Unit X - Week 10

Project Conclusion.

The last 10 weeks have seen me develop a strong body of work, focused and clear with key elements running through the duration. I have developed a way of working that best suits me. The digital manipulations that I have focused on during this project have enabled me to develop a stronger, more direct approach to my design development, resulting in a more concise and clear body of work. I have become familiar with my chosen contexts, and feel that working for two different output (Commercial interior fabrics and deck chair slings) has broadened my horizons, allowing me to not feel restrained and stuck within the constraints of working for one sole context.

Designing samples and longer lengths with specific features was something that at first I was apprehensive about, limiting myself to using twills and 8 shaft diamond structures unknown to me. Despite this the challenge was worth it and I feel that now more than ever I have a body of work that fits well together, is coherent and is well suited to my area of context.

Creating my portfolio has allowed me to be selective when it comes to my work, I am able to edit down and chose the right amount of supporting work, so as not to overpower the viewer. The samples placed within this portfolio are ones that I feel best represent what I am about as a designer and also my concepts. Receiving positive feedback from professionals earlier in the project allowed me to be confident about my bold choices and to not shy away from the path I was working on. Despite my intentions to have a career in teaching upon graduation, I feel confident in the knowledge that my work is of a good standard and people who are already in the industry are passionate about what I have been doing.

Planning for my degree show is now the next thing on the list, I am confident that the work I have produced up to now will work well and be well received. I plan to show my two longer lengths that i have already produced, as well as using the time in between now and the show to create a further longer sample. All of which will be suspended from a pole, and weighted at the bottom, to give the illusion of stretched, taught fabric, as you would expect from my context ideas.

Unit X - Week 10

Double cloth samples - Orange warp.

Although my warp is still currently on the loom, I have been able to weave, finish and cut off 5 samples and a longer length. The samples have all been woven with a point pattern visible, linking in well with pieces created from previous warps. I am pleased with the outcomes and feel the samples are bold, strong and hold a purpose. They are well suited to the interiors market, as the feel and finish of the fabric is extremely dense and robust. The research I have undertaken into deckchair fabric over the past few weeks has influenced my work and the samples work well for this context.

High street companies such as John lewis, Selfridge's and Habitat are currently some of the leading
stores to sell designer deck chair slings and fabrics, implying that although not yet a high earner, the sale and production of fabrics for this output is on the rise. The idea of designing for a market that is relatively fresh is one that excitites and scares me in equal measure!

The deck chair has always been a staple part of British culture and one that as technologies improve and designs are modernised could see a return in popularity amongst a younger target audience. Image below shows a small range of deck chair cover as sold by Interiors company 'Habitat'.

http://www.habitat.co.uk/search?productsPerPage=20&keywords=deck+chair&x=0&y=0

Unit X - Week 9

Jaquard sample.

Wanting to create a sample that held more detail and intrigue I opted this week to design a sample to be woven on the Jacquard loom. Focus has been held over the last couple of weeks on creating and executing fabrics with twill and diamond style patterning. Taking this to the next level I have created a piece that works around this concept, introducing chevron shapes, elongated diamonds and repeated structure.

The piece takes inspiration from my new batch of imagery, used in the orange double cloth warp, being woven alongside this. I have combined it with elements taken from other images in order to create a piece that captures all areas of development and inspiration. Below shows my image edited to form a repeated pattern and then the pattern formatted and turned into a loomdisk, ready to be taken to the loom for weaving.

Unit X - Week 8

Edits and pattern developments.

Twills and diamond patterns worked well for the last set of samples I worked on, therefore I want to try and enhance the effect of my current orange double cloth, including the use of pointed drafts and patterned interchanges.

The visual imagery and warp plans created last week have served as a tool for pattern development this week. I have manipulated and enhanced the images to create patterned surfaces, which will serve as a tool to develop ideas for woven patterns.

Although I want my cloths to hold the same qualities that my older double cloth samples have, I feel the emphasis this time around is not on the interchangeable layers, but more on the patterns, linear qualities and colour blocks.

