Monday 22nd March= Private study day, I got everything together for my toile review tomorrow, everything is finished and ready to be shown. I also finished my buying and merchandising essay at last, it feels like a huge wait has been lifted off my sholders.

Tuesday 23rd= I got into uni before my toile review was due so I went and submitted my essay - a day early! I am getting good at this early milarky! If only I could turn up on time for things, I'll keep working at that! My review went well, their are a couple of changes that I need to make that I had already decided on and they gave me some other ideas that I hadnt thought of. Overall I was pleased with the outcome.

Wednesday 24th= Private study day, I took photos of my dress and poncho on my mannequin so that I can document the progress in my sketch book, yesturday I took photos of it on my model after I had pinned in some changes. I went and got them developed aswell.

Thursday 25th= Had studio time to make changes to my garment. I am making another toile of the dress with the changes that we spoke about on tuesday. I made the pattern. At home I have some more fabric to make it with, I thought I had it with me but I didnt. I might make another poncho toile but Im not sre if I can make the changes on the one I already have made, I need to ask one of the teachers what will be best.

Friday 26th= Private study day, I collected the photos from the shop that I took earlier this week and put them in my sketchbook. I also did some more samples for my sketchbook with felt like the teachers suggested I use instead of jersey as the applique on the dress and poncho.

Monday 15th March= Private study day, I wrote some of the essay for buying and merchandising, which I found very difficult. I just couldn't get into the write mindset. I am hoping after a good nights sleep I will be able to get into it properlly tomorrow.

Tuesday 16th= Private study day, again I wrote more of the essay, which again, I struggled with. I thought that doing it on somewhere I am interested in I would find this really easy but I haven't. Not because I don't know what I'm doing or understand what it's about but because I just can't get what I'm thinking onto paper and to make it make sense.

Wednesday 17th= Last ever buying and merchandising lectra! I am very happy about this. We had a recap on what we have learnt over the past 8 weeks. It isn't that
I haven't liked learning about buying and merchandising, I have just found it abit boring and repetitive, especially as John had a habit of rambling on about things that weren't relative to what we were doing and not getting to the point of the story. He was nice though, and I liked him.

Thursday 18th= I made a new pattern for the poncho and constructed it. It is so much better than the first poncho I made, it is the one I am going to show at the review on tuesday. My groups reviews are meant to be on monday but my model isn't available on monday but she is on tuesday so I am having it on tuesday with the other group.

Friday 19th= Private study day, I did some more sketchbook work and wrote my essay. I shall get my dad to read it tonight and he can tell me where I need to make some changes and how I can improve etc.

Monday 8th March= Had uni this morning and I made up the pattern for my poncho. I made it on the stand which was alright, I made it up as I went along, I think it will be ok though when I construct it. I started pinning the pattern on the fabric but had to leave early as I had the dentist.

Tuesday 9th= IT in the morning with Jamie I have now finally caught up with my blog! I am very pleased with myself. I hope it is ok and written how it is meant to be. I have written it like I did for the journal I had to write for the Foundation course I was on last year, which I was told I had written very well.

Wednesday 10th= Buying and Merchandising we did "Managing a Range" to fit a Company's or Brand's Requirements. I found this a bit repetitive to what we did last week so I was a bit bored. I drafted some of the essay that we are writing for the Buying and Merchandising side of the course. I think it is coming along really well, I am doing it on New Look and in particular the store I work in in Poole I am finding it quite interesting writing on my place of work, it is giving me a better understanding of how things are and why are done in certain ways.

Thursday 11th= Private study day. I cut out the rest of the pattern for my dress and poncho. I also wrote up the essay for buying and merchandising that I have written so far.

Friday 12th= I made up my dress and poncho and put them on the mannequin to see how they fit. I like how the dress fits although it is a bit baggier than I first hoped it would be. The poncho is tighter than I would have liked it to be, especially on the shoulders. I am going to make another poncho that is bigger around the sholders.

Monday 1st March= Private study day so did more to my sketch book, did an entire page on buttons! It is my favourite page so far!

Tuesday 2nd= IT with Jamie, wrote more of my blog I have nearly caught up now, I am on January 2010!

Wednesday 3rd= Buying and Merchandising. We did Range building and The Principles of "Options and True Choice of Points of Difference". I found this interesting going through the thought process of a buyer when looking at how they choose what to have in their collection and whats colours and styles to have it in etc.

