3rd Year project work...coming along nicely!

 Molly Hutchinson: Surface Design

 Amy Blackwell: Printed Textiles

Georgia Cleeves: Knitted Textiles

Pitt Rivers Museum visit.

To continue with the drawing theme. The 1st years visited Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford to create observational drawings from some of the amazing exhibits.

1st years concentrate on translating texture with an un-orthadox still life made of stuff!

Interesting formations appearing. The work of 2nd year Frankie Horsfield as she develops ideas around bacteria and growth using mixed media. http://francineelizabeth.tumblr.com/

A group of 2nd and 3rd yr students made the long trip up to Fairfield yarns in Lancashire. It was well worth the visit as the selection was huge. Perfect for the beginnings of new projects.

We have a few Open Days over the next few months. If you're interested in seeing our large design studios and numerous workshop facilities as well hearing about the course from one of the team please follow the link here and sign up http://bucks.ac.uk/

This week we were very pleased to welcome HRH Princess Azizah Iskandar, Malaysia as our guest in the Red Shed. With her keen interest and expertise in textiles, our workshops and studios were of great interest. HRH Princess Azizah Iskandar met with several of our 3rd years students who discussed their final major projects and presented their work.

Bucks New Uni now has a great new resource the Bucks graduate blog. Lots of information for current, prospective and past students. Take a look at this link which is an interview with  current third year Textiles and Surface Design student Phoebe Edwards talking about her experiences on work placements. http://thebucksgraduate.com/2015/12/15/phoebe-edwards/

Students from Buckinghamshire New University have been putting their skills to good use for Student Volunteering Week by knitting blankets for the neonatal unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. A team of student volunteers belonging to the Red Shed Society, run by Textiles and Surface Design students, held a 24 hour knit-athon to produce blankets in blue, pink and purple. The blankets were made using cotton and polyester yarns and were individually gift-wrapped and donated to the unit, which provides specialist care to vulnerable babies.

Polly Redfern, who is in her third-year at Bucks New University, said: "The Red Shed Society is a team of students currently fundraising so that we can display work at trade shows. As part of our fundraising, we chose to organise and run a 24 hour knit-athon where we knitted blankets for the neonatal ward as we wanted to give something back to the community."

3rd year Textiles and Surface Design students. Polly Redfern and Olivia Shykles

Examples of fabric innovation, some of the results from the live project for Pitti Filati with the knit pathway. 

Francine Horsfield

 Georgia Cleeves

 Phoebe Edwards

Monisha Hussain

2nd year students are now involved in their first self-directed project. After several projects and a lot of technical input, this is the opportunity to base a project around their own interests and undertake new challenges.

SDC Competition

Last week course leader Rosie Cate along with 3rd year students Isabel Webb, Roma Arora and Olivia Shykles attended the regional finals for the Society of Dyers and Colourists competition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Great opportunity to see their work alongside students from other Universities and to present to the judging panel.

Work in situ at trade fair Pitti Filati. Another successful collaboration and a great experience for 2nd yr knit students to see their work in a professional environment.

Students from 2nd and 3rd yr knit developing innovative fabrics for a live brief. In the studio with visiting lecturer Carlo Volpi and design consultant for Pitti Filati Nicola Miller.

Pitti Filati 2015

We have just returned with level 5 students from a trip to Florence where we visited the key yarn trade fair for industry and designers Pitti Filati. Our level 5 and 6 students worked in small groups on a live project for the trend area, designing and making sweaters following set trends relating to regions in Italy. The students worked closely with visiting lecturer Carlo Volpi to develop innovative designs. Their work stood along side that of practicing designers, manufacturers and students from the London college of Fashion.
http://www.pittimmagine.com/en/corporate/fairs/filati/media-gallery/2015/pittifilati76/spazioricerca.html

Shed at Indigo September 14

Before term even started we took 'Shed' to Indigo in Paris. Graduates from Print, Knit and Surface showed their work. We had fantastic feedback, a lot of interest and of course some sales! Print graduate Hanna Senior and Knit graduate Becky Millyard did a fantastic job of representing everyone.

Bucks End of Year Show 2014

Please join us to celebrate the work and achievements of our graduating students at the Bucks End of Year Degree Show:

Bradford Textiles Competition Winners

Congratulations to our students for their recent successes in the Bradford Textile Society Awards 2014:

Gugu Tshuma: 1st Prize, Clothworkers Foundation Award for a knitted textile for knitwear apparel

Azra Iqbal: Commendation, Clothworkers Foundation Award for a knitted textile for fashion or interiors

Georgia Cleeves: 1st Prize, Eleanor Hanson: 3rd Prize and Commended, Lia Raquel Marques: Commended and Polly Redfern: Commended, Clothworkers Foundation Award for a knitted fabric in any fibre or blend

Emmeline Kellett: Commendation, The Woolmark Company Award

Well done to all our staff and students.

www.bradfordtextilesociety.org.uk

Surface Design Live Project

A couple of images from our recent second year Surface Design live project:

Caroline Browne: Digital printed and cut papers for Selfridges Window Display

Alice Richards: Flocked metal panels (black and gold colourway) for Baku restaurant, Sloane Street, London

Pitti Filati - More images of our students' work

Our students' work from the Knitted Textiles pathway at the Pitti Filati show in Florence, Italy. We produced 16 knitted lengths in total that were draped on the figures at the show:

Meet our Associate Lecturers: Carlo Volpi

Carlo Volpi is an award winning contemporary knitwear designer based in London. He currently teaches on the first year of the Textiles and Surface Design course.

