Kelly Crannage

Textiles AQA 2009-2010

Candidate number

As part of the multi cultural drive for the 21st century, a large exhibition of textiles from around the world is being displayed at the Victoria and Albert museum.Therefore, you have been asked to design a high quality product or time of apparel to sell in the museum shop. This time needs to be decorative and show the crafts of the culture it is representing.

Tasks I will do when I start the product

Victoria and Albert museum

What designs could I include if I base my work around the Egyptian Culture?

Research the work of artists and designers linked to Egyptian culture. Look up different polices for different companies.

Plan out a strategy to ensure all work is carried out to meet the deadline

Research all different types and designs of walls hangings that are on the market

Visit the Victoria and Albert museum site

Look on the internet and research Egyptian culture, look in magazines and books

Look on the internet at different companies’ site

Personal development planning throughout the programme that will help me on my own work as well of those of your peers.

Research all techniques and materials that could be used in an Egyptian themed product.

Research all the different tyes of cultures shown in the museum e.g eyptian, african, asian

Egyptian gods and goddesses, Egyptian pyramids and symbols.Egyptian art and hieroglyphics.

Reinterpreting from films, art, cultures and historical fashions

Write up time and motion charts to guide the project

Use the internet, magazines, books and visits to different places.

Design brief analysis

My analysis of the design brief will firstly concentrate on the importance of museums especially the Victoria and Albert because it is so big and successful. I intend to research the museum online and ask anyone in the group questions that I would like to know. I am aware that on the website there are shops that I can look at and get some information from there.

The product range is to be influenced by the Egyptian culture which provides bright and metallic colours to work with such as bright yellow, bright blue and metallic gold. The Egyptian culture offers a lot of different Ideas for designs such as the Egyptian art. The Egyptian theme will influence the pattern, shape, colour and texture of the product.As the Victoria and Albert museum will be exhibiting my product in part of their multi cultural drive for the 21st century the product must reflect the Egyptian theme and promote the campaign.

The work of a designer developing a new prototype needs to make sure the product appeals to the specific target market to make sure that it will sell. However, because this is a one off commission it needs to appeal to the museum. Initial research into the Victoria and Albert museum is crucial in designing the product. Research will be done also on the multi cultural drive that will be taking place. Research will need to show what types of cultural products are already in the exhibition and the other different museums that have done this before, this gives the designer an insight into the kind of client they are designing for in this case it would be the Victoria and Albert museum and also give the ideas of what will appeal to the audience.

At the start of developing this design it is important to gather information on what products are appealing to the people and which artists and designers work is popular and also the fabrics as it must stand out and be very appealing. Market intelligence is very important when designing a product that will be shown in front of hundreds of people, so that when they see it they will like it. Some websites that will be visited might show some products that will be coming to museum soon, this will help the designer to see if there are any new materials or designs that they might want to incorporate into their own design.Reinterpretation from films, art, cultures and historical fashion and designs will also give inspiration to the designer.

I have been asked to analyse two different Egyptian products. Out of the two different products I am going to choose one that shows more of the Egyptian culture.

Compared to some other wall hangings this really looks authentic and really expensive

This product is an Egyptian style wall hanging it uses two colours for the main fabric and then uses three other colours for the designing. This product is large and very tactile. On the bottom of this product they have used pieces of cotton to add tassels; they have used the same colour for these as they have for the design in the middle of the product. These tassels are two different lengths. The design in the middle shows how the product is related to Egyptian culture. When making this product they have thought about how to ad little details, I can see this because at the top in the middle they have used pieces of string to weave with. They have also used sequins, this makes the product stand out and attract people’s eye.

This is a piece of Egyptian tapestry, in the whole design it only uses 3 colours. There is a big design in the middle and small repeats of the middle design around the outside. Even though there is not much components on this product it would have still taken a lot of time and patience to get it to the way it looks. The way one of the colours is used is very creative they have used the white and tie-dyed it onto the fabric before the pattern would have been put on. This product has still been thought through very carefully and been planned before it had been made.

Whilst I have been looking at these two products I have realised that they have a lot of differences. one is a wall hanging and the other is apiece of tapestry. Both of these products are made totally different this is because they are used for totally different things. Both the products are manufactured the same both are made to look neat and precise although the wall hanging does look like its had more work and thought.

Collections of the Victoria and Albert museum:Architecture

The V&A has been showing architecture since its foundation and its collection ranges fromdrawings and photographs to whole rooms. Now the V&A is collaborating with the RoyalInstitute of British Architects, to bring the RIBA's extraordinary collection of drawings, manuscriptsand models to the V&A. This partnership will create the world's most comprehensivearchitectural resource.

