Banks Mill Studios

This blog post may be a little delayed, but I went to Banks Mill Studios on Sunday and met some inspiring people. A lot of them have graduated from Derby University or have some sort of connection with the University. 

This especially applied to one girl who is currently on the second year of the same degree as me - Textiles. Her work is something to aspire to. I had seen it up on the wall in the Textiles room anyway and had said to my friends that it was my favourite. Much to my surprise when I was at Banks Mill I saw it and questioned her involvement. We had a long chat about the course and other related things. It's good to know I've got connections in the year above me as this could prove invaluable in the near future. 

So to not drone on, I'll keep this short and sweet. Amongst many people exhibiting and selling there, there was one that stood out for me. Although not in the textiles field, Heather Horsley and her illustrations really caught my eye. 

I like her clean and bold lines, but they also involve detail. The bright colours bring the illustrations to life. Her website is definitely worth a look! 

Here is my favourite illustration (which I'm still playing with buying). Got a feeling it'll clash with my horrendous curtains in my accommodation however. 

Autumnal beauty

On the way to get to the train station in Derby, I walk through an average park, but in the Autumn period, it really comes to life. Tones of orange, yellow and brown scattered everywhere.

Based upon this and the colours of Autumn, I decided to machine embroider a piece that reflects this. Machine embroidery is one of my main hobbies and I really enjoy doing it. My old machine used to get me very stressed but I have recently bought a new one which is a Bernina 1008 which will probably never fail me. They are the most durable sewing machine around (in my opinion!)

Anyway, here is what I ended up with:
(It's not very clear in the photo)

'Cherry Blossom'

I've always found the idea of time capsules fascinating. The fact that someone has left something behind for anyone to find. The pure mystery behind them. 

We embarked onto the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, inspired by the Haitian Vodou (voodoo) exhibition, where beautiful ceremonial flags hung every where. They were hand sewn with thousands of sequins and beads. They developed over the years - being used purely for ceremonies and the raising of spirits in the earlier times, and later being more like masterpieces and to communicate the importance of the religion and historical events. 

However, the main thing that inspired me is the fact that the outside of the recently built (2009) Nottingham Contemporary, had lace in-printed into front metalwork just above the entrance. The beauty and genius of it was extended by the fact that the lace is in fact a lace pattern found in a time capsule that was left in the Victorian times. 

The lace is called 'Cherry Blossom' and I would imagine it may have been used as a border on something but it fits perfectly onto the side of the gallery. 

The much anticipated German Market

The German Market is something that just epitomises the spirit of Christmas. Especially on a night time, the Birmingham German Market comes to life. It was very busy when I went, however that only extended the sense of togetherness. So much that you could barely move. 

The lights are one of the main aspects of the German Market. They contrast between the dark, starry night sky and the Christmas lights and the lights of the many stalls was beautiful, especially from a distance. 

Even though they originally started as a fully German Market, the popularity has increased, resulting in the some stalls not being German based. However the products they sell also emphasise the warmth of Christmas. For example, the candle holders below. They are beautiful when lit up and I think are instantly recognisable that they are from the German Market (but maybe that's because I go every year without fail). Definitely worth a visit however if you've never been before!

Beautiful embroidery

I was researching into the Banks Mill event and enclosed in the advertisement for it which I found online, there was a competition entry form to win a Helen Meakin textile piece.

This got me looking at her work and I found it was absolutely beautiful. She embroiders a lot of flowers which is something I love to do in my spare time (when my sewing machine wants to work). It inspired me to try something as simplistic but beautiful like she does. Of which I will upload onto here when I finally get my new sewing machine which is a fantastic Bernina 1008 model. Can't wait to try it out for the first time!

Here are a few examples of Helen's work. With any luck, I'll win one at the event. 

Helen Meakin website.

Banks Mill Studios event

The quirky side of Derby

This is something I've been meaning to blog about for a while. The first time I walked up the Ashbourne Road when I first moved here, the first thing I noticed was the quirky details on and around the pavement. 

In particular, the heads around the tree interested me. I do not know the story behind them, however I think they add something magical to the road. People walk past them like they don't even exist but I think they are truly inspired as most places just have tarmac pavements. I like how a lot of the cobbles have been kept and restored. Despite being hard to walk on, they are very charming. 

Christmas in Harrods

After visiting the V&A, as fashion and textile students, we wanted to shop, shop, shop! Oxford Street was like a dream to us. Visiting the Mulberry shop was amazing as it's my favourite bag brand. The staff were very pleasant and helpful and it makes me wonder why every shop isn't as polite as that.

However, Harrods was a dream. Pure designer heaven. The Christmas decorations were decadent throughout and everything extortionately priced as you would expect. 

My favourite part had to be the designer evening wear. Seeing Elie Saab dresses (Elie Saab website) in the flesh was amazing. They are so beautifully embellished. Much like the Marchesa and Jenny Packham dresses. I can only dream that one day I will own or design a dress as beautiful as those. 

Elie Saab Couture dress from the Autumn/Winter Collection 2012

Last but most definitely not least, the Harrods window displays were truly fanatical and beautiful. Disney princess' is the epitome of dreamy. They're perfectly sculpted, perfectly dressed, just perfect. So what better way to display the beautiful evening dresses? The only way Harrods knows; magical. Even if you're not keen on Disney (which I am not) I can appreciate the pure beauty of the displays and more importantly the dresses especially designed for the occasion. 

My favourite had to be Sleeping Beauty, again with one of my favourite designers, Elie Saab. The dress was a beautiful pale pink with embroidered flowers and sequins. All of the dresses were those kind of dresses that would make you feel a million pounds (and probably cost about that too!) 

The bright lights of London!

Unbelievably, this was my first ever trip to London. What better way to spend it than a visit to the world renowned V&A museum, and then shopping on Oxford street with my friends from the course? 

The trip was mostly aimed towards the V&A and the ongoing exhibition, 'Hollywood Costume' which is a definite must if you haven't visited. Anyone can enjoy this exhibition, especially if you're into your films. Pictures weren't allowed in there but this article shows a few snaps. My personal favourite was the Spiderman costume because you could really see the detail in all the lines. I also liked how they mounted it on the wall to truly represent the character. 

What was most intriguing was the fact that every costume gives a true representation. For example, it showed the actual body measurements of the actors. I didn't realise how small James Bond was in real life as in films, he can be made to look taller due to camera angles, but there's no escaping the truth of the costumes.

My home town! Birmingham!

For a part of this module, we had to take a trip to either Nottingham or Birmingham. Birmingham is familiar ground for me so it would make finding the shops we had to research easy so me and my friends ventured there in search for high end shops.

The top floor of Selfridges looks magical at Christmas time, but that's partly due to the beautiful clothes, bags and shoes. My favourite part of Selfridges is the bags, I saw a gorgeous Celine bag which I will be including in my shop report. The sheer quality was amazing and I loved the quirky shape. It looks like a modern take on a tradtional handbag. The suede sides and the calfskin leather made it easy to see why it was over £2000.