For my next additional design i also wanted to develop my blender designs further. I realised i have used my floral trees in both my hero and secondary designs; however, as of yet have not utilised them in a blender design.
Initially i started by creating a motif using all four different colours and then started to experiment with scale to add depth. Following this i experimented with repeats to find the best way for the motif to fit together, producing a evenly distributed amount of negative space. Despite being happy with what i had produced at this stage i was concerned that there are a lot of hues for a blender design and also couldn’t help but want to find out what would happen if i experimented further with this.
To develop this design further i started to refine what hues would be included and then experimented more with repeating structures. Despite once again liking what i had produced i was still concerned that it had too much detail for a blender design.
It was at this point i started to wonder what this design would be like if i added a colour overlay. Initially i wanted to add a pink overlay to the pink trees and a yellow overlay to the yellow trees; however, then realised it would be nice to not edit the hues but stick to editing the tones.
This design i have chosen to produce in a range of alternate colour ways which differ to my colour pallet in all the outcomes except for the pink. Overall i feel pinking a middle tone for the background and then a darker and lighter shade for the foreground imagery helps to balance the design and adds depth. As well as this, utilising the colour overlay option has helped to really simplify this outcome so it is much more appropriate for a blender design than it was previously.
Now haven taken a break from my designs and focusing on other elements i have decided to refine my collection and create some new designs. There were a few designs within my collection which i wasn’t 100% happy with so wanted to return and create some new designs.
What i realised was that my collection only includes one design featuring one alien and i felt there was room for another design focusing on one piece of imagery. Initially i experimented with repeating the alien and creating a motif.
However, then i thought it may be interesting to see what i could create if i had a single alien featured in a range of hues. To change the hue and tone of the alien i experimented with the adjustment panel in photoshop mainly focusing on the hue and saturation panel. So i could change the hue of the alien to ensure it worked with the original i arranged my workspace so i had two art boards side by side.
After experimenting i created 4 different versions of my alien. Initially i experimented with only using the first and last alien in the line bellow as the hues are more harmonious. Despite this, once creating a repeat out of all 4 aliens i found this to be more appropriate for my young demographic as it created a more child friendly feel thanks to the range of hues.
Initially i experimented with a striped repeat however also then experimented with this half dropped in each vertical row. I could have experimented further with different repeats; however, felt i already have a lot of complex repeats within my collection so something a lot simpler would help to vary my collection. Because of this i decided to settle on my first striped repeat as although it is very simple i feel it will really attract my target market.
Once deciding on the repeating structure i then looked at a range of background hues. Out of the hues i experimented with the yellow was the most successful as the other hues mute the tones in the foreground imagery. Despite liking the yellow i feel the white is the most successful as this helps the hues within the motif to be strong and bold. However, although i may feel this design looks best in white on its own i also have to consider how it looks within my collection. Now having created my collection boards i will add both the white and the yellow and then see which looks best in respect of my collection.
Although not having to produce fabrics i have decided to still create some examples of how my fabric labels would have looked. Before deciding exactly how i want my labels to look and what information they would include i referred back to my research images from last years degree show and the samples i recieved from London Design week.
As some of my designs are at a very large scale i thought it would be nice to show the design in full repeat on the back of my fabrics. This should help customers to have a clearer idea of how the design repeats and whether they like the design in full and not just the segment shown on my fabric samples. As well as including full repeats on the back of my fabrics i have also decided to include some mock ups so the customers can easily visualise how the design would look on a product.
As well as including this visual reference i have also included my name, collection name, design name and code, substrate and the motif size. This should give the customer key information for firstly how to find the design and then whether the substrate and motif size would suit their needs.
To attach these labels to the back of my fabrics i would have experimented with transfer printing. By printing my designs onto transfer paper and then using the heat press to transfer these onto the bak of my fabrics it would have given my fabrics a more professional look and there would be no chance the information could fall off. Although this would be my preferred idea i would have had to experimented with this as it would be a concern that on the shearer fabrics the information would show through to the front of the design. If this was the case i would have resorted to stickers which could be stuck to the back of my fabrics.
