FINAL EVALUATION

Throughout this unit I have thoroughly challenged myself exploring processes and building upon new skills to effectively construct samples towards a successful final outcome.  Developing my own structure to working and producing varied outcomes through the restrictions within my research enabled me to find a process in which I work best. Firstly this included sampling and then later visualisations and designs of samples through drawings, becoming inspired by my own work.

Starting the Practice unit with inspiration from my Summer project and influences from my placement at Cabbages & Nettles I was aiming towards a body of work that concentrated on surface embroidery, using stitch techniques to materialise layering of thread through the use of a domestic Bernina.
Initially researching tree bark with the concept of 'un-appreciated beauty' meant my colour palette wasn't very clean and contemporary.

Searching for new research I became inspired by Michael Kidner and the colourful compositions within his work. This further inspired me to participate in the live brief for this unit. Resulting in a heavy influence on my self-initiated project, simultaneously producing work for both project briefs enhanced the creativeness of effective samples.

Researching graffiti as ‘ugliness’ I extracted colours and refined a limited colour palette, processing this through structural designs inspired by Michael Kidner. The result of this was a restricted colour palette focusing on Optical art and embellishment to create fabrics for a varied target audience and a multiple of contexts.

Using the multihead (ETHOS) machine to explore a more digitally based development of sampling was effective, as I had to plan in advance the outcomes of each week. Experimenting with this machine changed my initial approach to this unit, celebrating an all over pattern onto an array of surfaces. With a limit of twelve colours on this machine I explored colour and grayscale, carefully constructing an order to colour and shape.

Using set stitches on the Pfaff machine also enabled a structure to embellishment design on different surfaces as the repeat was exact, increasing the effectiveness of optical conclusions.

This unit allowed me to understand that limitations allow a wider more diverse breadth of outcomes and successful creativity within embroidery.

Mainly aiming within this unit to produce a body of work to fit all contexts was harder than refining my context. However after researching designers such as; Margo Selby, Wallace & Sewell and Paul Smith I enjoyed the idea of creating a repeat embellished design on various materials to create on large fabric to be sold by the metre to existing companies for use within a fashion and interior context.

Continuing with restrictions through colours and techniques, I will further limit myself in the next unit to persist with the same body of work, developing and finding new research to produce samples as effective for the degree show through the use of embellishments as a wider technique, refining contexts and realisation of audiences.