Development_ Portfolio day

This week I have been developing samples further, trying to achieve a sensitivity with colour and bringing techniques together more.

Here I knitted the piece, using different coloured yarns, and then overdyed it with indigo. I like the movement created through the sample and the subtle differences in tone from the dyeing process. 

I have been experimenting with the drop stitch technique in order to distort lines. I think it is successful on the 10G machines (as I've used here) and like the effect it creates. I used a pale blue yarn with the navy but i think it would have been better with a more subtle difference in colour, to prevent it being too stripey. 

I feel these two samples mimic each other in a way, which is something i will carry on exploring; looking at how i can combine techniques and play with scale and placement within a sample and across the collection. 

We also had the portfolio day which provided an opportunity to speak to TIP alumni about their practice and gain advice on portfolio preparation. It was really nice to catch up with Elnaz who I helped in first year for her degree show. It is encouraging to see how she has maintained and developed her style of work after graduating. Speaking to Zoe who specialises in sustainable design and British wool was also really helpful and gave me some good ideas on how to show my process and highlight the sustainable aspects in my portfolio. 

Reflections on New York

Our recent trip to New York was a fantastic experience and I really valued the opportunity to visit practicing studios. I found the Maharam textile studio visit the most inspiring, in both the designs they are producing, which are beautiful and unique and the way they operate as a company.

I was particularly interested in their environmental policies and how they work to reduce the environmental impact of production across the company.
The fact that their ethos was less trend led but combined innovation and tradition to create timeless designs was also refreshing and inspiring to see.

Collaboration with other designers and artists was something I noticed across a few of the studios. Maharam, the Rug Company and Flavour Paper all worked with different artists and designers to bring outside ideas and designs into their work and collections. This is something I had previously not given much consideration to but having visited the studios I think its a really interesting way of working as it builds and reinforces the connections between art, fashion and textiles.

I was very intrigued by Flavour Paper, the Brooklyn based studio/ workshop felt very fresh and fun. I admire the fact that they were making everything in house and had a commitment to quality and innovation, doing their own thing, very well.

New York has been a fantastically immersive city to explore with the range and contrast of buildings and districts providing constant captivation. In a slightly whirlwind week, I enjoyed how distinct the different districts were and valued getting to see the city from different perspectives from the Rockafella Building and Staten Island; with the High Line and Central Park providing sanctuary from the pace of the city. I found plenty of inspiration in the layers of architecture and lines and found many quirks to inspire this project.

(the financial district/ 9/11 memorial)

(view from Staten Island ferry)

Research/ Development

Following tutorial advice I have been working on developing my ideas and samples. The feeling was that I need to make more of an impact of scale within my samples and to look at combining techniques more as I have been a bit too tentative so far. 

Weaving in strips of scrap denim provides nice texture and weight. The sample on the left is felted, which i found made the denim stand out more and gave a nice contrast in feel within the sample. I am curious to explore the potential of this technique by integrating it into different samples alongside other techniques.

I have been working on the 10 gauge dubied this week, producing some fabrics to juxtapose the heavier domestic samples. Both of the samples above have been dip dyed in indigo after knitting, which gives a nice subtle difference in hue through out the sample. By layering the samples, i can see how they might work on a garment and play around with composition. I like the structure/ uniformity of the pleats coupled with the drop stitch and more organic dye.

I have also began working on garment ideas. Building on the basic tunic shape I achieved at the end of the last unit, I have been experimenting with adding some pleat/ draped detail to soften the silhouette and play with distorting proportions. 

(pages from garment development sketchbook)

Unit X_Research

Unit X will be a continuation of ideas from practice. I will take forward the strongest aspects to develop and refine, continuing to explore techniques and garment shapes.

To begin with I have been out and about finding some new inspiration to refresh and add to my research. Looking out for unusual quirks, that I might re-present or manipulate so that they could be perceived in a different way.

(research photography and sketch book page: A3)

Reviewing my work from practice, I felt I could have explored a wider variety of yarn to create greater extremes in scale and contrast of texture. For unit X I will use more cottons and finer yarns alongside the wool, as well as incorporating some recycled materials. I will also experiment with the finer gauge dubied machines.

I have evolved my colour pallete from practice, refreshing it with flashes of yellows that I found around the city and focusing more on the shades of indigo to form a base for the palette. 

I have also been looking into other natural dyes as I am keen to show how natural dyes can be incorporated into a contemporary collection. Experimenting with turmeric and onion skins, I have tested the dyes on a variety of yarns to identify how they take the dye and what combinations work well together. So far I have had mixed results but have found some lovely colours/ shades can be achieved which work really nicely with the indigo. Wools and the milk yarn (protein fibres) take the dyes really well where as I have found the cellulose based ones are much paler; achieving consistent colours is something to work on over the next week.

(right: turmeric dye pot, left: different yarns with turmeric dye)