days this week as I was really struggling with research on the royal navy, everything I found kept coming to a brick wall, so it was good to have a positive session to end the week.
We also had a talk about internships from the 3rd years telling us all about their experiences doing them, this was really helpful as it gave me an idea about what sort of thing is out there as well as what sort of things we might get up to if we were to do one. monday
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I found that my feedback was really helpful and interesting, I was advised that my colour palette was a little bit too predictable and that I should perhaps look at working with another colour at first I was quite disappointed with this but now I have taken a bit of time to think about it I completely agree, and a lot of the projects that I do whether they are for uni or for myself they end up having a blue colour palette and as I don’t want to be that predictable I am going to try and stay away from the blue for now. It was suggested that I could look at lava as it still has a fluid movement not quite the same as water but it is still a liquid that moves, and this could give a very interesting colour palette, one in which I am looking forward to exploring.
MondayToday I had my last tutorial before my final hand in next friday. I found it really helpful as we went through my portfolio, covering both Creative Cut and Design For Market, I now have clear tasks that will help me to improve what I already have. I am feeling quite happy about the deadline next week because I feel that I am on track for finishing and with work that I am very proud of. I still have a lot of work to do but this tutorial has helped me feel a bit more focused as I know exactly what I have left to do. TuesdayMentor Day Today I was working with my third year, I had to do a lot of cutting out of embroidery, I quite enjoyed this as it was something different to working on all of my projects, it was a nice 'distraction' which has focused me as I have had to be very careful with my time plan to allow myself time to finish everything. I also had to do some topstitching, at the start of this mentorship programme I would have been terrified to topstitch onto the final garments but I have gained a lot of confidence in my technical ability and now I just get on with it. Wednesday, Thursday & FridayOver the past three days I have been working on all of my portfolio, design and sketchbook work, getting ready for the deadline that is only 1 week away, I have made a lot of progress over the last few days so I am feeling okay about the deadline, I just need to knuckle down and push towards the finish.
MondayGroup Presentations Today we had our presentations, I thought that it went really well, we were prepared and I think it showed. I have always struggled with talking in front of people, but today I felt confident with what I was talking about and I just got on with it, I am really proud of our group as we worked really hard to make sure that the presentation worked, we put in a lot of effort and believe that it showed. We were given lots of positive feedback which was good to hear. To improve we were advised to include some more refined moodboards as our research was so broad, this is a very fair comment and something I am going to bear in mind when I am doing the individual part of the project. TuesdayCatch Up Work Today i finished my shirt for the creative cut project, i am really happy that it is now complete, its another item ticked off the list ready for hand in, which is only two weeks away, i also worked on the layout of my moodboard for creative cut, this is where i am at this moment in time, i might do some more moving around, but i will complete the other boards before i decide, i want to make sure that everything looks cohesive. WednesdayI spent today doing sketchbook work, I have laid out my sketchbook so that I know what is going on each page, I have decided to do a research-based sketchbook and a design sketchbook, this way I can include all of the research that I have done. I have found this project really interesting as it has made me open my eyes more towards the issues we are facing day to day around the world, I have decided to focus in on the environment, but I am also looking at Muslim culture. FridayToday I had a tutorial to look at my sketchbook, this was very helpful as it gave me a chance to discuss and refine my ideas, this has really organised me and shown me what I have left to do over the next two weeks, at the moment I am in a good place, I just have to continue in the same way. Throughout my research I have focused heavily on the environment in my tutorial my tutor suggested that I look at the packaging aspect as well as the design, I really like this idea and it is something that I am going to work on over the next week as I am doing my designs. I still have a bit of research left to do but I am in a place where I can start all of my design and sampling work.
MondayToday was the first day back after the Easter holidays, we had the morning to discuss all of the work that we had each done over the break, we came up with a plan of action to make sure that we are ready for the presentation next Monday. We then had a tutorial where we talked about the progress of our presentation, we found the tutorial really helpful as it gave us a chance to refine our ideas and how to make the presentation flow, it also helped with our confidence as we were told we were going in the right direction we just had to continue what we were doing, as of today we are in a really good place for the presentation next week. TuesdayToday we began to put the presentation together after discussing the order yesterday the presentation really began to take shape which was really helpful for us to see how everything looked together. Personally, I finished my moodboards which refined all of the research that I have done on street style and the environment. WednesdayAfter all of us creating our own designs we put them all together and picked out the designs we thought went best with our concept and which went best together to create our final line up, these are the designs that I put forward, I have been practicing my digital drawing a lot recently and I am really happy with how these came out, I am going to keep practicing so that i can improve over time. After selecting our final line up we then worked on the other pages of our presentation. ThursdayToday I was working with my third year, it was a really good day today as I given a few tasks that challenged me technically today, I was helping with the lining of some of the pieces of his collection, this including doing some sampling to work out which was the best way to line key parts. I am really enjoying seeing his collection come together and I look forward to seeing it all finished and together as a collection. FridayToday we worked on finalising our group presentation, I am really happy with how it is looking and I am feeling confident for the presentation on Monday, we have a few small tasks to do over the weekend but we are in a really good position making it easier for us to present. We had a tutorial today where we showed the presentation as it was, we came to the conclusion that we needed to change the order to help the presentation flow better, now that we have made those changes I feel that it looks good. One of the tasks that I worked on today was creating a page that shows where technology is headed, I have found this a very interesting topic, as no one can say for certain what is going to be around in 2023 and what's not because companies are inventing new items and software everyday, changing the game for the future.
