3rd Year

So far I've been made to do mainly research bits for Sarah, my 3rd year photocopying pages shes found or finding my own stuff for her work. She also sent me to find orange shoes from high street shops that would work with her collection.
I'm finding it usefull seeing what sort of stuff the 3rd years are making, and how there coping with it at this late stage, it gives me the feeling I will need to step it up next year. Also getting advice into what pathway I may take next year.
On a seperate matter, we've nearly finished our final project for the 1st year, and its been a tough one, mainly down to having a cast on throughtout it. But i think i should manage to complete it by friday. It's our Interdisciplinary which involves a selection of fabric samples created using different methods, from that we have to carry our research and narrow down our choice of which fabric to use to create a garment, which has to be a maxi skirt.

Above are a couple of examples of my fabric samples and a few sketches I did for skirt designs.

PPD1

Easter eggs me and Jaime got from her mum. :)

First day back after Easter holiday. During Easter I spent most the time at home, working to get some money, then I fractured my hand. Went up to Jaime's after that, to spend a week with her. Had a really nice time jsut the two of us, went to Blackpool Zoo, couple of pictures above. Didn't get any uni work done though. Missed Monday's lesson due to doctor's appointment, first lesson back. We got our handbook for our Interdisiplinary which looks fairly hard. Creating our own fabric to make a maxi skirt. Was supposed to of had 6 A3 fabric samples done by now to help get on with this new project.

Met our 3rd years today also, who we will be working with and assisting on wednesday's for the next month or so, mine's called Sarah Cook, seems quite loud but funny.
She's given me a few tasks to do for her. Some research into eco-friendly clothes and landfill sites and a shopping trip to find her some orange shoes to add to her collection. The research into eco-friendly clothing gave me the idea to use it as a basis for my lastest project, interdisiplinary. Which I went on to use.

Found out that we're going to have to do a presentation towards the end of this year as well, on our first year here in Leeds, using these Blogg's as a source. As the Blogg is supposed to have been updated regularly since started in September..

Forgot to mention my elective anywhere, so I'll add it in here. Quite enjoyed the week of photography it's something I've always enjoyed doing, probably since going to New York on a Photograohy/Art trip at secondary school.
Here's one of the photo's that I took for my final selection, which was looking at the way light and lighting can affect photography and the purposely taken photos that use long shutter speeds to creat great images like the photos off this website which I used for research, 'http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/12/12/45-breathtaking-examples-of-slow-shutter-speed-photography.html'

.....

Here are a few photos of my work from Creative Design Realisation, my final design is below which I made into a very successful dress.


Coming to the end of our 3rd project since starting uni, and its been the hardest so far, learning completely new things and much more practical than the previous, which is better i suppose. But also tiring as a lot is going on, and I'm still not used to these early starts and long days. We also just had our first deadline for contextual and theoretical studies. I completed a 1500 word essay on Baroque period art work, not that brilliant, but it was just a first attempt. Harvard referencing is horrid.!

Got to finish making my dress on monday before handing it all in on tuesday, still bit of file work to complete as well. Shouldnt take too long. Off home this weekend with my girlfriend Jaime for my sisters 16th birthday. Jaime hasn't met most my family yet, they can all be quite over the top and excitable. 9 year old brother and 12 year old sister the worst with my mum just behind. Will probably end up going out with some mates from home as well whilst were there.

After Christmas...

I'm back in Leeds after the long christmas holiday's, finding it hard to get back into working life, and motivate myself.! Got some designs to do for the latest project we're working on, which is based on pattern cutting, we're going to need to create are own pattern to make a garment from. This is the first time I've ever done this sort of thing. Also work to do for my seminar, an essay to start and some picture analysing.

Over Christmas I worked quite a bit back home, and spent time with my family manily with my 9 year old brother, playing football. I still had my car at this point so travelling around at home was so much easier, didnt have to worry about lifts. Came back to Leeds for New Years which I spent with my girlfriend and some friends from here. Went home for a week and a bit after, before having to be back in Leeds for uni. Sold my car just before coming back to Leeds...

Catch up!!

Uni has been getting much more interesting and practical compared to the first project we did. We've actually gone on to make bits, and do some designs in the last few weeks which is much more interesting than research based projects. Lectures have stopped now for the year, leaving more time to get on with the essay and tasks set from Marcel in our seminars. Which I'm still yet to start. The seminar's have been getting a bit better although they still seem to be a repeat of what we already heard earlier in the lectures. I find it quite hard to sit their and listen and watch slide shows of historic art, hardly any of the lectures had any links to fashion, which is another reason why I prefer the seminar as Marcel does attempt to link in fashion. Also due to the size difference it's much easier to ask questions about the slide shows.

One of the last projects we did was Creative Approaches to Fashion where we got to do some more design work, creating garment ideas from abstract objects. The aim of this brief was to create a garment from three different shirts. I ended up making a jump suit which I feel turned out quite well.



Above is a photo of my final garment which Jaime tried on for me. I had to add a couple of safety pins to hold bits together, as we weren't allowed to use a sewing machine for this project. I've also included a photo of one of my research and design pages.
Here is an example of what I was talking about, using strange shaped objects like an orange skin to create the shape and structure for a garment.

Leeds

Been up in Leeds for over two weeeks now, getting used to uni and early starts, doing everything for myself, meeting new people. Feels weird being away from homeand living in a completely new city. I came from St. Albans which is a small city near London. There was a few friends also coming to Leeds from there aswell which I thought would make it easier settling in, but Bryony is the only one I've really kept it touch with, as it would be pretty hard not to. I'm staying right in the city centre at a place called Opal 3 which seems great so far. En suite, shared kitchen with four other people none of which have turned up yet... Easy walk up to uni and to anywhere I need to get to.

I'm updating a previous post to try and keep it all in some order. And as my next post isn't untill after Christmas I thought I should say what I was doing up untill then. The first few weeks of uni were pretty much non-stop going out and feeling crap each morning. Met loads of new people and had a really good few weeks.

Thought I'd put up a photo of me and Jaime.