Thursday 4th= Started making the pattern to my design for my Manifesto project, it actually went ok! I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would and I did it all by hand! I can't help but feel proud of myself! I completed the pattern for my dress all I need to now is make the pattern for the poncho and cut it all out and make it.

Friday 5th= Private study day. I started making samples of the applique that I shall have on the dress in the jersey fabric that I shall be using to make the dress.

Monday 22nd February= Presented my mini collection to Karen Pat, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. As I had 2 favourite designs we decided to combine the two, taking my favourite bits from each design to make a better one. Karen advised me on what fabric to use aswell as I wasn't too sure what to use.

Tuesday 23rd= I wrote some of my blog in IT today as I have been abit behind in it, it's not that I don't like writing it, I'm just not really a computer person and don't go on one that often, only in class really when we are using one to work. I used to always write it in IT but haven't had the time lately as we have been creating working sketches and presenting our presentations.

Wednesday 24th= Buying and Merchandising on "Work Routines-The reality of a buying floor". I'll be honest, I found it a bit boring today. The idea of it all doesn't interest me and he didn't sell it to me. We handed in our maths tests, I found it so hard, even with the questions being explained to me by two people who are very good at maths I didn't really understand. There were 20 questions in total and I did 18 of them, the 2 I didn't do, even my helpers didn't understand. The questions I did do, were explained to me using different numbers to what the question was asking so I wasn't cheating and having them done for me, it was my own work and calculations, I just needed to be poked in the right direction to work them out.

Thursday 25th= I wrote my evaluation for Lectra and handed my project in. The deadline isn't until tomorrow but my work is completly finished so I handed it in. I have never been early or anytihng in my life so this feels like a major achievement!

Friday 26th= Private study day, I did sketchbook work for Manifesto. I love doing sketchbook work.

Monday 15th February= Had design with Karen. We each presented our 3 fashion illustrations of our designs. Karen liked how I had added minimal colour to create a 3 dimensional look to my illustrations showing the surface and texture of the garments. I was pleased with them. I found it interesting to look at everyone elses to see how they had drawn theirs, I shall take some ideas from others to improve my illustrations.

Tuesday 16th= Presented Australia Fashion Week presentation, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be although I didn't enjoy the exprerience. The group looked bored aswell which wasn't a good sign. For future presentations I shall try and make it more interesting by making the pages more attractive to look at as they were white backgrounds with images on the top.

Wednesday 17th= I was meant to have a Buying and Merchandisng lecture but there was a confusion about rooms and I ended up going home and doing sketchbook work for my Manifesto project instead of going to the lecture. I read the chapters of John's book that we were to read though so I caught up, it was about "Supplier Sourcing; Garment Technology and Quality Control".

Thurday 18th= Private study day, I did sketchbook work for my Manifesto.

Friday 19th= I finished making my t-shirt! It was all done by braeak time aswell which feels like an amazing achievement for me. After break I re-did some of my samples from the workshop now that I am more confident on the machines with jersey I knew I could improve them, so i did.

Monday 8th February= Had design with Karen and she showed us the difference between a fashion drawing and a fashion illustration. She then showed us how to draw a fashion illustration. I found this really interesting and helpful. We each had to pick an image from a magazine and copy it into a fashion illustration. After we did this Karen showed us how to add surface and texture to the picture using different medias and how to add colour. I really enjoyed this exercise and in the end I prefered my picture to the origional! For next weeks session we have to draw 3 of our own designs in illustration form with texture and colour. I am going to enjoy this homework!

Tuesday 9th= We had IT with Jamie and we worked on our illustration skills with making working sketches for our Lectra project. I still need a lot of practise with drawing on illustration, I'm good at adding colour though!

Wednesday 10th= Buying and Merchandising lecture, we looked at Fashion Research and "Researching with a range plan" I found this to be quite obvious and common sence but I suppose some people wouldn't think of it. We were given a maths paper at the end of the lesson to have done by next lesson, it looks really hard. I think I shall be asking for some help!

Thursdsay 11th= Had a jersey workshop this morning so that we knew what to do when it came to make our jersey t-shirts. I found it really easy! I thought I was going to find it hard as I have worked with jersey before and found it very frustrating as it kept stretching but it was fine today, I think it is because I was usining the correct machine and thread whereas I sewed it by hand last time. I finished all of the samples today, which I am really pleased with.