Although no longer making a physical press pack i have decided to create a digital mock up of what mine would have looked like. To start with i created a net showing the size dimensions of each area. I decided to create this in Illustrator as this meant i could work across multiple art boards and easily view my net along with the developments i was making.
Before deciding on any of the hues and patterns that would be printed onto my pack net i first opened all the elements that would be included and my colour pallet. For my pack to be successful i need all the elements within my pack to coordinate together with the exterior packaging so the outcome looks professional.
Knowing i already have quite a few elements to include as loose sheets i decided to add in my personal statement by printing it directly onto a flap within my press pack. As we have a lot to include such as postcards and business cards which need to be loose i felt it would be good to try and incorporate some of the elements directly into my pack.
After opening all the documents i would need i then started to think about hues and patterns for my pack. As a lot of my elements are pink i decided on a yellow background as this is featured within my postcards; however, not an overwhelming amount.
Once deciding on the flat hue for my interior i then started to think about the exterior for my pack. As the interior will contain a lot of extra elements i wanted to keep this as plain as possible and save the eye grabbing patterns for the outside. To find a successful combination of patterns i experimented a lot with different secondary and blender designs as well as considering hero’s. However, after a while i started to think the exterior and interior may be better connected if there was a yellow theme throughout.
In the end i settled for two blender designs as i felt these complemented each other as well as the rest of my elements within my pack. Reflecting back on packs from previous years i found the most pleasing and professional looking to be those that were the most refined and well connected so this i have used as inspiration. As well as adding these two designs i have also incorporated my logo to the back of my pack so it connects with other elements.
When doing the final mock up of the interior of my press pack i have decided to add in all the elements i would have included to ensure all the patterns and designs work well together. On the left is my personal statement which would be printed onto a flap which could be lifted up to reveal my three fabric samples. On the right from top to bottom is my cv, two postcards, business card to the right and memory stick to the left. Both the business card and memory stick would be held in place by making small incisions to the card.
As well as these elements my pack would also contain three stickers and then my hero placement design to scale which would be folded in the pack and then unfolded to act like a poster for a child’s bedroom wall, at its correct A2 size. I feel these additional two elements would really reach out to a child and also help to demonstrate the market i am working for.
For the purpose of making things clear for the tutors to assess i have decided to leave the black outlines of the net showing. Without these all the sections merge into one and it is not clear how my business card and memory stick are attached. If i were to have my pack printed these would be removed.
Overall i feel my pack has come out really well and the hues and patterns within it all coordinate nicely. I feel it was a good idea to try and keep things as simple and refined as they could be, whilst still looking decorative as my pack now looks neat and not overwhelming with pattern, colour and items. It was a really interesting activity to create a net from scratch such as this as it is something i haven’t had the pleasure of doing before. Although the show will now no longer go ahead it is really nice to be able to see what i could have produced.
Although not being able to make a full sized press pack printed onto nice card i thought it might be nice to make a mini mock up. Luckily i have an A4 printer at home so am able to do this. I started by scaling down my design to fit on an A4 sheet and ensuring all the elements were in the right positions in order for everything to be printed out the right way up. As i can not easily print double sided i had to print two separate sheets and then cut them out and stick them back to back.
Overall i am very happy with my mini mock up as although it is not as professional as what my press pack would have been, it does give me a very good idea of what my pack would have looked like 3D.
To create my sketchbook pdf i decided to utilise InDesign. This program i have had access too on my laptop for a while now; however, have never had the time to really sit down and start to understand how it works as i have always had other things to be getting on with. Now with all the time in the world as i am isolating on my own, i have decided to use this time and this submission requirement to start to understand and use this software. Despite this document taking me a lot longer to put together compared to if i had created it in Photoshop or Illustrator i am glad i decided to utilise InDesign as it is building my skills and professional portfolio.