Unit X - Week 8

Orange ornate stripes

After completing my single cloth last week I felt it was time to branch out and look at a new, more vivid palette. Something that felt lifted and bright. I have been gathering visuals that hold structure and pattern formations, but that also have stronger hues and brighter shades than those I have worked with in the past.

Blues, blacks and whites are colours that I have repeated many times this year, I opted this week to restrict myself from using these colours and found imagery that held little or no traces of said colours. Challenging myself at this stage is vital, I want the work to stay fresh and changing the palette will enhance the look and feel of the fabric.

New inspiration came from photographing architectural buildings at sun set. By choosing to gather imagery at a certain time of the day, I knew from the onset that I would be limiting my palette. This decision turned out to work in my favour. A bold, glass structured building proved to be a source of great colour. Picking out the key colours and ordering them according to how often they appear in the original image I have developed two warp plans, as shown below.
























Choosing to weave a double cloth again came after watching the colours change as time progressed. The difference in tones proved fascinating, leading me to once again toy with the idea of hiding and revealing sections of colour. Thus a double cloth.

The two palettes work well together and I have chosen to work with both schemes so as to enable many different colour ways and striped appearances.

Unit X - Week 7

Single cloth samples.

Finished samples from the single cloth show a range of different pattern ways and proportions of pattern. The outcome is a clean, concise and overall strong body of woven samples that I feel have been a great step forward from previous warps produced. The samples showcase how my development work has informed the pieces and the strong planning of colour placement works well, ensuring that each section is bold, neat and works well with the chosen pattern applied.

I am confident that these samples can work well both for the commercial market as well as potential fabrics for deck chair slings. The density to which I have designed this cloth means it is durable and of a high standard. I have also ensured the proportions of the cloth work well over longer lengths, a 70 inch sample was produced which will go forward as part of my degree show work, this shall be displayed along with sample work in a setting that showcases how the fabric would work, should it be produced for commercial use.

Unit X - Week 7

Deck chairs and stripes.

Can a deck chair really be the way forward? This has been a question that has been somewhat troubling and the cause of many worried moments for me this week. Keeping focused and on point I have been looking today at how the humble deck chair is perceived in the worlds media. Recent articles are show below..

Trying not to get too bogged down by the thought of designing only and solely for 'deck chairs' I have been digitally experimenting and playing around with basic colour proportions. The use of solid lines relates back to all aspects of the project, influenced from the Optical art elements that have shaped my way of thinking. The shape work I undertook in previous week, looking at diamonds and chevrons, has led me this week to start layering shapes over colour blocks to see the different effects. This is a tool that has enabled me to make quick, informed decisions when planning samples to be woven, by working first on the computer I am able to get a sense of how the finished sample will look.

The image below shows one of such digital manipulations, by adding simple chevron and twill shapes over the top of coloured blocks I can get a variety of different outputs at a relatively fast pace.

Using Photoshop as a design tool I have this week been able to translate hand drawn and hand photographed images into patterns suitable for weaving. I have found that this method of working has played a crucial part in my design development, the simple repeats have let me see first what amount of points and how many repeats work well within different sections.

It is important that my work holds a style of its own. I have tried to steer clear of having fully twilled fabrics, like Missoni, as I feel my pieces work best by having two areas of interest.

Experimenting again with digital programmes I have planned samples that will work with two completely separate patterns. Smaller sections with heavy twills and larger, regular sections with satin patterning. This hopefully will give the impression of shapes lifting from the surface of the fabric, an element I am still keen to push further.

Unit X - Week 7

Context ideas.

SouthSea deck chairs & Fred Perry.

Over the Easter break I began to look into different areas of the market at which I could place my fabrics. Initially I wanted to create a range of samples that would work as commercial fabrics, to be sold by the roll to the high end client. Although that is still one of my key focuses I though about the potential of working my way into a niche market.

Taking the weight and qualities of my fabric samples into account, I found that I was reminded and drawn to old fashioned, designer deck chairs. The density and feel of the fabric lends itself almost perfectly to this area of the market and so I began to look into who else, if anyone else is working towards this sales area.