Asia The Victoria and Albert Museum's Asian collections include objects from East Asia, South and South-East Asia, and the Middle East. They are rich in a broad range of artistic media and illustrate many different aspects of religious, courtly and everyday life.

CeramicsThe Ceramics collection is one of the cornerstones of the Victoria and Albert Museum.The collection ranges from ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary studio pottery and industrially designed ceramics.

Contemporary The Porter Gallery is the hub of the Victoria and Albert Museum's contemporaryprogramme. Offering a wide range of exhibitions, events and displays, it brings the best of today's visual culture from around the world to the Museum. Spanning all aspects ofart and design - including fashion, furniture and product design, craft, graphic design, digitalmedia, architecture and photography – the Contemporary programme considers theinterrelationships between these art forms.

Fashion jewellery and accessoriesThe Victoria and Albert Museum has collecteddress since its earliest days. The collection covers fashionable dress from the 17th century to the present day, with the emphasis on progressive and influential designs from the major fashion centres of Europe. The V&A collections also include accessories such as jewellery, gloves and handbags.

FurnitureThe collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum consists of more than 14,000pieces from Britain, Europe and America, dating from the middle Ages to the presentday. It is predominantly of furniture but also includes related objects such as architecturaland decorative woodwork, musical instruments, leatherwork, treen and clocks. The collectionalso includes complete rooms, some of which are on display in the British Galleries.

GlassThe Victoria and Albert Museum holds the National Collection of Glass. It includes morethan 6000 pieces, from the Middle East, Europe and America, and illustrates the4000-year history of glass, from the2nd millennium BC to the present.

History periods and stylesThe Victoria and Albert Museum's collections cross a multitude of periods and design styles. Many have been the topic of major exhibitions. In this section, explore both the history of theMuseum and the websites accompanying exhibitions like Art Deco and Inventing New Britain: The Victorian Vision.

MetalworkThe Metalwork collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum includes the newly displayed national collection of English silver, as well as ironwork, continental silver, arms andarmour, enamels, brass work, pewter and medieval metalwork of international importance.

Paintings and drawingsPaintings in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection include superlative holdings of British watercolors, pastels and portrait miniatures as well as over 2,000 British and European oil paintings. The collections were largely formed from a series of gifts from 19th-century collectors and offer a unique insight into Victorian picture-collecting practice.

As I am designing for the Victoria and Albert museum I need to find out abit about the culture of the museum and what kind of products are exhibited in the museum. This sheet is a piece of research that I have carried out through looking at the site on the internet. The information I have managed to look at so far shows the layout of the museum, the type of exhibits and the type of products that are sold as souvenirs. I hope that this will help me think about feasible products to design.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it was founded in 1852, and has since grown to now cover some 12.5 acres and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. The holdings of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

PhotographyThe Museum began acquiring photographs in 1852 and its collection is now is one of the largest and most important in the world. It holds over 500,000 images, by both classic and contemporary photographers, and illustrates a wide range of processes, techniques and subject matter. The Photography gallery focuses on the history of photography, with an annual display of around 40 outstanding photographs from the V&A's collection.

Prints and books Prints & Books at the Victoria and Albert Museum combine magnificent collections of fine art prints, printmaking techniques and commercial graphics with one of the world's great resources for the art, craft and design of the book.

SculptureThe Sculpture collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum is themost comprehensive holding of post-classical European sculpturein the world.

TextilesThe national collection of Textiles covers a period of morethan 2000 years. It has a broad geographic range with aparticular emphasis on Europe. Most techniques arerepresented, including woven, printed and embroideredtextiles, lace, tapestries and carpets. These are classifiedby technique, countries of origin and dates of production.Particularly rich areas of the collections are the early silksfrom the Near East, lace, European tapestries and Englishmedieval church embroidery.

Theatre and performanceThe V&A's Theatre Collections hold the UK's national collection of material about live performance in the UK since Shakespeare'sday, covering drama, dance, musical theatre, circus, music hall, rock and pop, and other forms of live entertainment. Theatre and Performance galleries dedicated to the performing arts, display works of art, costumes, ephemera, video recordings, puppets, posters and photographs.

Mood board:I have created a mood board for inspiration and so it can influence my design work and prototype.My mood board is collated around Egyptian style art and culture, most of the colours I have used are yellows/gold’s, oranges and browns. I have chosen to do Egyptian style because I can really research and learn about Egyptian culture and I can find out different techniques on what I can use.The mood board mostly shows pictures of Egyptian wall art and writing this is because I will be using pictures like this on my product.

