Year Two- New Skills, New Designs, New Unit...

Nearing the end of the long cold summer we had, I received my new project- Application Of Design.

This time it was to be a little bit different, working within a group- with three others, which at first was very daunting, as I have never really worked in a group before-each with different ideas, different methods of working, different styles of design. However, after we started to put our thoughts together, it soon came to show that we worked really well, each bringing something different to the group and helping to add to our final outcomes.

From our original summer work sheets, we found that each of us has similar ideas that we could take further into our designs. We wanted to focus upon childlike themes, but giving them an adult tone and feel to the final designs.

On a personal level, the workload within this unit, I found to be huge, I struggled at times with planning what to do and for when, but also feel I wasn't as stressed as I have been in previous units.

My final outcome was for an evening wear look, something that would been worn on a night out for cocktails or a bar...

We also did a photo shoot at Kirkstall Abbey to bring our final garments together, focusing upon the raw bricks and old buildings against our bright, striking garments...



I really enjoyed this unit as I learnt how to work well within a team- dividing time and tasks between others and also researched into newer, more expensive materials and fabrics that I can use within other units...

My Fantastic Fifteen...

This selection of images shows the best pieces of work, from many of my units, throughout the year. They include a variety of types of media, photography, CAD manipulation and garment making. From all of the work I have produced, I am especially pleased with these, as it shows my progression, with new skills I have learnt and has helped me to decide what pathway I want to choose next year. These are techniques that I will be using next year, and also will develop these skills further.

PPD1- 15 Best Pieces Of Work...

Tied & Twisted- Hand Rendered Image -

I was happy with the comments that were made by my peers. It shows the method, I feel, I work best with when drawing- pen and wash.

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Tied & Twisted- Half Scale Design

For the time we were given to complete this task, I was pleased, with the materials I used, the outcome that I achieved.

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Subcultures & Style- Dress Pattern

This pattern that I did on the sewing machine really works well and stands out on the dress within the final photograph of Subcultures & Style.

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Subcultures & Style- Final Photograph

Using the pattern, as shown above, looks striking on the final photograph. This is the best individual outcome I have achieved this year. I think it looks effective and gives the right statement I wanted to state. Upon the website, it looks vivid and eye catching, on the welcome page.

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String Tree

This was completed with my first unit- 15 different types of media use. From one piece of string I designed the tree shape. I feel, although it is freehand but still delivers upon what I wanted it to look like. Using brown string gives it that scruffy, bark like effect.

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SLR Camera Photograph

Within the SLR camera induction, this was one of my final outcomes. This being my favorite image, I really like the visual look of it- the flower being very bold within the greenery.

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Shop Report

I really enjoyed completing the research for this shop report. I was interesting to find out about all the different areas of the business it takes to sell a garment, and how much is planned to make sure it is sold to the right people in the right market.

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Photo Montage

I have done this kind of David Hockney photo montage before, within my A-Level. I enjoyed taking the photos that complete the image and putting them together, like a puzzle- making the image seem not perfect to the eye, but the flawed look is interesting and makes it look much more realistic.

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Tied & Twisted- Paper Dress

This innovative idea worked really well when built upon the mannequin. The different colours of the newspaper, when knotted and plaited worked really together and showed through the monochrome of the newsprint.

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Metamorphosis- Final Garment

This was my final garment I produced this year. I really liked the shape I made upon the shoulders, along with the iridescent material to the rear and upon the scales- which really give it that chameleon-esque look. The panelled apron worked particularly well, using the different methods of fabric manipulation.

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'It Fell From The Sky...' -Final Photograph

I think I captured the futuristic look that I wanted to achieve within this photograph. The white garment, in contrast to the black background gives the harsh look I wanted.

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Final Line Up- 'Motion In The Ocean'

From the design ideas I completed, these were the ones which would work well with the Topshop market I was within. The colours worked well with the shell and scales idea that I based all the designs upon.

