The Start of my Self Directed Project aka SDP..

Having just handed in my CIC; Battle for the Winds project for assessment I can now start to think about working towards. This project was enjoyable at times to work upon and at others time consuming and testing/ frustrating. It gave me a chance to expand my knowledge and skills of textile techniques, devices and crafting skills (knitting). I was also a big eye opener for me just how independently each maker was expected to work , the standard expected of my work and the importance of time keeping. 

For this project I'm baring all the lessons I've learnt in mind in order to push myself to achieve the highest standard of work possible which will be eventually reflected from my grade. Time keeping, motivation and accuracy will be the key to success for my Self Directed Project.

At the start of the week the year group as a whole was introduced to this unit with a brief presentations on 'Learning Agreements' and 'Work Planning'. When reflecting on my past efforts with CIC my time planning for my work was poor. As a result I let my standards slide which reflected on my work. This is something I'm very keen not to do again with this unit. 

Later in the afternoon I had my briefing. The area I've decided to focus on is 'The Costume Store'. This will involve creating a collection of garment for the AUCB costume store to be used at various times/ purposes. The weeks of the project will be divided into working time for different garments;

Weeks 1& 2;

- An Edwardian Shirt

Weeks 3, 4 & 5

- 18th Century Breeches OR Waistcoat

Weeks 6, 7 &8 

- Victorian Blouse

The construction of each garment will be done in a simulated workroom environment and each of the garments will be a test of my construction skills; accuracy, neatness and precision. 

I was allocated shirt 3 out of the 3 possible options. This is a standard Edwardian shirt in the style of a 'Pie Crust Shirt' ..

I will be making this along side 2 other girls. In order to be time efficient  we're learning to work as part of a team; helping each other to figure out the ways the shirt could've been constructed , cutting out of top fabric in a systematic way etc. I've learnt a valuable lesson from another shirt team who's pattern wasn't correct to begin with. They instantly started cutting top fabric without examining the pattern only to discover its errors. Mistakes like this can be costly in terms of money and production time. From now on, any pattern I've been given to work on will be double checked to prevent any potential mistakes. 

Dexter, the tutor for this unit, then gave us the first stage of instructions for constructing my shirt. So far this week I've been working at a steady pace and almost finished the first stage of the shirt. I've been taking my time and treating the garment with care and as a result have achieved a neat, crisp and accurate piece so far. This has made me motivated for the up and coming weeks and given me an idea of the pace and standards to work at and excel. 

Tasks for the week; 

• Complete the write up of my 'Learning Agreement'
• Write an 'Action/Work Plan'
• Complete Shirt up to instructions given
• Background research on shirt
• Continue CIC/ Battle for the Winds