Stumbled upon this on stumbleupon.com...super creative idea!

New Ring Designs

Topshops eco friendly collection

Nice to see a high street store being eco friendly given the large carbon footprint of the textile industry.

So...it is time for me to make a start on So-U....to take myself away from the safety net of college assignments and to launch myself into the unknown.....fun times....stream lining my blog, setting up a So-U facebook page and webpage....hmm when will i get time to make some nice earrings!!....

Professional Identity Project

The graphic design students had a big project...a big project that benefitted us in Fibre Art and Textile Design! The role of my graphic designer Maria was to come up with professional idendity cards and stationary for us as textile artists/designers...or as I decided to be called creator: Creations by Sarah Mc Gloughlin. I couldn't quite bring myself to call myself artist or designer yet!

Another issue I found was really not something I can rectify easily....my name! Sarah Mc Gloughlin I didn't think was exactly the most glamorous or catchy of names, therefore I spent some time considering what I wanted my potential business to represent....

The strategy I have for my potential business is to create accessories/art that is FOR THE CUSTOMER.By that I mean, it is customised, a more personalised and collaborative project with the customer and myself. Having thought long and hard about this I then decided that I wanted something that was short, snappy and that encorporated this notion within the name.

So-U was what emerged from this. I felt it was current, visually strong and I also wanted the thumb print to give this idea of it being personalised, i.e we all have different thumb prints-they are unique, original. They are So-U!

Fashion Shoot

I never knew how much hard work and preparation went into a fashion shoot until 2 gaphic design students, a model and myself worked together on a shoot!

My role was to style the shoot and so I chose the theme of Wasteland as our source of inspiration. Having created a wearable piece from recycled materials last yeat I thought it would be the perfect piece to encapsulate this theme.

As a group we decided to through the theme of Wasteland, get across the idea of our model being the last human being on earth; we used the film 28 Days Later as our inspiration. She was, in essence, fighting for survival against all odds-dramatic!!

Photoshoots are challenging but fun. We met on several occasions before the day of the photoshoot to ensure we had the right lighting, mood, styling and make-up. We used props on the day of the shoot so that the model had objects to interact with. We did not want an image in the end that was editorial but more representational of our concept.

The model did a magnificient job....more photos to follow (they are being edited by the graphic designers at present!)

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/27TfZQ/www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/motoi-yamamoto-salt-mazes

just thought this was so lovely.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZKkYdelD2o&feature=related

funny clip...ah beloved art and "what is art?"

Showcase 2012

Suzannagh Grogan, Textile designer

This year was my first year hearing about Showcase(I know, where have I been?!. It was therefore a real treat to get to experience it as a visitor with my student tag hanging around my neck!!

Showcase is an annual event that allows makers to display there work as retail buyers stroll up and down the isles in the RDS. The goal: get them to love you and your work! The prize: well your product could be then distributed into retail units all arouond the world and also there are some awards up for grabs also!

The Crafts Council of Ireland have a strong presence at Showcase. The craft being produced in Ireland at the moment (not that I am an expert) seemed to be a very high standard at there were some innovative products. There is a real sense of our Irish Identity at Showcase when you see the products created. This perhaps, in these....don't yawn now...RECESSIONARY TIMES....may be due to makers desire to sell internationally in markets that havn't had the slump that Ireland has.

I spoke to textile designer Suzannagh Grogan. Suzannagh creates digitally printed silk scarves. Digital printing on textile is not available in Ireland so she has to get the images digitally printed onto the silk in the UK. When Suzannagh was approached by an American buyer she said they would not buy her product. Why? Because it was not 100% Irish made. This is what sells in the states....worth taking note of this!Also, why has nobody with some spare cash thought of buying a machine that can print on silk.....hmmm maybe I will return to knitting for the time being!

Some pics from our Christmas Craft Fair 2011

....And some more pics!

What was the event?
On the 14th of December we held a Christmas craft fair in Ballyfermot College. The purpose: to raise funds for our end of year exhibition that will be held in May of next year

Success?
The craft fair, it must be said (despite the big "R",pay cuts and the general doom and gloom we are bombarded with through the media daily), was a success.The definition of success is: to have succeeded in one's endeavour or to achieve a favourable outcome and by reaching our goal and raising over four hundred euro this project must be deemed a success!

Planning and more planning!
The planning process of this craft fair commenced in October whereby as a group we discussed options as to how we were going to raise the money required for our exhibition. We considered holding a "swap shop" or a "stitch and bitch" day but ultimately it was decided that the process of a craft fair would open our eyes to the planning, design work and the business end of selling our products. Interesting and at times rather stressful it was, but the experience I have gained from the process is invaluable.

