Contemporary Weaving Patterns

Weaving with colour and texture: a unique guide to over 150 exceptional patterns

                For technical help, this recommendation from Rebecca has been a good insight into a structured guide for helping me to understand the practical side of weaving. Since I am still getting to grips with the terminology and trying to plan out a weave pattern from scratch, the visual aids in this book will help me to try and progress my learning further. Since I am working on creating checks and tartans, being able to see the layout of the stripes in both the warp and the weft (and how the pattern affects these) will make it easier for me to develop my samples.

Selby, M. (2012) Contemporary weaving patterns. London: A & C Black Publishers.

Warp and Weft

                 ‘Warp and Weft’ was a recommended book to aid me in understanding weaving more. Throughout the book I came across work from ‘Dashing Tweeds’ and ‘Wallace & Sewell’. It was really interesting to read about them away from the internet because it gave me a better understanding of who they are and how they work in their teams.

Dashing Tweeds

                 I had briefly heard about Dashing Tweeds incorporating technology and traditionalism within their weaving; but had never found anything more in depth. When visiting Kirsty McDougall in her studio the focus was much more on high end couture which although was extremely interesting and amazing to hear about, I am also interested in where it all began and what the foundation was that built up this company. 

              Within reading about the origin of McDougall and Guy Hill, I also learnt that “Tweed was made as the origin material for sportswear”. As a sportsman myself I find linking the two things I spend most of my time on, highly fascinating; as it creates an opportunity for me to potentially combine them in an intriguing way.  A beguiling factor, for me, about combining their work of light and functional tweed is how hidden the ‘light’ side of the work is. In different lighting it gives the garments two completely different personalities which continually carrying off a very suave appearance.  (McDougall, 2012)

 Wallace & Sewell

                What I discovered about Harriett Wallace-Jones and Emma Sewell from this book was how much they still try to challenge themselves with their work. They clearly have a distinct style but still relish the opportunity to work on an interesting project like designing seating for the London Underground/ Overground. Projects like these are an opportunity for them to problem solve in a way that is outside of their comfort zone; which is a skill I am very much still working on but will take inspiration from Wallace and Sewell as I move forward. 

 Hemmings, J. (2012) Warp and weft: Woven textiles in fashion, art and interiors. London: A & C Black Publishers.

‘What they didn’t teach you in design school’

    After looking at the essential reading list, I decided to look into this book: ‘What they didn’t teach you in design school’. There are a lot of things we’re taught; techniques, process, materials. But what to do with that work afterwards is often neglected. Pages 103 & 104 stood out to me the most: ‘Experience: more important than grades’. I am heavily influenced and motivated at the thought of what grade is possible for me to get or what grade I have recently received. It has always been very important to me since, although we are told it isn’t the most important thing, obviously has some importance to it or a grading system wouldn’t exist. However, once out of an educational facility it no longer really matters. These pages highlight the importance of quality over quantity. The quality of our work is much more important the amount produced. Learning the balance of a grading system that is important now but in a few years no longer will be, is quite a difficult idea to grasp and work around.  

                The second part of this book that caught my attention was page 31: ‘The importance of being proactive’. One line in particular was the focus for me; “To get results, you have to put the effort in; you only get back what you put in”. That sentence is quite important to me because it’s essentially what I work by. It links well to another point on page 104: “I may not be the best, but I will outlast everyone”. These two ideas together, to me, are fundamental in an educational facility. With wanting to be a teacher, essentially, I am trying to ‘practice what [I] preach’ and this book is a great example of how is best to work through your life.

(Cleaver, 2014)

Cleaver, P. (2014) What they didn’t teach you in design school: [what you actually need to know to make A success in the Industry]. Cincinnati, OH, United States: Writer’S Digest.

Mon 23^rd Jan – Thurs 26^th Jan, 2017

                Over the weekend I have been searching for interesting things to weave with and also weave patterns to try. I was able to find things in my room that I could possibly weave with but also made an order from Abakhan to retrieve things a bit more experimental. I also decided to plait my yarns that I have been using thus far to make them chunkier and bolder within the weave – Using the same yarns will allow me to have the matte, flat finish that I am mainly trying to achieve.

                The textures and techniques that I have tried so far have worked really quite well. I have managed to add texture without overpowering the samples as I had hoped. Unfortunately my order from Abakhan has arrived a bit late but there is still plenty of time to work with the new materials. I also decided to see what was available in the fabric store – I might try cutting some fabric into strips and weaving those in to see what kind of affect that has to both the weave and the original fabric piece. At this point I am still finding lots to experiment with but also need to start thinking about refining my samples. There are certain areas of various weaves I have done so far that need to be expanded on. In addition to this, after a discussion with Lesley, I am going to start looking into Aztec patterns since they are extremely similar to some of my work; and creating more of a contrast with my colour scheme. This contrast will highlight the stripes throughout and link more with tartans and checks which has been my intention from the start of this brief. 

