Dyeing larger samples

I had a tutorial this past Thursday on the 11th. I was encouraged to work larger in order to play with the potential for an outcome for a fashion garment. I am really interested in the idea of making a scarf, but i will have a better idea after weaving this warp. I dyed a variety of colours for this warp..and it is very stressful having to weigh out so many different shades to create the mixture of colour i wanted. (my maths isn't great) but i took my time and created some colours that I am happier with. In the last warp I felt my colour were far to strong and I needed it to respond more closely to my images which overall a lot paler, than what I got with my first batch. I used both the procion (cold water dyes) for my cotton skeins and Kenanthrol acid dyes for my Australian crossbred (wool) skiens, I manged to do it all in one day so I should start setting up a loom later this week and cone wind.  I will continue to add to my palette to find a set of colours that are correct for me. It is the definition of trial and error.

The Final major project - Colour and weave

I had time over Christmas to finish my dissertation and start some colour studies in my sketchbook as well. I forgot to take pictures of the dyeing process (oops) but here is my first warp using colour, based on my inspired images from morocco, of the plants and trees I was able to see in the Jardin Majorelle gardens last year. I am excited to finally be using colour and understand the applications for a final outcome which should become far clearer throughout this unit. I used Cotton Mercerised 2/16's (12 e.p.cm)  for the warp and Australian Crossbred 6 t.p.i "S" spin(8 e.p.cm) for most of the weft with some elasticometric yarn. Using both acid and procion dyes for these colours. I am quite pleased with the way things are going so far the turquoise sample was my favorite as I introduced using monofliament (fishing wire) for the first time in a slightly larger sample. I wound this warp 2.50 meters long, and 24 cm wide.

Exploratory Project Hand-in 23rd November

The end of this unit is fast approaching and I have a lot of work to before then. I feel more confident going into this hand-in than I did previously so I am actually looking forward to showing my work. I think after the assessment is over I m take a few days off just to lay all of work out on the table and have a real look and evaluate all of my work so far. I don't do this nearly as much as I should (if ever) and it would be helpful to do this more often. Over Christmas I have decided to one. work on my dissertation and two. decide what my textiles purpose is. It feels like (based on sample work) my work is for fashion. I am thinking of scarves and shawls as a product but I think when I eventually add colour based on my visual research, the fabrics may be products for film for example. The handle of the fabric is rather light, which means that edges curl up very easily. I have think about the fabric as a garment and the stability it has realistically.

Cotton, elastic and Extra warp

Further experiements with wool and cotton and blending the two to create something I can take forward to the next unit. Spacing and cramming was a particularly successful. I also included a photo of a towel in my bathroom that fell on the floor and made a really interesting shape. (inspiration can be found anywhere)

Collapse Weaving

I am extremely happy with the way my samples have turned out, and I had a lot of fun making and experimenting with all new ideas, structures, and materials. For example I have finally utilize the effects of high twist yarns to create dimension in my textiles. When weaving, it looks rather plain and simple but the magic happens when you wet finish them in very hot water and watch them "shape themselves." I enjoyed reading about this technique and trying out for the first leaves me happy, but also leaves a lot of room for improvement, and more experimentation. Scale is an important feature and it always very satisfying weaving quite a large batch of samples.

 

Back to the studio

I read several books and articles online, to help give enough inspiration and tips on progressing onto more sample work. I felt comfortable enough again to begin weaving, I did have a bit of a confidence knock after the last information hand-in. But i am excited to start, I first jumped on a table loom, and attempted a double cloth for the second time, it was very long and tedious process of threading and tying on. In the end i only did 3 very small smaples which were ok but I wasnt found of the results and so, I cut of my warp and began preparing for weaving on a doby, which meant that I could make sample alot faster and I was less likely to be making any more mistakes through lifting. But trying out the double cloth did teach me a lot and in a very small way I am glad I did it but, im happier now that its finished with and off the loom.

A short break..Off to morocco

I took a short break after the hand in, and an amazing opportunity to go to morocco in Marrakesh for 3 days(birthday trip). It was loud and super busy for most of trip the hotel was beautifully decorated i took a million pictures of everything. I particularly enjoyed our visit to the Jardin majorelle museum and gardens, a lot of people out there speak french and/or Arabic (fun fact). The museum was located in the busier part of town, as soon as I walked in through the gates it was so peaceful and quite. An amazing contrast between the noise of car horns, horses and merchants just beyond the wall. I found some great images for texture there and intend to do some sketchbook work around these images.