Evaluation of Locating

I have found this unit quite challenging in a number of ways. I found the time frames of the live brief were quite tight and the turn around from beginning to end was at a much quicker pace than what I am used to working at. This has however, taught me to work to a high standard at a high rate and I feel that this is good preparation for the future.

Working to a live brief for knitwear label, Leutton Postle, was also a challenge. As a brand, they work using bright colours, contrasting texture and in a very expressive way. This is very different to the way that I usually work and this immediately put me outside of my comfort zone. With a different way of working and a very small amount of time to create my samples, I felt as though I was floundering a little.

When it came to the crit, I felt even more disheartened. The criticism that I did receive did not seem to be constructive and there were no comments on how the samples could be improved. This made it difficult to extract some things that I felt personally went well and worked to carry through to my personal project.

I decided eventually that I liked the blend of textures and unusual combinations of fabrics and yarns and that this was something that could be refined and developed for the upcoming personal project.

By this point, time again appeared to be working against me and I felt rushed and began panicking. I did eventually begin work on my personal project, focussing on bones as a starting point. Visiting the musuem for research was an interesting experience and I did learn that trips like those must be booked in advance, organisation is vital.

 I feel that my photographs from this part of the project are a particularly strong aspect of my work. I think capturing the detail was important and they have filtered through into the sampling process. Developing these photographs further, I also found the microscope images to be really strong too.

The photographs allowed me to venture into the hidden aesthetic of bones. It allowed me to see the irregular surface and edges of the bones, as well as extract marks and colours that I felt were the most beautiful from the photographs and that I would like to work with and develop them into knitting samples.

 

The short amount of time that was left for sampling has taught me that I can produce a large volume of work in a short amount of time. I have struggled at times, however I have still made time to experiment and try new things.

 

If I was to do this unit again, I would most definitely try and develop my samples as garment shapes, in order to see how they would look if they were used for their intended purpose. I also want to work on my garment construction skills as this is something that I find interesting.

 





Overall, my samples have turned out quite well. There was an element of designing on the spot involved. This was due to a small amount of time given for sampling, however this has surprisingly produced some lovely things. I have experimented with technique, blending yarn and colour and I think that they work well. I am more pleased with my efforts and keeping my head above water, even when I felt like I was struggling with time management.