I know this isnt new but blimey its good.

This book is nothing short of brilliant, I have been busy photofraphing most of the contents of it today for my picture archive. I am averse to all kind of participation in sport but this books makes me think I might actually do some, its that good!

Hello blog fans, please speak to me!

PLEASE leave comments on the posts if you like them! I would love for this to be a bit more interactive.

Thanks to everyone who is following me and if you are using the blogthen please email me to say hello, especialy if you are not in the UK I seem to get a lot of hits from the US, how did you find me?

I love seeing that the blog is being viewed but I'd love to know more about who is using it.

Thanks

And equally who doesnt love a good physical finishes diagram?

Dont you just love a decent fibre diagram?

Wear without waste - the future of 3d knitting

http://antenna.sciencemuseum.org.uk/trashfashion/home/wearwithoutwaste/cut-it-out/sandy-black/

At last!! an excellent video of 3d knitting AND it is put into the sustainable design sphere by kniting garments to exact body measurements (3d scanner thingy) then making a high quality garment that will last forever and has no waste fabric.

JUST BRILLIANT!

I will be posting what I think ar ethe best bits from the trash fashion website as it has some fascinating stuff.

Tencel, the answer to all the Textiles industries' environmental problems?

I often use this video in KS4 and 5 lessons to show the benefits of the closed loop system fibres like Tencel (the brand name for Lyocell)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_oq6I_7Khg&feature=related

This one is good too, perhaps more for KS4?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5_Z_8iqUAw&NR=1

Although it does go some way to covering some of the nanotechnology stuff on the spec.

I always expect students to write about new fibre developments when answering questions about textiles and the environment, they need to know that a token bit of organic cotton isnt enough to make a real change, there needs to be a viable mass-market alternative.

The bonkers world of Karl

http://chanel-news.chanel.com/en/page/4/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVqgqzTUBxY&feature=player_embedded

Where would the world be without the presence of the brilliant Mr Lagerfeld?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9hIvtWX2FA

His little videos are a great insight into the couture atelier, as is the Valentino film 'The last emporer' I am planning to show the DVD to my sixth formers as an end of term treat (Yes I am thinking about the end of term far too early!)

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/15377312/Valentino-The-Last-Emperor/Product.html?searchstring=Valentino&searchtype=allproducts&searchsource=0&urlrefer=search

Handy printing clips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/screen-printing/916.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/indian-block-printing/917.html

Good Starter/plenary fodder for this time of the year with GCSE students.

Interesting....very interesting

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/nov/25/outdoor-gear-bad-science-ugly

Do you agree? is there a gap in the market for more sartorial technical textiles? and wouldnt this make a great exam question/A-level project???

Ethical fashion article

There always things like this that I stumble upon and feel the needs to share.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/21/monsoon-child-labour-india?intcmp=239

As promised..........

Controlled Task Hell!!

AAAAAAaaaarrrggghhh!!!!!


WHEN will students understand that a CONTROLLED TASK is when you have to work solidly, all lessons, because you CANNOT just catch up at the last minute and you will actually be required to THINK FOR YOURSELF.


I have had a day of this not being the case. As you can probably tell

I will be publishing images to cheer myself up from now until Monday when it will be back to buisness as usual.

They will of course be Textiles related.

Close but no cigar

After attending the Industrial Trust's sumptuous awards ceremony at the gorgeous drapers hall on Tuesday I can report that although my student was a finalst she was not a prize winner. All of the entries in the KS4.5 and undergraduate level were fantastic. Interestingly, very few of them came from Textiles Technology students, many were from a Product Design or Science background and a lot of the teachers that I spoke to were either Product Design or Science too. The winning KS5 entry had done an extended Project Qualification about protective and abrasion resistant textiles, another finalist had a purely science and engineering background and had completed her entry on a year out in industry placement. So where were all the Textiles Technologists?

http://www.industrialtrust.org.uk/drapers.html

The venue was truly stunning and the companies who were exhibiting were fascinating,many were handing out resources like dvds and samples (yay!) more on them in future posts!


I would recommned a quick look at the INdustrial Trust's website to get an idea of the competition and use their very comprehensive resource list for teaching KS 4/5 technical textiles, maybe even enter the competition next year if you havent done so before. The prospect of the cash prize was a good carrot to get my A-level student actually researching the applications of this cutting edge technology.

My dream school trip!!!!

http://www.premierevision.fr/index.php?lang=en&page=52

I use the resources on this sight a lot when teching trend and colour prediction/industrial processes at A-level, it is a long held dream that I will be able to take a group of students to it one day for their student and tutors events day. Plus of course taking in Paris!

Maybe one day, when Textiles takes priority over Biology field trips etc and there is actually a bit of SPACE in my and the students timetables.

