dandylions and biscuits...

i have spent the last few days tying up loose ends, literally, so i can present all my art school projects to date.

one project was to be selected as the main feature so i chose the first brief, signs, symbols and stories because it had the most finished work, i would have chosen text in form if i had found a conclusion to it. however, i consider all the projects (except 49!) to be ongoing.

it was mentioned that the way in which we display our work would show how we feel about it so i began planning a few days ago, its like 'curating' my own wee exhibition!

the best plans are always made in tearooms

my tying up of loose ends involved finishing a couple of half knitted 'things' which were previously abandoned like the turquoise loopy knit mentioned in my notebook above, which was originally going to be a neck piece/collar but looked so much like a bath mat that knitting ceased after just a few rows.

then, i had a cunning plan...

i finished it and framed it!

i already had a colour theme of red and turquoise so a few gold frames, inspired by the the interior of au boutique, brought it together nicely on the wall. 

the brief was to design three wearable pieces but i found, for me, that this project had two parts, dandylion one and dandelion two... 

i chose the symbol of the lion with all its different meanings and found myself in the wonderful world of the 'dandy lion' (think oscar wilde) a well dressed, dapper gent with his shiny boots of leather placed firmly in the past and a taste for the finer things. so, i thought i'd make my imaginary lion a few accessories to ease him into the twenty first century.

i was interested in the lion's mane and tufty tail, combining the two to make a very long tail that wrapped around the neck a bit like an eighteenth century cravat. this collection became dandelion one.

left: double tail neck piece knitted with a lucet

merino wool, mahogany and acrylic

 i have always liked dandelions especially in fluffy seed form and remembered they were called dandelion 'clocks' and again, when i thought about 'the dandy lion' he would surely have a pocket watch, so i began to think of ways i could attach something to a lapel or buttonhole.

clear acrylic i attempted to mould into a dome shape with a heat gun

it overheated causing it to bubble, i was disappointed

then i realised it had become a dandelion

(sweet) 

dandelion two had begun

i couldn't figure how to use my dandelion until recently

then a revelation... there is a clear acrylic button at the back

held in place by the fishing line

so, it can be worn in the lapel buttonhole

peek-a-boo lapel brooch

clear acrylic, mahogany and printed metal

red dandelion lapel brooch

red and blue/clear acrylic and plywood