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Final Hat- Millinery Elective

I was particularly proud with this outcome, as it was a painful process to undertake! The mad hatter theme I was going for really is accented with the feminine veiling.

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Calico Dress- Imitating A Garment

This being my first garment that I have made, using flat pattern cutting techniques, I was very proud as to what I achieved. From what I learnt, the basic dress I made, taught me many skills, some of which I am still learning.

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CAD Manipulation- Paper Dress

This was my best outcome, using CAD. I like the different colours and changing the contrast of the image.

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When I Grow Up...

...I want to be a Visual Merchandiser.

It is an area that I have always had an interest in, as it is a big part of the presentation of final outcomes of the garments and is essential for the sales for the business.

To achieve this I would have to gain more computer skills in order to design floor plans and 3D ideas. I would also have to gain more knowledge into the promotion of fashion and research how visual merchandising is being completed by different businesses in different markets.

Careers- Visual Merchandiser

A visual merchandiser creates window and interior displays in shops and department stores. They are responsible for the look of the store, making it attractive to customers and therefore increasing sales.

Their job would entail many tasks, including- conducting research to find out the latest trends, sketching ideas, deciding the placement of objects within store- mannequins, lighting, etc, and creating ideas that could be brought into all the stores and would suit their position, place in the market and its customers.

Hours would vary, as weekend and late evening work would be needed to put up displays, as to to minimise disruption for customers and the store itself.

The starting salary for a visual merchandiser is £14,000-£16,000 rising to £20,000 with experience on board.

You would work with staff in the stores where displays are present, head office to finalize ideas and other visual merchandisers to help come up with a vision. This job can be antisocial, for its hours but ultimately, you would gain satisfaction in having your displays around the country and knowing you would be attracting people to the store.

Careers- Pattern Cutter

In this job, the pattern cutter is responsible for turning a designer’s sketch into a working pattern, which can be used when constructing the garment.

On a day to day basis, their task would be to create a working pattern using a variety of techniques- moulage, CAD and flat pattern cutting.

General working hours would be between 37 and 39 hours a week. Overtime hours may be required when working to deadlines.

To succeed within this area of work, it would be useful to have a good ability to interpret designers working drawings, a good knowledge of garment construction and good IT skills to work to your best potential.

The drawbacks would include, the garment design changing many times over, meaning to change the cut of the pattern at a moments notice and not having a full opinion on what designs you are cutting.

Most pattern cutters would work individually but as part an overall team, creating individual designs with a designers collection. They would work with other fashion designers, machinists and pattern graders.

The salary starts from £11,000 and £18,000 a year. Culminating in over £20,000 a year for experienced pattern cutters.

Careers- High Street Fashion Designer

The main aim for this type of fashion design is to create a designer ready to wear product that can be produced as a high street version in less than 6 weeks. They design garments that can be produced in their thousands, with a quick turnaround in the design process, as fashion is fast moving and can change day by day.

Salary's start from £14,000-£18,000, £30,000 to £35,000 for junior designers right up to £30,000-£60,000 for head designers.

There is usually extra hours for when deadlines need to be met. These can be antisocial with times when it may not suit the designer, but would suit the business. Working alongside pattern cutters, machinists, other designers and buyers to create the final garment.

You have to be able to handle criticism and can be a hard position to be hired into- within the current economic climate.

However, it is a creative job, with lots of potential to be imaginative. It can also be rewarding, seeing people wearing your garment that you helped create- being sold to a massive high street market.

Shadowing A Third Year...

For the past 4 weeks I have been helping a third year with the preparation for their final degree show. Rav Matharu based his collection- 'End Of The Beginning' upon urban street wear with a classic, smart touch.

He has his own website http://www.clothsurgeon.com/ where you can find lots more about him, his work and his label.

He gave me many tasks to do including styling one of his test photoshoots for his lookbook, displaying leaflets about his collection around college and lots of pattern cutting for his final hand in.