Carlo's knitwear is characterised by an eclectic choice of stitch structures, gauges and textures, where traditional knitting techniques, urban landscapes and pop imagery are mixed together into an eccentric combination that is alive throughout his work. His love for unusual patterns and colour combinations has led him to design garments that are very wearable and contemporary.

www.carlovolpi.co.uk

Carlo also regularly writes a blog on www.knittingindustry.com/carlo-volpi

Pitti Filati January 2014

Textiles staff and students have recently returned from Pitti Filati knit show in Florence. Pitti Filati is a key international event for the knitting industry. It presents future lifestyle trends and excellence in yarns to an audience of designers and buyers.

Our students created knitted textile lengths for the Trend Area of the show. Bucks New University were the only UK university to be invited to make and show our work at this event. The students worked under the guidance of Fiona Ross, Knitted Textiles Pathway Leader, and Carlo Volpi, Knitwear Designer, to create work in response to a set brief by Pitti Filati. The results were a great success at the show.

Meet our Associate Lecturers: Jim Biddulph

Jim Biddulph teaches second year and third year students on the Surface Design pathway. Jim is a materials expert with a vast knowledge of industrial and hand making processes.

He is the Projects and Materials Manager for Material Lab in London as well as running his own design consultancy from his studio in East London.

Jim's website is www.hereyouarestudio.com

Meet our Associate Lecturers: Jane Bowler

 Jane Bowler teaches on the first year of the Textiles and Surface Design course.

 

Jane is a highly successful fashion designer based in London. She is known for her constant exploration and discovery of new and exciting materials, alongside sculptural silhouettes. Bowler’s body of work is driven by her passion for craftsmanship and innovation within textiles and design.

Her collections highlight her passion for transforming everyday materials using unique processes, hand-dyed plastics and heat-forming techniques. Her work challenges the idea of everyday wear, allowing it to stand out on the street without subscribing to uniform.

Jane was recently announced as an 'Emerging Designer' finalist of the renowned annual WGSN Global Fashion Awards 2013.

www.janebowler.co.uk

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Live Project with Material Lab

Our second year Surface Designers are currently working on a live project with Material Lab. Based in London, Material Lab is an established design resource studio where people can explore and be inspired by a huge range of materials such as ceramics, glass, wallpaper, wood, carpet tiles, eco-resins and fabrics.

Material Lab's product range covers all aspects of the public and private specification market, from architects and designers to house builders and contractors.

Our students will be working with Material Lab, including tutorials with Projects & Materials Manager, Jim Biddulph, to design and make exciting new materials appropriate for Material Lab's clients.

Cockpit Arts Christmas Open Studios

Every year a proportion of our graduates go on to set up their own businesses as Designer-Makers. Our graduates Catherine Hammerton www.catherinehammerton.com and Zoe Miller www.tangentaccessories.com are based at Cockpit Arts Studios and will be showing their work at the Christmas Open Studios event, open this weekend.

Graduate Destinations: Aryma Marquetry

Four graduates from the Textiles and Surface Design course are working for Aryma Marquetry. Aryma is a British company dedicated to designing and making the finest marquetry for luxury interiors. They specialise in making decorative marquetry for panels and bespoke furniture for residential projects, private jets, superyachts and luxury car interiors.

Whilst on the course our students have the opportunity to design for a whole range of materials including wood, metal, plastics, textiles and paper and have access to our materials workshops where they can learn and refine their making techniques with expert supervision. As well as hand making processes they are also able to work with the laser cutter, CNC router, 3D printer and our Mimaki digital textile printer.

Images copyright Aryma Marquetry. Top image shows marquetry wall panels for Stella McCartney's Mayfair store, London. 

Bradford Textile Society Competition Winners

Congratulations to our students on their recent successes in the Bradford Textile Society Design Competition.

Sarah Bridle won 1st Prize in the Clothworkers' Foundation Award: A knitted fabric for mens or womenswear knitwear (apparel). Rhiannon Montgomery won 3rd prize and Rebecca Millyard and Emmeline Kellett both received Commendations.

Image: Sarah Bridle's winning entry

Next Open Day: Wednesday 19th February 2014

Our 2013-14 University Open Days are:

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Saturday 26 April 2014

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Our Open Days offer a tour of our wonderful Red Shed Textiles and Surface Design studios and workshops as well as a full campus tour.

Please see the following link for more information and to book your place:

http://bucks.ac.uk/opendaysprospectus/undergraduate_open_day

Open Days take place from 11am until 4pm at the High Wycombe campus.

We hope to see you there!

Sarah Louise Matthews for Knot & Pop

Sarah Louise Matthews (Surface Design 2011) has recently completed a commission for wedding planners Knot & Pop. She made beautiful paper flowers for a photoshoot entitled 'We Are One', perfect for a first 'paper' anniversary.

www.sarahlouisematthews.co.uk

UK Hand Knitting Association Awards 2013

Judith Watson (Knitted Textiles 2013) won the Gold Award in the Graduate category of the UK Hand Knitting Association's Knitted Textile Awards 2013.

Judith's Aran panelled dress, hand-tufted with Swiss darned patches emulating carpet, offers a touch of ‘rug’ to playfully complement the Aran adorned carpet which is reminiscent of a period ceiling with a splash of traditional design.

Congratulations Judith!