The importance of reflections

In 2021/22 I posted here under the heading Reflective Practice as part of my Foundation Degree in Textiles Practice. Since then I have continued with my course, including weaving a piece that received a Commendation in the Bradford Textiles Society Awards in 2023, and creating mixed media textiles.

Weave sample inspired by fabric samples in the Bradford Textiles Archive.

Mixed media textile sample using shibori dyeing, quilting, and fabric manipulation.

Now in the final year of the course I have become aware how important the act of reflection is to my practice; as someone whose past work has included writing and editing, expressing myself though the written word is important to sorting out my ideas. I hope that sharing my thinking in a public space will help me refine my thoughts.

We have been asked to develop a textiles project of our own choosing, and identify how we see our future professional practice. I came into the course without any art education, though I had practical experience of knitting and stitching, with the most recent experience being as an ‘early years’ quilter. During the course I have learned to draw (though I need much practice), I have learned more stitching techniques as well as first steps in weaving, printing, and dyeing.

Which of these practices do I want to take forward? And what kind of textiles practitioner do I want to be? Over this college year I hope to answer these questions and decide what my next steps will be.