Product analysisI have compared and contrasted two different products and found out information about them. I wanted to find out information like how they were made, the cost, the quality of techniques, unusual features. Both products are linked into the Egyptian style and culture, one product is a wall hanging and the other is a piece of Egyptian tapestry. The wall hanging uses Egyptian art in the middle and just small sequins around the outside, compared to some wall hangings it looks really authentic and expensive. The other product however doesn’t look as authentic because they have just used one design and copied it over and over again. They have the large design in the middle then the smaller copied design around the outside, this product doesn’t look like it has taken as long to make either.

Textiles and the environmentWhile making my product I have found out some of the few problems textiles causes to the environment but I have also learnt some good points on how it helps the environment.The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the world.It is estimated that more than 1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away every year, with most of this coming from household sources. Textiles make up about 3% by weight of a household bin. At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable; however, the proportion of textile wastes reused or recycled annually in the UK is only around 25%.Textile processing also causes river pollution!In big textile industries that make a lot of jeans they can bleed blue dye and bleach the rivers that are used to irrigate the cornfields so this ruins all the crops.At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw material into clothes, towels, bedding and other items.Shockingly, use of the pesticide endosulfan in farming cotton in developing countries is causing the poisoning of thousands of workers, often resulting in their death.

Disassembling an existing productWhen I disassembled the product it helped me see how it had been constructed and all the pattern parts that had been used.I found that this was useful because the construction was in front of me, I could see the seam tolerances, the finishing processes, the types of components and how appropriate they are for the product.

Design brief:As part of the multi cultural drive for the 21st century, a large exhibition of textiles from around the world is being displayed at the Victoria and Albert museum.Therefore, you have been asked to design a high quality product or time of apparel to sell in the museum shop. This time needs to be decorative and show the crafts of the culture it is representing.

Design specification:•The design brief told me to make a product which is made to influence people that attend a cultural event•The product will have various colours that match up with cultural theme.•The safety and quality of this product needs to be perfect as it is for a museum. •As the product is for more of a formal use I have chosen not to use any smart materials.•The product will be unique as it will have the Egyptian eye in the middle and Egyptian style patterns. This makes the product appealing as it will stand out.•There is a restraint on the product as we our making it in school and there are limited resources.•The fabrics used are all colours or patterns that link to the Egyptian culture and the construction methods try to match the Egyptian style.•The product will be a reasonable size as it is a wall hanging and cannot be too small. I have made this product in a circle shape to make it different and make it unusual like the Egyptian culture.•as the product is a wall hanging it will not get much wear and tear and therefore should last a

considerable amount of time.

I have integrated hieroglyphics into my work as when I was doing my research I found that this showed a lot of information about the Egyptian lifestyle.

The design of the bird was part of the hieroglyphics but was a bigger statement, so was used alone so it didn’t blend in.

The inspiration for my designs came from me looking at the mood board which gave me lots of different ideas for shape, colour and patterns. My designs reflect the theme of Egyptian culture. It offers originality and bravado.

The eye design is a major symbol in Egyptian culture and is therefore a huge part of my design. The eye will be full of padding so it gives a whole new texture and look. This Egyptian eye will be appliquéd onto my product.

The ideas are evaluated well against the specification, its what they asked and can be used in a cultural museum. The techniques have been highlighted in bold to make it stand out and show the intricate detail. I know that more detailed research will be needed when the designs are developed.

In my designs I have incorporated unusual shapes and included colours from the Egyptian palette. On my designs I have used quite a lot of spirals and zigzag effects as that ties in to the Egyptian culture.

The symmetrical designs are appropriate as they reflect the theme. This is very detailed and shows the individual designs that meet the specification. The mood board gave me inspiration to experiment and try to do appliqué. This was better than just trying to draw as it gave me more ideas as I was working with different fabric, thread and colours.

The circles in some of my designs are very important as in a lot of Egyptian designs there is circles used. This is a big part of their culture.

The inspiration for the

circles have come from

above, from the picture

with the two very detailed

circles. This picture was

taken from a page which I

used when I was doing my

research so I know it is a

correct interpretation of

Egyptian culture.

There is a variety of colour range in my designs as there are pastel yellows, creams and golds to deep blues, purples and reds.

The inspiration for the circles have come from above, from the picture with the two very detailed circles. This picture was taken from a page which I used when I was doing my research so I know it is a correct interpretation of Egyptian culture. i have developed my designs as I have changed parts to make it more detailed and added more fabric to the design. When adding this fabric I had to think how it would fit together, so I tried a different way until I got my final design.

Where could I source the information for the techniques, what equipment and at what cost?I could write down all my cost for the raw materials and the time and energy it takes to prepare the material ready for using.