GO TEAM THREAD!
I was team leader for team thread. My team mates were Bobby, Danielle and Kayleigh. Our designs were grouped together under this title of "team thread" as we all used thread or yarn. Team thread were encouraged to create individual designs but to try and work together and to encourage each other. I like to think we achieved this! We met on 2 occasions to work together as a team and we communicated with eachother to discuss progress plans through text messaging and during class time.

My personal Experience:
Over the October mid-term break we were asked to come up with 12 design ideas for the fair. Well, my overactive/hyper brain tends to over do it from time to time and so I came back from mid-term with approximately 18 designs and lots of samples....this is the first lesson I take from the whole process: STOP, SLOW DOWN, CONSIDER, FOCUS, and quite simply, try and perfect one design idea before hopping off to the next! If I had done this at the start there would have been far less stress and probably less work in the end, however, we live and learn!

Finally a decision!
So after much tweeking and pondering my design idea was narrowed down to crochet collars but the significant part of this was considering a colour story and the style I was trying to achieve. I tried to stick to a colour story of pink, yellow ochre,black and cream. The idea with the collar was that it could decorate a simple top or dress. Also the weights varied in the designs so that some were functional in that they provided heat while the others were just an accessory.

Here comes the boring part!
So when it comes to the money side of making my mind tendes to switche off!Costing materials and the time it takes to make and then putting a price on your product can be rather laborious!LESSON 2 FROM THIS PROCESS: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. LESSON 3: STICK TO ONE DESIGN AND THEN VARY-THIS WILL SAVE TIME!...yes this was probably what has been the biggest lesson for me and I know for the future now how important the initial stages of design are.

Anyway back to costings...on average each piece cost around two euro to make but the biggest cost for me in this assignment was:TIME!On estimate,having completed 16 final pieces for the fair, each piece took around 2-3 hours to make.

The prices of my final creations ranged from five euro to 30 euro for the sale.

What was I selling?
1 poncho
2 pink collars
2 yellow ochre collar/neckpieces
1 white and black collar
1 cream and black neckpiece
1 head piece
3 fabric collars
1 pair of earrings
3 I-phone covers
1 pair of cuffs

My sales!
As I just mentioned I had 16 final pieces to sell on the day. In the end I sold 12 of my 16 products.
I also received four orders which was very exciting. One lady requested 3 crochet collars in different colours to the ones I had on offer while one girl requested a crochet I-phone cover. These orders are worth 55 euro.

In total on the day of the craft fair my pieces fetched 145 euro!

The stress paid off in the end and following the nerves and anxiety I was filled with absolute contentment and adrenaline. I enjoyed the day of the sale and the buzz that is created by setting up a stall, creating an appropriate display, mingling with the customers and of course knowing that by reaching our goals the hard work paid off!

Great class effort. Great result.
Now role on the exhibition..............

Today, I visited the David Kronn exhibition in IMMA, Dublin. The show exhibits over 450 photographs brought together by Kronn. Truly worth a peek. Beautiful photographs from various photographers. The exhibition continues until the 9th of October.

www.imma.ie/en/page_212320.htm

So begins part deux of my blog....still learning about widgets and layouts. Golly gosh its a tricky task trying to change the background or photo....or well, maybe thats just me and my inability to understand the ever evolving technologies that we are presented with. I also guess that same incapacity explains why I like ancient skills such as embroidery and knitting and I still love getting post rather than emails (except when its from banks).

I suppose with most blogs people tend to discuss/present topics that interest them. I am a complex creature coming from a scientific background and now I find myself emmersed in arts and culture and everything you would think science is not...but there are some cross overs.

So, do forgive me if this blog seems well, muddled. However, why not just categorise it as diverse and trust that there will be a thread that links my thoughts/links/posts together.

This thread, thread being quite the ironic choice of word, will be fibre and textile art.

Today while I was doing a bit of research I came across and Irish artist,Patricia Kelly. The beauty of Kelly's work is that she uses discarded clothes to create her art pieces.

Click the link to see her website:
http://patriciakelly-textileartist.com/index.htm


"I've always had a fascination with the needle; the magic power of the needle, the needle is used to repair the damage. It's a claim to forgiveness."- Patricia Kelly

Grace Elliot - blog.: Bayeux Tapestry - a Stitch in Time.

Grace Elliot - blog.: Bayeux Tapestry - a Stitch in Time.

The craft of Embroidery and the Bayeux Tapestry

Embroidery as an ancient art form still has a strong presence in art and design. Intricate and brilliantly coloured patterns have created a beauty of their own onto fabrics, adding to their value and appreciation. Today, with the ever present innovation and development of new technologies we can see that though this is progressive that it can be combined with the old techniques born in the iron ages. Both the old and the new now co-exist with each other with mutual admiration for technological advances and the skill of hand craft.

We can see the benefits of the specialist embroidery machines which allow you to create simple and complex motifs accurately, and to make multiple identical copies of them and we can also appreciate the uniqueness of the long and tedious process by hand.  

