Day 16 - Embroidery

Yes, I'm still in my teens and yes, this a post about my love of embroidery.

One thing I love about embroidery is that it's a skill you can never stop learning. There are an infinite number of stitches and stitch variations and although some may be easier than others (french knots!!), if you work with 3 strands of thread on a thick, sturdy fabric such as calico and have a good illustrative book to learn from then it's fairly easy to get the hang of. The skill and expertise is mainly in working on tricky fabrics, the neatness of the back and attention to detail and sizing.

I can really recommend this book, find it on Amazon here.

The first mistake which many beginner embroiderers make is forgoing the hoop. The hoop is essential. I repeat, the hoop is essential! Have you ever rested a sheet of paper on somebody's back to write on it? If so then you'll know that it's difficult to put the pen where you want it and almost impossible to draw a straight line. Well embroidery is the same. You will never manage to get the needle where you want without the fabric pulled tight and flat.

I also advise binding your inner hoop with some kind of cotton tape (see above). This helps grip the fabric and prevents the hoop from marking it so much. Also as the harsh edges of the hoop are eliminated you can work on a large piece of fabric and just move the hoop about over the work you've already done without catching or ruining anything.

Yesterday I tried two knot stitches and two variations of chain stitch. Going round the corner is pearl stitch, and vertically is coral. Then horizontally at the top is a square chain stitch and below it in red is a twisted chain. I think it might be fun to add some seed beads in between the 'rungs' on the square chain or between the knots on the coral stitch.

But, if you're still not convinced that embroidery is for you then have a look at every Haute Couture collection ever shown at Paris Fashion Week, and then we'll talk again.

Day 15 - Intermission Acceptance and Sketchbook

It's common enough knowledge that we don't achieve every target which we set ourselves. But what isn't often heard is that it's okay. Sometimes life gets in the way. You might be struck with a health issue, maybe you need to support a loved one, or possibly you just realise that the target you set was unattainable.

And that's all fine.

Often we can get so annoyed at ourselves for not living up to our own targets that we quit, and think well it's not worth it any more, but I'm here saying it is. Don't just stop doing something because you didn't finish it in the time constraints, carry it on so that you can still get the amazing feeling of finishing. 

And if that still doesn't feel natural then think of it this way: if somebody owes you money but doesn't get it back to you by the time agreed what do you do? Write it off and say never mind, you couldn't do it by the end of May so it's not worth it any more, or do you continue to ask for that money until the unreliable sod gets it to you?

Life got in the way of taking the energy for creativity and time for writing these posts over the last week, but that doesn't mean I want to give up, it's still worthwhile and I feel just as strongly about the personal importance which this project holds for me as I did when it began, so here I go.

Yesterday, after watching my new favourite film, Empire Records (available on UK Netflix) I had a little internal debate concerning the attraction of the 90's. I was born in 1996, thus missing out on any fun which the decade had to offer, as well as any first hand knowledge from which to draw from for this paragraph but here is my ill informed analysis anyway. The benefits of technology and the information of the world wide web, without the consuming addictive side which it holds now. People seemed to do things back then. Sad teens sitting in their rooms by themselves (much like myself) actually did things to occupy themselves with rather than just social media / Netflix trains. They did more, thought more, spoke more, went out more. 

So by this sudden flash of inspiration I began a fast paced art journal. I'm not talking the painstakingly perfect shabby chic scrapbook journals, but just things which I liked decorated on a page really quickly. Not buying anything new, just using bits and pieces I've collected over the years. I had aimed to complete the whole sketchbook in one night, but it became evident that was an unattainable target so instead I made peace with the 9 pages which managed in only 3 or 4 hours.

Invest in a good white pen, it'll be the best artistic investment you'll make. I recommend the Hybrid 10mm Pigment Gel Ink pen

No, I didn't complete what I set out to do in the pre-agreed time frame, but I'll be damned if I don't get this sketchbook done at some point soon.

Damn The Man and Save The Empire,

Have a good one

Day 14 - Fashion on Film, Dior

Yesterday I went to the Barbican in London to see a showing of Dior & I, armed with a camera with no battery, (I know, not my finest moment). If you've never been to the Barbican it's this huge 1960's complex in the City of London (mostly banks and offices just east of the main tourist bit) dedicated to the arts. Fashion, music, installation, film, education and art events are shown year round and I thought it would be the best place to see a cultural film like this. 

Dior & I follows Raf Simons as he makes the move from ready-to-wear at minimalist brand Jil Sander to the feminine extravagance of couture Dior, and the design and production of his first collection which has a deadline of 8 weeks, only a fraction of the amount of time usually taken to create a show of this calibre. 

I'll get my only negative out of the way first, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this film to anybody with dyslexia as fair proportion was French with English subtitles that were on the screen so briefly that I couldn't read and watch at the same time, which I found frustrating.

I felt that the film captured so many of the struggles and joys that come with the work openly and honestly. The language barriers, the roles of different employees within the house, the extra hours which have to be pulled to get garments ready for shows, the history of the house and being a newcomer in such an established atelier. There was a large focus on the seamstresses producing the toiles in the ateliers which I found fascinating, it's wonderful that such skill remains in such a fast fashion world.

