Bruck

Cant believe how long its been since i last posted on here! Have been busy pattern drafting and cutting, and am well under way with my garments for the fashion show. As well as the skirt and t-shirt, im also gonig to make a little yellow cropped rain jacket, and a crochet and embellished hat. My need to name our outfit for the fashion show, so have been reading the Orcadian dictionary for some words relating to the beach/shoreline. Here are a few!

Bruck - beach rubbish
Ebb - shore
Facie - small cliff
Fankle - tangle or knot
Gimmer - scallop
Glessie - glass
Groatie Buckie - type of shell
Sholtie - creatures/ insects living under stones
Skelder - The noise a gull makes

I think my favourites are Bruck and Sholtie, but have a few days to decide. Have also been busy shopping - have been paid for the designs i sold to Kenzo and Custo Barcelona at Indigo in February. My little sister came to visit for a week as well so showed her round London as much as i could whilst still getting on with my work. Dyeing my wool fabric red for my skirt took a lot longer than expected - 3 days! Its more a coral colour than the vibrant red i was after, but it still works well with my other colours. Digital prints are back so looking forward to getting my t shirt made on Monday or Tuesday. Anyway, wanted to get a bit done on my skirt today so better go!

First screen print (about time!)

Here it is. Had loads to write about, but im really tired and very stressed, so am going to wait until tommorow!

Buoys

Mark has been busy today collecting buoys for me! Hes got the car with him, so will be easy enough to get them back to London. Not looknig forward to taking them on the tube though!! Hes also got some glass and bottlenecks for me, and some rope. Have to wait more than a week to get them back, so need to have everything else ready for then, not long till the fashion show, getting scary!

Zips

Decided to go for really chunky, plastic, colourful zips. Found these on ebay, but undecided between bright red, pink and royal blue. Will need to get 2, one to fasten the back of my skirt, and one for the t-shirt. Claire recommended a few places in Soho to try, see if i have time on tuesday to go and have a look.

Phew!

Its finally finished! Needed to have a calico mock up ready for interim review tommorow. Thought i would be sustainable by using scraps of fabric and recycling old calico mock ups, rather than going out and buying more calico. Pretty pleased with the results. Obviously its not a 'subtle tulip shape' as i mentioned before, its quite exaggerated. Think it needs it though, its just a plain top and skirt otherwise. Might try and taper the bottom of the skirt in slightly, i want most of the volume at the top of the hips. The top isnt perfect, will need to develop the pattern a but. Not used to making t-shirts from non stretchy material! Have decide to fasten the back with a zip, so it can still be slightly fitted at the top. When i do the top properly, i will add a contrasting bias trim on the collar, and also fake contrasting cuffs/ turn ups on the sleeves. Also will need to line the skirt.

Home alone

Marks off up to Orkney for 2 weeks (work stuff), and ive given him a shopping list for stuff i need off the beach! Blue or stripy plastic bags, weathered beach glass, plastic buoys, lots of rope (especially blue or multicoloured) and some yellow oilskins! So this weekend i am going to be a complete recluse and get some work done. Tutorial with Claire yesterday went really well, she got us to talk through our ideas in groups of 6, so aswell as her ideas and suggestions, we got some from other students as well. Here is my most developed fashion illustration, minus some brightly coloured/ printed tights! Still no luck finding a model, have asked my best pal Becki, but she lives about 800 miles away so thats a no. Also asked Ashliegh, the girl who i showed round Chelsea when she had her interview a few weeks ago (she got in by the way - 2nd year!!), but its her fashion show at Cardonald so she cant do it. Also asked Ally, my muse for my Ally and Audrey project, but she doesnt think she can get time off work. 1 girl left to ask, i know shes really into modelling so hopefully she can do it! If not then its time to start asking random girls on the street!

Exposed screen!

Got my screen coated and exposed today, just with the tiny repeat of those plastic can holder thingies, and the larger repeat of the net floats. Tried to dye my lovely textured chunky wool fabric bright red, but it is actually closer to peach! Thats the LAST time i go to Shepards bush for fabric, i can never get anything i buy there to dye properly! Will see how it dries, might print on it anyway for samples. Seeing Claire tomorrow between 2 and half 2, so hopefully will have a couple of samples to show her. Have been thinking about my hat (really want to make one!). Going to use my scraps of fabric (being sustainable!!), different colours and prints, bits of digital etc, and make a 'ruffley' sort of head piece thing, and thinking about painting a few of the net floats that arrived the other day and painting them in bright colours from my palette, and 'nestling' them between the layers of ruffles. Will have to mount it all on one of those felty circle things with the elastic that goes under your chin. Better go, need to go and vote!

More fashion illustrations

Few more illustrations. Really want to use the digital print of the sea repeated but not sure where to use it! Liked the idea of some sort of jacket, but it wouldnt work with the props im thinking of using, and also dont know if i can afford that much digital printing! This works better. Tried thinking about an actual corest/bodice type thing, but like the idea of printing it to look like one on the loose t shirt rather than trying to make one. Think i will feel a bit better once i have started sampling. Need to go into uni today and check what days i can use the dye lab and print room. Getting worried about tutorial with Claire tommorow, i dont have any samples yet aaah! And also very nervous about interim review on monday. AND there is no way i can get my digital prints ready for tuesday if i dont see Mel first!