Friday 12th= Printed off my t-shirt pattern on the plotter which we had a bit of difficulty with as it didn't like something about my pattern. Both Pat and Jody had a look to see what it was and it took them a little while to work out why it wasn't printing. I don't know what it was but it was well pasased my limited knowledge to work it out! We got it printed in the end, and I got straight to work with getting started with the construction of my t-shirt. I had half of it complete by the end of the day which I am pleased with after my slow start.

Wednesday 3rd February= I had Buying and Merchandising, we learnt about Defining and Understanding Seasnons and "The Promotional Calender" I didn't realsie the fashion industry had so many seasons!
Thursday 4th= Made my t-shirt pattern in Lectra ready to be printed out on the plotter which I shall be doing next week. We used Modaris to make it compatible with the plotter, the screen looked really confusing but I picked up what you put where quite quickly which was a pleasant surprise.
Friday 5th= I had a private study day today so I worked on my Manifesto project, it is now starting to feel like I am getting somewhere with after my hic-cup with Alana a few weeks ago.

Thursday 28th January= We had Lectra, which I am starting to get used to now. I can't believe how much quicker it is to do pattern cutting on the computer than by hand! I think this is partly the reason that i enjoy it, if it was such a long process on the computer as well I probably wouldn't like it.
Monday 1st February= Had design in the afternoon, Allana looked through my work and said she didnt understand what I was doing and said that someone else was also doing a project on clocks. She told me to look at speed camera, which looks and records things in slow motion, such as a person walking down the stairs, you would see every single piece of movement however big or small. It does make you think about what you are doing and how you do it. I went off to the library to research more indepth into it, I already knew abit from a previous movement project. I spent all afternoon and evening researching it and concluded that it didn't inspire me to design fashion, I could make a lovelly textile wall hanging, but I was getting no inspiration for fashion. So I decided to go against what Allana advised me but decided to compromise and look at just one clock, as she had also said I had to many images of different clocks. I am going to look at just one very pretty, delicate pocket watch that is very old. Ihe intrecate detailing that is on the front of the watch is beautiful and I can take a lot of inspiration for print designs that I can use on my garment.
Tuesday 2nd= Split groups again, had design first thing and told Allana what I had decided to do, she wasnt too happy with me but liked the pocket watch I had chosen to look at. I ripped out the pages in my sketchbook that I had already done and started again. I drew a the front of the pocket watch which took me allday as it is so delicatly detailed, it looks really good now though, I carried on drawing it in Jamie's IT lesson, in between finishing my working sketch for Lectra, I put it onto a page with a grid that has all of the information about the garment that the pattern cutter will need.

Monday 25th January= Chose my colour palette in design, I have gone for grey, blue, purple and red. I wanted simple colours that are striking yet not in your face. My customer wants to look good and stylish but in a show off way.
26th= Split day, in design I put my research of clocks and watches into my sketch book and in IT we made a working sketch for our lectra project. I found it hard getting the shape for my tshirt. people say it's easy drawing on a computer but I find it really hard, I practise it and still cant do it very well.
27th= Buying and merchandising, John found out that I work for New Look and said that his youngest son and his girlfriend work for them aswell. They are both in Head Office. He talks about them and the company quite alot in his examples and I find this quite interesting, I understand it more aswell as I can picture what he's talking about at my work, I find it harder when he talks about other company's although I do understand what he is talking about.

Monday 18th= Deadline day for design, I got up really early so that I would be on time! Everything had to be handed in for 9.30am and I was here for 9.20, I was very pleased with myself, (i normally get in just gone 9.30!) it all went ok, filled out the forms, wrote my name on a piece of paper and left it on my pile of work. We got to go home after that and I started working on my manifesto project.
Tuesday 19th= Had IT with Jamie and did research for Australian fashion week and started putting the presentation together.
Wednesday 20th= Had our first buying and merchandising lesson with John, I found it really interesting looking into the business side of fashion, it was the first lecture I have been in that havent fallen asleep! it was quite a proud moment when I left the hall!
Thursday 21st= Had our first Lectra lesson, I found it was quite good, got a little confused with how everything works on the computer but im sure with practise I will get better and less confused.

Monday 11th January 2010= First lesson back after christmas, we had design and learnt how to make a customer profile for our collection. I have done mine on a young mum who has lot her confidence and fashion style since becoming a mother. I think it sounds quite interesting and think it will be fun designing with her in mind. As we have a design deadline in next monday for all of the projects that we have done so far (not including this one) I have been solely working on them getting them all up together making sure i have everything for hand in.

