We went to the Stitch and Knit show in London today with uni, and I have to say I had very mixed feelings about it. On the plus side, I have always loved to work with textures and different materials, so it was interesting going round the stalls in the main hall and seeing people’s work, from university graduates to independent shops and women who set up businesses selling their work. However, I would have much preferred the day if they had spread it out more, it is a claustrophobic’s worse nightmare being stuck in a stuffy room with isles of stalls and hundreds of people too busy looking at glass beads to move an inch to left to let you through to get some air, also I felt that once I had seen one isle of stalls I had seen them all, the next 12 isles were, well, the same. However having said that there were a couple of stalls which were definitely worth going to, there was a company called Eternal which had gorgeous fabrics, mostly cotton mixes but they all had very kitsch designs, typical patchwork fabrics, and another which specialised in bridal sequins and beads and sold sari yarns, Angelina fibres and banana yarns for pretty reasonable prices. But looking back on to the positives again, the first bit that really caught my attention was the graduate display. Graduates from knitwear courses all over Britain had some of their work displayed. Now, I’m useless at knitting so to me, all of the pieces were pretty amazing but I particularly liked 3 people’s work; Te- Chien Chen from Central Saint Martin’s, George Strood from Bristol UWE and Pandora Bahrami from Nottingham Trent.
Chen’s piece was based on factories, metal pipes and the sensation of melody. The first thing I tend to think about when I think of knitted wool garments, I think of frumpy Christmas jumpers that you get given by your great aunt who clearly isn’t that fashion forward, however seeing this piece really shows that knitwear can be created for eveningwear, much more Missoni than flea market. I love the fluidity of this piece, the copper colour really works with the concept that Chen worked with, I would be really interested to see the rest of the collection and see how else Chen managed to communicate the idea of movement and melody through knitted clothing. 
Strood’s pieces were based on 1920s elegance and fashion. With this piece I love the fact that although the skirt part of the dress appears quite bulky but when seen on the model at GFW, this piece is actually very flattering. I also love the colours used, the cream and white I think allow the different textures and techniques to really show through.
Pandora Bahrami based her inspiration on Iranian heritage and the way they use traditional metal coins in clothing, she made body- conscience items as a means of contrast against Iranian culture and views. Again with this piece, I would be really interested in seeing the rest of the collection, I really love the difference in techniques used over different areas of the dress. Again with the different shades of grey it allows the viewer to really see the different textures used on the garments and highlights the metal rings across the shoulders and hip pieces.
When looking around the designers stalls, although there were again a lot of pieces and artists who stood out, there were 2 in particular that really made me stop and look. The first was Abigail Nealon who does screen- print textiles with embroidery over the top. I have always been attracted to the colour pink, why I don’t know, but I find it a really approachable, fun colour. The prints that Nealon produces are so summery and despite appearing quite manic, the choice of colours doesn’t make the pieces overwhelming, just exciting and energetic. The chair which had been upholstered in her textiles was so beautiful, the intricate detailing in the embroidery over the top is subtle enough not to distract from the layers of screen-printing but it is just enough to highlight different areas to give more depth to a technique which can appear quite flat.
The other piece I saw which I somehow managed to walk past without noticing on a manic attempt to get some air, but on walking past it again, I was blown away. How I missed it the first time, I don’t understand because it did take up a whole wall. But I went back to look at it properly. This was the winning piece from The Quilters’ Guilds Challenge by Laura Kemshall with the theme, Pearl Essence. Even if this was a painting I’m sure I would have stopped to see this piece, but it’s been done from quilting, which is totally different kettle of fish. I love how the light and shade have been portrayed on this piece and the shawl around her neck, just how realistic the folds and creases are. I didn’t see any of the other entrants but I do really love this piece.
Strood’s pieces were based on 1920s elegance and fashion. With this piece I love the fact that although the skirt part of the dress appears quite bulky but when seen on the model at GFW, this piece is actually very flattering. I also love the colours used, the cream and white I think allow the different textures and techniques to really show through.
Pandora Bahrami based her inspiration on Iranian heritage and the way they use traditional metal coins in clothing, she made body- conscience items as a means of contrast against Iranian culture and views. Again with this piece, I would be really interested in seeing the rest of the collection, I really love the difference in techniques used over different areas of the dress. Again with the different shades of grey it allows the viewer to really see the different textures used on the garments and highlights the metal rings across the shoulders and hip pieces.
When looking around the designers stalls, although there were again a lot of pieces and artists who stood out, there were 2 in particular that really made me stop and look. The first was Abigail Nealon who does screen- print textiles with embroidery over the top. I have always been attracted to the colour pink, why I don’t know, but I find it a really approachable, fun colour. The prints that Nealon produces are so summery and despite appearing quite manic, the choice of colours doesn’t make the pieces overwhelming, just exciting and energetic. The chair which had been upholstered in her textiles was so beautiful, the intricate detailing in the embroidery over the top is subtle enough not to distract from the layers of screen-printing but it is just enough to highlight different areas to give more depth to a technique which can appear quite flat.
The other piece I saw which I somehow managed to walk past without noticing on a manic attempt to get some air, but on walking past it again, I was blown away. How I missed it the first time, I don’t understand because it did take up a whole wall. But I went back to look at it properly. This was the winning piece from The Quilters’ Guilds Challenge by Laura Kemshall with the theme, Pearl Essence. Even if this was a painting I’m sure I would have stopped to see this piece, but it’s been done from quilting, which is totally different kettle of fish. I love how the light and shade have been portrayed on this piece and the shawl around her neck, just how realistic the folds and creases are. I didn’t see any of the other entrants but I do really love this piece.