As well as adding stickers to my press pack i was also intending on adding samples of some of my fabrics. This would have been a great way to not only reduce the waist from trimming my fabrics down; however, also to allow those viewing my press packs see some of my final designs on fabric. As my collection is fabric and not paper based this would have made my press pack and final collection be more united.
Despite no longer needing a physical press pack i have still decided to trim down some fabric squares to demonstrate what these would have looked like. On the back of each sample i would have also included my logo, design name, substrate and a means of contact so people would have the full knowledge about the design and how to contact me if they wanted a bigger sample or to buy the design. I would have either designed a sticker to add this information or got this info printed onto transfer paper so i could use the heat press and this information would then be imbedded onto the fabric much like how the designs are printed on the front.
The amount of samples i included in each press pack would have been dependant on how many other pieces of paper was already included. Although it would be nice to provide an extensive range of fabrics, from looking at those from previous years i think the ones with less elements looked a lot more refined and professional compared to those with overwhelming amounts of elements inside.
As we have had no information as of yet regarding whether our submission requirements will change i have decided to just continue with my collection in response to our original brief and submission requirements. Although these inevitably will chance i think it is more professional just to carry on and be aware of this factor, rather than stopping everything and waiting to be instructed.
As part of my show space i had wanted to include a set of girls pj’s to fit in with my girls bedroom theme for my space. Within my previous project i learnt that i could purchase a garment and then use this as a pattern, so have decided to do this once again. To find the garments i took to Primark and found their reduced rail where i managed to pick up a set for £3. Wanting to use a placement design on the top it would have been ideal if i could have waited to measure up how big this would be against the the placement; however, within these uncertain times i felt it be best to order the fabrics i needed and purchase my pj’s as soon as possible and try to use a bit of common sense for the size of the placement.
The key placement which had to be pretty much exact was on the top; however, i also wanted to use a boarder design on the trousers which was a little more easy as this is a repeat. The first image below shows the 100cm x 100cm design i sent off to fashion formula for the boarder placement design. The flowers i am intending to run around both the ankles of the trousers and the bottom of the sleeves on the top. This design idea is something i haven’t seen before so think it will stand out on the market.
The second 100cm x 100cm design i sent off to fashion formula contains the placement design for the top which i must admit looks slightly disjointed. I wanted to make the most out of this material; however, ensure i still had enough space around the placement so i could get the front section cut out in one piece.
Both these designs i have ordered on a stretch jersey material. This substrate is soft on the skin and has a good amount of stretch so the pj’s will be comfortable for a little girl. Despite the rush to design and order all these elements i have now recieved the material to create my pj’s and am very exited to create them.
To demonstrate a ruff visual of what my pj’s will look like i have completed simple fashion illustration. The pink will cover the main body of the garment with a placement design in the centre of the top and then boarder designs around the edges of both the sleeves and ankles.
To start creating my pj’s i started which what i felt was the simplest element which are the trousers as i have made these before. I started by drawing around the pair i purchased to create a pattern which i then traced around 4 times to make the 4 separate panels.
Once happy with my individual pieces i then sewed these all together and added a hem around the bottom of each leg. Following this i also added in an elasticated waist as i feel this is appropriate for my market as they are at a stage where their bodies will be growing quite rapidly.
Overall i am very happy with my little pair of pj bottoms and practicing these within the previous project really helped to build my confidence. I feel the boarder design around the ankles has worked really well as it creates a sense of growth up the leg. Despite this, the floral boarder could have been a couple of cm’s bigger in scale to fill a little more of the negative space.
Once happy with the bottoms of my pj set i then moved onto the top which took a little longer for myself to get my head around as i have never made one before. Using my bought top as i pattern i cut this along the seams and then drew around it and started by sewing the front and back panels of the body together before adding a hem around the bottom. The trickiest part about this garment was attaching the sleeves as it took me a while to work out how the two joined together. Despite feeling totally lost i persevered and managed to attach the sleeves successfully.
