Unit x - College 4 Research

When I first saw the Unit X college 4 brief my first thoughts were that I wanted to design and create something for the Great Northern Craft Fair, this is because I liked the idea of arts and crafts and creating something that could feature in the show. However, after I started to research into the National Trust I came across the Handmade In Britain section and was drawn to this section. Wha particularly caught my interest were the scarf selection. After doing some research into it and a trip to a National Trust property I have decided to go ahead with the idea of creating a scarf for a National Trust property gift shop. As our project is based around the National Trust properties I thought it would be more relevant and something new that I'm not used to doing.

As I was not able to make the Dunham Massey trip I decided to visit the Hatchlands Park National Trust to get myself a feel for the property and in particular look at the scarves in the gift shop. I found this trip really useful because it gave me a visual image of what the National Trusts style/look is and a feel for the property itself. It also enabled me to see the type of age group that visit the property and the audience I will be designing for. I found that this was mainly for older women. Another helpful thing I found out was what sort of material the property like to sell. For example, if most the scarves were silk or some cotton? - I found that a lot of the scarves were made from silk.
Here are some pictures I took at the National Trust property:

Collection of scarves they sell. I think the designs are quite delicate and simple.

A close up of one of the scarves that stood out for me the most. I like how its a very small simple design repeated around the scarf.

I also took some photos of the interior design inside the shop and other products to get a sense of the style they like to portray. I found that all the colours were very similar being - duck egg blue and neutral colours.

After looking around the property and seeing what’s sold in the shops I have decided I want to base my designs around the gardens, particularly looking at flowers. I feel that flowers are a strong point in my work therefore I want to strengthen this and expand my knowledge i already know.

Here are some pictures I took: