Evaluation of completed work
How do you feel about the resulting conclusion?
On the whole I am very pleased with the result of my resolved sample (see image below). I am glad that I added the subtle additional motif in the top left section of the sample (as discussed in chapter 11) as it takes away the full force of the light green fabric in the centre motif. This was however very difficult to stitch due to all the layers it need to go through- I had been aware that this would be an issue which was why the rest of the sample had been stitched using the machine. The machine was also chosen though as it offered a cross style stitch that reflected the theme and broke down the crispness of the fabric edges to add to the disintegration effects.
I feel that layering the sample up piece by piece has added dimensions and to some extent a '3D' quality the the overall look of it. What cannot be appreciated in the photo is the textural nature of the work, especially the contrasts between the frayed chenille cut away applique and the shiny satin fabrics it is next to. Also difficult to see in the photo is the complex surface of the bonded fabrics I created. These have a variety of thread, Angelina fibres and even sweet wrapper chippings trapped onto them and can reflect the light when viewed from different angles.
There are minor points that I am a little disappointed with such as I feel the red satin is probably too contrasting and highlights the centre applique piece too boldly. I also wish I had made more of the chenille cut away applique as not only did I enjoy this technique the most I feel that the texture it gives is the most successful part of the sample in my own personal opinion.
I am however particularly pleased that I made the choice to use fabric that I had printed as the printing has broken up the shine and colour of the green satin fabric is is placed onto.
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| 1/evaluation/1: Resolved sample |
I believe on the whole it is for the following reasons:
- I kept to my strict colour scheme of shades of red and green.
- I used techniques that had been covered in the module that I felt would lend themselves well to the growth and disintegration theme.
- Embroidery was used to embellish the sample and I feel it has enhanced the patterns within it.
- The motif shapes were developed throughout the project and their links can be seen throughout all the chapters from research through to developing ideas for the final piece.
- The finished sample meets the size specification of 20cm x 20cm.
- Growth has been indicated through the repeat of the motif and the contouring with stitchery.
- Disintegration has been achieved through the business of the background which helps the top applique start to blend in, the cross stitch, the layering (especially of the smaller motifs on top- in particular the fibre paper), the frayed fabric edges of the chenille effect cut away applique and also with the use of the threads trapped in the bonded fabrics which have helped break up the solidness of the base colour and surface texture they are bonded to.
If you were to make it again what changes would you make to the way you designed it and the way you made it?
As previously mentioned I would not have chosen to use the strong red satin fabric as it is too bold and contrast too much against the green. Looking at the finished sample I feel with hindsight I should have gone with a dark green or at least have broken up the strength of the red with some stitchery.
Although I tested out various scenarios for the layout using my coloured papers I feel maybe I should have produced some thumbnail sketches as well to consider a wider range of possibilities. Although the layout works, I feel maybe I could have challenged myself to have created something a little more unexpected/obvious. I liked the use of scale change so maybe I could have played more on this concept.
As previously mentioned I feel I should have made more of the chenille cut away applique technique as this gave a great effect for the disintegration in the corners of the design.
I would have liked to have added more hand embroidery but the way the sample was assembled in thick layers this was very difficult to execute in the small area it was done in. If I was to do this sample again I would maybe consider adding it to layers before they are fixed down to the backing to avoid this thickness issue.
Authentication of work
The following photograph shows me working on my resolved sample for this module:
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| 1/evaluation/2: Photograph of me (Katie Green) working on module one/resolved sample |
Health and Safety rules observed
The following shows the risk assessment that I produced for this module:
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| 1/evaluation/3: Risk assessment |
Costs
The following shows the costs for making my resolved sample. Please note that the majority of the fabrics and components used were given to me for free or were recycled from old clothes and projects. If I had to buy them myself I doubt I would have needed to have spend more than £3 or £4 as the quantities were very small and I did not use anything of a particularly specialist or high quality nature.
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| 1/evaluation/4: costs |
The following shows my time record for the whole of module one. At the very start of the project I set this up in an Excel spreadsheet and updated it after each key piece of work listed (I broke each chapter down into sub-sections to make this easier). It was interesting to compare my time estimates to the actual time taken. In some circumstances I over or under estimated the time quite a bit! I learnt a lot from this exercise and hope it has given me the insight to be a little more accurate with my predictions. Overall however I only ran over my estimated time for the project by five and a half hours which in the scheme of things could have been much worse.
The one aspect I did not allocate time to that I will need to consider in the future is the time needed to blog the chapters. I think that realistically I need to allow an hour per chapter for this. As I have gone through the project I have found blogging easier and therefore quicker but initially I did waste a bit of time sussing it all out. It is a shame that Windows Live writer is not compatible with my laptop as I believe that might have made things easier in the long run.
I fell behind schedule mid way through due to unexpected illness and work load from my day job as a teacher. That said, I was able to successfully catch up and meet my deadline for the end of the module.
I also learnt a lot about how I work. My most successful work was conducted at weekends as I could dedicate blocks of time to it and was not tired from work- I found the evenings particularly challenging because of this. As a teacher I am blessed to have holidays in which I can also spend quality time on my work. I also found that I could fit in some of the course at school where I had easy access to dyes and equipment that benefited my project.
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| 1/evaluation/5: Time sheet |
I have really enjoyed this module. Although the majority of techniques introduced were not exactly new to me with my previous background in Textiles it was really good to be reaquainted with them and be able to apply them all to a specific theme. This project has served me well to get myself re-inspired and back into some good work habits too. I am really looking forward to what the next project will bring.
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