Shadowing him gave me some idea as to what it is like in the third year, the work and the ideas, showing me just how much needs to be done to complete the final collection. It leaves me being a bit more prepared a for my second year, as that is a massive influence upon my third year also.

The Mad Hatter...

During my half term week at college, I took part in my Millinery elective. At first it seemed like it wouldn't take me a week to produce a basic hat. I was wrong. The felt took a life time to mould and stretch into place, and along with the bendiest pins in the world, at the time it seemed impossible to think it would ever get finished. My thumbs were bruised and my hands ached, but after three days it started to take shape- a mad hatter inspired hat with netting, for a feminine touch.


To make a hat takes alot of skill, patience and expertise. It is something that would take longer than a week to learn to a high standard, but, from what I was taught in the space of 4 days is something I will always remember and would be able to recreate again. I would defiantly want to explore this further, as I find the whole processes fascinating- hand made hats are delicate. I would like to experiment with different ideas and techniques to progress and make another one in the future.

Karma Chameleon...

This being the final project brief for the year I wanted to make sure I took all that I have learnt from this year, about myself and my work, and produce a unit that each area was done to its highest. Before I started the unit, I had a fabric manipulation workshop, exploring wax pots, heat press and general sewing techniques to create different, interesting fabrics that could be used within our final designs. I really enjoyed this as it was a different way of experimenting, figuring out what would work, and what, would be a total disaster.

Within my research, I did many sheets that were about a variety of things to do with Metamorphosis, but from the manipulated fabrics I made, I was drawn to focus upon chameleons, and more upon their skin- how it changes colour and can adapt as a camouflage for the animal.

I also completed a workshop upon moulage pattern cutting. This involved flattening calico upon a mannequin and cutting areas out to create the garment. Then, when taken off the mannequin, it is layed out and a pattern is drawn. I instantly was drawn to this technique, as I liked the way in which the garment is created. I chose to use this idea within my final garment as it was another skill that I had learnt this year.

I wanted to make something that would use the ideas I has took from the fabric workshops, taking certain ideas that reflected the chameleons scale like skin. I decided upon a dress with an removable skirt/apron, that would be reversible, to camouflage itself.

I was pleased with this unit, as I found I controlled my time much better. I made lists and notes about what to do and when for. I spread my work out more over time and in the end, I was not rushed into the final stages of the work. This made me enjoy creating my work more and, I feel, created a better outcome, when being handed in.

Garment Making And Picture Taking...

This module started a little differently to the others. The lectures that were given were very interesting, spanning many years of fashion and the developments and fallbacks that have happened in the process.

From these lectures had an idea what theme I wanted to take and follow with in this unit. At first I looked at The Urban Traveller, looking at the latest technology that was being developed for used by commuters and people in urban areas. however, when I showed my ideas to a group tutorial I realized that my ideas had faults within them and would prove a struggle to carry on with.

With this in mind I decided to change my whole idea. Looking at Subcultures And Style, I found many areas I could cover and hone in on. focusing upon the symbols that are instantly recognisable to many that reflect the subculture.

When it came to taking the picture, we were also given a talk upon using the SLR cameras and professional camera equipment, taking them outside to capture different pictures and using lights and light meters to get the best out of the camera. I really enjoyed this as I got to explore photography on a completely different level and I was very pleased with some of the final results.





With my final picture I took the ideas from the SLR camera on board and spent time on creating an idea for the image. I really like the final outcome, I think it reflects the ideas I wanted to portray very well. In this unit, there was so much that I learnt, from the lectures, all the way to the camera inductions. This is an area of this industry I would like to be involved with again as I found the photography element enjoyable and fascinating to be involved within, also, I really like capturing the garment in a way that really accentuates it vastly.

Realising A Dress...

In this unit, I was introduced to the industrial machinery. At first they were daunting as they were much speedier than machines I'm used to. After a few disastrous attempts, I got used to managing the speed and moving the garment around.

