Learning how to knit

Learning how to knit was very difficult and frustrating to begin with, I found it very fiddly and hard to get to grips with. After getting to grips with learning how to knit I enjoyed using my spare time and doing a little knitting, I now find it very therapeutic and calming to do whilst sat down watching the television.

New Project

A few weeks ago we started a new project based around manmade and nature. This project is a very wide open project and I could look at anything I could possibly think of.

Evalutation: All The Fun Of The Fair

My initial ideas for this project ‘All the Fun of the Fair’ was to create a full sketchbook with ideas and varied things relating to the theme Fun Fairs. Before starting the project I had to gather primary and secondary research to create a full sketchbook to do with fun fairs. I would have found my main primary research by doing such things like visiting theme parks, seaside amusement parks, take pictures, quick sketches and gather leaflets/flyers and etc, later on after collecting this kind of primary research and creating a sketchbook. It would have then been developed further into mood boards, visual sheets and a tracing which would then later on be used in the print room to create a screen which would enable me to make my prints and patterns.

I used many methods of research during the holidays I looked into the wide variety of things that linked off the theme Fun Fairs, when returning back to college I had collected a range of secondary research with plenty of images off various websites, my favourite website to use was Pintrest it was very quick and simple to use and I could find the images I wanted with great ease. A few weeks in after coming back to college we went on a trip to Scarborough, whilst there I took pictures of the arcades and amusements, although due to the terrible weather I could not go into the outdoor fun fair amusements to take proper pictures of rides. Even though the weather wasn’t great I still managed to collect all my primary research, throughout this I have also done drawings and sketches of some of the research I have found.

My time management over the summer was not too great I found myself getting distracted and not getting round to doing a lot of things that I wanted to do, although everything didn’t go as I wanted it to when I came back to college I had a lot of information and images to work from so I did not struggle at all when returning. I am quite disappointed with myself for not buckling down as much during the summer but it was not a problem for when I came back because I had collected a lot of research.

I found great influence from the artists and designers I had found; whether past or present the artists and designers I had chosen helped me and inspired me a lot. My historical choices William Morris and Harry Napper were very memorable and famous designers in the world of textiles they looked at floral patterning which was very beautiful and colourful it inspired me to put a lot of colour and vibrancy into my work. My fun fair artists Kristy Mitchell created a stunning circus bodice that is flawless and the other artists found on the website Folksy designed circus canvases with different circus acts and entertainment so in my tracing, mood boards, visual sheets I looked at more of a circus style.

My approach to my tracing came pretty easily to me; I took inspiration from my sketchbook, mood boards and visual sheets.

Initially throughout the whole project everything has been developed from one another, my mood boards were developed from my sketchbook, my visual sheets were developed from my mood boards and my tracing was developed from picking out patterns from everything I had put together. After developing things further I also experimented with different aspects in my work, I played around with different backgrounds for my mood boards and visual sheets and I experimented making the pigment inks and procion dyes to use on my fabric samples

My experience on the sewing machines went okay, when first starting out on using a sewing machine I had to go through some health and safety procedures, one was if there was not a tutor in the room we would have to stop what we were doing and wait until she came back because if something was to happen whilst she was gone then it would have been out own fault for not listening. The second was to not have any phones or earphones around the sewing machines as if a wire would have been caught or distracted by our phones accidents were bound to happen and lastly long hair must be tied back and hair could be caught in the sewing machine. When I first starting using a sewing machine I was slightly familiar with some things but still had to have a little guidance, sometimes I found it quite frustrating whilst on the sewing machines because I would often get a temperamental machine and it would act up but even though it wouldn’t work I problem solved rather than asking for help constantly, when I got a machine that worked fine I found it very easy to use them.

Before entering the print room health and safety precautions had to be made: gloves and aprons had to worn at all time, gloves had to worn to prevent any allergic reactions from things and to stop hand getting dirty the same is with wearing an apron this was to prevent colourant and dyes getting all over clothes and ruining them. Also long hair had to be tied back to stop hair getting in the way when working. My experience in the print room was very fun and I enjoyed myself a lot, I loved getting hands on with things and getting to create my different prints and designs that I had visualised.

I enjoyed quite a few of the textile processes some of my favourites were devore, felting, screen printing, making homemade paper, machine embroidery and free machining. I think out of them all puff binder was my favourite thing to work with as I loved experimenting with the different colours as sometimes the outcomes were really impressive and I loved how the colours would come out like pastel colours.  But throughout my time I did not like or get to grips with batik, I didn't like how the end result turned out and I found it tricky and messy to deal with as the hot wax would drip everywhere and ruin my work.

Overall everything went very well and I would have changed a lot about what I have done, the only thing that I would have changed is that I accidentally forgot to press and wash out one the procion dyes in my sample which is labelled, but in my technical file I have cut a section off the end of my work to show the difference between what it was like washed and unwashed.

