Weeks 11 - 12

Upholstery fabric. How it is currently being done...

So having come to the decision that upholstery fabric is where i see my designs working best, i began to scour the market at present to see where i could fit in. This wasn't an easy task, as finding information on designers that sell work to be used for mass sale in the upholstery sector was nigh on impossible.

It is clear that i want to be a designer of woven fabrics, but it seems that the market for individuals to sell such fabrics is none existent.

Therefore, i began to look more so at the companies that sell such fabrics. I mentioned earlier Laura Ashley's work, similar to this is Textiles company JAB Anstoetz. Specialist in the sale of woven fabrics for the home interiors market, JAB sell their products to be used for a wide range of outputs. Founded in Germany, the company is now one of the leaders in fabric houses, and is renowned worldwide for providing the very best furnishing and decorative fabrics, curtains, carpets and wall coverings. JAB sell products to over 80 countries around the world.

Serving both UK and International clients, JAB is a company that i find inspirational and exciting to watch.

Images below taken from JAB's website.

 Above - JAB Anstoetz. London showroom. JAB Ltd. [Online images] [Assessed 15.12.2013] http://www.jab-uk.co.uk/en/about_jab/london_showroom/London-Showroom1.html

Week 10

Further developments / inspirations.

Three weeks into this weave 'block' and some samples are beginning to appear that could work for the upholstery market i was talking about previously.

Again although 50 percent wool based, the samples are starting to feel more rigid and tougher and hold the thickness qualities i have been desiring. Adding purely cotton yarns to the weft has enabled me to change the feel of the cloth. Initial samples were all created using wool wefts, which led to a very fluffy fabric, something that didn't fit in to what i was trying to achieve. This one simple change to the way i have been working has enabled the work to be pushed forward, leading to new ideas and possible extra warps that i could aim to make.

The samples are, as you can see, almost entirely white. The way in which i have threaded has enabled me to interchange from top to bottom cloth effortlessly. The majority of my patterning appears to the left hand side of the samples, as from my development works, i found that composition was best kept tight and restrained to merely one side.

Here are a selection of the samples, that for me, best show my concept. Urban shapes.

The colours are reflective of the work and developments done up to now, i plan to next move on to look at potentially creating a woven fabric with a white cotton brocade section. To try and replicate my card overlay work in a different, more challenging way.

Weeks 8 - 9

Looking into commercial fabrics and possible contexts for my work at this stage.

This week i have been reflecting back on my work so far. I want to hone down on where in the market my work fits. I have been exploring and researching into designers that work in the home furnishing/interiors/upholstery market.

As well as previously talked about Holly Berry and Annah Legg, whose work is more focused towards the soft furnishings market, i have wanted to look at the other end of the spectrum. I feel the samples i am creating at the moment would fit well into the soft furnishings market; cushions, soft woolen throws etc, but i feel my talent lies in the harder, denser samples that came about from the cotton double cloth made earlier in the project.

Currently (and thinking into the future) i am aiming to create samples that would be sold as a fabric the metre, in furnishings and upholstery stores. I would initially sell my design to the company, who would then be free to do with it as they wish.

Perhaps similar to Laura Ashley, Designers Guild and John Lewis. The high street market seems achievable at this point, but i remain open minded about where the work could fit as i move further on with my sampling.

With fabric being sold by the metre, Laura Ashely charge around £28-£40. This seems like a reasonable starting point and a figure of which i would be happy to charge at this stage.

Above - Laura Ashley. Sample swatches for upholstery. Laura Ashley LTD. [Online images] [assessed 17.10.2013] http://www.lauraashley.com/fabrics/upholstery-fabrics/icat/hfupholstery?esp_viewall=y

First selection of Wool / cotton double cloth samples.

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

Week 4

Over the last two weeks, the woven side of my project has thoroughly been underway. As mentioned earlier, with reference to the work of Jim Stephenson i have been able to refine my image library. The image i have used as a primary example for this woven warp, is the one shown below. Taken from a linear window structure, i have used the colours within the frame and a select few that i have previously been working with to select a pallet and threading plan.

The structures visible within the image above and the way the different linear elements seem to overlap led me to explore the idea of creating a double woven cloth. To confirm this idea, i looked and studied the work created by Woven Textiles designer Holly Berry, who specializes in woven cloths for the interior market.

Below are examples of her work, showing where i gained inspiration and direction for my own cloth.

Left - Berry, H. Love Blanket. Holly Berry - Made In the UK. [Online image] [Accessed online 20.10.2013] http://www.hollyberryprojects.com/page17.htm

Middle - Berry, H. About me. Holly Berry - Made In the UK. [Online image] [Accessed online 20.10.2013] http://www.hollyberryprojects.com/page17.htm

Right - Berry, H. Love Blanket . Tumblr.  [Online image] [Accessed online 20.10.2013]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6y4v23E7Q1r266fho1_1280.jpg