Overall i feel the top has come out very well especially considering i have never made one before. Adding a boarder design around the bottom of the sleeves really helps to connect the bottom and top of the set and the placement makes this product very appropriate for my target market.
To present this garment in my show space i purchased a set of neat white wire kids hangers as shown in the images. I would have hung my garment on this and experimented with exact positioning dependant on how well it worked with the rest of my space.
Overall i feel this garment has come out very well and would have really made a nice addition to my show space. Although feeling the boarder design could have been at a larger scale around the ankles, i feel it is an appropriate scale around the sleeves. It is such a shame i will not get to add these to my show space and tutors get to look up close and feel the substrate i used; however, they will definitely be something nice to keep and also to add to my professional portfolio.
Once finishing my set and analysing it i started to realise it might be nice if it came with an accessory to help attract my market and boost sales. After finishing the pj’s i did have some spare material and elastic so have decided to make a scrunchie (a hair band) out of my left over material. Overall i feel this finishes the set nicely and would also allow my collection to reduce waist by creating such items out of left over fabric.
Within my show space i was also going to include a cushion along side my bunting, dolls house and fairy wings, extending on the theme of a little girls bedroom. For my cushion i have decided to use a fabric from Fashion Formula called Plush Minky as this is very soft and silky to the touch which suits the product; however, also will help to draw in my target market.
To create the cushion once receiving my fabric i created a template which i could draw around. As the motif i have selected is circular i decided to create a circular cushion so the motif will fit in nicely to the template.
Initially i was going to add a zip to the cushion so the cover could be easily removed and washed. However, when purchasing my zips before going into lock down i did not realise i would need a longer zip than the ones i purchased so the inner wadding could be easily removed. Realising my zip was not practical i then started to think of other ways i could make the inside of the cushion easy to remove. For this element i decided to use the same technique i used for my bunting where the back was in fact open; however, covered with excess fabric. For this i made two semi circles and hemmed the bottom edges which would be showing.
Once having all three parts to my cushion i pinned and sewed it inside out so the seams would not be visible from the outside and then filled it with stuffing i took from one of my own pillows.
Overall i found this process a lot easier than when making my bunting as because of the large surface area it made this process a lot less fiddly. Despite no longer needing products, seeing my designs come to life is something i have been envisioning since starting my watercolours way back in summer so, although there is no longer a show i feel i have fulfilled this for myself. As well as this, creating this cushion has been a lovely little activity to do during lock down keeping me focused and doing practical things i enjoy.
Utilising the stuff from my desk space any any other printed designs i have developed i have created a collage in my sketchbook. I thought this would be a nice way to make use of all of these elements instead of simply throwing them away at a later date.
I started by using my blender and some secondary designs to create a background for my double page spread, utilising boarder designs on the top and bottom of the page. Following this i started to take elements, mainly from hero designs and mounted them onto the iridescent card i had collected though out the project. With such a busy background i thought this would be a nice way to integrate this element as it would create a boarder helping the foreground imagery to stand out. Overall i think this has worked successfully as it has allowed me to integrate these elements, whilst helping the foreground imagery to stand out from the background.
As well as using imagery from my project i also cut up my colour chips i got from b&q and utilised these so they would look 3D. Overall i feel this has worked as it creates an interactive part of the page, whilst still running along side the same theme.
When creating this collage of imagery although i wanted it to work as a double page spread i was not so concerned about everything looking perfect. At the moment everyone is under so much stress and pressure so i thought it would be nice to use this activity just to relax and have some fun. Creating this double page spread was a really good way to forget about everything that is happening and simply enjoy myself, recycling materials that would have otherwise gone to waist.
For my show space i want to include bunting as i feel this will appeal to my younger girl market. But instead of the classic triangle shape i wanted to see if there were any other shapes i could make which would more so appeal to my younger girl market. Since making a design featuring hearts i searched for a heart shape as this will create a link between my products and my designs.