AND

Wish me luck for tomorrow night as I am attending the Drapers Technical Textiles competition awards ceremony and one of my A-level students is a finalist, so fingers crossed for her!

Why we need Textiles on the curriculum.

I was browsing a high street shop this weekend when I picked up a top on the sale rack. I did my ususal fibre content check (I'm just not paying any money at all for acrylic, no way.) the said top was Cupro, little used and I decided to check what the assistant knew, I asked her what cupro was and she said with huge confidence that it was a type of coated cotton. Naturally I placed it back on the rail and left silently, inwardly bemoaning the lack of textiles knowledge in the world.

Maybe I will go over regenerated fibres again with my A-level class on Monday............

Fashion virals, the hottest word in fashion PR darling (apparently)

http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/10/fashion-2-0-top-10-fashion-films-of-the-season-3.html

Very interesting reading for A-level students interested in promoting their work in an up to the minute way. Get them filming and editing, upload to school website and send hard copies to AQA, along wth projects. They love it!

If you dont follow the buisness of fashion website already I thoroughly recommend it for your favorites list.

Cellulose fabric grown in a tank full of bacteria and FINALLY a video of 3D knitting!

This website is related to a current exhibition at the Science Museum which I have yet to visit (why are weekends in term time just too ridiculously full of other stuff to get to an exhibition??) but the website is fab, perfect for research homework or for adding in extra information to controlled task projects.

I loved the tracking of a garment idea to see what ACTUALLY happens to stuff when you take it to the charity shop. Most poeple are doing upcycling projects now but this takes it to the next level.

Follow the section on minimising waste for some great video clips, I have been trying to get a decent video clip of 3D knitting technology for years and the cellulose fibre grown in a tank is totally amazing.

http://antenna.sciencemuseum.org.uk/trashfashion/

Ethical issues in Textiles production

This website is AMAZING when teaching about the ethical issues that surround the Textiles industry

http://fashioninganethicalindustry.org/resources/teachingmaterials/institutional/

Quizez, pictures, and more info than you can shake a stick at. Great for hitting the ethical issues marks for controlled task and lots of research opportunities for A-level students.

The big switch over!!

After years of deliberating and not quite being the right place at the right time, I am very happy to be finally preparing for the big switch over from A-level Textiles Technology to A level Fashion and Textiles. It may seem like a subtle difference but the course content for Fashion in Textiles is totally suited to what I think Textiles education should be all about. I would probably like a little more content on fibres, technical fabric constructions etc ( I will probably find a way to shoe horn this in somewhere) but no more industrial production and manufacturing!! no more role of the health and safety officer! no more memorising BS standard numbers!!!!
After visiting the inspirational Textiles teachers at Esher College and finding that they feel the same way and so have been running their course with huge success for about five years, I cant wait to get started. Hopefully we can replicate this my dept.
Better get my pencil sharpened for the big switch over to actually DRAWING, alongside all the cutting and stitching of course. Yipeeeeeeeeeee!!

Polyvore

I also use polyvore a bit with KS3 and 4 as you can search the 'sets' ie moodboards for themes and can pick up some nice images.

http://www.polyvore.com/

How many bad moodboards do you see in a week?

I have seen so many bad ones lately that I am now on a mission to try and improve them but can it be done? Its the age old can you teach creativity buisness BUT you certainly can point students in the right direction. I have been using this class clip to good effect. (The example above is the kind of thing I dream about students producing, but I use it as a good example in class anyway)

I have been using this little clip to help,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/editorial/moodboard_masterclass/192455

And polyvore in small doses (see above)
and I am going to ban blurry internet pictures and anything from Now! magazine.

Hopefully this will spare me from the gawping mug of Cheryl Cole et al.

Colour trends and forecasting, the very handy Pantone website

I use the Pantone website for GCSE and A-level lessons about colour forecasting and trend prediction, mainly but their colour reports (downloadable PDFs) always have loads of gorgeous fashion illustrations that students are just drawn to in displays, power points etc, they also provide the names of few more unusual designers to look at. All thoroughly useful stuff.

http://www.pantone.co.uk/pages/Pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20753&ca=4


http://www.pantone.co.uk/downloads/articles/pdfs/FCR_SPRING_2011.pdf

Furoshiki - Instant products, no sewing machine required

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend a demonstration/workshop about the Japanese art of fabric wrapping yesterday and I have been inspired to bring this into the classroom.

The students who also attended LOVED the bags that you can make and it would be a great starter for any year group, or it could be developed into a nice KS3 project looking at Japanese design.

http://furoshiki.com/

Its also a great way to look at sustainability and recycling.
I think they were also doing it is lush stores recently as an eco alternative to gift wrapping.

Controlled task - How is it for you?