Difficult to begin with, I found only a few British companies that specialise in the production of fabric for the outdoor market. Southsea Deckchairs and Gallant & Jones are two companies that have tailored the production of dense, solid fabrics and have managed to create a steady business around this area.

Southsea Deckchairs work with vibrant coloured cottons patterned in a way that gives a nostalgic feel. Sold either by the sling or by the metre these fabrics can be used for interior or exterior use and are finished to the highest standard, providing a waterproof surface.

Recently fashion company Fred Perry has teamed up with Southsea Deckchairs to create a truly iconic clothing range. Taking inspiration from the seaside classic furniture style, Fred Perry have created garments with dense, heavy fabrics, wooden buttons and triple stitched 'sail' hems. The colours are inspired by old chairs and slings made famous by Southsea Deckchairs and work to preserve the heritage of such an iconic style.

Southsea Deckchairs. Cotton Fabrics. [Online] [Accessed 04.05.2014] http://gallantandjones.com/customer-love/

http://www.masdings.com/blog/2014/03/25/fred-perry-x-southsea-deckchair-company/B9

Unit X - Week 6

Single cloth Developments.

This week alongside working on my woven samples I have been experimenting with digital media as a way of creating pattern and form. My initial imagery held very strong shapes and linear qualities, but these were not what I needed for this element of my project. Using simple techniques it has been possible to create my own twill styled images with pointed elements and repetition.

I have worked to try and keep the colours as similar to my research as possible, as I feel taking away the colour at this point would ruin the overall effect. The sense of depth and intrigue that the images hold is what brings the work to life and with careful manipulation is what gives each sample/work a feeling of movement, linking back well to the optical element to my research.

I am pleased so far with the effects I have been able to achieve and I feel confident that my work is still suited to the interiors market that I have been focusing on over the last 9 months. Having the pattern able to repeat is something that is especially important for the commercial market, so with this in mind I have developed a series of digital prints, that work well as a singular image as well as a long length repeat. I have been using this development pieces as a tool to reference from this week within the weave room, looking at the proportion of colour and size of twill has enabled me to effectively choose structures that compliments each other.

Unit X - Week 5

Missoni as inspiration.

After sourcing new imagery and finding a new way of thinking in terms of pattern, this week I have been researching into designers and existing companies that work in a similar way.

Missoni are a company that specialise in fabrics for the interiors market, in the form of both woven and printed pieces. Founder Rosita believes that 'the home is alive, its constantly evolving and never finished'. It was her personal vision and ideas that have moulded the face of the company and turned it into the world renowned business it is today.

She talks about the fabrics with affection;

"Unusual, captivating fabrics; innovative, simple shapes for sophisticated settings; a feeling of artiness but with a light touch; important, seemingly simple elements that blend easily into existing environments, adding vibrancy and colour. Forms for separating and uniting, easy to move around including from indoors to outdoors or vice versa, enabling the magic atmosphere of the garden to be brought indoors."

The above selection of Missoni fabrics link in well with the images gathered last week, enabling me to feel confident about my new choices in regards to pattern and structure. It is my aim to try and in some way add the same qualities that Missoni have captured into my own work. My colour choices are, somewhat more muted, but I feel the decision to stick to a familiar palette is at this stage the right thing to do.

Below is a digitalised version of what I envisage my warp plan to be, I have strived to pick out colours according to the proportions in which they appear in my imagery, then using the proportions to create a repeated plan. The warp will be separated into 2 blocks, which through the process of sampling will be woven with different sized twills and satin/sateen's to further enhance the idea of colour blocking and layering.

Unit X - Week 4

Single cloth developments.

After looking further into the Moderica website and the notion of 'Application of colour' I stumbled upon the work of Sarah Morris, A British painter who's work uses both strong bold colours and sharp white linear edges. The proportions and composition Morris uses is something that has inspired me to add a different element to my woven pieces. The juxtaposition created gives the impression of movement and depth, qualities that I feel would add a new dimension to my work.

Proportion is a key element in how colour can be used effectively, with this in mind I began to extract my chosen colours based on how often they appear within a selected section. For the purposes of continuity I feel that it is right to continue using imagery that I have already sourced, as there are still ideas and concepts that were not fully exhausted within the last warp. The images from my visit to Spinngfields have both a strong, bold colour palette as well as sharp clean edges to work from in regards to pattern analysis.

