INDUCTION WEEK_The start of something new

Induction week: 29^th September – 3^rd October

   

    I was pretty apprehensive about starting university- I have never been good inside of education, always feeling too restricted. So with a bad experience behind me, I wasn’t confident about getting on with this course. Well, even someone as stubborn as me can be pleasantly surprised, as I found myself enjoying the week.

Once the first hiccup of forgetting my student finance letter was out of the way, I allowed myself to relax and get involved. Of course it was going to be hard getting back into the swing of a constant workload (after all I did have 3 months off), but even from the first day, it felt like a fashion course. It felt natural to me.

   

    Me being myself, I was very eager to get stuck in, maybe appearing a little over enthusiastic and possibly annoying. The print workshop was one I was extremely looking forward to, as I wanted to explore the textiles side, and would like to incorporate both fashion and textiles in my work. It was extremely welcoming, and I got to grips with the print room instantly- I clicked, as if I belonged there. The task was to print onto an apron so we had a personal one for our time at uni. The techniques were screen printing, flocking and foiling. Never have I had a great chance to experiment with any form of print, so it was all a bit hit and miss. The two colours used for the screen printing complimented each other, and was amazed at the simplicity to be able to create such a professional looking print. I was really pleased with the outcome, and proud of myself for getting stuck in and enjoying myself, instead of worrying and not taking part. Definitely keen on learning and experimenting with new printing techniques.

    Lecture theatre- It finally felt like a uni course, however the lecture confused me. It seemed to have no context, not at this point in the course. I felt it needed to be explained with our personal course along side it to break down and understand where the marks were coming from. Although it was informative, I guess it could have been introduced a little later on when we had got to grips with our project.

    I have used the industrial machines before, but had forgotten the sinister noise they make. I am clumsy at the best of times, so the pressure you had to put on the pedal to me a few attempts to get right,  many times roaring through the fabric. In the machine induction, we were introduced to simple stitching, threading the sewing machine and winding a bobbin, and also how to over lock. This enabled us to make a simple but useful equipment bag. Perhaps I wasn’t happy with the outcome, as it wasn’t as neat as I would have hoped for- probably due to the fact I was a bit hap handed on the machine (I’m sure I’ll get plenty of practice throughout the year). I couldn’t get to grips with sewing in a straight line; it was all a bit curvy and wonky, but for a first attempt, it was sufficient. To improve, I feel the cause of a lot of my problems is due to the fact I’m always in a rush. Maybe if I slowed down I could focus better and produce work to a standard I was happy with.
    
    The induction week was a positive experience- I liked the fact it was hands on, not just information handed and spoken to us. This was, by experiencing the processes for ourselves, we understood more thoroughly and retained the information. The sessions were really well organised, especially considering the group size. It was a nice touch to make things we could uses throughout the year and be proud of (or look back and see how far you’ve progressed!)