Toothbrush colours

At last - dont know why these werent uploading. Anyway. Like the idea of printing the toothbrushes in different colours in a row like the top image, instead of stripes. Would work as a waistband or edging. Also looks quite good as an all over repeat, but might look better even smaller? Teeny tiny toothbrushes.

Colours?

Havnt got any new designs, but have been playing around with different colours for the ones i have. Done the toothbrushes as well, but cant get the images up here?! PS - Made chocolate cake, yummy but now feel very sick.

Fashion illustrations

This is what else i have been working on today. Need to have some to take into my tutorial with Claire on friday. Have pretty much decided that i want to make a mid length skirt with the textured wool i found at a shop in Shepards bush, dyed red with the net floats printed in pale green 'puff'. Also want to make a loosish t-shirt with a digital print of the photo of net floats i took at Orkney College. Not sure if i want it to have a background colour or pattern but whatever it is it will need to be quite subtle. Undecided on waistband. Have some lovely loosely woven beige fabric which is very 'beachy', but also thinking about using some of the really crispy, plasticy fabric i got last week. Also considering some sort of jacket, not sure where else i can fit my sea repeat digital print in! Thinking about a sheer layer over the skirt as well. Lots to think about before friday!

More prints

Some more repeat prints, the top is lines and lines of the toothbrush drawing i just did. Quite like it like that, all in one colour but think it will also look really good as one row of th design, every toothbrush in a different colour. The bottom design is the beach glass i drew ages ago in block colour. Would work best as quite a large placement print. If i can 2 more of these done today i will be happy! But right now im going to make a great big yummy chocolate cake!

Toothbrush

Love this photo i found on flickr of toothbrushes found on the beach. You do see rather a lot of them on sandy beaches, kind of strange. Did a line drawing then coloured them on photoshop. Like the idea of using them instead of a stripe, on a waistband or edging. Havent drawn he bristles on purpose, going to embroider them in with chunky white thread.

prints

Have been getting some designs ready to expose onto screen (which is why these are boring in black and white!). So these are from the net floats i got on ebay, and those plastic things that hold cans of beer together! Also going to try some similar designs with toothbrushes, gloves and broken dolls.

Spot the difference

Got carried away touching up the photo i am using for one of my digital prints. Just wanted to get rid of the worm, but ended up getting rid of all the teeny tiny bits of seaweed too! Had an essay feedback tutorial with Caryn this morning. Feel a bit better about starting the dissertation now. Have done some fashion illustrations this afternoon, and had a think about what fabric to go where etc. Found out we might not be getting tutorials with Mel tommorow, which means no tutorials before the digital prints get sent of next tuesday, which means I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING! Having never done digital print before, i have no idea what size i need to make my images, do they need to printed straight onto fabric or into garment shapes, on a disk or in an email? Help!

Cakes and Crochet

Went to Emily's house on Friday night for a knitting night, we actually spent more time eating and chatting, but i did learn to crochet! Had a lovely time and looking forward to doing it again. Thinking about using a bit of hand knitting or crochet in my project, something similar to the yellow Charles Anastace outfit with the black sheer layer.

Mirror repeat

Had a photoshop workshop on Thursday. Learnt different kinds of repeats, and a few other things. Did this during the class, repeated image by mirroring it, which means it doesnt have any noticeable seams. Want to try it again, once i have touched up the original photo. Need to get rid of the worm and little bit of seaweed, and also brighten up some areas. Mel is in on Wednesday for tutorials in the CAD room so will get some help with it then. Have my 2nd tutorial with Claire this Friday, and need to have my colour palette decided, some fashion sketches, and some print samples (yikes!).

Post

Look what arrived in the post Friday morning! Found someone selling these on Ebay, and they are actually Orkney ones as well! A shame they arent on rope, but i can always get my mum to send me a bit from the beach if i need it. Looking forward to drawing these when im feeling a bit better. Some of them have really interesting textures and patterns on, love the one with the little dashes carved into it.

Ooops!

Havnt posted anything for ages! Have had a very hectic weekend. Set of on the back of my dads moterbike saturday morning to spend the weekend with my little sister who has just moved to Peterborough, but we crashed before we even left London! Have a very sore leg and elbow, and maybe a bit of whiplash, but otherwise im fine. Then last night when we drove back to London, it was pouring with rain and really windy so have also caught a chill. Was supposed to be working really hard today since i had the weekend of but have actually been in bed all day! Anyway, went up to Shepards bush last Thursday to have a hunt around for this wool fabric im obsessed with, and actually found it! And for only £20 a metre! Its a bit more heavyweight, not quite as stretchy, and a bit 'fluffier' but i actually prefer it for this project. Cant wait to start dyeing it this week!