What type of construction and pattern details could I use?

I could research technique books and also scan the Internet for ideas about how and why certain stitch effects are better suited to certain materials. I will create the pattern from paper, by drawing up using pencil and dimensions

What techniques and components that could be used to enhance the fabric appearance?I could trial out several:•AppliquéPatchworkCrazy patchworkEmbellishmentStitch effects

What and where should I resource fabrics from? Try local charity shops, at home, the markets, fabric haberdashery shops.

What time constrains do I have when buying all the raw materials?

I don’t have a lot of time to do this in; I only have a week until my next lesson in which I will need my fabric. I will collect all my fabric at the weekend and make sure I get plenty so I have enough and don’t run short.

Where will I look for inspiration when choosing materials?For inspiration I will look in the textiles room for different materials and in catalogues for different ideas.To buy my materials I could go to the charity shop or the market, I can even go to a fabric shop. In the charity shop I would probably pay around two or three pound for a few pair. On the market it would cost me around five pound for a large piece. In a fabric shop I could buy my materials from a role it would probably cost around three pound a metre.

Time line:Shop in near by towns at the weekend;

Use a pattern for making the ideas:

Trial out techniques during lesson time;

Development task that I will do!

project Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week12

Week 13

Week 14

Task analysis

Research

Design specification

Techniques/components

Fabric/components

Flow chart

Designing

Making

Final evaluation

Gantt chart

I have used batik on my product to create an unusual look. This also creates patterns that cannot be made as accurately without the wax.

I have used stencilling on my product to make it unique as the stencil has been made to the way I wanted. This ensures that the stencil is only used on my product and can be found no where else.

I have used appliqué on my product to add different materials that are sewed together this gives the product more texture.

I have used quilting for the Egyptian eye on my product this also adds texture, pattern and warmth to the product. The appliqué effect appears to work well with this Egyptian design

I have used components such as beads and sequins on my product to enhance texture, add colour and it also gives the weight to the product.

Patchwork has been used on my product to connect together various pieces of material this also has a funky look.

I have used chemical dying on my product to add different colours that cannot be achieved my using material at their original colour.I have used

embroidery on my product to add colour and pattern that can only be done by machine.

This sheet is research of properties of fabrics that I can use in my product.

The first fabric is cotton which is a plant based fibre that comes from the fine hairs on the seeds in a ripe seed pod of a cotton plant. Cotton is strong, absorbent, hard wearing and creases easily. Cotton is also smooth, versatile, easy to care for and enhance. Fabrics made with cotton are: calico, corduroy, denim, drill, poplin and velvet. Cotton can be used for soft furnishings, all clothing items and yarns for knitting.

Advantages of cotton: strong when wet, durable, reasonably inexpensive, environmentally sustainable.

Disadvantages of cotton: creases easily, burns easily, shrinks.

The second material is linen which is a plant based fibre that comes from the fibrous stem of a flax plant. Linen is very hard wearing, strong, absorbent , creases easily and has no drape. Linen also has a natural look and good handle. Fabrics made with linen are: duck and huckabuck. Linen can be used for lightweight clothing, soft furnishings like tea towels and table linen.

Advantages of linen: stronger when wet, smooth finish, very hard wearing, highly absorbent, comfortable to wear.

Disadvantages of linen: creases badly, can be expensive.

The third and final fabric is silk which is an animal based fabric which comes from the cocoon of a silkworm. The outer layer tends to be short staple and the inner layer comprises long filament fibres carefully unravelled. Silk is absorbent, soft, comfortable, cool and warm. Silk also has a natural sheen, handles well and strong when dry. Some fabrics made with silk are: chiffon, crepe, dupion, duchess, organza and taffeta. Silk can be used for luxury clothing, soft furnishings and knitwear.

Advantages of silk: soft, smooth sheen, lustrous finish, drapes well, comfortable to wear.

Disadvantages of silk: expensive, can be weaker when wet, may not wash well, may crease easily.

Introduction:

While I have been doing textiles I have learnt about all the problems it causes for the environment I have also learnt some good points for how it helps the environment.It is estimated that more than 1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away every year, with most of this coming from household sources. Textiles make up about 3% by weight of a household bin. At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable; however, the proportion of textile wastes reused or recycled annually in the UK is only around 25%.

Although the majority of textile waste originates from household sources, waste textiles also arise during yarn and fabric manufacture, garment-making processes and from the retail industry.  These are termed post-industrial waste, as opposed to the post-consumer waste, which goes to jumble sales and charity shops. Together they provide a vast potential for recovery and recycling.

Textile processing causing river pollution dates back to the early days of Industrial Revolution.

