In addition to the embroidery and fabric tasks I have to do for my City and guilds course, there are Design Units to complete. These units are the reason I chose to take this course prior to completing my RSN Diploma course. I wanted and needed more knowledge about design. And, I'm getting just that through this course!The first Design unit was on mark making or line. The second is on texture. This unit has captured my attention and I've had a blast doing the assignments so far.Becoming more aware of the elements of design or art is a big part of learning how to use those same elements in your work. Collecting examples of textures in my environment was one of the first steps to becoming aware of what surrounds me every day. My first collection of examples are shown in the photo above. All the thumbnail photos in my sketch book are taken within a two block radius of my home here in Berlin.Taking a walk becomes a voyage of discovery when you're looking for examples of something!Next, I was to look for texture within my home. Again, walking around with my camera made me see my surroundings differently. It was interesting to compare man made texture to natural texture. I was surprised to find that there were both man-made and natural textures outside as well as inside my home. I had assumed that only my plants would provide natural texture within my home, but I found bark, wool, wood and cane inside my house in addition to synthetics.After being inspired by all the things I'd seen that were textural, I decided to create a texture piece in my sketch book that would allow someone to feel a change of texture. Using washi tape, coloured paper, wool thread, nylon cord, household string. rubber matting and felt, I wove together a texture collage.Since washi tape is used for the weft and only the warp changes, it's easy to feel the change in the material as your hand travels from the left to the right. It made me think about how texture is created and how I could change texture in a piece of textile art.You know what? I'm learning things here!