The Start of My Final Project... :)

So as part of our final project we can literally do anything and everything.  Yay! 
...and this is my Proposal:

My project is based on the genre of upcycling and homeware. I particularly like the shabby chic style and so I will look into upcycling methods, designers who use shabby chic and the shabby chic style itself. My target audience will be mainly females, as the shabby chic style uses lots of pastel colours and flowers, both considered feminine.

To start the project I am going to visit second-hand and antique shops as well as car boot sales, to find unique pieces. I particularly want a chair, a large picture frame, a lampshade and either a small side table or a small chest of drawers. I will give myself a budget of max. £40. I will then make mood boards and drawings of different possible ways to upcycle each of my chosen pieces of furniture or accessories. I definitely want to create a repeat pattern, which I will screen-print onto fabric. I will use this to reupholster the chair and to create other homeware accessories such as aprons, bunting, tea towels, table runners etc. I may also print it onto paper. The repeat pattern is important because it will tie in all my pieces of furniture to help make them more of a collection. Another important element of this project will be to photograph each object before and after upcycling. I may place these photos into a small scrapbook.

To produce original ideas I will use a variety of methods; I will use Pinterest as an idea generator, sketches and mood boards of my own ideas, which should be influenced by my research on shabby chic designers. I will also look at books and TV shows based on craft and upcycling.

The materials and techniques I want to use are restoring methods for wooden furniture and so wood filling, sanding, priming, painting with a brush or spray painting, it will depend on what I buy.

For the repeat pattern I will use screen printing onto fabric technique. Therefore I will need to draw and design a pattern, apply it to the screen, mix up fabric paint to create my chosen colours, print it and the iron it to make sure the paint holds. I may also print it onto paper.

Other equipment and techniques I may use include the sewing machine, staple gun and hand embroidery.  

For my final outcome I am going to produce part of a shabby chic interior, consisting of upcycled furniture and accessories as well as handmade pieces.

So you probably didn't read it all... anyway the main thing you need to know is that I will be exploring Shabby Chic & Upcycling.