In big textile industries that make a lot of jeans they can bleed blue dye and bleach the rivers that are used to irrigate the cornfields so this ruins all the crops.

"Dozens of industrial laundries, some of which put the finishing touches to jeans for export, discharge a cocktail of bleach, dye and detergents into Tehuacan's wide valley with almost no government controls, residents say...Water from the denim laundries runs through Tehuacan, where it mixes with municipal sewage and is discharged untreated in a foaming green torrent to a river that feeds irrigation systems in the downstream village of San Diego Chalma."

Since the early decades of the 20th Century, local authorities have encouraged industry to connect to municipal sewerage systems and utilise publicly owned sewage treatment works (STWs) … leading to massive reductions in river pollution. Majority of textile effluent is still treated with domestic sewage and other trade wastes.

The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. Around a quarter of the worlds insecticides are used to grow conventional cotton and ten percent of its pesticides. And at least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw material into clothes, towels, bedding and other items.

Shockingly, use of the pesticide endosulfan in farming cotton in developing countries is causing the poisoning of thousands of workers, often resulting in their death.

Benefits the textile standard brings:

The standards provide you, as a consumer, with the knowledge that the product you’re buying has been produced with the aim of avoiding damage to the environment and human health. Any chemicals that harm wildlife or are suspected to cause cancer, birth defects or changes to reproductive organs are banned under Soil Association standards. Similarly suspected or proven allergens are not allowed.

Manufacturing aboard is cheaper. Why?

Manufacturing aboard is cheaper because the workers don’t get paid as much and the materials don’t cost as much. This is not very good for the town or village were the company used to be because all the workers in that village have lost their jobs which makes it hard for the town to survive.

START

Make a paper toile of the wall hanging

Make sure it’s the correct measurements ?

Start to cut the pieces of fabric that is needed

Is it the right size ? Do they all look the same size and fit together

Cut out the fabric need to create the eye

Lay them out on the main piece to make sure it all fits

Now appliqué the Egyptian eye onto the main fabric do this for both eyes.

Now get the other two main pieces and sew decorative stitch effects along them

Now make sure the four pieces are finished

Sew the four pieces together like patchwork

Now get the bottom two pieces and sew decorative stitches on them

When that’s finished cut out material to use as tab tops

Now sandwich the tab top material between the front and back material

Then sew around the edge of the material making sure it catches all the material

Now turn the material out and the wall hanging is finished

end

Product name: decorative wall hanging

Working drawingFront and back

Pattern pieces and lay plan

Materials and components

Beads Buttons gold cottonRed cotton Cream cotton

Care label Machine and stitch settings

Embroidery stitch

47, 49, 62, 92, 52, 67

0.5 length6 width

Costing

Gold material £1Cream material 50pRed material 50pBlack felt 50pBeads and buttons £1.50

Aesthetics 5/6 My product looks really interesting as it has a mix of different colours

Strength of fibre 4/6 The material is quite strong and cant withstand wear and tear.

Colour fastness 5/6 The colour in this material will stay in the product and it has not been re-dyed.

Stain easily 4/6 The product is less likely to get stained as it is o a wall and there will be no food or drink around it.

Environmental properties

2/6 I think this product is not that environmentally friendly as I have not used any recycled products on it.

Fit for purpose 6/6 This product does exactly what its made to do.

Burns easily 2/6 My product is made from cotton which burns easily.

I set out to design a wall hanging for a cultural museum; I decided to make a wall hanging because it fit with the purpose and would be a different product to make. When designing my product, I found that researching Egyptian wall hangings that were already on the market really helped me as it gave me ideas and showed be the different ways that Egyptian culture can be expressed. My design has been influenced by Egyptian culture, using golds and yellows and deep reds and blues. My design is a little different to what my product looks like but I’m happy with how it turned out. I tested my wall hanging to see if it would be a good product and the results were good too, I also tested it for strength, this material wasn’t the best but it could withstand normal wear and tear. When I asked other people what they thought of my design they said it was “very bright and colourful and the stitching had been done well.” they also said it reflects the Egyptian theme very well and the use of stitch effects were very creative. When making my product I had issues with a material I was going to use for the tab tops as every time I went to sew wround the edge it would fray. I decided to change this material to the material I used for backing. My very first designs were different to my product as I decided to change them and make the product a higher quality, If I was to do this again I would not change what I have done as I am pleased with the outcome and learnt a lot on the way. This product took a lot of time as I had to keep changing the colour of thread on the machines, the beading also took a sufficient amount of time. If my product was produced commercially I would have to leave out the beads because of the amount of time it had taken.