My love for textiles started at a young age with my old dance costumes, watching how they were made and the different types of materials that were used throughout. As I continued with dancing, I started helping out with alterations and decisions for which costumes work best for which cohort of dancers.
Alongside this, I had a formal introduction to it within my final year of GCSE Art and then later in A Level Textiles. My teachers throughout this time acted as a great support system, encouraging me to experiment with fabric types and how they could be manipulated into garments. This then led to looking at courses that would provide a similar style of work and a support system I would feel comfortable in to develop my skills.
My work always starts with drawings and photography. These are in multiple forms of mixed media and vary in scale. They are then photocopied and manipulated by hand, or scanned into a photoshop file that I can experiment with in a digital setting. This is typically how I start my digital prints, while researching the fabric types I would prefer to use for that specific project and how these might be visualised. I typically lean towards more natural fabrics, as these have a higher quality feel, and I aim to work within a couture setting, where this is normally found.
For my embroidery, I have started drawing in stitches, whether this is using a sewing machine on different paper types or drawing with pens or paint to create a similar image that can then be replicated using CAD embroidery. Another way this works is scanning in my drawings, similar to the digital prints, and then building up the motif on top of the drawings. Then I experiment with the types of stitches I want to use and how frequent or dense they will be. The final touch to all my designs have some kind of hand quality. This comes in the form of beading, adding tassels, fraying the fabric, etc.
Throughout my time at AUB, I have felt the continued support of my course tutors and technicians. They were always there to provide advice about the course as well as any external issues you may have been dealing with. Creatively, I feel that this course has been able to assist me on my journey to discovering my personal style and how this can be used within an industry setting.
Within my third year, I chose to look at Swan Lake and Black Swan (2010) for my professional project. This linked to my love for dance and how it is still a large influence in my life. I used old costumes and dance attire to create my own still life installation that I could then transform into new designs for a different setting.
Working on this project reminded me how much love I had for the dance industry, and with a trip to the Royal Opera House, I had a backstage tour where I got to observe the dancers and costume makers. This provided me with more ideas for future projects within and outside uni with the techniques that they used, and the build-up of layers to create such delicate designs. Overall, this project was a favourite, as I got to investigate a past love of mine and transform it into a new love.
In regards to plans for the future, I wish to continue within the embroidery department of textiles, with my dream being to work within the bridal industry following a wonderful placement with Sassi Holford in first year. Here, I got to create veils and see how these stunning dresses were created from start to finish.
The hand finishings department is where I enjoyed myself most within this placement, so finding a job that would be similar to this, while also having a hand in the designing side as well, would be a dream for me.
