Sue's Family, Flowers and Fun Stuff: College - The Final Week

As it turns out not quite the last week, but I now only have 2 arrangements left to go - both re-takes and both to improve my overall grade. I can say now that the Diploma is in the bag so to speak it is just the final grades etc.

So this week I needed to complete my final written assignment and my final practical assignment, and then had 3 re-sits to get grades up from mere passes!

So the final written assignment was completed and sods law, throughout all the written work I have had no problems with the printer, well other than having to change ink carts. So printing out the final draft of the final assignment the printer decides to jam, I had to get Mike to help, I left him to it and had a shower as I was starting to get a bit agitated, as you would well imagine. He fixed it and it was printed off and put in it's folder. I got a huge assignment back this week the shop display module and I had done well, so I've got a Distinction for that whole unit - so very pleased with that, lots of hard work and research paid off.

My final practical assignment was the circlet from the wedding unit, I had managed to get Distinctions in all the other practical work, so wanted to keep my grades up and decided to have another practice of this on Monday and then tackle for real on Wednesday. The practice went well, a couple of bits I needed to tweak so on Wednesday I was all set and produced the circlet below, I was pleased and got the grade I needed - so I am now only waiting for my written work back to complete the unit. I love the simple colour scheme here and the gold leaves were so useful, the timing of this piece is quite tight, 60 minutes and that includes having to cost it out too. All the items in the circlet are wired and taped, which takes some time and then they are taped onto a stay wire, which sits on the head.

I did 3 re-sits which were the passes from previous attempts, the Double Ended Spray which I was not happy about when I first took, I did a lovely arrangement (in the tutors words everything was placed perfectly) but because I had used one chrysanthemum instead of another I only got a pass, I think she was being very harsh, but then she is somewhat notorious for being a hard marker - if anything is borderline she rounds down and never up.

So here is my first attempt, everything placed perfectly except she didn't like the green chrysanthemum!

And here is my re-sit, I got a Merit, so in that case - job done! Perhaps the other big difference between the two is the flowers and foliage, I took all my own in for the one below and didn't use college stuff, does the difference in quality tell, I think so. Yes the one below is miles better but there is also another 4 or 5 months training on top too!

One item which had bugged from the test itself was the first practical when I really was all fingers and thumbs and went to pieces really - so I wasn't looking forward to re-doing it but had to - here is my first attempt

and here is the second, there is nothing spectacular about it - but enough to get a Merit and upgrade from the Pass, so again job done.

And finally I needed to re-do the posy with collar that I did a couple of weeks ago which I also made a total mess of. Here is the first attempt (after I had done this and was packing for the day a couple of weeks ago, the head of dept came in and commented on it and I pointed out to him, that it was in my words crap - which is really was - he mentioned it to Janet - he really is a jerk)

And here is the up-grade, so again job done. I have now got rid of all my passes and everything is Merit or above so I am really pleased with that. Which has now left me with a pleasant dilemma which means I need to go in to do a 40 minute assessment and a 45 minute assessment and then I will be totally finished and free!!