I don't want to use the term "character" as he is a real man, but I found the personal story of Raf Simons fascinating. Shy and anxious at times yet still dedicated and determined to do the best to fill the shoes left for him. The contrast between this man and some of the fierce or extraverted personalities which are often depicted in fashion is very evident, he seemed almost, and I'm scared to say it, normal and likeable.

Most importantly however it was inspiring. Simons repeated a number of times how excited he is for the future, which is just such a good attitude to have. Learn from the past but always be looking forward. The workmanship and level of perfection on the clothing was just phenomenal, and the finished garments themselves were stunning. Although perhaps that goes without saying - it is Dior after all.


Find showings where you live here:
http://www.diorandimovie.com/screenings/

Day 13 - Exhibition Time

One of the benefits of being home for the Easter holidays is being able to do things with my Mum. While the overlap of our interests is small we still manage to find things today, and yesterday I chose to see a collection of Vivienne Westwood's work which is being displayed at the English Heritage site of Danson House, only a 10 minute walk from my house.

The majority of the items are on loan from the V&A. If you're not familiar with the way museums work, the collections which you see on display are often only a tiny fraction of what is held, restored and maintained by them. So while the Victoria and Albert does have a case of Westwood's designs on show in the fashion and costume room on permanent display, they will have many more pieces of hers in storage, which is where these items will have come from. 

The collection shown here was wonderful. I've already studied Westwood enough times to be familiar with her work, but I've never seen any of it up close as this show allowed me to. There were a good selection of pieces, from the iconic Sex Pistols 70's punk Seditionaries, through T-Shirts and corsets to huge gowns. Being a primarily local exhibition space meant that the traffic they were expecting through was fairly small, so a number of items were just out in the room standing on plinths rather than behind perspex. This allowed me to get up close and personal, seeing details which otherwise would have been lost.

The information boards they had out were surprisingly un-wooly, containing quotes from Westwood about each piece about her inspirations, why the pieces were successful and so on. I also appreciated the graphic way in which these boards were presented. If I had one criticism it would be the female bias; I feel as though there could have been more menswear, which is a common issue in fashion exhibitions.

How cool is this candle holder?

The setting of the exhibition in Danson House was also been inspiring, having been restored to its original state in the mid 1800's from old records. No, it's hardly Versailles, but then it's not meant to be. Seeing how wealthy non-aristocrats lived is quite a rare thing, often money is only put into the restoration of stately manors which are inhabited by distant relations of the royal family, so to see the setting in which the wealthy merchants lived was very interesting.

Another lure is that Danson is only a 5 minute walk away from the Red House of William Morris, so you could give the trip a double purpose. I would highly recommend making the trip to see this if you live in the South East, it's open until October 2015, and especially as a fashion student it's such an important part of British Fashion History that you can't afford not to go.

Tickets are £8 or £6 concessions (incl. students with valid student card)

http://www.bexleyheritagetrust.org.uk/dansonhouse/vivienne-westwood/

Day 12 - Creative Realisation

I realised yesterday something very important. Recently I've been categorising the day's events and tasks into two categories. Work, and time wasting things which I should feel guilty about. How unhealthy is that?

Naturally I'm a very stressed, up-tight, work obsessed worrier, and I often need to remind myself to take a break, that it doesn't really matter and so on. But my life right now is being controlled completely by my work. I'm not going out much because that would be a commitment to not working, which of course is shameful. Instead however, I'm just checking Facebook, which takes me onto Buzzfeed, which takes me onto... I'm sure you're all aware of the depths of social media yourselves, but 2 or 3 hours later there I am having done something which isn't work, yes, but at the same time having done nothing. All of which has led to a very one dimensional existence.

So the change which I'm making going forwards is to do things which I enjoy. Contour fashion was chosen by me as my course because I enjoy it, but being too stressed I seem to have forgotten that. And in between do things which bring me more joy. I'm sure to many of you this sounds obvious, but for me in my permanent state of anxiety it is something which has to be forced. Hopefully after a while it will become second nature and I'll be carpe-ing my dium all over the place.

Day 11 - Dealing With Failure

I made this challenge for myself so I'm going to document things even if they don't go well. Like yesterday. Yesterday was awful. I spent money on a bus fare to get to a fabric shop a few miles away which has never failed me yet, just for it to fail me. Then the weather turned, my boyfriend and I fought, and the only way out of the mess of Thursday was to just go to bed and wait for the change which comes from nowhere when I wake up in the mornings. 

But I'm writing about it because it's okay. It doesn't matter that yesterday I didn't achieve, that it was hard. I tried, things just didn't go my way. But you keep going, knowing that tomorrow is a new day, and if you fall asleep determined to wake up to a better day then you probably will. Not every day is a win, but they're still important, they're part of the journey.

Day 10 - Kid's Craft

Confession time. My dream in the future may be to be able to work with huge Haute Couture brands and costume departments for West End shows, but one thing I love to do to relax is children's craft sets. Whether they're from the £1.99 bins in Hobbycraft or remaining Early Learning Centre sets from when I was younger (like this one), I will mosaic, cross stitch, felt and glitter my way to happiness. And besides, having left all of my 'proper' embroidery materials at university while I'm home for Easter, what else was I to do?