I have very carefully sewed the two rows of feathers onto the bottom seam I think it looks really good already it still needs the see through underskirt as the dress is quite short.

I have started cutting out thew black taffeta pattern for the top of the dress! I still need to cut out black tafeta on the bias to cover up the feather line aswel!!

I think I will definatly get my dress finished on time. I was getting worried when I had only done the toile and how bad it looked compared to what it looks like now.

final garment

I have cut out the pattern, overlocked , sewed the seams, pressed it open. Also sewed up the lining. Only when i had sewed it up i was told it would need fusinng on the top of my dress! it took me all morning to unpick the seams and cut out the fusing, whole day wasted on something which i could have been told previously.

passion flowers

more artic impressions

Unfold exhibition

International team of artists and climate scientists made three expeditions to this remotte, frozen world (high artic region)

the artists have found new and innovating ways to represent this extrodinary place and the implications of climate change.

My favorite pictures from this exhibition were done by ackroyd and harvey. My favorite being the narrative image of the skeleton of the whale, covered in carbon dioxide cyrstals, which the ocean consumes vast quanities of, entering the ocean through burning of fossil fuel. The chemistry of the ocean has changed for the first time in millions of years. The sea water is turning sour and many marine creatures are struggling to make shells. We don't often take into consideration the ocean but it is a very vital part of the earth that cannot be ignored.

feather wraps

going to be pleated where feathers are fitted, i think i will not need the bottom wrap as it will be fully covered with feathers anyway, so will not be able to see might be easier to just sew them onto the dress.

tried on toile

this is the toile so far, it is quite a good fit. The bottom will look alot different when done in stiff organza, this material just seems to hang loosly.

bottom skirt

altered pattern, slashed and spread to give it more volume, can't have it as tight around knees as planned because the wearer will not be able to walk.

altering pattern

front and back changed panels, altered to fit stand, also had to take some out of the middle of the pattern because quite baggy round the middle.

I am currently doing the pattern cutting for my dress, i hate how it takes me so long and it always goes wrong. i have sewed up 1/3 of my toile for my dress three times, at least now i will know from my mistakes and improve on my pattern knowledge. I do sit and gossip when waiting for tutor or when stuck, i should just get on with it then would not be waisting so much time. This week i have not been gossiping and i feel i have got though alot more work. Not talking so much in class will help me get through pattern cutting alot quicker. I do get annoyed that there is only two teachers for the whole class i feel like i need constant tutor support when doing pattern cutting.
Last thursday i had finaly moved onto the bottom part of my dress, it is on the bias cut because i did not want any seams going through as it is see through!! i sewed a toile up and i am currently re-doing my pattern for the toile by using slash and spread method. On wednesday i will sew it up and see what it looks like!!!

...

after doing part of my board in water colour i think im getting better at using it and the thing i like about it is that you cant really make a mistake, you can always just put water over it and it goes away .

i am really pushed for time and today was probably my only free day i have before hand in, spent good part of the day in hospital, with my mother.

i still have six a 3 boards of figures to do and other things before hand in completely wack im feeling like im not going to get it finished.

i was looking at my first project and i have impoved so much when using watercolour, i just looked at it and im like thinking what is this seriously i would be ashamed to put tha tin my portfolio now.

pattern

when i sewed up my toile it didnt actualy fit on the stand, needed to add extra two cms to bust and middle was two big, added to side seam took out from middle

patttern cutting

my block for my dress design

boards

the start of my boards i think there starting off pretty good, still need to print off alot more bird images but bigger rather than little ones to stop it from looking cheap!!!

i have a problem of printing things off too small, taking the easy, cheaper way, everything always looks so rubbish when its small especially in sketchbook!!!

I ALSO HATE PUTTING ANNOTATION ON MY WORK IT MAKES IT LOOK SO CHEAP.

and more

more sketchbook

Sketchbook

This week been concentrating on filling in my sketchbook!!

I have been informed i need more drawings, annotation. My tutor says my sketchbook is like myself, you never know what is going on.

I want people who look at my sketchbook to know whats going on!! and for it to provoke my theme.

I got my feathers this week aswel!!!! They are beautiful and i can't wait to see what my end result will look like.

Why I don't use water colour

This is what happens everytime i try to paint with water colour, i always end up using pencils over the top. One of these days i will invest in a decent paintbrush!!!!

Im looking at the bottom corner now...its terrible!!!!!!!!!

Mc Queen

When Burton took over Mcqueens fashion house i thought it would not be the same, she has proved us wrong she has captured mcqueens true elements and continued his style of design!!

lalala

This was for my whistles design project how i want my final set to look like. I love the ink and i think the acrylic paint looks really good, however i only used it becasue i am not very good with watercolour, i do tend to be quite shy when using watercolour. Water colour will be a great medium when doing my final layout for my evening collection especially with my theme. For my final set for this project i want the models to have sixtees hair and makeup being when the film was made. I do not necciserialy like the hair and the face needs more work on figure above. I want the figures to have a haunting element about them, i will think about that nearer the time although it is getting quite near hand in. I have been terrible with getting on and doing my work since the four months i had in the summer. I have been wasting my time too much drinking every night ahhh. I am going to make a time table today that i can stick to. I have so much work and hardly any time to do it at the moment. I know that if i organise my time wisely from now i can get myself sorted!! and hopefully have everyhting finished for handin !!

The Pain Of Body Blanks

This week i have undergone the task of making new body blanks. This time I do not want them to be posey, just as if they are walking along. When making body blanks i do always tend to hate doing them. I am fine when i have to copy a pose but they tend to be too restricted and i have it in my head that they have to be perfect which my tutor has informed me this is not the case. I am not very happy with them at the moment but i am sure they will look fine once they are painted filled in and not all lines.

Mao couture

INTRO first post

I have been asked to design an evening wear dress for Ann Mao. When first viewing the type of dress i was going to design I felt the designs were too girly, not sexy fairytale dresses. (american prom dress style) I then had the dilema of thinking what my theme should be for the dress not wanting to go down that route.

I went away, came back with various ideas. While watching one of my favorite movies The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock i decided that i wanted to do something related to birds and the extremity of their minds. Most people think of birds as "pea brained" creatures however they are actualy very inteligant: their flight patterns migratating. I don't necessarily find them very attrative, there is always an haunting element about them probably too much of watching The Birds . I do find the patterns of their feathers exeptionaly diverse. Also the many different kinds.

I began my sketchbook, starting to research more into the subject.

When researching, I found it was the siloette that would help me to design my collection, combined with the irredescent colours of the starling. I wanted to do an outrageous brightly coloured dress, however with my theme now being english birds based on the Daphne Du Maurier book, obviously it will not be so bright.

After doign some feather samples of sewing feathers in a line onto material. I found this method was going to be more pricy, time consuming and not reliable as the feathers might fall out easily. I was adviced to buy them on a reel from a feather manufacturer.