Hana-Louise Denton G.C.S.E. Textiles 8416

Design Brief and Task Analysis Design Brief - A high street store, Laura Ashley, have asked me to design a range of bedroom furnishings including cushions and wall hangings suitable for decorating a modern female teenagers bedroom. Current trend forecasts show that the floral theme will be a popular theme in 2010 and 2011. I am to make at least one product from the range which if successful, can be mass produced. Task Analysis – my product will be based upon a floral theme and it will be made for the high street store Laura Ashley who are wanting either a cushion and/or a wall hanging to mass produced and be put on sale. This store has always been known for its high quality and eclectic designs and I plan to keep up this reputation in my making and designing of the products. I will carry out research and questionnaires to find out what my target audience expect from products, I shall try to incorporate these findings into my work. Throughout my work, I will be looking at fabrics and techniques which will be suitable for use in a bedroom and I shall try to get a rough idea of the costs of these products. I will mainly focus on researching floral and flowery images, prints and colours because this is what my final product will be based on. I will take into consideration researching on the internet, as well as looking at books and existing products. I plan to make a deadline for my final product to be finished by and be up to a high quality standard.

Research Mood board

Writing to Companies

Carrying out a Questionnaire

Comparative Shop

Analysis of My Research and the Design Specification Mood Board – This mood board was made because it is bright and colourful, and each element of the designs are easy to dissect and take ideas from. The theme of my mood board was flowers/floral. Writing to companies – I wrote to a company called Laura Ashley, and I explained to them about the textiles project which I was doing at school. I asked them if they would be able to send me any samples they could to help inspire my project. They did so, and I am planning on using the ideas for my project. Questionnaire and Results of Questionnaire – To research what people wanted from a door hanging or a cushion, and to see which style would sell well, I completed a questionnaire and got some impacting results. I have recorded these results, and I plan to use them when making my project. Comparative Shop – I completed a comparative shop to see how other shops were selling and constructing their products, and to take ideas about a target market and target prices for my products.

Developing My Client Profile My client is the sort of person who loves soft furnishings that have been designed to a high quality and are inspirational. I have also noted that many younger people love organic and natural designs. My client in particular is a female who loves all things natural and takes pride in their bedroom and possible student accommodation. Laura Ashley promote a wide range of pretty soft furnishings for a wide target audience. In contrast IKEA are very funky and very modern in their approach to soft furnishings. What I’ve noticed from both of these companies is the quality and cost varies a lot. Therefore, I intend to target my product at a mid price range but I want it to be fun organic and environmentally friendly.

Further primary research…Wool Designed in a Contemporary Way - Workshop, Pontefract In year 10, I had prior attainment through attending a felt workshop in Pontefract museum, and I have decided to use this as some primary research because I enjoyed the research and learnt some good skills. Below are some pictures of the event… The wool fibres that we used was called staple fibres in many colours. There are two types of fibres, staple and filament, and we used the staple fibres which were a merino wool fibre. The technique for making felt dose take a long time, with weft and warp thin layers of the fibres and spraying soapy water between each layer. Then padding and rubbing down the fibres for a lone time. After a while the felt started to form into a solid piece of fabric. The technique looked great once finished, I was able to add further components and embellishment to make a purse.

Design specification The range of products that i intend to design will be soft furnishings for a teenage girl’s bedroom because i feel that there is always a need for new and inventive ideas. I intend to come up with a range of ideas that have a natural organic appearance. The products will all interlink and be vibrant and creative. My target group will be teenagers and young professionals that really enjoy their surroundings in their home. I also feel that this target group appreciate nice things that link into the environment. The products that i come up with will be launched in the early spring when people are wanting to spring clean and re-furbish their homes. The performance of the product needs to be high quality and have a good lifecycle. Therefore, I will create a prototype that will be to a high standard. I will plan out a planning sheet that will cover all the processes, quality control, health and safety and industrial practise. The resources I will collect over a number of weeks. I intend to also use some re-cycled fabrics. I intend to try to use as many fabrics, materials and components from a sustainable source i.e. buying locally, and I intend to re use materials from old products and incorporate them into my design. I am going to attempt to make a product that could be made a a small batch production.

Sustainability in my Design The word “sustainable” refers to products that have been made to have a lesser impact on the environment, and to improve the economic security of those making the product and of their working conditions. A growing number of textiles companies have adopted an environmentally friendly company image by using sustainable materials when making their products. I have used organic cotton, re-cycled wool and I have made sure that any scrap or spare materials that I have not needed in the making of my product have been recycled or re-used. The recycle symbol. The wool symbol. The cotton symbol.

