Stitch block

I REALLY REALLY DISLIKE SEWING MACHINES...
I spent my foundation degree hating them, and I have spent my stitch block falling out with them yet again. My worst enemy. However I do enjoy stitch as it is so broad. 

Starting from scratch didn't help me, just made me go through the same process of frustration. 

It took me way longer than expected to complete my samples because every time the bobbin thread ran out for some reason it took me ages to thread it through again.

I have learnt many new techniques of stitch through this block. to begin with we were shown various ways of creating looks which represent our drawings. My drawings were of my pop up collection of my jewellery focusing on chains and interlocking.

I kept my colour pallet to black and white after some thought of using oranges and pinks because I had some nice fabrics in that colour which I have done some development work with. I have experimented melting plastics, using the heat press, creating my own yarns and stencil cutting.








Need to upload pictures of my samples and development.

Print block

Yet to upload print samples

Weave block

The looms are amazing, no faffing...

My colour scheme for weave is green and blue. The fluorescent bright neons you see everywhere in London but not necessary for fashion or interior based products. More like emergency service vehicles and uniforms, high visibility clothing and signs that stand our for important reasons and safety measures. I put together some initial wrappings using colours I already had. Then collected bits and bobs to use (ribbons, threads etc..)

The outcome for weave is soo good! I picked it up instantly however the process was not very instant at all! Just to produce a 10cm sample took about 2 and a half hours! One error I made when it came to choosing yarns and threads was the thickness of the yarns. Mine were mostly very thin so took longer to process and sometimes changed the look of the pattern. 

After being given an introduction to the looms I started to experiment with how the looms work, what patterns occur if you lift which levers. Having to jot down the numbers in a column to refer to as my memory isn't so good. because my yarns were so thing I double threaded them before releasing the levers and then pushing down the reed with the batten. This created looping yarns at the end of my weaves so when it came to cutting them off and neatening them up if my samples were small they would loosen. if only there was a way of locking them off at the end like in knit.

This is a basic guide to follow patterns from, the ones I liked most were the windmill effect, irrerular hopscotch and diamond weave.

Doing the wrappings was beneficial as they allowed me to experiment with colour proportion and see what colours work best with each other.

During this block I visited some fabric shops to get samples of different types of fabric to create a swatch file swatch file and  pull apart the threads and see what type of fibres they consist of and how they are constructed.

I wish I spent more time on the looms and experimented further. these are my samples below.

Knit block

Machine knitting...the machine and I agree to disagree 

I fell out with the knitting machine on several occasions which slowed my work process down even more than the slow process it is in the first place. Once I'd threaded the machine up and e-wrapped it (casting on) when it came to pulling across the carriage the whole thing messed up, needles weren't pushed back, threads came loose, unattached themselves from the hooks, tangled in some way. I got frustrated then ended up with cuts on my fingers. this happened on several occasions. Then other times the whole process ran smoothly and I created my samples with no holes or mess ups forming!

I based my colour pallet on stereotypical autumn colours from photos I took just before Halloween walking through Peckham Rye park.

I was really excited to learn how to knit because of all the crazy inspiring works I've seen from the degree show.

I've learnt casting on (e wrapping)

Why to hold the weight down....after e-wrapping with the needles forward, pull the carriage across for the first line of stitch, push the needles forward keeping the stitch close to the bed and pull the carriage back. Once there is enough stitches you need to make sure there is weight on the sample so you can just knit away smoothly without pushing the needles forward every time.

Casting off using transfer tool

wrap thread over needle push back and off needle then transfer behind the hook onto next needle and repeat this all the way to the end.

Techniques I've used in my samples:

Ladders

Holes

Twist

loop in material/add material

weave yarns in

e-wrap in wool

Hand Knitting...things between us didn't quit work out

ok, so I'm proud enough of this sample, seeing as its my first ever time I've knitted however crap it is. Hand knitting...still very unexperienced, further practiced required..Even now i think Ive forgot how to cast on and cast off. I have not given up yet.

Crochet...what I like to call my new favourite hobby

I picked up crochet a lot quicker than hand knitting. I was able to sit in my own time all relaxed and crochet away. This is all about keeping the right tension throughout. I tried to keep my loop stitches tight and neat however when I needed them loose so the hook could pick through them. So i worked with rags on a bigger scale so I could get used to the technique and keeping the correct tension.