Let's Talk Textiles

It’s odd how spirts of inspiration can come your way so suddenly and with so much liveliness. I’m lying on my bed currently, it’s Friday and I am literally shattered. This week has been a battering one, yet I don’t want to crawl into my covers, but talk to you about something that I feel deserves a post all to itself. Like many a child, I grew up drawing and creating- never loosing that passion and imagination. I have a pure love for projects and presenting pretty much anything. I have reams of paper and notebooks full of design work that I have composed from around the age of eight, and although I no-longer design extravagant ball gowns, I have always kept my love for textiles.

Choosing your GCSE options is a very important and daunting decision. So imagine me, a young teenager, sitting in my DT classroom gawking at some of the garments that previous textiles student had made.

I had three options to choose, and at that point art was an essential study to me- so that left me with two. I was half wanting, half pressured, to be doing a humanities subject as well, therefore my option spaces were becoming very slight. There were all these new chances too, Phycology and Business- subject’s I’d never even thought of, no matter learnt. Yet, somewhere in my heart, I knew that I wasn’t done with my textiles, and so chose it.

GCSE textiles is by no means easy- no way. Not only must you learn and grasp many new skills, but deal with the stresses of coursework, the dull lessons of theory and the endless project workload.

Honestly, I wasn’t in love with my choice for a while. When learning, many of your garments end up looking far from the perfection you imagine in your mind, often disappointing after hours of work. Even so, I persevered and also improved.

Textiles GCSE is built of 60% coursework and 40% exam. The theory isn’t all that fun, but nowhere near as challenging as subjects such as science, for me anyway.

The coursework is your project- your research, design work and garment, all based on a chosen theme. It takes months, as the hours of work are spread over lessons and lessons.

My project was inspired by ‘modern vintage’ and I focused it on the 1920s era. Bold patterns and metallic and monochrome colours created my playsuit, based on such an interesting era but with a modern twist. As with anything, there are parts of my garment that didn’t look how I envisaged or had hoped, but I love how it came out in the end.

There were times I cried over that bloody coursework, times I felt close to somehow setting my garment alight- yet I didn’t.

My GCSE textiles coursework has become one of my proudest achievements, especially in school. I put my heart into it, every page of my project and every stitch in my garment.

This week I received my grade for the 60% coursework and although it probably has to be invigilated and what not, no matter actually sitting the exam, I was so so pleased. By some miracle, I received an A* 90/90 result.

Textiles and fashion, I feel, will always be important in my life. That sense of self-style and creativity really interests and captivates me. I am excited to continue textiles too, into AS if not further, and cannot wait to find out my final grade on results day in August. 

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