Having spent the last 4 weeks working on 2 separate double cloths, I feel it is now the time to move onto a different challenge, my new found inspirations aiding my decision to do so. The plan is to next weave a single cloth, split between 2 separate blocks each on a pointed draft. This will enable the use of varied patterning and structures.

This week I also challenged myself to search for pattern outside of my usual 'Architectural' eye. This has helped me massively, finding pattern and structure within pavements, walls and shop shutters. Having spent so long looking at the world around me in a very linear way I have found this week exciting and although at first this self set task seemed challenging, I discovered that pattern is all around in so many different forms and guises.

As you can see the shapes that stand out are very repetitive and of chevron style. The fourth image has so far proved the most informative and I have been able to develop and plan potential patterning with this as my main source of inspiration.

Unit X - Week 3

Double cloth Samples

Clear and precise. This double cloth warp has worked exactly as I had hoped. The area of research and line of enquiry has seen its way into all of my samples, building the collection into a strong and informed body of work. I have captured the elements of bold shapes and Optical views with ease and feel the samples work well, not only as a collection but as samples in their own right. 

I will take elements of this warp forward into my next developments, as I am keen to create a portfolio of work that links together and works well as a whole.

The colours are working well for me at this time, I have discovered what hues and proportions work easily together and this is helping me to make informed decisions as I currently plan my third warp. It feels like a new direction is needed at this stage, I have taken on board my research into colour representation and shape development and this is now moving me forward into areas that are looking to be exciting and of a new direction.

Unit X - Week 3

Furniture Ideas.

As part of my research element to this project I found that I was drawn to the retro, bold and modernistic furniture that popped onto the scene around the time of the Bauhaus era.

With strong lines, sharp colours and ever changing designs I found a similarity back to my own practice. Each piece, despite being of a similar nature tells a different story and fits into a different category, traits that I am trying to incorporate into each of my samples.

I wonder how well my work would sit alongside furniture of this style?

Above: Bauhaus. Furniture styles. POLYVORE LTD. [Online] [Accessed 17.03.2014] http://www.polyvore.com/bauhaus_furniture/thing?id=51575689

Unit X - Week 3

Further exploration into Optical Art and the Bauhaus.

Taking into account the ideas of blocking, layering and shape positioning I did a search to see how other artists are interpreting this information in the modern day. The blog Moderica, works to show hows colour representation can influence and affect art, arcitecture, interior design and textiles. It exlpores colour therories by looking at Sir Isaac Newtons colour wheel, matching and changing opposite colours.

'The presence of all colours produces white, the absence of colour is black'

The quote seen above, Moderica Blog, 2014 [Online] fits in well with the idea of hiding and replacing colours. When solid panels of balck are seen in my cloth, the underside will be housing each of the other colours, showing the potential and intriuge to the fullest,

Th images above are a culmination of found online images (artists unknown) that work to push the boundaries or colour and shape manipulation. The sources are shown below;

http://dicknelsoncolor.com/2013/color-relationships-2013-week-1/

http://deirdrespencer.com/blog/

http://cs.brown.edu/courses/cs092/VA10/HTML/AlbersExplanation.html

http://www.presentandcorrect.com/blog/interaction-of-colour

Unit X - Week 3

Double cloth developments.

This week has once again been spent in the weave room, developing ideas and colour pallettes. I have created my next warp, using imagery from the last unit that i felt still had some life in them. The idea of shapes overlapping and sitting next to one another led me to use an image, taken myself, in the spinningfields areas of Manchester.

The buildings within the image appear to be sat on top of one another, with the start and finish of each one unclear to see upon initial viewing. With this in mind, i opted to design for a thick double cloth warp. Top cloth of even black and white stripes, with the base cloth a combination of blues, beiges, whites and soft yellows. The idea is to create an ordered, structured cloth that has hidden areas of detail. The top cloth with provide a setting for my optical art to be shown on.

