My final project uses a mixture of 1950s
influences, floral patterns, patchworks, geometrics and simple shapes from
books such as ‘Vintage fabric from the
states[1]’
and ‘Textile pattern book; Geometric
Designs[2]’.
Research began by looking at designers such as Angela Lewin, a printmaker who
is influenced by native florals from areas such as Norfolk[3]
and Denise Schmit who specialises in patchwork designs[4].
The samples created have been done on a texel and jacquard weaving machine to
manufacture a variety of designs. Knitted designs have also been tested using a
five gauge shima machine to create samples and also laser cutting has been used
with some woven designs. The texel hand loom has produced patchwork pieces
whilst creating more intricate and detailed samples with the jacquard that
would have taken too long to create on a hand loom.
Laser
cutting has been incorporated into my samples with some success. An article in
Living Etc. has been influential describing designers such as Jacob Gubi and
EDC London who use laser cutting in their work for inspiration[5].
I experimented with this technique, even though it is very difficult as the
material becomes deformed once washed, meaning that the design cut by the laser
is not always in the correct position. However, this could be changed by
learning more about how to place the design on to the cutting program. After
only creating 2 samples, laser cutting hasn’t been continued in the final
semester because of time restraints. With several departments needing to use
the machine, it was difficult to get enough time to experiment with the
designs. When the laser cutting machine was hard to book and didn’t achieve
what was needed, I tried knitting on the five gauge sheema to add another depth
and texture to my fabric collection. The type of knitting tried was a plain and
pearl jaquard stitch with a four row repeat that made a zigzag and circle
pattern.
A
double cloth with extra warp on the texel was used to try and achieve a patchwork
look because the extra warp can give the effect that the patches created are
stitched together. The Smedley yarn used on this warp snapped a lot meaning
that a thicker yarn was needed to perfect these samples. I also aimed to create
a patchwork pattern on the jacquard machine by using different designs and
combining them into one sample.
My colour palette originally came from images taken during the
summer break of florals from British gardens and holidays in Spain. The colours
chosen from these images included pinks, greens, purples, blues, creams,
mustards and yellows. At first it was a struggle to find these colours in the yarns
that I wanted but after visiting Uppingham[6]
& Yeoman yarns[7] ,
ones that would fit the design, palette and theme were selected. At the end of
the last semester I preferred the thin cotton samples as the weight of the
samples were ideal when finished. Starting this semester, I used the colour
palette described but made two different collections. One consisted of green,
purple and pink threads and the second incorporates blue colours. I have used
yellow, mustard and cream as a base palette for both collections. The idea for
these palettes came from the books ‘Print
and Pattern’ by M. Perkins[8].
Smedley yarns that matched this colour
palette were donated to me by the company John Smedley[9]
after contacting them, but thicker wool was needed in some samples to create an
interesting contrast to the thin wool from Smedley. The wool used for this was
from Yeoman Yarns and it is Sport non shrinking wool.
The
products I am creating are aimed at students and people with a working/middle
class background between the ages of early twenties to late forties. The
products will be incorporated into interior design for items such as upholstery
fabrics, curtains, blankets, etc and range from £50 for small items to hundreds
of pounds for larger items with higher quality materials. The range could be
used for kitchen items such as tea cosies, tea towels and oven mitts to fit in
with a retro style 1950s design. I can see my textiles being displayed in
magazines such as ‘Good Homes’ and ‘Northern Homes’ as the items shown in
these types of publication have been inspirational and provided a good platform
for my work.
Even
though the two colour palettes were on different spectrums they worked well in
my final designs because the base colours chosen mixed them together. The only colour that wasn’t used was the
purple because it was too much like the pink that complimented my other
colours. The Smedley yarns initially seemed too thin to use for the designs as
they kept snapping, but after they were neatened and pressed they worked well
and gave me the look I wanted as modern patchwork designs. In contrast to this,
the thicker wool from Yeomans Yarns was successful straight away as they added
texture and depth that the collection needed.
Finally,
I decided not to do patchwork designs on the Jaquard machine as when the
separate samples were placed next to each other they combined well to create a
patchwork. This gave me the freedom of mixing and matching the different
samples together to see which were suitable as a final product. The designs
created by knitting have been successful but haven’t been used because I can
create the same effect with the thick Yeoman Yarn wool on the texel which fits
in better with the rest of my designs.
Unfortunately,
there wasn’t enough time to create the samples needed on the Jaquard and then cut
patterns into them with a laser cutter due to the number of people wanting to
use the machine and it also takes too much time for each design to be cut. However,
the weaving achieved what was needed without the jacquard and laser cutter
combination.