                                           Similar to Aztec Pattern

Aztec pattern found out around Manchester

Mon 16^th Jan – Thurs 19^th Jan, 2017

       During the next step of the warp process (transferring the yarn through the reed) I was able to find where I had added in four extra ends. To fix the problem would have been a very big job so since it wasn’t too obvious I decided to leave the extra ends in. If I find that they really bother me or look too obvious then I will take them out. Finally I was able to finish putting my warp onto the loom so could start weaving.

                I chose to start weaving without much of a plan other than colour proportions because I wanted to see what I would naturally create and what might end up being a really nice weave. For the colour proportions I have been working with paper weaving and getting inspiration from my warp wraps/ drawings. So far I have found that this is working quite well and have made some weaves that I think represent my sketchbook work well.

                 However, I was hoping to become a bit more experimental with the yarns I use. I was struggling for what to do since I am going with quite a flat theme so can’t do anything too textured. After having a discussion with Amanda she suggested that I come back to my ‘Ordered Opposites’ of ‘Repetition:Singular’ and add in singular, unusual yarns/ends to make my weaves a bit more interesting and experimental. I am hoping to start working with this process next week.

Textile World: Redefining 100 Percent Cotton 

         

                 From this article I am specifically looking at the part titled ‘Redefining 100 Percent Cotton’. While looking through journals I came across this and found it to be a really interesting read. From specialising in weave I have become more aware of the properties of materials and yarns and am finding it really interesting to discover how they all work both separately and together. The idea of 100% cotton actually becoming 100% cotton is quite exciting. I had never really thought about what else happens to the yarn/fabric even when it is labelled as 100% but now that I have there are so many more processes involved; not only with dyeing the fabric but with the finish etc. 

                Environmental issues are a massive problem within the textiles and fashion industry and is bigger than most people expect. So to discover more and more brands and companies working to fix it is quite compelling. Although ‘Cotton Incorporated’ and ‘EarthColors’ are still in the early stages of being able to “[use] cotton biomass to dye cotton fiber”, the work is heading in the right direction and I hope will continue to expand and develop. To know that there are 3 million tonnes of cotton biomass generated each year that could be used to reduce waste is fascinating and I am interested to see where the work goes.

                At this stage in the development, they are only working with “brown hues” however this is still proving that this process is possible and could help to create sustainable fashion.

Davis, R. (2017) Cotton Pricing: Year In Review | Textile World. Textileworld.com. [Online] [Accessed on 16 January 2017] http://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/features/2016/11/30571/.

Brand & Performance Textile Specialties |. (2017) Bpt.archroma.com. [Online] [Accessed on 16 January 2017] http://www.bpt.archroma.com/earthcolorsbyarchroma/.

Uniqlo: Turn Up The Heat

                   From Vogue, London. February Edition

                This short article first caught my eye in Vogue: London because of the image that accompanied it. Showing thermal/heat technology within the picture instantly told me this would be about some kind of fibre technology; which as I am learning about fibres and yarns more within my specialism, I am finding more and more interesting.  There is so much new technology available within textiles that I am keen to learn about them and hopefully, at some point, use them within my own work. Secondly I was intrigued by the quote ‘Where fashion meets fibre innovation’. Most of my work tends to be catered around fashion so finding an article that includes both of my interests I found instantly compelling.

                Near the end of the article it mentions about using this new heat technology under sportswear. As a runner I am constantly looking for winter sports clothing that can keep you warm, is lightweight, and flexible. It can be extremely difficult trying to find something that caters for all three aspects

                Although the previous three factors I mentioned for winter sports clothing are the most important, as a textiles student, I also want it to be fashionable. Therefore the fact that this brand and technology is in the third most well-known fashion magazine in the world, has quite a big influence on how trendy it is.

HEATTECH Clothing | Thermal Wear| UNIQLO.com. (2017) Uniqlo.com. [Online] [Accessed on 15 January 2017] http://www.uniqlo.com/uk/store/feature/uq/heattech/women/?hp=sli1_20170101 

Tue 10^th Jan, 2017

                Over Christmas I was able to create more drawings using my colour scheme and sample various materials and textures within those drawings. However I still don’t have a definitive idea of what I want my warp to be. Today I will create more warp wraps focusing more on using blocks of colour rather than trying to blend them. This is because, after a group discussion, I noticed that my drawings are very flat and have a graphic style to them making them look fairly neat- Therefore I want to transfer those qualities into my weaving. By the end of the day I hope to have a warp plan so that I can create it tomorrow.

Wed 11^th Jan, 2017

                Having made a decision on my warp I was able to start to create it on the warping mill. I managed to pick up the technique fairly quickly but had some issues with yarns running out. Therefore one of my colours had to be changed half way through. My worry is that the new yarn (closest available in colour) is mercerised cotton whereas all my others are soft to give a more matte appearance; hence the mercerised cotton stands out and doesn’t link too well with my previous work. However, as part of my warp, the new texture looks aesthetically pleasing within the design.

Thurs 12^th Jan, 2017

                After making my warp I was able to transfer it onto my loom. Due to the high thread count and the types of yarn used, it became quite difficult to untangle and roll onto the loom smoothly. Another issues I had was that the mercerised cotton and the soft cotton was causing lots of friction creating balls of fluff that would stop the process. Now that I have a better understanding of the yarns available I will hopefully be able to avoid issues like this in the future.