As you can see above, the two cloths fit together at 1 inch intervals, meaning each white and black section of the top cloth have a corresponding section underneath. I have designed this cloth with my target audience in mind, keen to keep the optical elements in tow, i have used colours that i feel can work together with the strong black and white without being too overbearing for the home interiors market.

Above shows different variations of the finished cloth. These show how the cloth work would if the top and bottom were to not be interchanged, I plan to randomise each sample and incorporate up to four different changes in each one.

I have begun to experiment on Photoshop to see what effects could be created, taking inspiration from previous warps and also research undertaken. The edits below show how order, repetition and randomisation could alter the look of the cloth. So far it appears that the more ordered, repeated edits work best, as they best replicate my sourced photographs and overarching concept of shape and structure.

With this being said, it will be this approach that I will be taking when I begin to weave the cloth.

Unit X - Week 2

Optical Art or 'Op Art' as it is commenly refered to is a term used to describe paintings or sculptures that create the illusion or movement through their use of optical effects. Brought to the public eye in the late 1950's early 1960's, it was leading figures Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarley
who paved the way for Op Artists across the world.

With its strong use of pattern and colour, the veiwer feels a disorienation upon viewing the work, causing them to question what it is they are actually looking at.

This is a concept that has been playing on my mind quite heavily over the past few weeks. The idea that a peice can be viewed in several different ways is intriguing to me and i am keen to look into ways that i can create deceptive, mind scrambling pieces so to speak.

The above piece, found online (artsist unknow) shows Optical Art in its most simple form. The squares are placed inside sqaures of similar colours to give the feeling of movement and presepctive. Once a square of a completely different colour is inserted the viewer finds the overall piece difficult to look at, this is what is called an optical illusion.

Try it yourself, look at the first 4 squares on the top row and time how long you can keep your focus without feeling the need to look away to a different one.

The above piece by artists Victor Vaserley is en example of how, when sqaures of different size are placed within one another at an angle the illusion of perspective is created. The clever use of colour also lends itself well to adding a feeling of depth and space to the work.

Over the coming weeks i am going to attempt to create my own optical art style pieces, using colours found in arcitecture as a starting point. Although the colours used in these two artists work are strong and vivid, i feel that my work would benefit more from a controlled, precise pallette.

Unit X - Week 2

This week has seen me continue with the second Dash and Miller warp that I was working on in Practice. I opted not to cut off the left over warp and instead decided to use the free time in between projects to experiment and play with ideas and colours ways that I have previously shied away from. Becoming too comfortable with my current monochrome palette is something that I am keen to avoid, as a result this week I chose to inject touches of blue and pink to see what might happen.

Above shows the main key image that I used as a starting point, extracting linear elements enabled me to design a warp that captured the image entirely. (warp plan to the right)

The design of each sample created as part of this collection work well together, achieving effects that resemble art works from the Op Art era, as well as linking back to the research I carried out earlier this year into the Bauhaus movement. The use of pinks and blues through the weft are especially striking and give the samples an injection of life and interest.

Unit X - Week 1

After successfully completing the practice unit, it is now time to move forward and dive head first into unit X and begin to think about my degree show and future after university.

I established in the last project that I see my work fitting well into the home interiors market, therfor I will be sticking with this idea and working this into my final show. I have been brainstorming ideas as to what i think would work best and i believe that longer smaple pieces would be the best way for me to showcase my work, as the deatil and colour work used within my samples works better repeated over a yard or so.

My ideas regarding concept and inspiration will remain virtualy the same. The main source of interest will be arcitecture around me, with reseacrh into the bauhaus movement pushing my work further. I am keen to keep my work similar in style and feel that deviating too far away from my initial ideas would be taking away from what it is i want to capture and translate. Although i am keen to experiment with differnt medias to work with and may consider different weave styles and structures.

Practice - Evaluation

Over the past 18 weeks I have learnt a wealth of different things, about myself, the way in which I like to work and the style into which my work grown. To begin with I felt overwhelmed by the vast length of the practice unit, 18 weeks on one unit seemed to me like a never en ding road. After a few weeks finding my feet I began to feel comfortable and relaxed more into the project and my work alike. I knew quite early on that I wanted my work to hold a sense of order, structure and precision, something that has come to be my speciality.