[1]
‘Vintage fabric from the states’ (2005) Oikawa, S
[2]
‘Textile pattern book; Geometric monotone designs Vol. 3’ (1989) Hageney, W
[4]
http://dsquilts.com
[5] Pg
21, ‘Living Etc.’ August 2011
[6] http://www.wools.co.uk/
[7] http://www.yeoman-yarns.co.uk/default.aspx
[8]
Print & Pattern (2011) Perkins, M
Books
• Adler, D. (2005) Swatches; a source book of patterns.
San Francisco, Stewart, Tabori & Chang Inc
• Brown, L.
(2010) Angie Lewin: Plants and Places.
London, Merrell Publishers Ltd
• Goldfinger, D. (2009) Reprodepot Pattern Book: Folk: 225
Vintage-Inspired Textile Designs. San
Francisco, Chronicle Books
• Hageney, W. (1989) Textile pattern book; geometric monotone
designs Vol 3. Rome, Belvedere
• Meller, S. (2007) Russian Textiles, printed cloth for the
bazaars of central Asia. London,
Abrams
• Oikawa, S. (2005) Vintage fabric from the states. Tokyo:
Pie Books
• Parker, F. (1991) Victorian patchwork. London,
Anaya Publishers
• Perkins, M. (2010) Print and Pattern.
London, Lawrence & KIng
• Perkins, M. (2011) Print and pattern 2. London,
Lawrence & KIng
• Pie Books (2009) Vintage dress fabric from the States.
Tokyo : P.I.E. ; Enfield : Publishers Group UK
• Pina, L. (1998) Alexander Girard designs for Herman
Miler. Atglen, PA : Schiffer Pub. Ltd 2002
• V&A Museum. (1980) Thirties Floral Fabrics: Victoria and Albert
Colour Books. New York, Harry
N Abrams
Exhibitions/trade
shows
• David Hockney: A Bigger Picture,
Royal Academy of Arts, London, 14/02/12
• Premiere Vision, Parc d'Expositions
Paris Nord Villepinte, 16/02/12
• Indigo, Parc d'Expositions Paris
Nord Villepinte, 16/02/12
Shops
• Ultramod, Paris, Vintage
haberdashery store. (This is where the
trims for my work came from)
• Galeries Lafayette, Paris,
Department store. (Inspiration found for patchwork)
• Mokuba, ribbon store (Inspiration
for the ribbons I would like to buy)
• La droguerie, haberdashery store
(This is where I brought the felt to use in my work)
• Bon Marche, Paris, Department
store. (Colour inspiration)
• Epice, woven scarfs store (This
store had scarves that were woven and screen printed over)
Journals/magazines
• House and Garden – I looked at
House and Garden for inspiration and the texture and pattern inspiration in the house section.
• The World of Interiors – This
included international inspiration for my work>
• Northern Homes - I looked at this magazine for colour and
floral inspiration.
• Elle Decoration – This magazine has
modern, clean line interiors that interest me.
• House Beautiful – I looked at this
magazine because I like the fresh, summery feel it gives to interiors.
• Living etc - This magazine came in helpful when looking
at accessories for interiors. [August 2011 edition – Useful for laser cutting
design ideas]
• Magic Patch – This magazine helped
for inspiration for patch work.
·
Good Homes – 2012 spring/summer floral designs
Internet
• http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/fabrics_lark_top.php -
Patterns from Lark by Amy Butler (20/12/2011)
• http://www.wallacesewell.com/ - Wallace
and Sewell woven textile artists, inspiration for blankets (3/01/2012)
• http://dsquilts.com - Denyse Schmidt modern quilt designer (3/01/2012)
• http://www.margoselby.com/ - Margo Selby woven textile artist
(17/12/2011)
• http://www.marimekko.com/ - Pattern
inspiration from Marimekko (20/12/2011)
• http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/ - Patchwork
inspiration from the cotton patch company (1/02/2012)
• http://www.etsy.com/people/EloiseRenouf - Eloise Renouf, pattern
and floral inspiration (1/02/2012)
·
http://www.johnsmedley.com/uk
- John Smedley knitted fashion company (1/11/2011)
·
http://www.wools.co.uk – Upingham yarns, yarn shop (13/11/2011)
·
http://www.yeoman-yarns.co.uk/default.aspx - Yeoman
yarns, yarn shop (13/11/2011)
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