Planet Ruby Starrs

My Degree Results are in and I'm very pleased to announce I have graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Textiles and Surface design - never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would do so well when so much of the course work involved technology and computer aided design!!!!  Anyone who has followed this blog will understand the ups and downs, tears and faffing I have had getting to grips with Photoshop - sheer determination made me keep going plus as I got more confident I realised just how much making use of CAD could enhance my work and how mastering it became a personal challenge!!! So it is done - I have overcome an incredible amount of technology and my slamitinRubystarrs brain is full - but this is not quite the end yet.  I have been fortunate to be nominated for NextGen Awards Premier Vision - this is a chance to be seen by all the 'right' people in the design industry - quite who the 'right' people are I'm not entirely sure but it is a fabulous ...

A second trip to London  in less than a week. This time it was college connected as the main aim was to visit the New D esigners   exhibition  at the Business Design Centre Islington. The third year graduates  from the Northern School of Art were displaying their  amazing collections as were the creme de la creme from many art colleges across the country -   it was like going to every ones 'best bit' degree show.  The Northern Art stand looked vibrant and well displayed and stood among t he huge amount of other work on show.  Across the whole building the designs, collections, displays were  extremely  varied, very well presented and inspiring. There  was a lot to look at. Many different disciplines  based on textile design and embellishment . I really enjoyed seeing the variety in weaving and embroidery. There lots of colour and textile  just an Aladdins  cave for an aspiring textile student.   Th...

A much delayed post... life is very hectic at the moment with lots of (mainly nice) family stuff going on but also we have an ailing parent and are expending a lot of energies in that direction.  I am trying to get college stuff done so I can hand in early so we can concentrate wholly on that situation.  I've been working like mad to finish my interiors module and I quite pleased with how its turning out.  second lampshade Its that usual thing as I near the end I can see all sorts of new ideas emerging and places where I would have done things differently but I suppose thats the learning process so as long as these are lessons learnt it all helps fashion the next piece of work!! two of my furnishing designs I have 6 fabric designs, two cushions, and two lampshades and some crazy product boards showing potential wallpaper - I should be handing my work in on Weds so I will be able to relax a bit... two more furnishing designs just a taster of some of my...

With our Bowes Museum exhibition finally up it was business as usual for the rest of the week at College.  Usual being really getting all the stuff ready so I can work at home in the three week Easter break.  I had loads of fabric I wanted to print and also to do some laser cutting for some 'fancy bits' to adorn my final piece should it ever evolve!!! I got the fabric printed and it most looked mighty fine - I'm a tad disappointed with the way some of the prints behave when printed on the poly linen.  There is a definite bleed and in some places it renders the fabric unusable - I cant quite work out why it does it in some place and not others and why some times its just on one patch of the fabric... no one else seems to know either!!!   However the fabric is printed and any scabby bits will not be wasted but will make piping cord and soon the final cushion will be under way... that's when I can bring myself to actually cut the fabric!!! I don't know why t...