The summer work which I had undertaken seemed to be hindering my idea process, so I decided it would be best to start over and work on a brief that more suited my needs. I chose to focus my attentions onto architecture and the surrounding shapes that towered over me. Manchester provided the perfect backdrop, with photography sessions in and around the city I was able to generate several image collections that would later be the main focus of my work.

I looked into collage, digital manipulation and of course weaving. After several weeks running with the ‘Urban shape’ theme I wondered what I would find if I were to delve back in time. Comparing the modern shape of architecture to the shapes and forms of past times. The university slide library became my new companion, searching for images from the 60’s a new hobby. A few in particular caught my eye and it was these images that would guide me over the next coming months.

Picking away at the shapes I found, I began to deconstruct images and create new forms and shapes of my own. This led me to the idea of double cloth, a new weave technique that I had never tried. Needless to say, it was perfect for me and my project. The structure, rigidity and heavy weight feel to the fabric enticed me. I found that I now was starting to become clearer in a potential context for my work.. Upholstery. Thick, dense, heavy.

Moving forward and after Christmas I engaged in a live brief, set by Dash and Miller. Creating samples for Ralph Lauren home was an amazing experience and enabled me to once again explore shape and linear structures to the extreme. Working with a single cloth I was able to generate samples that fit my own personal brief to a tee – ‘Urban Darks’.

I have discovered that as well as just weaving, I am extremely fond of using digital processes to enhance and push forward my design work.  I feel confident that I can run with my overarching concept into Unit X and hope that upon graduation I will have a clear and consice idea about where my future lies. This project has taught me to think outside of the box, push boundaries and to not be afraid of my own ideas. 

Week 18 - Jacquard Work

As well as working on my second Dash and Miller warp this week, i also had the opportunity to use the Jacquard loom in university. As exciting as this sounds, i was completely over whelmed by the sheer scale of the loom and found myself anxious when i first took to the machine.

Prior to the actual weaving process, it is required to put some time in to developing an image suitable to be woven. Differently to my usual Texel loom, the Jacquard loom is able to weave images onto cloth, leaving patterns behind on the surface of the cloth to create the picture / image.

I wanted to stick with the theme i have been looking at for the Dash & Miller brief, so opted to use an image created using Photoshop from one of my initial research images. The points / zig-zag pattern is one that has made an appearance rather regularly over the past 6 weeks, so here is the chosen image.

Above shows the development stages of the Jacquard design, from initial image, to scotweave input and finally to creating a loom harness, ready to take to the loom to be woven. This process was somewhat tricky to begin with, having to alter the size and dimensions to create a image big enough to fill the width of loom took some getting used to. I wanted the white chevron shapes to stand out strongly against the background,  to achieve this i chose to use satin and sateen structures only. This means one pattern is mainly warp faced, whilst the other is mainly weft faced, perfect for what i want to achieve.

Belows shows the final Jacquard samples, two in different colour ways.

Final Context

The final context of my work is now clearer than ever. 6 warps later and i am fully confident that the samples I am currently creating fit into the world of upholstery.

JAB

Lara Ashley

Designers Guild

Ralph Lauren Home

The last 18 weeks i have grown to have an understanding of the world of high end and high street upholstery. Laura Ashley and Designers Guild both design fabrics at a price point that sits well at a high street level. With Fabric available to buy in store, off the roll, this way of selling fabric is commercial, quick, easy and very accessible to all. Suitable for you and i.

At the higher price points are Ralph Lauren and JAB. Designing for Ralph Lauren has showed me that sometimes less can be more, a simple vertical stripe can be all that is needed to create a beautiful collection of fabric samples. The website houses over 1000 different fabric samples, in all colour ways, styles, yarn qualities and densities. It is this area of the textile upholstery market that i see myself working towards, high end prices created with minimal effort. The perfect combination.

With more time and further research into my own practice, i know that it is a feesable prospect to one day be selling to the same clients as Ralph Lauren.

Week 18

Dash and Miller - Ralph Lauren. Conclusion of Live brief. What have i learnt? How has it helped me?

This element of the project has really helped me find what sort of designer i want to be. I now know that home interiors, more specifically fabrics for upholstery is where i see my future. The live element of any project is something that especially excites me, the buzz of creating a piece/swatch for a client makes everything that little bit more important and therefore stressful.

The final samples i have gotten from the 'Urban Darks' warp are different to any other samples previously woven. They have depth and a real sense of purpose, something that i will aim to have in all my future works. I feel the compositions are varied in each samples, making for a very well rounded and coherent collection of samples. They work well individually and as a set, which is an element that i would pitch to Dash and Miller, of the opportunity arose. My aim was to have samples that could be fit for any purpose, i feel this has been achieved to the highest level.

After two weeks of weaving at 16 inches wide, i felt maybe the samples could do with being a tad more dense. This led me to change the width and EPI count of the cloth, leading to a 13 inch wide cloth with a density level of 60 EPI instead. This was a move that i wish i had undertaken sooner into the weaving block, as the samples are exemplary and far outshine the earlier, wider samples.

As it stands i have a good body of samples to present to the client, each with different colour ways, emphasizes and pattern ranges.

See below for images of the smaller samples from the 'Urban Darks' collection.

Additional samples produced as a sideline to the Dash & Miller brief. With 1 week left to spare i opted to use my time wisely and invested in a new project, combining my ideas from the Ralph Lauren work and my previous double cloth warps.

I chose to use 4 key colours. Black, White, Grey and Blue. I want to keep the samples simple in colour but complex in structure. Set over 4 blocks the warp will be able to weave in a variety of different combinations. I have currently only been able to weave 4 simple samples up to now, but plan to utilise the next 2 weeks to complete the warp, in the hope that i will find new inspiration for Unit X! The cloth is extremely thick, dense and sturdy. Perfect for the context i am looking into.

Week 17

Samples, do they fit the brief?

This week has been nothing other than the weave element to my project, i have focused all my efforts on creating a collection of samples that work individually and as a whole. Sticking with the theme title of Urban Darks i decided to maintain the colours i had in my warp and use them as weft colours too, so as not to over complicate things.

This was a important decision that i made early on, the imagery i collected gave me all the colours i needed so i feel it would be wrong to add extras. Saying this however and by pure chance, i found a discarded image from earlier on in the minor project that i felt i could work with. Orange. By adding a flash of orange sporadically through the collection i feel i have lifted and given an edge to my samples. The experiments i did on Photoshop last week have proved invaluable and have been vital in informing my decision making this week.

Here are a selection of my own samples, next to the inspiring samples as done by Ralph Lauren.

The warp, although dark in its own right, is lifted by the pale tones added through the weft. The top and bottom samples were woven using solely white 2/16 cotton. Each sample measure 16 inches square. I feel the samples are different in quality to those of Ralph Lauren but i feel they work well as a complimentary collection and up to now i am pleased with the results. More to follow.

Above right - Ralph Lauren. Sample Swatches. Ralph Lauren Home. [Online]
[Accessed 12.02.2014] http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/products/Fabric/items.aspx?haid=19&collId=182&phaid=19

Ralph Lauren - Twill's

Above - Ralph Lauren. Sample Swatches. Ralph Lauren Home. [Online]
[Accessed 12.02.2014] http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/products/Fabric/items.aspx?haid=19&collId=182&phaid=19

Week 16

Weaving commences for Ralph Lauren collection, entitled - Urban Darks.

Before the initial weaving process could begin, i first needed to decide upon structures and patterns. The colour wrap in the last post shows how the warp will look, i have slightly altered it and added a few inches to the right hand side, as i feel it had a stumpy element to it that i wanted to eradicate. Measuring 16 inches wide i am hoping the warp will produce samples that have the sense of being made for purpose, fabrics for upholstery etc. 

The earlier end of this week saw me delving into the world of shape and pattern, in a bid to find one single idea i could run with. After doing two sets of double cloths so far, i feel it is right for this warp to be plain and flat, with only one warp densely set, with 48 2/16 cotton ends to every inch. 