MondayGroup Tutorial Todays group tutorial was really helpful as we were able to sit as a group and discuss all of our research that we had done over the weekend and come up with a plan for what we are going to do over the next week. TuesdayI spent today doing research for the group project, I decided to look into more of the environmental issues that our world is facing day by day as well as what other companies are doing to try and help the environment. I found it really interesting looking at the brand Everlane, they do a lot for the environment especially when it comes to the production of their denim. Denim is one of the worst materials to produce as it has such a large impact on the environment, it takes on average 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans, but the water becomes highly polluted. Everlane are filtering the water so that it is clean and drinkable when it leaves the factory and with the by-product, they are mixing it with cement to create bricks. I will continue with my research ready for our tutorial on Friday. ThursdayMentor Day Today I was working with my third year, this week we were making another one of his toiles, I am really enjoying this project at the moment as the deadline is quickly approaching and with that the collection is really coming together, I have found it really helpful to see how a final collection comes together, I have also enjoyed the challenge and learning lots of new skills and techniques. FridayGroup Tutorial
In todays group tutorial we discussed where we were as a group and how we are getting on with the presentation, i feel that we are in a good place and with the easter holidays we can make sure that we have all the research ready for MondayToday we had a briefing for our fourth and final brief within the BA1b unit. This brief is called Design For Market and is split into two sections an individual part and a group part. We started the group part today, we decided to split the research into sections that each of us can go away and research for Wednesday, I am looking at the environment and street style. We are looking at trend forecasting and creating a style and aesthetic for 2023, I think this is going to be a very interesting brief, that will help us to understand how the trends are predicted so far in advance. WednesdayToday we got together in our group to discuss what we had found out so far during our research, we had begun our moodboards and will continue them for our tutorial on Friday. It was helpful to meet up in the middle of the week to make sure that we were all on track and that it was starting to link together. FridayToday we had a group tutorial where we brought all of our separate research together, we got to discuss our findings with one of our tutor who helped us to define our research and helped pinpoint clear links between all of our work. I found it really interesting to see just how much everything links together from fashion to the world that we live in. We will continue to work on our research and moodboards for next week so that we can begin refining our ideas and working on our presentations.
MondayLabelling and pinning all of my many triangles When I was creating my toile I was able to write on each piece to tell me where it connects and what it connects to, all very vital information when you have over 100 different triangles which all have there own place so that the piece works and most importantly fits together! But I couldn't write over my final piece, so I had to use tape, I spent most of the day writing on tape and sticking it to each corner on each triangle and labelling the name of each triangle, which was very time-consuming. After I had labelled each triangle I pinned them together, I shall sew them together tomorrow, so that each pyramid is ready for Wednesday. TuesdayConstruction of triangles This morning I was stitching all of my triangles together, after stitching I am overlocking as it gives a nice finish to each of the seams. I am really pleased as I got all pyramids stitched together and I pinned the remaining pieces together, I really like how it is looking with my final fabric. Mentor day I really enjoyed today as I got to see one of my mentor's outfits come together, we were adding the finishing touches, it has been really interesting helping throughout the process of construction of his work, and seeing how much work goes into the final collection. WednesdayConstruction of final shirt Today I was sat at the sewing machine for most of the day, just sewing away. I got a lot done and I have pretty much finished my shirt, a few things I want to redo to make sure that it is constructed to the best of my abilities. ThursdayFinishing construction of my final shirt Today I was finishing the construction of my final shirt, I have almost finished all i have left to do is attach the snap poppers down the front, but for now it is finished. I am really happy with the way that it looked, the colour and the fabric helps reflect a classic shirt but the actually shirt is mutated version of the classic, which i think goes well together. FridayLast Day Of Creative Cut Today we had to present out creative cut work, I had to present my moodboard, line up (front and back views) and final piece, it went well and I am really pleased with the comments that I received. One of the pieces of advice offered is that I focus on my final line ups and make them more clear with more focus, as well as changing their trousers so that they aren't the same. |
AboutHello, Eleanor here, I am currently at Norwich University of the Arts studying Fashion, please join me along my adventure. Archives
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