Week 7

Designing for my second woven warp began last week. With a new focus to my work, i set about creating card templates as a basis for my next cloth. The new cloth will, once again be a double cloth, this time however i will be having one plain warp (white wool) and a second striped warp (variants of blue and yellow) under neath.

The idea came from the collage work i was working on last week. I found that i was being over powered by the colours and density in front of me, so i wanted to strip everything away and look at sections, similarly to when i was looking at Jim Stephenson and his photography.The found 1960's images worked for both the foreground and background. By cutting away at the shapes within the building and layering the left over paper on top of my collage work  was instantly left with something that held more composition and intrigue.

Cut paper work and overlay ideas.

By working to a relatively fast pace i was able to quickly arrive at decisions and generate a warp plan. The striped bottom cloth acts as the base to the fabric, the white wool top cloth will be the focus of the samples. working with blocks i plan to bring the striped cloth up in small sections, so as not to over complicate things. I learnt from the last warp, that less is more.

Possible ideas for bottom cloth warp.

Week 6

Exploring the idea of mapping shape, this week i have been researching Manchester and its history. With connections to the Manchester School of Art slide library i managed to find a range of images that both inspire and inform.

I wanted to look at the shapes and lines held within the pictured buildings, as apposed to the actual buildings themselves. I began to dissect and reform said images to create collage forms that can be worked with in the future, as a tool and propeller in my shape investigations.

It is easier for me to analyse and work from the images once they have been reworked and altered, as i am able to fully appreciate the shape, colour and proportions held within the piece.

The next step is to look at how i can potentially cover / uncover shapes. I plan to play on the concept of a double cloth, using paper as a form of 'fabric' to replicate what it is the double cloth represents.

Week 5

The last 3 weeks have been a time to concentrate solely on weaving. The samples that have been produced are starting to aid me in finding a suitable context for my work.They hold qualities of rigidity, density and ultimately structure.
Having always been interested in home furnishings i am confident that this is the path i should follow in regards to context.

Annah Legg, woven textile designer, works to create pieces that work for both the furnishing and installation market. The textile pieces are created using similar double cloth techniques to the ones i have recently used and are predominately bright and colourful. Her work is strongly guided by her overarching concept - Mapping of space, from which she works to individual briefs set by companies and clients.

Examples of some of my own woven samples (Urban Shape Series). Alongside an image taken from Leggs website, showing 'FROM THE AIR' samples. Achieved using mercerised cotton and a double cloth threading plan. Simple weave pattern enable the work to stand out and focus mainly on colour. Each side of the sample has a different colour palette, creating two diverse cloths.

Above - Legg, A.  From the Air. Annah Legg. [Online image] [Assessed on 27.10.2013] http://www.annahlegg.com/handwoven-textiles.html