I hate making hats!!

Hahaha!

The reality is finally staring me in the face I don't actually enjoy making hats for customers and its ok for me to say this, (well not if the customer happens upon my blog!) I used to consider that it was a real failing of mine that I didn't think commercially and that I couldn't make and sell sinamay creations like so many of my millinery peers but the reality is I can't it isn't within me and its quite liberating to accept the fact. As I spent all weekend struggling with pink straw for a race hat trying to get the drama and scale, and losing site of its potential, Finally completed and the customer will wear it at York so some success at a very cut price rate!

Leeds vip night

Amidst marking and timetabling wandered round the Leeds College of Art show as even though one is in the building all year you actually don't get to see what the other courses do, so i find it really exciting and fascinating to see how courses develop. I didn't have a favourite exhibition this year there were to many close contenders and obviously millinery came out top!!! Lots of very good inspiring work, here are just a few.....

BA Graphic Design

funny that they all have food in!

BA Visual Communications

BA Interdisciplinary Art
There was some really strong pieces in this exhibition that resonated with my thoughts on what to do with my hat work.




BA Printed Textiles: I asked permission to take pics as one wasn't supposed to.  I wanted to capture some of the bird imagery.

BA Fine Art - In true neanderthal way I did feel that I needed text explanations for quite a few of these exhibits, which whilst exploring the whys and wherefores of signage and labeling in the MA made me smile wryly as however one may think one has some concept of visual language it often needs a helping hand. There were some exciting ideas.

BA Photography

BA Fashion

Finally thank you to my wonderful Millinery students for being such an amazing group of talented individuals who worked so well as a group and produced such a fabulous exhibition. Thank you for a lovely thank you gift also.

Exhibitions

I went over to MMU as I wanted to see their end of year show as I don't have much to compare as to what is good or bad and I desperately needed a tutorial with Melanie to sort out what to do next. I hadn't been able to bring myself to read the learning record I had written until Sunday and still kept filling up when I contemplated the whole scenario, so had no way of creating a new pathway.

The tutorial helped a little through unsure whether to share right now as need some more percolating....

The exhibition work was very good though a few of my highlights

Tuesday..........

A slightly manic day of teaching and ensuring that the first year's were ok and excited by the prospect of the 2nd year, I pray that i achieved this. A visit from the Sales manager of a hat company to talk through whether any of the graduating students would be able to do freelance work for them, I contemplated it myself for a nano second then realised that the prospect of cut and sew was far too traumatic, unless I went and did some tailoring.

Then went to Leeds City Museum to meet with a curator about a potential project with  a new exhibition opening next month. Similar idea to the Revivals workshop, which is exciting as one of the requirements is a day of cpd at the V&A my idea of heaven! Also good for my battered esteem, the curator mentioned that she had been talking to the other curators and mine was the first on their list as a potential contact and that if she could get me that would be perfect, thank you..........

Still got some more great feedback as to the girls exhibition none from my boss yet, need to tour round the rest of the college.

School work

Was over to Burnley for a primary school nurture group session. I get so nervous about these sessions as I feel that I have no past experience to model on. So key stage 1 in the morning, making flowers,  key stage 2 in the afternoon doing silk painting. Even though it was a really tight time schedule it worked well. A lesson for me is to keep it really simple!!

Another day..........

Opening Night LCA Exhibition

Mad panic day as ever thankfully booked of Huddersfield work.

Began by forcing tree trunks into my car, and lugging them into college, grappling with prizing the lid off a plinth to insert them and then doing pruning to ensure Health & Safety covered, then deciding if it was going to work or not before I began painting them white..........

Laser cutting names on mount board, courtesy of the fabulously helpful woodwork technicians.

Collecting decals for the floor.

Forcing shredded paper in perspex plinths to see if it would work hamster bedding and hats! It didn't so back to tissue paper.

Scrubbing floors, sticking up blurbs, rubbing decals on the floor, getting concerned expressions from maintenance, tidying up. The time until 6pm went ridiculously fast, which was perfect as I had no time to think. The girls work looked amazing and feel like a proud mum again. Excellent feedback from visitors.

The decals worked brilliantly I would definitely do this again, maybe with their names next time.

MA Results certificate stage

I am still  bit too raw on this, basically I did appallingly in my practice module. I am still unsure why and how I wasn't made aware earlier that I was going wrong, I feel really obliterated and unsure what t do now......