Designing – Initial Ideas

Design ideas I have gathered my initial ideas and brainstormed to create a few design ideas which I may use for my final product. All these designs could be used as my final product because they all fit the brief and they all fit in with my theme of flowers.

Design ideas I like these designs too, although I would prefer to use one of my previous designs for my final product as they are more colourful and cost effective.

Development of design I will use mola work to create these flower shapes. I will use batik for these flowers, and I will dye them various colours. I will use appliqué and machine stitching to make this flower effect. These decorative flowers will be hand sewn and machine sewn. And I will attach beads onto them. These will be attached and detachable flowers, made using recycled wool. These are buttons and button holes, which will be used to fasten the cushion. This will be sewn using the machine and also using CAD CAM

Final design outcome These will be attached and detachable flowers, made using recycled wool. This will be a detachable flower, made out of felt It will be fastened by using decorative buttons This will be sewn using the machine and also using CAD CAM

Development planning Development to be carried out: How I will complete this: Why is it needed: The initial pattern – design colour range Draw up an alternative colour range on floral patterns to get an idea of how the product may alter in appearance and ambience. The client may wish to see the prototype in different colours, thus appealing to a target audience. Look at different techniques through samples of sewing and adding colour Purchase a variety of environmentally friendly fabrics and trial out different sewing stitches, work out ways of adding colour with stencils, hand painting and adding a mixture of components to the samples. To get an idea of the range of appearances and to see if any original ideas can be developed. Also to see if some fabric textures will take colour easily. Construction techniques Produce a paper pattern for the cushion and cut different layers to see if the bulk and comfort elements are in place. Test the tolerance of each layer against the pattern development. Find the best way to construct the seams and layer the fabric so that it is sustainable enough to work as a piece of soft furnishing. Take into account the textures and tolerances of the fabric fibres. Fabric choice Choose a range of fabrics relevant to the original design specification; check the density, colour range, and texture against the design proposal. Evaluation at this sage will aid the decisions. Choose a range of fabrics with the best properties and environmental characteristics , to meet the demands of the specification. Test fabrics for colour fastness, comfort, durability and aesthetics. components Samples of components to test on the fabrics' tolerance and structure. Use database research sheet of components to look at linings. Buttons, eyelets, interfacing and felt underlay. costing Keep a record of outgoings and cost through a range of shops and outlets. Keep a record through costing sheet and look at profit margins after industrial overheads gross and net profits. Produce a costing sheet showing production costs and retail price. Present to the client. Environmental attributes Record of materials ( through fiber source, component source and Ethical trading standards applied). Use shop assistance advice and read labels at point of purchase. Use data base and research – Ethical trading standards, environmental production and source profile.

Techniques Dyes and printing techniques are not the only ways to get colour and pattern on to a piece of material or fabric. For example, to get a range of different surface decoration, we could try embroidery, appliqué, quilting, molá work, beading and batik. To get an effect from fabric manipulation, we could try pleating, gathering, ruching, darts, heat setting or a textured effect such as brushing, shredding or fraying. appliqué quilting embroidery batik fraying beading

Development samples – CAD CAM in my work Introduction I am looking at computers and the use of IT in textiles. I am using CAD CAM to create a pattern for my product. Say why you are showing this piece of information I am showing this to show my skills on incorporating CAD CAM into my work. What type of systems are used in the textile industry that use CAD-CAM? Pattern design, grading and pattern making are just some of the types of systems which use CAD CAM. Tell the reader how you will complete the technique! I will research different CAD CAM’s to find which would be the best to fit my product Instructions on how to use the CAD-CAM embroidery machine Prepare the machine, making sure that it is threaded up correctly. Choose the setting and stitch you want on your product. Start sewing, but make sure that the material doesn’t get caught in anything.

How industry would do this Diary of the product making Materials needed Job to be completed Health & Safety Quality Control How industry would do this Scissors, materials, tape measure, pencil. Cut out material Make sure scissors are kept and used safely Make sure it fits the specification. Keep equipment safe and make random checks on quality control. Fabric dye, warm water, salt, gloves, basin Dye material Make sure hands are washed before and after using dye. Make sure the dye wont run. Keep equipment safe and test the material after dying it. Threaded machine, material Sew first line of stitching Be careful to keep hands away from needle. Make sure the stitching is strong and durable. Keep equipment safe and test the strength of the stitching. Sew second line of stitching Sew third line of stitching Use CAD CAM to embroider flowers Use CAD CAM to embroider swirls Scissors, patterns, materials Cut out patterns for decorative flowers Make sure scissors are kept and used safely. Keep equipment safe and test compare the product to the specification. Materials, needle, thread, beads Stitch flowers together Flowers, material, needle, thread Stitch flowers onto material Sew cushion together Threaded machine, material, buttons, needle, thread Add buttons and button holes

Pattern development in CAD 95cm 60cm For my surface decoration, I am planning on making some attached and some detached flowers which I will have on the front of my product, and I also plan on using CAD to stitch 2 designs along the bottom of my product. I plan to use the first design in these samples and the fourth design in these samples. These are the patterns for the flowers which I plan to make and attach to the front of my product.