The initial imagery i collected has led me to look at the idea of points and twill's. Ralph Lauren themselves use twill's often within their fabrics so i feel this is a nice link to their existing works.

Examples of pattern development and proportions.

Photoshop repeats are an important tool for me to use, they enable me to get a sense of what a fabric will look like once woven. Structure is the most important thing for my work so this element is crucial. I have been slightly inspired by my second double cloth warp (white wool and cotton). The recurring square shapes led me to develop a series of pixelated edits, informing my choice of colour and proportions for the weft of my samples.

Week 15

First hand research - Ralph Lauren for Dash & Miller.

As with Ralph Lauren's work, this week i proposed to set about finding my own theme for my upcoming weave collections.

The focus of my work has and always will be architecturally based. The strong shapes found within building enable me to devise weave structures and patterns easily. Creating for a company that have an interest in stripes and linear qualities i began to gather imagery similar to this idea.

Gathering strong visual references is a key part of my work. The images i took this week are a turning point to my major project, enabling me to get a strong sense of where i want my samples to go on the upcoming weave rotation. The images have left me with a strong colour palette, one which i think i can run endlessly, ideas for patterns, structures as well as potential Jacquard samples.

Urban Darks.

 

Week 14

Having chosen that Ralph Lauren as the company i wanted to work for as part of my 'Live brief' for Dash & Miller, i set about doing some research into the company and how it designs / works.

Ralph Lauren home is an entirely different avenue when compared to the apparel side of the company. With collections being designed around specific title,

Statement taken from Ralph Lauren Home - Online, talking about the fabrics on sale;

'Ralph Lauren fabrics are woven by skilled artisans around the world, ensuring that they are of heirloom quality. With thousands of fabrics in the collection, including everything from Italian jacquard to Scottish wool tartan and belgian linen, a wealth of possibilities for the interior has been created'

Ralph Lauren. (2014) Mission Statement. Ralph Lauren Home. [Online] [Accessed 19.01.2014] http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/products/Fabric/?haid=19

Examples of Ralph Lauren Swatch samples.

Ralph Lauren. (2014) Fabric swatches. Ralph Lauren Home. [Online]
[Accessed 19.01.2014] http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/products/Fabric/?haid=19

There was one collection that i found myself particularly drawn to, entitled Ticking Library. 'An extensive collection of timeless stripes'. Created using the highest quality cotton and linen mixes, the fabrics are introduced to a classic palette of deep blue hues, with shots of bright red, black and classic sepia.

Ralph Lauren. (2014) Ticking Library Ralph Lauren Home. [Online]
[Accessed 19.01.2014] http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/products/Fabric/?haid=19

Week 13

A new year marks the start of a new section of the Practice unit. Having spent the last 12 weeks focusing on my minor project elements, now begins the major project.

Working to a live brief set by Woven textiles company Dash & Miller, the aim is to create a wealth of samples for a chosen designer / client. There were two categories, apparel and home interiors. Having already shown a strong interest in the interiors market this seemed like a natural choice for me. 

Choosing between clients however proved ever more tricky. Designers guild, Missoni Home and Ralph Lauren home took my eye in particular. Each company has something different to offer. The nature of my work is currently quite graphical. The three companies mentioned are very much about the linear stripe, something that i feel will be a positive influence on my own developing work. 

Designers Guild work for many different companies, i looked into the company in depth and found that the way the it runs is a way in which i aspire to work like in the future. Clients range from fashion houses to interiors and the company, based at a shop in London cater to all tastes.

Designers Guild work off collections. Each collection is based on a theme and it is from here that colour palettes, shapes, and ideas are generated. Below shows an image taken from the website, marking out colours and names (left) to different moods as it were.

Left - Designers guild. Colour chart. Designers Guild Online. [Online] [Accessed 12.01.2014] http://www.designersguild.com/

Right - Designers Guild. Unlimited Collections. Designers Guild Online. [Online] [ Accessed 12.01.2014] 

http://www.designersguild.com/fabric-and-wallpaper-showroom/designers-guild-unlimited/