When it came to start to pattern cut, I started to struggle. It is something that I am still trying to get my head around and one of my major obstacles so far this year. So when I had to choose a dress to recreate, I chose something that would be easier than most, so I had a better chance understanding the aspects of making a dress. The basic shift dress took me a while to complete, and I had to research many of the components of making it, by looking at my pattern cutting book.


The final piece was something that I was very pleased with, at least it being the first real garment I have made using the flat pattern cutting technique.


I am still getting my head around this area of the course, along with dart manipulation, I seem to have stalled and am not able to grasp the method yet. As it is such an important area of this course it is something I will definitely be trying to teach myself over the coming months.

Lots And Lots Of Levels...

Within this unit, I felt I learnt more about the retail side of fashion. Starting with completing a shop report, alongside this seasons up and coming design ideas, by completing trendboards. Both of these are things I have never done before in such detail, but, when completed I was happy with the end result. At first, taking the photos and visiting certain shops was a bit daunting, but as time progressed, I enjoyed look at the different design ideas in the different sectors of the market.


It was interesting writing the shop report, as I found and realized that there is so much difference between the different markets as to the initial design right up to the final sell of the garment to the customer, each has its own process that is very important to the garment.

The second part of this module was a bit trickier for me. When given the brief 'Container Culture' there was so much that could be linked to make up its research. Within this unit, I started to produce more drawings and ideas rather than reams of writing that I have been used to doing in my GCSE and A Level days.

When it came down to completing the many design ideas, I struggled. I found it difficult to think of lots of designs that were suitable for my chosen market level and the brand within it- Lower Middle Market- Topshop. However, after many attempts of design ideas, I finally came through, coming up with ideas that would suit, but still have the idea of the shell and scales look I wanted to use, from the research I completed.

Overall in this unit, I was pleased with the final line up that completed my work. I definitely learnt new CAD skills and will develop these further later. I worked hard to make sure the ideas reflected the markets and used ideas that could be accessible to the brands. Doing a lot of the work outside of the college helped me to get things done quicker and using the negative ways I found within my personal approach in the last unit, turning them in to positives, I worked easier and completed things in a quicker time and less rushed than usual.

And So I Begin...

Receiving my first module of the year, and the first as part of my time here, I was apprehensive as to how to go about it, wondering if the knowledge and the ways I went about things during my A Level days would be useful to this, or, if I would have to change my ways of working completely.

Luckily, the module handbook, gave me useful hints and tips to make sure, I did what was needed, however there is no right way going about the work. In this course, I have noticed that there is such a variety of ways of working and completing work, that it is very individual when it comes to the final outcome.


The manipulated garment was the first main task that I was set during this module, after completing a paper dress made solely from newspaper and pattern paper, I had a task to make a garment from a shirt, a pair of trousers and a bag. Even though this seems to be a simple enough task, it took some skill to adapt the garments to create something that did not look like the three garments were just 'sewn together'.

I liked the final outcome but I feel that it could have been improved. It was basic with its idea and the bonding of the three garments as, I feel they could have been adapted to create something that was less recognisable as just three pieces of clothing.

The process of taking the photograph was something I really did enjoy. I feel I conveyed the idea we were given- 'It Fell From The Sky...' as I wanted something which looked futuristic in its look. Using the black background really picks out the white garment really well.


Within this module I have learnt new skills that i will definitely be using again during my time here. Setting up a photograph was something i really did enjoy. it was interesting working out the positions I wanted the model to be in and making sure the lighting and the camera itself was in the right position and was doing its job.

Overall, within this unit, it has been enjoyable, but i still have areas that i need to touch upon to make sure i reach my highest potential. Time management is something that i need to focus upon and combat. Writing out lists, setting myself goals and keeping my work in balance with the due date is something, i will need to and focus upon within my next unit.

This was my first taster of what is going to be done upon this course and I'm looking forward to see whats in store for the rest of the year...