Two weeks and counting...

Is it possible??? This is not to imply that I am done working, or even close to done. It just means that the end date is quickly approaching!
It seems I have been glued to the laptop, making technical flats, editing photos, and perfecting the layout of my portfolio. (I have a feeling I will never think it's perfect!) Last week I had two interviews with design firms in San Francisco. One was for a possible internship, and the other was for my Portfolio class - more of a practice interview - where I was given tips and feedback about how to best present my work.
My to-do list has also been steadily shrinking - it has been rewritten four times, but now fills just half a page :) I have been running errands to print shops, paper stores, craft stores, the post office, you name it. Graduation announcements went out in the mail today!
This week at school we finally got the looms ready to go and I began weaving on Monday. I made a little progress, but then last night I really put it into gear and got the whole thing finished. I am rather pleased with my final result! All I need to do now is trim up the loose threads and finish off the ends. It feels good to have that project done.


Now I just have to get my business cards, giveaway items, and graduation dress ordered this weekend and I should be in pretty good shape.
Cheers!
Red

Need a mental break...

Time has flown! This time last week I was getting ready for the big photoshoot in Redding. It all went well - nice, sunny weather, very helpful models, and a hardworking photographer. It was exhausting, but it all got done. I have one more garment to shoot photos of, and I will be doing that shoot myself on Saturday, at Ocean Beach here in San Francisco.
As soon as I got home Monday evening I began sorting through the 1,000+ photos. I'm still not done! Today for Portfolio class we needed to have what we had completed on our portfolio so far printed out for faculty to come in and evaluate. I was stuggling with how plain and boring it was looking, but with a few suggestions, I feel better about it. I certainly have a lot of work to do.
Tonight we began setting up the looms for Wovens class. We are working in groups of three and my group's yarn is pitifully thin. I think it will look nice and detailed when it's all done, but thinner yarn = more time on the loom. More work to do!
It's midterm week, so that means I'm at the halfway point. In five weeks I will be ready to graduate! Doesn't seem possible. When I started four years ago, graduation seemed miles away. Now I just have to keep my brain from melting and it will all be fine.
Back to work!
Red


My pup Eva at the photoshoot last weekend :)

So far, so good.

My Adobe programs suddenly quit working on my home laptop, so it spent a week in the repair shop. Everything seems to be back to normal, which is a relief, because 99% of the projects I have on my plate need those programs!
Portfolio class is going fairly well. I have an extensive To-Do List, and I'm trying to cross things off as quick as I can. I have a photoshoot scheduled for next week. We have so much to do! When I get those pictures, I'm hoping it will be easier to start plugging information in to my portfolio pages. The class is very relaxed, which is very helpful. We have checkpoints along the way, but mostly we work at our own pace, and do the things we need to do, whether those things be working on the computers in the classroom, or running to the art supply store down the street.
Wovens is pretty similar to Knits. We are using Ned Graphics again, and designing lines of woven garments. Instead of learning to knit, we are learning to weave. My yarns just arrived yesterday. I have no clue what I will be making!
The fashion show judging night is coming up this Tuesday, and all of my attention has been focused on that. I'm finishing up my dress and pants this weekend, and I just want to be done with it. When that's over, I can start thinking about other things!
My Alice In Wonderland project will be featured in the gallery of my school, which is kind of exciting. I will get some new photos to post very soon.
Cheers!!
Red

Last day of freedom...

Tomorrow it's back to school for my last quarter of classes. I have two classes, thankfully on the same day - Portfolio II and Wovens. I know my instructors, like them, and are pretty comfortable with them, but I am nervous just the same. There are no more chances after this - this is IT! I am glad I got a few extra days of Spring Break, though.

I tried to clean up the house and my room as much as possible, and do all those little errands I end up putting off in favor of homework. I got the flower garden planted in the front of the house, but rain and cold weather kept me from getting the veggies planted out back.

For my fashion show garments, I probably should have done more, but I did some and that's better than nothing! I worked a little on the cherry skirt hem, did most of the tank top, and most of the beaded jacket. Before I can do much more, I will need to fit them on a mannequin at school. Much to my disappointment, I found out tonight that steam will take the color off the seed beads I used...sigh...

Only a few of the beads lost their color, and they're probably not that noticeable, but of course I see them!

That's all for now!

Red

One more quarter down, with just one more to go!

It feels like this school quarter went by really quickly, and with the minimum amount of drama :) I am now officially "on break" and trying to cross things off my To-Do List as fast as I can. This includes cleaning my room (I have already shredded an entire trash bag of old paperwork), planting my garden, and working on my garments for the fashion show.

All of my final projects got done and turned in just fine. The most successful of my projects was the Alice in Wonderland tea party hat. I was happy with the way it turned out, and so was my teacher. These are photos taken during our last class:

The Dormouse, peeking out to say hello.

My screen printed, hand beaded cherry skirt came out alright, too, except for the hem, which I will have to take out and re-do. Otherwise, I was happy it fit the mannequin and liked the way it looked.

In my haste to finish, I pulled the lining of the skirt too tight and it caused the outer fabric to pucker and look really wonky. Ah well, second time around I should get it right...right?
I have a lot of hand beading to do for my fashion show garments and will post some photos of my work in progress. For now, I'm off to tend to my flower bed.

Cheers!
Red

Almost forgotten...

The lookbook! I was so pleased with how it came out, and I think my instructor was, too.

All layouts and designs by Red, all photographs by Amanda Snyder Photography, and all modeling by Madison Walls. (Thanks ladies!)

Finals Week!

I have unfortunately been neglecting my blogging, but only to work on my final projects instead. I did get away to go see the new Alice In Wonderland movie the day it came out, and I was even able to take a few ideas from the movie to apply to my remaining project for my Costume Specialties class - the hat.

The hat is currently on the front porch after a dusting of pink spray paint. Earlier I was stitching two pieces together and the eye of the needle broke and stabbed me in the finger, so I'm feeling a little spiteful towards the hat right now. The mask was pretty successful - my only complaint was that one cheek of the porcelain clay curled in a bit, so when I actually put the mask on, it digs into my face a little.

This weekend on the to-do list: Finish up that hat and all the tea party-themed decorations I have planned for it, hem up my screen printed skirt, and put the final touches on my website.
Should I have any "extra" time, I have 3 proposed garments that need to become real by the end of April, so they can hopefully make it into this year's school fashion show.
WHEW!

Cheers!
Red