The use of embroidery had a prominent position in fashion. Embroidery became a highlight of fashion during the 18^th Century in France. Designs were often made with metallic and silk threads-decorated everything from women’s dresses to men’s breeches. Like the period of the 11^th century, the decoration was a symbol of status and wealth in addition to adding glamour to a garment. Embroidery became a right of passage for girls to be taught by their mothers the time tested stitches.

The basic techniques of embroidery that can be seen an early works such as the 11^th century Bayeux tapestry of chain stitch, couching, or stem stitch, remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today.

It is a striking fact that in the development of hand embroidery that there are no changes of materials or techniques which can be felt or interpreted as overwhelming advances. The question remains, will we ever see the likes of the Bayeux tapestry being recreated by means of the laborious hand embroidery or by means of the sewing machine derived in the 19^th and 20^th century, and if so will we carry the same reverence for it or is the admiration we behold for the Bayeux tapestry related to either, the history of the survival of the cloth and the story it tells, or, the craft of embroidery itself?

The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry which hangs in the city of Bayeux is a strip of linen cloth embroidered with woollen thread. It is, desite its title, not a tapestry. The masterpiece depicts the history of the conquest of England by the Normans in 1066 (Wilson Mc Kenzie, D, ’85). The piece embroidered in the 11^th century is 50 centimetres high and is 70.34 metres in length. The linen web was made in 8 sections. The first two are 113.5 metres long, and the next five range between 6.6 and 8.5 metres. The last piece is now only 5.25 metres lone; a length somewhere between 1 metre and 3 metres is missing at the end. The lost final section was on the outside when rolled up and was consequently the part most vulnerable to damage. However, it is because it was rolled up and stored away a lot of the time that it survived fires and wars for nearly 500 years in the 12^th century.

This exquisite embroidered piece is thought to have been created by over 100 noble women and is thought to have taken several years to complete (Somerkin, D, date unknown). Researchers are lead to believe that the tapestry was made in the South of England before 1082, though there is some debate to suggest that it was in fact created in Normandy ( Wilson Mc Kenzie, D, ’85). The end of the tapestry, which has been missing for nearly three centuries, means that we are unsure as to how the story of the Bayeux tapestry ends tapestry ends.                                      

                                       

The most remarkable thing about the tapestry is the way in which it presents the history of the conquest (Grape, W, ’94).

The embroidered cloth tells the story of Count William who came from Normandy into Pevensey. As soon as his men were able, they constructed a fortification at the market of Hastings. King Harold was told this and he collected a large army and went to seek William. However William came upon him unexpectedly before his army arrived and King Harold was killed.

What the Bayeux tapestry appears to present is a faithful and pictorial history of the conquest of England. In my opinion it is cartoon like or somewhat similar to a comic strip. It has aptly been called “the longest cartoon strip in the world” as it depicts the story of the conquest with simple and clear imagery which is accompanied by stitched text. The piece is completed with simple stitches and as a story it reads coherently, though this does not take away from the masterpiece that it is. The scale, its survival through the centuries and its capacity to tell an important story from history all contribute to the reasons why it is still appreciated, adorned and written about today.

The designer was evidently at pains to make history clearly legible. Without exception, commentators speak of “the designer”, a single artist who is always referred to as he. It can be suggested that through its homogenous style that perhaps a single artist lay out the whole of the pictorial narrative and that then this was stitched by a team of skilled embroiderer’s. The embroiderers’ rendered the designs illustrated by the artist such as the moustaches of the anglo-saxons, the spurs of the horse men, the forelocks of the galloping horses, the pointing index fingers and much else (Grape, W, ’94).

It certainly seems that it took a team to produce the Tapestry, working simultaneously. When work started in the spring of 1885 on a copy of the whole Tapestry, 35 women, members if the Leek Embroidery Society, shared the task until its completion in 1886, and that was with all the advantages of improved technology (Grape, W, ’94). The extent of the designs of the Tapestry, the use of multiple colours, and the scale of the piece itself suggests that there was a large and experienced workshop to produce this historical work.  

The woollen threads were dyed with plant dyes in a total of eight colours: a reddish yellow, an ochreous yellow, terracotta red, blue-green, sage green, a striking olive green, blue and bluish black. Some tones that were technically possible at the time are missing from the replica completed by the Leek Embroidery Society; these include a medium yellow (from crab-apple bark), a powerful red (from the madder root), intense green (as a mixture of blue and yellow), grey (using a thinned iron-gall solution), chocolate brown (a mixture of ochre, red and black) and violet (from elderberries) (Mc Kenzie Wilson, D, ’85).

So little textile art created in the middle ages have survived and therefore it is difficult to establish where and where not the embroidery techniques applied in the Bayeux tapestry were used.

Youtube clip showing telling the story of the Bayeux Tapestry