Here at last!

For sometime now I have been meaning to start a blog and at last I am writing my first post! Once I'm over the initial hurdle of setting up the blog then it'll be easier and less daunting to post to it - well that's my theory! Only time will tell.  I aim to use this blog primarily to record the progression of my textile work but where to start? I've decided to start at the beginning of 2012 and take it from there.

In January this year, I went on the 'Digital Design for Fashion Fabrics' course run by Fabpad  at the University of East London. I would thoroughly recommend the tutor Vicki Fong, I learnt a lot on the course and I was very pleased with Fabpad's fabric printing.

On the course I practised with a number of different images, some provided by Vicki and some of my own.  But the really big decision came when I had to decide on an image for my final project. This would be printed on fabric which I hoped to make into a blouse.  This is the image I eventually chose:

I 'played' with the colours, extended the water and selected part of the image for my blouse.  I also created some machine stitching which I used to replace some of the leaves - well I had to have some embroidery in it didn't I? 

I then used my images to fill my pattern pieces and filled in the gaps with additional images:

 

 After many hours of tinkering and work, my blouse was finished.

  

Now  all I need is some warmer weather so I can wear it!