Online i managed to find something similar so decided to purchase it and then use it as a template to create my pattern much like i did with my boys pj’s in my previous project.
First i turned the heart inside out and then cut it apart using an un-picker. Following this i ironed the separate fabric templates so i could draw around them accurately.
I decided to draw around the different sections using a thick card so the template would be durable enough to use multiple times. As there was only a small hem around the edge of the hearts i had to draw around the fabric templates a few times to ensure they all fitted together exactly.
Once happy with my stencil i then went about deciding on a design for my material. I decided to select two striped blender designs as i felt the horizontal and vertical stripes coordinated really well. As the heart shapes will be quite small i needed to use a very simple design. Despite being happy with these two designs i thought it might also be nice to include some alien imagery so the bunting relates closely to the rest of my products. The aliens down the central panel are from my heart secondary design. Initially i was going to also use the heart shape that surrounded these aliens; however, when testing this, the aliens would have been exceptionally small in scale which would have made the end result slightly confusing and unclear. As the two striped designs were against a pink background i thought it would be nice to invert this and use a white background behind the aliens.
The material i selected for this design was Top Sateen. This substrate i purchased for my fabric sample book and i feel it picks up the printed hues accurately and is also a nice weight for the heart shapes. I was also considering using Cotton Percale; however, this is slightly translucent compared to the Top Sateen and isn’t so soft to the touch. For the back of the hearts i have decided to use a Tudor cotton/ linen which i got from the stitch room. This fabric is heavier in weight so more sturdy for home furnishings and also has a nice woven finish which should appeal to my mid- high end market. So my products match i also intend to use this substrate on the back of my cushion.
The below image shows my fabric order for my bunting. Despite having a few designs remaining to make for my collection with the recent virus outbreak i wanted to order this sooner rather than later so i have something to present at the finale of this project, and also something to keep me busy if we go into lock down.
With the prospect of shops shutting down imminently i have decided to go out and purchase three different types of ribbon for my bunting. If we lived in a world where there wasn’t this threat i would have waited until my material had arrived so i could go out with a small swatch of the fabric to ensure the hues of the design matched up with the colour of the ribbon. I selected three different ribbons two pink and one white. Two of these ribbons are a lot more shear than the other which provides me with the opportunity to layer up the ribbons if i feel this is more suitable.
Once my material arrived i used dressmaking pencils and drew around my heart shaped templates which was a very straight forward process.
Following this i then started to think about the positioning of each design, much like deciding a pattern repeat. Overall despite liking the mirrored idea i felt the linear block repeat was more suitable as the designs were more evenly dispersed. It was at this stage of deciding my repeat that i also decided to include a purple heart. I felt my bunting needed an extra element to break up the pink and white. I had some material in a purple hue from where Fashion Formula had miss printed some of my outcomes so decided to repurpose this.
Once happy with all my piece i then went about sewing them all together. Finding the right process that worked for me and my machine was one of trial and error. Bellow shows my first three hearts which did gradually get better once i found the technique which worked best for me. Despite this, after producing my first heart my confidence was awfully knocked as it was such an odd and uneven shape. Luckily i persisted and my skills did improve.
Due to the construction technique i used for these hearts which involves sewing all the pieces inside out and then turning them the right way round and ironing it all in place, it does leave a nice and clean finish to the edges and back of the hearts. Although this is a much harder and time consuming process it does make a more professional finish.
To attach the ribbon to each heart i used white thread and a running stitch. I could have experimented with different colours of thread; however, felt as this was a construction element the white thread would be most appropriate. Overall i feel this was the correct decision as it means the construction is not evident from a distance.
Overall despite not needing this product due to there being no show and our submission requirements changing i am glad i went ahead and created this piece as it will be a nice reminder of my third year and also something to add to my portfolio. I feel this piece would have worked really well within my show space building on the idea of a little girls bedroom. As well as this, this product really demonstrates how well my designs and colour pallet are working as a collection.
BA Hons Textiles Final Major Project Blog 