Cuckoo Evaluation

As I had predicted the Cuckoo project has been a difficult challenge, but an exhilarating and satisfying collaboration. The final costume is pleasing overall and I feel in strongly captures and showcases elements of 3 individual creatives' practices. Working with Tess and Zsofi has been fantastic, I am so glad to finally experience a true collaboration within Unit X, in which each of us were able to bring a different aesthetic, specialism, and perspective to the table and through mutual compromise, understanding and developing of each others work we garnished a strong identity for the 'Cuckoo' character. It has been extremely insightful to the potential of collaborative efforts and to the expectations of working within a 'costume'-context. 

Unit X Exhibition

I have had to consider a lot further in this project, both in terms of producing embroidery and print for general garment construction, and for a theatre-context. I feel more informed about the potential of embroidery for costume/set and also reiterates my interest in costume within an installation context, which is something I fully intend to explore further in my level 6 projects, and in upcoming projects/exhibitions I partake in (Rochdale costume exhibition).

Cuckoo photoshoot

To conclude the Cuckoo project Tess and myself organised a group photo shoot this week on location at Ordsall Hall. Failing finding a photographer due to course deadlines, I took the photos. This is a fantastic realisation of all our hard-work pulled off, and all the outfits together looked phenomenal. This last collaborative effort from Tess and I was a good move, but given more time and a surplus of photographers we would have loved to spend longer perfecting the shoot, but these are all things to consider for portfolio. 

coloured thread on white organza, sample with most potential for other avenues.

Working towards an end goal within a limit time-frame has been stressful, but exciting and motivational. I have enjoyed having to work within certain limitations; deciding to develop 1 main embroidery design and allowing it to grow quickly, and considerations of compromise in fabric selection and process have all been beneficial to my creative practice. The lack of time to develop samples as thoroughly as I have in previous projects has meant I did not explore a variety of processes, but I feel the necessity of simplicity has enabled me to learn other skills and ways of thinking. The satisfaction of seeing my textile work culminate in a final garment is incredible and a nice refreshing change to final samples usually produced in other projects. Given more time, I would obviously have loved to explore other avenues, and developed more of a narrative through illustration, but I am happy with what we have achieved. 

Refinement Week 6 & 7

As a textiles student it is easy to get carried away with fabric exploration, but when you must consider things from a fashion/garment construction perspective you must consider the difficulties of working with some fabrics. From discussions with the group, we have decided against various layers of embroidered silk organza on the trousers due to difficulties constructing with so much sheer. We considered using the same silk/viscose velvet, but worried incase it resembled a 'velour tracksuit' due to the sports wear elements of the waist. We decided to use a (more expensive) cotton velvet instead to give a more luxurious and tailored feel. 

trouser toile with embroidery placement ideas.

We have considered as a group the placement of the embroidery on the trousers, playing with scale and layering. Here we visualised ideas pinning samples to the trousers; this has been very informative to me as an embroidery student, expanding from the limited view of just a sample, and onto the larger context of actual clothing.

disaster with the tree embroidery

There is a lot to consider when stitching out with the multi-head on actual garment pattern pieces such as design placement, but also not crushing the velvet with the frame. As Lucia had suggested, Tess and I both began developing an embroidered tree design on the right leg of the trousers on the Bernina, but disaster struck, and the drawing on the water-soluable fabric on top got stitched into the fibres of the fabric. As we had no time to reattempt this, I added another ethos design to the leg, and instead echoed the tree design through the costume using flock print and devore. Quick decision making was key, and I see this as fundamental in the design/make process.

'cuckoo figure' white thread, on white cotton velvet.

layering of off-white thread and coloured design on top, creating the sense of a frantic narrative.