I am about half way through the controlled task with my year 11 students now and with mock exams, trips and various study days and INSETs looming it looks like they are going to have quite a disrupted timetable before the project is finished. They just dont seem to understand what controlled task is all about despite being told many, many times. The lazy ones are not reaching their target grades and just dont grasp the idea that there will be no additional 'catch up' time at the end. It is however sorting the wheat form the chaff a it in terms of who can actually stick to deadlines and who thinks they will just do it all in the weekend before its due in.

Being tough on this means that some students who are bright but lazy are going to get well below their targets but how can I get over this? any ideas on how to MAKE them stick to the deadlines?????

Also, do you have controlled task making lessons in silence? do you let them ask you for help? the comments can be annonymous if you like but I am dying to know how people are REALLY doing this.

Knit-e-pedia

THE place for excellent information about all things techincal to do with knitting. Click on the 'Modules' section at the top of the page. I particularly like the 3D animations of rotating knit structures and info on medical textiles, and more, a lot of it is beyond A-level but well worth a look.

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/home/default.htm

Brilliant templates site

I get so fed up with using the same old templates for students so I like to use this site to mix things up a bit. In my dream land I also have a suite of macs with adobe illustrator and I can use all of the down loadable free stuff, but until then its just printing and tracing over the top of them. You cant really beat good old pencil and paper anyway.

http://www.designersnexus.com/design/free-fashion-croquis-templates/

BBC classroom clips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/indian-block-printing/917.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/fire-proof-clothing/6057.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/high-tech-clothing-takes-to-the-catwalk/9166.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/screen-printing/916.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/technical-textiles/6260.html

Five small but perfectly formed clips to stick into your favourites if you havent already, I particularly use hte technical textiles/sustainability one and the screen printing one to show at the stat of a double practical lesson then do an exam question about printing as aplenary or h/w.

Pattern drafting tutorial from LCF. Brilliant for beginners

http://www.arts.ac.uk/learning/garment/login.php

Worth signing up to for excellent animations for the basic blocks, dart manipulation and garment construction.

Textbooks for A-level textiles

As we all know, AQA in all their wisdom do not publish a textbook to accompany their truly vast A-level specification so cobbling together a decent reading list is essential, here are the books that I think are invaluable;

Clothing Technology
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CLOTHING-TECHNOLOGY-fibre-fashion/dp/3808562250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288465302&sr=1-1
Amazing detail and plenty of good diagrams and examples, no recent stuff in it although my editions are about 15 years old so maybe the newer one has some more up to date stuff.

Textile innovations by Ros Hibbert, has all the up to date textle developments that you could want, a good compliment to clothing technology I guess!

Basics fashion design 01, 02, 03
A set of three little books published for London College of Fashion Students that are amazingly helpful for sketch book examples and basics of fibres and fabrics, loads of good website links and very easy to use, ideal for year12
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basics-Fashion-Design-Research/dp/2940373418/ref=cm_lmf_img_5_rsrssi0

Fabrics for fashion
A new addition to my collection and this book is STUNNING in its presentatgion and detail about the origin of fibres, yarn and fabric construction, very up to date and relevant fashion applications for everything, entirely colour photos, diagrams etc. Only downside is that it is only for natural fibres (So far, maybe more is in the offing) The sample book that goes with it is on order so I will let you all know what its like.
If AQA were to publish a text book then this is exactly how it should look!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabric-Fashion-Comprehensive-Natural-Fibres/dp/185669612X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288465972&sr=1-1-spell

These are of course all theory based choices, I have an ever growing library of costume history, pattern making and decorative techniques books too, I have a particular aversion to the the google based researcher so any budget that can go on books is well spent.

I will post info on other good titles and if there are any I have missed then please add a comment.

I think the fabrics for fashion one is a real find and would be great for any Textiles/Fashion/Clothin A-level course.

Or is it Btec fashion and clothing?

Just been reading some tes posts about this, is it worth persuing to help students who want to progress to foundation courses?

Any thoughts?

Art Textiles or Textiles Technology

I have always taught Textiles technology but secretly thought that art textiles offers more freedom for teachers and that maybe what is really needed is a cross between the two?
I am about to switch my A-level course over to an Art Fashion and Textiles course, hugely inspired by what is going on at Esher College but will it be out of the frying pan and into the fire?

Please feel free to comment or to email me about anything Textiley, thats how this will work (I hope!)

Welcome to the hub of all things to do with teaching textiles

I've been teaching Textiles in a DT departments (2 different ones) for 5 years now and so many things come up that I would like to discuss with other textiles teachers (frustrated with AQA anyone?) I'm a bit fed up with wading through all of the other DT stuff on the TES forums, not to mention missing all of the interesting stuff about teaching textiles in an art department, I felt like there could be more of a hub for just Textiles teachers. Often you might be the only one in your school, it seems to make sense to share as many good ideas as we can.

I want to keep all of the content positive and non-moaney if possible.

So................... how can Textiles be taught better?