This is a production plan of my final product. start Cut out patterns for decorative flowers. Measure and cut out fabric for cushion. Are the pieces the correct size? Does the cushion fit the design brief and specification? Are the pieces the correct size? Stitch the flowers together. Dye the fabric. Finish. Stitch flowers onto material. Stitch the detail along the bottom. Sew cushion together. This is a production plan of my final product. Use CADCAM to embroider flowers Is the stitching up to standard? Sew on buttons and button holes

Photos of Work is Progress

The Costing of the Product Materials And Components 100% Organic Calico. Wool. 5 Threads. Beads. Buttons. Cost for materials and components £1.99 Recycled £2.50 £1.00 £75p Added costs Gross costs £5.74 Labour Amount Per hour Total costs 3 hours at minimum wage. £4.20 £16.60 £22.34 Overheads Broken down cost 10% of £22.34 = £2.23 £2.23 Manufacturing costs Amount Total Overheads Material costs. Overhead costs. Total costs. £22.34 £2.23 £24.57 Net Profit Finding profit Net costs and Profit 15% of £24.57 100 X 15 =£3.67 =£24.57+£3.67= £28.14 Price of product £28.14

Modification suggestions Criteria that will be used to mark the product. Grading. Modifications suggestions. Overall finished appearance 5 I could have made more flowers to decorate my product. Theme inspired I think this theme worked well in my product, as it was Laura Ashley inspired Stitch effects and techniques 4 I used CAD CAM stitching in my product, however I could have used appliqué and batik. The colours and textures I like the colour scheme, however if I did this again I might use the same colours in a different combination. Recycling potential 6 All the materials I have used are 100% natural so they would decompose easily. Appropriate use of components I have used buttons correctly in my product and I have used beads to decorate it. The quality of the hand stitching. My hand stitching could have been a little better, however it will hold and last. Handle of the fabrics I could have used a material with a softer texture for my background fabric perhaps. Drape of the fabrics This product will sit nicely when stuffed with cushion fibres. Appropriate fabrics in use of the construction. I have used a strong material for my background so that it will hold better. Overall quality of the outcome. I cold have used a different fastening instead of buttons, e.g. a zip.

Final Evaluation At the beginning of the project, I set out to design a cushion and a wall hanging for use in a teenagers bedroom, however, after changing my designs, I decided to just make a bolster cushion instead. In my research, I found out that people like and prefer flowers and floral designs, and they would also prefer any cushions to be made from natural materials such as cotton and linen. I Incorporated my results into my design, and came out with my final product which I think would sell quite well. My product is environmentally friendly, as I have used non-toxic fabric dye and organic calico to make a lesser impact on the environment and to be able to label my product as environmentally friendly. I found the felt workshop was an excellent piece of primary research because I was able to carry out hands on processes using a material and technique that I would use later in my product. I have received several comments from people at home about my finished product. They have all said that the outcome was original, aesthetically pleasing with lovely, unusual detail. Some even suggested that the product could be made as part of a range of soft household furnishings. During the making stages, I drew up a production plan but I did deviate from this as I discovered a new CAD CAM embroidery machine with imagery that I decided to incorporate into my own design. The remaining time I stuck to the production plan and did manage to develop a whole range of embellished woollen components for the product. The embellisher I had to teach my self how to use, because at key stage three, and in year 10, I had not used this. I found the affects that the wool and staple fibres created were high quality and a little abstract. I came across a few problems when I first started to make my product. The first lot of material I started to use was not suitable for dying and the quality and stability of the fabric was really unsuitable. I also took a wrong turn when I started to develop the organic shapes for the leaves. These looked out of place and the colours were wrong for the product, plus the dimensions made the outcome look a little immature. If I were to tackle this type of product making again, I would perhaps use different background material. Albeit the soft pink that the cotton ended up being dyed looked really delicate and pretty and also ended up with a distressed texture. This meant that the outcome was unpredictable but welcomed. If the product was to be manufactured as a batch, I feel this could be easily achieved. Equipment of a industrial nature could successfully develop all the components parts. Finally, I feel that the outcome has turned out better than I had planned.

Final product.