Post Grade Celebrations and Commiserations

So, yesterday was our grade review for the first half of my final year. I was pleased with my results but now I know how much work I have to put into this term and I'm not so scared as I was in September. There is always room for improvement, and now I now where I made my mistakes. This time round I'm going to do what I enjoy and find reflects me rather than what I think is right for "the market".

Milan, Ambrosiana - Anatomical Notebook

I'm hoping to look at anatomical sketches of skeletons and natural structures of the body. I have so many ideas that will be amazing if I can get it done correctly, and if I had all the money I want to throw at this, I may even be able to do an amazing final show display.The new year starts for me here and now, so bring it on!

Post Hand-in Limbo

So, skiing is over. We had beautiful conditions and I've come away looking like a panda thanks to the sun. I caught some beautiful images too from the top of a glacier at 3500 meters. But, all good things must come to an end and so they did in a rather terrifying way. First semester hand in!

Putting up my work for the tutors to mark isn't a scary prospect for me, I've done the work, what ever standard it may be in I know that I did my best and that there was no point in worrying about it, what's done is done. The issue I have is all of my peers, seeing my work and for them to judge it, as well as seeing the standard of everyone else's work and how they had presented it.

It's given me an opportunity to see how every else decided to present there work, I went for simply putting up my work with a very small amount of inspiration decoration as not to distract from the fabrics themselves, but others went wild. There were trees sprouting fabrics, giant mind maps surrounded in ribbons, huge paintings and drawings filled with fabric, some had garments made and presented on manikins. I worry that mine looks like a spec of sand compared to their mile long beaches but I keep thinking to myself, "Que sera, sera. What will be, will be".

Post Holiday

Just a short post due to a long days traveling but just an update. Beautiful conditions, managed to get some beautiful shots on the top of the mountains but body is shot from the level of work it has had to do in the past few days, especially post Christmas!

So expect lots of lovely snowy pictures and appreciate the cold weather in England, it's always colder somewhere else!

Skiing Tomorrow!

St. Anton am Alberg, Austria - 2009

So I'm off skiing in Tignes, France, tomorrow morning so no posts for a week, but when I get back I promise lots and lots of beautiful mountain top photography.

I'm even taking my sketch book with me so no excuses for not doing any work before D Day, I don't know if it's over the top for me to take work on a relaxing holiday or just me being a realistic 3rd year. Either way I think I'm going to come home more tired than when I left but that's the whole point of skiing I s'pose :)

Have a good week everyone and I shall see you on the otherside

Today's Blog is brought to you by the letter "P"

I've been on a mission to take lots of lovely pictures, some that inspire my new project, and some that I like, just because :)

Jonathan Saunders for Debenhams' "Edition" range

 Some of my samples ready for January

 A hot chocolate that was so yummy I had to grab a picture!

 My attempt at photoshopping a scene to show how my fabrics could be used

 Giant knitting

 Sculptural fabrics

 I love how the fabric has been folded back and pleated on itself

What a miserable day...

Well the weather has been vile today! Wind, rain and general ickyness! But, the cold weather keeps you indoors, the perfect excuse to curl up with a nice big hot chocolate topped with whipped cream from a can and mount your samples!

I had a lovely surprise when looking through my work. I've been panicking since about October that I haven't got enough work and that the collection doesn't flow, but when I had a change to lay them all flat I thought to myself "I've actually done pretty good". Just a few last touch ups to my overflowing sketchbook (which I fear may have to be taken apart and put back together) and I should be ready for my assessment on the 16th!

Off to The Range tomorrow, a place that sells EVERYTHING! Not quite everything but they usually have nice fabrics and random bits and bobs for your house. They also sell my favourite treat, broken biscuits! So I can see another day tomorrow full of knitting and eating food stuffs that will help me gain layers of fat for urm...insulation purposes.

And So it Begins

So, I've just spent the best part of an hour to figure out how this blogging malarkey works and think I have sussed it out for now, but improvements must be made!

Whilst creating my blog, I happened to go off on a tangent and have a little snoop at lots of other blogs and came across some beautiful pages, and some pages that made me realise the levels of work I have ahead of me for 2012. But this is a good thing, I think!?

The idea of a blog is rather strange, it's like a diary, full of thoughts, ideas, feelings and aspirations. I have come across a strange feeling whilst creating this; a feeling of secrecy and embarrassment, the sort when presenting your work in front of your peers or when someone looks over your shoulder whilst writing an essay. In a way its a secret diary that is on show to anyone who wishes to see it, my life in a display cabinet of some social networking museum. Bizarre thought, but an interesting one none the less!

My day consisted of walking dogs in a rather uninspirational and rather soggy Arrow Valley, purchasing pretty little buttons and attempting to fill a sketch book with bulky samples that have now led to a suitcase style strap all round my book!

Plan for tomorrow, make my "Happy Accidents" looks deliberate and planned!!

My First Blog

So it's January 1st and I have decided on a new resolution, to create and maintain a blog. Lets see how long this one will last!


Well last night said goodbye to 2011 and hello to the start of 2012.


2012 will see so many changes and events; a ski holiday to Tignes, France where hopefully lots of lovely pictures and have a fun time enjoying the snow and festivities, a trip to Paris along with my course mates to visit Premiere Vision and to gain some overall inspiration, the end of my education as I will be graduating from Derby University with a BA(hons) degree in Textile Design and then who knows, the world is my oyster!


Bring on 2012!!