Unit x: Evaluation

I have used unit x as a continuation of working progress from the previous unit. The idea of fusing tradition with contemporary is something that has fuelled my work. Using geometric forms and vivid eye catching colours together with traditional techniques of patchwork and quilting has allowed me to produce quilted forms with a contemporary aesthetic.

I have proceeded with the Gawthorpe live project which will result in a piece of work being chosen and exhibited at the knitting and stitching show. Having this as the context for my work has greatly influenced my choices in terms of; scale and edging, as work produced for the show will have to be of a professional standard. For hand in I will have a set of finished quilts and a set or working quilts.

My development throughout this project has been constant and steady. There are clear links and connections from the initial inspiration of the Bauhaus movement, Gawthorpe quilt work and personal initial drawing with my final outcomes. 

Bauhaus inspiration

Quilted geometric form

I have improved my critical and analytical skills within this unit, as seen through the blog. For example, the quilter stitched out singular triangles and then secured them. This process left me with built up stitch areas and having to reprogram after each shape. To eradicate this I created my own continuous triangle design on the stitch software, this process was quite difficult however the new stitch took the time from three to two hours to stitch out. I also found quicker ways of creating patches which shortened the cutting out stages slightly.

This unit has allowed me to refine my skills and develop my knowledge of edgings. I was struggling to edge my quilts without losing the sharp corner however after trial and error as well as researching I found a way using binding. This has allowed my work to be finished to a higher standard relevant with stitch show.

bias binding corner

bias binding corner

I have created my work primarily for the stich show, however they also fit into the higher end interior context due to the contemporary aesthetic. Places such as HAY and Pentreath &Hall are the context where I see my work due to the one off nature of the quilts. Falling into both retail and crafts contexts gives me more opportunities as a practitioner to get my work seen but also be able to create an income.

HAY Interiors

Knitting and Stitching show

In terms of the future I am hoping to become a secondary teacher however I would still continue with quilt making and have shown my professionalism by researching into how other quilt makers sell their products privately as seen on my blog. I have priced up my own quilt in terms of material, this is something I will look into more in the future.

I have created a portfolio with drawing and patch plans as well as setting up an Instagram and website to give myself an online presence. This will allow my work to be seen on a variety of platforms which will increase my chances of networking online possibly leading to collaborations and jobs in the future. I have also sent my CV off for a teaching job starting in September.

Textiles Instagram account

Textiles Website

After university I plan to exhibit my work at the Knit and Stitch show and keep up to date online. Once established I plan to buy a private domain to give a more professional feel for prospective job opportunities.

finalized quilt

Finalized quilt

finalized quilt

Unit X: Pricing up for the future

This week I researched as to how I could sell me quilts if I decided to take that route. Whilst researching I found a few quilters that sell via blog as can be seen below. If I was to make to sell I think this is the method I would choose as it cost anything to set it up to sell the quilts so I would maximize on profits and I would be in control of what goes where.

Selling quilts via Blogger

In terms of the price of selling quilts. In order to do this I decided to price up the cost of a quilt for example the pink and blue triangular quilt:

1½ metre of pink and blue cotton at £3.40

1 metre of plain white cotton at £4.30

1 metre of natural raised cotton at £3.70

Total= £13.10

Close up of quilt

This is just the cost of the cottons themselves so I would have to cost in the quilter and have to find another way of quilting after university. The costing up is something I will continue looking into after university and the knitting and stitching show

Unit X: Online presence

This week I have been researching into contemporary quilt makers and how they show their work. Owens Olivia a contemporary design company is someone who has been highly influential in my practice work. I found this company when researching online, it is clear that in today’s society for my work to be seen it needs to be seen online. Because of this I have decided to create an online start up website witch wiks.com. My idea is that to start with I will make the free website just to start getting my work out there and then after I have concentrated on and finished with the Gawthhorpe brief I will build up my online presence as I continue with my personal work. I will then get my own domain website with just my name. I also have started an Instagram as social media is a great platform to get work seen as it can be seen anywhere at any time. I took these ideas from the getting seen lecture. Also with Instagram I will be able to network with other likeminded creatives which could set up collaborative opportunities for the future. I am also going to create an art school page so my work will be in the archive.

Screen shot of instagram

Instagram: @lucytaafetextiles

Website: http://lucytaafe.wix.com/lucytaafe

Screenshot of website

Unit X: Development (overcoming issues)

I had the issue from practice unit with the quilter that I try to stitch out a triangle it secured each singular triangle leaving me with parts of thick stitching, this also made the process take a lot longer. To rectify this issue I used the computer and created my own stitch design of a continuous line triangle. I found this process quite tricky as there were many steps to take to get the continuous factor for the triangles. After using the triangle to stitch out it took my stitch out time from three hours to 2 hours successfully.

Print out of designed triangles

Another issue I have was with a bubble design which I stitched out with. This left an open edge at then end of the design as you can see from the photograph below. To combat this I used the quilter technology and learnt how to wrap a design which allowed me to keep the design in a specific area but allowed me to pull it through. I used the wrapped design to stitch out and the problem had been irradiated.