Personal I feel like I have been fine with managing my time and workload, from the start I have ensured that my work has been in on time or before and I have done my work to the best standard I could do it to. My overall satisfaction for my first project on this course is very good, I am very pleased with my work I have produced and the final outcome of my final piece is very neat and tidy and I am more than pleased with how it is presented.

Techniques used throughout project:

• Screen printing
• Devore
• Puffbinding
• Pigment inks
• Procion dyes
• Batik
• Paper making
• Felting
• Layer & Burn
• Applique/Sewing

My final design choice for my final piece

This is piece i've chosen to recreate and use as my final piece, I have used a A3 piece of calico and on the right hand side I have just used normal puffbinder - Minerfoam B new. I have screenprinted onto this aswell with the colours yellow 2G, red BTL, turquoise 4G and to create the lines of colours down my work when I have used the screen I have just ran down the screen with some of the pigment dye in different places to create different colours in different places. After doing all this I have then used a sewing machine and stitched into certain places.

These are some close ups of the machine embroidery I have used.

On the way to choosing a final piece.

Here is a process we used to choose out a final piece I could recreate, I laid all of my work out onto the table (this is only a little bit of all my work) and members of the class came around and evaluated my work, they then placed a 1 and a 2 on their favourite piece and then moved onto the next person. I found this very helpful and it made it easier to pick a final piece out to recreate.

Samples

These are some of the few samples that will be found in my technical file, these samples are just of my favourite that I have picked out.

This is a piece of A3 cotton, the background has been created by using brusho inks purple and blue and then has been puffbinded onto with minerprint orange G.

This technique is called Devore, I used a piece of A4 Azeta and pushed devore paste through my screen with a squeegee, after using devore paste you have to wash your screen immediately as it can block your screen and your print will come out patchy and not very tidy. After leaving your devore to dry you will then have to place it under a heat press which is set to 180 degrees it is left under there for about 15seconds and then removed and washed. After washing you can dye onto like I have onto mine. 

For this sample I have used A4 Borsalini fabric which i have used puffbinder, the colour puffbinders I have used are minerfoam blue B, minerfoam brill pink 5BTL, Qprint yellow 2G and minerfoam orange G.

Here I have used A3 cotton which i have just kept the background clear and screenprinted onto it in Pink 5BTL and Grey BT pigment dye.

This Fabric is called Habatoi silk and is a very fine soft fabric, I have screenprinted onto this with Grey BT and Violet Blue 2BTL pigment dye.

Here I have created a long A4 stretched piece that shows the continuous repeat pattern in full affect the colours I have used are: yellow 2G, red BTL, orange OL, pink 5BTL, turquoise 4G, grey BT and black SN-G pigment dye.

This is called Heavy visco satin and is very soft to touch I have splashed purple, green and turquoise brusho inks onto the background which have bled out a little and then I have screenprinted on top of this with black SN-G pigment dye.

This is the my final favourite piece I have done, I have just used a A4 piece of calico. I have screenprinted on top of this with yellow 2G, red BTL and turquoise 4G pigment dyes.

Procion and pigment dye colour charts

This is the colour chart that is in our print room, on the top row are the Pigment dyes and the ones underneath are called Procion dyes, after using procion dyes they must be washed out of the fabric as it is not suitable to sell to customers because it can irritate the skin.

Puffbinder

This is what the puffbinder looks like before applying heat to it.

This is what it looks like during the process of applying heat.

Then this is what it looks like close up.

A few weeks back I used puffbinder on Borsalini fabric, I love the effect puffbinder gives as it puffs up and lifts off your fabric, puffbinder is white to start off with but you can add colour to it. The colours look quite vibrant on your fabric before apply but after you apply heat to make the puffbinder rise you lose some of the colour and the colours becomes quite pastel.

Freestyle sewing

On Wednesday 2nd October I had a go at doing freestyle sewing on the sewing machine which involved dropping the feed dogs which would make it harder to control the fabric. I stretched fabric over an embroidery hoop so that the fabric would be nice and tight.

Tracing

This is my tracing I have produced from my visual sheet, when doing my tracing I had to ensure that the lines weren't too thin otherwise there would be a problem when it came to transferring my tracing onto a screen ready for screen printing.

Visual sheets

My visual sheets are developed on from my mood boards, after studying my mood boards and looking at images on them I have taken things that could be used as pattern and look interesting to be placed onto a tracing for a screen print.

Mood boards

These are my mood boards that I have produced on the theme Fun Fairs. A variety of images and materials have been used on my mood board including drawn and painted pictures.

Sewing machine

On the 20th September we started our sewing machine driving lesson, as I was new to using a sewing machine I was a bit unsure what to do. After getting to grips with where everything was on on my sewing machine I started with a variety of patterns and shapes to sew round.