Fri 13^th Jan, 2017

     Today I began to work from the front of the loom, getting the yarn through the heddles on a point. It was a very long process and although tedious, was bizarrely entertaining. From chatting with Rebecca I found that the amount of ends I have is quite a lot for a first go, but in a couple of years I could be working with four times as many which is a challenge I am looking forward to. When I finally completed the task I found that I had four yarns left over that didn’t fit into a rotation; therefore I have miscounted somewhere along the way and may not be able to rectify the problem, but will find out in the next step. 

Weave: Chosen Specialism

Tue 13^th Dec, 2016

                By using my ‘100 Objects’ and ‘Ordered Opposites’ work, I was able to build up a colour scheme that I am happy with and develop it to get a better understanding of the tones and shades of colour within it. From these colours I could start to transfer them into weave by creating colour wraps similar to paint stripes I had previously produced. The weave wraps worked really well and I was able to find yarns very similar to my colour palette; this made for a fluid transition into weave processes. I plan to continue developing my weave wraps to compare all possibilities of yarns before I move on.

Thurs 15^th Dec, 2016

                After developing my work from Tuesday more, the next step was to create yarn wraps that could be used as my warp. The ones I created today are a bit too chaotic and messy for what I am looking for. I think I need to work more on selecting my colours specifically so get solid blocks of colour to create a cleaner, crisper appearance. Over Christmas I will be developing all areas of my work so far and hopefully have an idea for a warp by the time I return. 

Sampling

100 Objects

                For this brief I struggled a bit with where to start and didn’t have a definitive path; Therefore I just started with various things around me to start creating work. After working through the drawings for a while I noticed that I was mainly being drawn to things from nature and things with fluid forms. I know that I am naturally drawn to nature but tend to avoid it since I struggle to create something completely new from it. In terms of materials I have mainly stuck with ones that I am familiar with and enjoy working with e.g. watercolours, fine liner & water. When I start to develop my drawings more I plan on branching out with the materials and being more experimental.

Ordered Opposites

                Starting ordered opposites meant first choosing a colour palette. I had three that I couldn’t decide on and so starting testing all of them. After picking one with a very warm palette and autumnal tones, I began to start using these colours with different drawing materials to see what happened with texture and tone. In terms of the drawings themselves, I have chosen Repetition:Singular as my opposites since it works well with my interest in patterns. However due to my drawing style and techniques, Order:Chaos could also be fitting opposites – With order coming from the pattern and chaos from my drawing style. 

London Trip: 5^th-7^th December, 2016

Mon 5^th Dec, 2016

                During the trip to London to start off the ‘Ordered Opposites’ brief and continue ‘100 Objects’, I was able to experience a variety of different studio visits; explore designers’ work; and scope out interesting areas in London. To begin with a group of us travelled to Hyde Park to experience the ‘Winter Wonderland’ event they had on for Christmas. Although this doesn’t sound like it would be useful to the course, there were actually an array of interesting objects and trinkets that people were selling that were very eye-catching and inspirational.  One of which was a woven scarf that I bought. I found it quite fascinating to look at the scarf more closely and try to develop a better understanding of how it would have been made.  

             

  

Whilst walking through the park we came across a building that had walls with colour changing lights embedded in them. It was extremely eye-catching and the texture of the wall added to the appearance of the lights. From different angles I was able to see the colours working and blending together in various ways which could help me with colour work in the future.

Tue 6^th Dec, 2016

                I accompanied a visit to Kirsty McDougall’s studio to see how she works with weave and the kind of things she creates. I was very intrigued and surprised at how much high end fashion she had done for big names such as Marc Jacobs and Henry Holland. Before having this opportunity I was completely unaware of how much work was outsourced from these big brand names, and how un-elitist they are about it. By this I mean that Kirsty’s studio wasn’t big and fancy. It was quite the opposite; a small rooftop room with several looms.  It really gave me a new insight to the world of textiles and fashion, one that should be shown more. 

Wed 7^th Dec, 2016

                Both of the studio visits I had on my final day in London weren’t for my chosen specialism but I thought it best to go to as many visits as possible while I had the opportunities in the city. To begin with I travelled to Chelsea Harbour. I was quite excited when I arrived because these shops were much more high end and expensive than I’m used to and aren’t something you get to deal with much as a student. It felt unusual to be in a shopping area with such interesting materials, but the new ways that these fabrics were used has inspired me to try and think of things in almost a more impractical sense. For example, I was particularly enthralled by some velour wallpaper; something I have never seen done before but worked really well. 

               Finally I attended a visit to Giles Millers studio who creates beautiful wall pieces and sculptures from materials such as porcelain and a variety of others. It was nice to see how something so simple could become something that looked very intricate just by being repeated. At first I thought each tile could move and rotate to be changed in a random order; however each tile is thought out and specifically placed to use light and shade to create the final result.  I enjoy working very repetitively myself so it was very intriguing for me to see a new way of using a repetitive process and finding out just how much can be done with it.