Stitch out after wrapping

Stitch out before wrapping

Unit X: Development

Throughout this unit I have continued to develop my work. I have took initial inspiration and artist influence and used it to firstly create a body of drawing and patch ideas then sampling in the practice unit and now onto working an finished quilts. I have improved my skills in terms of material choice and edgings. There are clear links from my initial research and inspiration throughout my body of work.

Initial Bauhaus Inspiration

Patch idea collages

Geometric quilt

I have experimented with a variety quilting techniques and threads for example poly thread double thickness quilting thread and embroidery thread finding that it is in fact embroidery thread that works best for my quilts as it is thick enough to see but doesn’t distract from the patchwork pattern which the double thickness and varied threads seemed to do.

I have found specific things that work well for example colour matching blue and orange and used this throughout. After hand in I will continue to develop and create quilts for both the Gawtorpe brief but also for my own personal practice.

Unit X: Job opportunity

This week w found out about a job opportunity for a textile teach at St Anselms preparatory school. As this is something I want as a career for my future I created a CV and sent it off to the school and hope to hear back in due time. This opportunity has set in my mind the importance of a portfolio so that I will have a strong varied portfolio to take to interviews with me.

Print screen of CV

Unit X: Context

As I am creating work for the knit and stitch show my work will fit the context. The show is the most highly regarded textiles and craft show in the UK takes place from 5th - 9th October 2016. Due to its reputation all the work shown there is to an extremely high standard therefor my quilt work will have to equal that, this means making sure edge treatments are perfect.

The Knitting and Stitching show

In terms of context I feel my work is aiming more at high end interiors; one off contemporary pieces. HAY is a high end design company for interiors from tables to kitchenware. This where I see my work fitting. The geometric forms also relate to my own work and that of the Bauhaus movement. I also plan to look into way of being able to make and sell quilts privately.

HAY interiors

Unit X: Patchwork techniques

This week I have been researching into any quicker ways for creating patchwork squares. I came along some videos giving quicker ways to create squares with different coloured triangles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_Y5aanFwM 

I tried these out and although they do work it is very precise and all lines have to be cut correctly which is quite time consuming. Some of the methods I research have worked and I will continue to use these methods. As well as this I have began to compile a patchwork techniques folder so I can look over it when needed. 

Unit X: Building a body of drawing

In the practice unit building a body of inspirational drawing was something that helped me greatly through my progression of the unit and so I have decided to carry this idea through and begin to build a body of drawing.

geometric drawing

Patch ideas

I have found that my drawing and collages have taken two different ascetics; squared collaged patch ideas and geometric drawings. I have found through this process that my drawing style is quite graphical and all about colour proportions and composition. Some drawings are successful with colour and composition and have given me inspiration for quilted works these are drawings I plan to use when constructing my portfolio later on in the unit.

Unit X: Inspiration and Artist influence

As I am continuing this project through from the practice unit my inspiration and artist influences remain the same. The Bauhaus art movement is an extremely influential movement that passes through many industries and contexts including; Art, Architecture, furniture and design overall. They use geometrics and have a contemporary feel which is something my work has. As seen in the photograph of my own collages below.

Bauhaus

Owen’s Olivia a company which creates geometric style quilts. For context similar to where I see my work; contemporary interiors one offs for a select group of consumers rather than mass produced. Something that I also find interesting is how Owen’s Olivia uses patchwork design to create products similarly to the Bauhaus and HAY. This is where I see my work fitting in the market. My drawings could be translated into quilts for interiors ie chairs, table tops or could be used to create designs for products and sold in higher end high street shops such as Harrods, Selfridges or even stationary shops such as Paperchase.

Owens Olivia geometric quilt

The quilter guild a formation of quilters also make gemoetric quilts their work is influential to me to to its colour and composition. This idea of all over pattern is something I want to explore.

Quilter guild 

Transition to Unit X

In the previous practice unit I sampled patched quilted pieces which I plan to build on this unit. For unit X I plan to comprise a body of work which will consist of both finished and still working patched quilts. As I am taking part in the Gawthorpe brief I will still be continuing and working on quilts after hand in. I will have finished quilts which I will showcase at degree show possibly alongside some drawing of patch ideas.

I plan to hone in on my edging in particular corners so that my work looks more professional as it will be shown at the knitting and stitching show later this year.

I came across some issues with the quilter last unit for example the block stitch outs which make the stitch out take much longer and have a lot of securing stitches. Also I wrote my name on the booking sheet for the quilter however it is filling up surprisingly quickly so I have a slot next week and then nothing for two weeks. I plan to use this time to research and create a body of drawing.

Practice Unit Evaluation

For the practice unit I completed the Bradford brief and produced a body of drawing and sampling to build from in unit X resulting in a finished quilt. Throughout this unit I have improved as a designer and refined my working methods. This can be seen through my development and progression of work from Bradford and into self-initiated and Gawthorpe brief. I have refined my skills in choice of material as a result of this unit. Originally in my Bradford I didn’t take enough care when choosing materials resulting in a vast array including polyester. A number of samples were unsatisfactory due to the choice. However this downfall in Bradford allowed me to fine tune my choice of materials; cottons and silks for my self-initiated body of work and a clear improvement in quality of samples can be seen through this.