Monday 7th December= Went to London to view some exhibitions we went to Somerset House and saw some really cool fashion pieces I really liked it and could have spent along time looking but there were lots of people and they kept getting in the way and walking into me if I was stood still looking at a piece. After looking at the fashion exhibition I looked at a photographer Nick Knight in action I didnt know who the people were who he was photographing, they looked like hairy bikers and were topless, the call sheet said who they were but I didn't recognise the name, I think they were in a band, they had a band like name. After lunch we went to the V&A, and had a quick look round, didn't have a very long time though as we had to catch the coach home.
Before christmas= Have been really busy with construction getting my shirt done for the deadline that was 18th December! Deadline time was 4pm and I worked upto the dot! My shirt was finished but my samples in my folder weren't completly finished. My pattern cutting was due in at the same time but I had already finished all of that previously. I was so happy when I had everything handed in, I felt alot less stressed. On the monday before we broke up for christmas we were given the brief for our next design project, it is called manifesto and we can do it on anything we like, I think it sounds really exciting.

Monday 30th November= We presented our melting pot projects to the whole class, I was so nervous, I hate talking in front of groups of people, I had all of my work together apart form my sketchbook wasnt finished but as Karen said it didnt have to be finished for this week, I wasnt bothered, everything else was finished. I thought it went ok although they moaned that my sketchbook wasnt finished. Hardly anyone was nearly finished and there was only 6 of us with mood boards and final design boards. They told us off for not having the project finished. I felt relieved after I had presented mine it felt like a lot of weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Wednesday 2nd December= We found out that the deadline for all of our Illustration work is in for next week! Steve gave us a sheet of paper with everything that has to be finished and handed in. I have everything apart form the scuba diver, I still can't find it. I redid it which didn't take me long, and then I started writing the evaluation of the class that we also have to have handed in for next week. It isnt a long evaluation but I'm in more of a creative mood than a writing mood and didn't get very far with it. We have next weeks lessons to have everything completed so I shall have it finished by then.
Thursday 3rd= Made the pattern for my shirt with no tutorial help, it was easier than I thought it would be, we got help form each other though which made it easier, it seemed what one person knew another didn't, but they knew something the other didn't, it was very good team work!
Friday 4th= Finished sewing my shorts and learnt how to stitch a curve, I found this easier than I thought I would. I was really relieved when I had finished my shorts, all of my garments are finished now. Next challenge is to make my shirt.

Tuesday 24th November= Catch up session with Jamie. I did the drawings of trainers from the session I missed, Hazel helped me do the first trainer and then I carried on doing 6 more on my own. It was quite easy. After that I did some research on Australia's fashion week for the presentation of fashion weeks around the world in january.
Wednesday 25th= Illustration with Steve, we carried on making our logos and labels, I made a few small changes to mine and wrote up about my 'collection', I finished it early! I was very surprised, I went through all of the work I have done with him so far, I have everything together apart from the scuba diver we did in the first lesson with him, I'm sure I had it on my memory stick but is not there, I shall look on my laptop when I get home as I have everything saved on there from my laptop as back up.
26th= Today was our last tutored pattern cutting lesson, we did different collars which I found it quite easy although you do have to be perfectly accurate to make sure it will fit perfectly around the neck.

Friday 20th November= Had a catch up session in the studio, I finished my bodice which took me FOREVER! I didnt have that much left to do so I didn't think it would take me that long, how WRONG I was! It took me ALL day! I kept making little mistakes and had to keep unpicking what I had jut sewn. I think I spent most of my time unpicking! I got there eventually and it felt like such an achievement when I had finaaly completed it at 4.00pm! i didnt get everything I wanted to get done as I wanted Caroline to help me redo some of my seams but that will have to wait for another day.

Monday 23th November= We drew manaquins first thing this morning in design. We drew them in different angles and after a while a drawing them differently each time made a human figre out of them and then added clothes on top. I enjoyed drawing the manaquins but after a while I got a bit frustrated because I' couldnt get the proportions of the body right. Having done life drawing for a year I felt really stupid that I was struggling to do it, but I am fine with copying, it's when I have to do it from memory that I find it hard, like today. After break thankfully I got to do something else which was shade with charcoal and then rub marks into it with a rubber. I have done exercises like these before so I felt really comfortable doing this and Sarah complimented my work and said that she could tell I had done it before. This was a huge confidence boost after this mornings downfall. After lunch we got to carry on with our melting pot project so I headed to the library and got swallowed by books on hinduism.