I feel that I have challenged and improved my critical and analytical skills throughout this unit as I was able to see my down falls in the Bradford brief for example; time management due to decision making and lack of initial drawing. I used the negatives of the previous unit and challenged

them head on with the inspiration of my self-initiated brief being that of a ‘chance dice’. This method greatly improved my time management. I built a large body of drawing in my self-initiated brief as it was lacking in Bradford as a result my work is now more efficient.

Chance dice

Body of drawing

I used photography, sketchbook, sample ideas and plans book, blog and concept boards to communicate my ideas in a variety of forms that could be easily understood by different audiences. I have become more precise with the context of my work. Bradford was a context led brief; A fashion material. I broke this down and after taking into consideration the delicate nature of my samples I decided that the material would be best for one off garments in runway similarly to that of Iris Van Herpen opposed to high street.

Iris Van Herpen

For my self-initiated and Gawthrope brief the context was more open ended and although My work could be presented in the knitting and stitching show I wanted it to have an ambiguous factor. I took inspiration from HAY and Owen’s Olivia both contemporary design companies for interiors this is where I see my work sitting. As I go into Unit X I want to create a versatile quilt that can be used in a high end interiors context or simply as a piece of art. This ambiguity would not only mean my work could be used in different contexts but also open more opportunities for income as a professional artist.

My own work; Hand paper patched
 using dyed cottons and silks with quilted circles.

Owens Olivia Interiors

I have continued to build on my prospects of professionalism outside and after university. I had a placement at a primary school and set up some opportunities local craft societies. I’ve researched into what types of job opportunities there are in the industry right now. I have sent my CV’s off to high schools for opportunities and will be applying for a secondary PGCE after I complete my degree with a year’s experience.

Overall I am slightly disappointed in my research and development of Bradford but feel I managed to turn it around completely in my self-initiated as can be seen through my initial drawings, refined drawings,artist research folder, context ideas folder, sample plans, choice of material, initial samples and current working samples. The techniques I explored in my self-initiated; paper patches, quilting machine, dyeing, double cloth cut through, were all relevant and helped the progression of my patchwork samples. I am now moving into unit X with a body of work I am proud of and look forward to refining.

Self-initiated and Gawthorpe Brief: Week Eight

I Quilted my finalized working samples on the quilting machine this week, four were machine patched and one was hand patched which was extremely time consuming. When continuing this project through unit X I will make sure that I am booked on the quilter, I have already booked on for the first week as slots are taken up so quickly. I carried my colour scheme through and used a technique of creating cut outs in the materials. This mimicked my drawings and added a focal point to the patches. I used a variety of wadding in these samples including; Thick polyester wadding, Cotton wadding, raised cotton and cotton bump. I felt the raised cotton and cotton wadding worked best as it was a subtle texture change. 

Dyed cotton bump and plain white cotton

dyed cottons

Hand patched dyed cottons ans silks

Dyed raised cotton and cotton poplin

Although the work is being handed in it isn't finished and I will be continuing it through unit X.This week I Sketched up some ideas on how to forward my work for example double quilting and double sided. I also looked into and sampled edge treatments; Mited corner, Bias Binding and Bonded fold, I will incorporate these into my samples as I continue through Unit X where I will create a finished quilt.

Self-initiated and Gawthorpe Brief: Week Seven

I’ve been researching contemporary quilter this week and came across Owen’s Olivia a company which creates geometric style quilts. For context similar to where I see my work; contemporary interiors one offs for a select group of consumers rather than mass produced. Something that I also find interesting is how Owen’s Olivia uses patchwork design to create products similarly to the Bauhaus and HAY. This is where I see my work fitting in the market. My drawings could be translated into quilts for interiors ie chairs, table tops or could be used to create designs for products and sold in higher end high street shops such as Harrods, Selfridges or even stationary shops such as Paperchase.

Owen's Oliva 

Owen's Olivia

 I continued sampling this week to create patches to be sewn on the quilter next week I experimented with composition and when choosing the materials I chose varied weights for example plain cotton with a cotton bump which has a pile. I also washed a sample I had quilted it was interesting to too how the fibers molded together and changed the quilted area. This is something I want to further look into.

Self-initiated and Gawthorpe: Week Six

I booked myself on the quilter before the Christmas break but because of the high demand I only got on for this week. I created some coloured cotton patches. The quilter was quite technical and hard to use however with technical guidance I overcame this. I used the machine to create geometric it was successful as on the bernina free hand quilting it’s almost impossible to create a circle. There are a lot of measurement and maths when using the quilting in terms of plotting out points etc as one inch out could ruin a design. Some testers were successful and others weren’t due to composition and shapes.

Quilted patch turquoise

Quilted patch pink

I created a small hand patched sample this week, It was time consuming but in my opinion worth it. I plan to scale this u and then quilt over on the machine.

Hand patch sample front

Hand paper patched sample back