"Every Memory We've Ever Shared" - 2013

"Fancy twills"

I'm going after Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy!

With the current theme i'm working from, i'm looking at "finishing techniques" meaning all sorts of things that can be done after a piece of fabric is woven. Something I thought could be really interesting for several reaons was freezing (hence the batman quote in the title of this post) and I can only say some was a great success!

I used a weave sample with various textures and levels, a flat fancy twill combined with a plain weave with rug tufting techniques to make the surface very textured. I submerged part within the water and left the other part out of the water and avoided it getting wet.

Grey, grey, grey

Still working on the "grey" project for university, it's actually turning out to be not so bad. The lack of colour and a real concept are really helping me to develop my technical skills as I'm not distracted by anything else. I've been working on 16 shaft patterns that I've never used before and have also been using the book "The handbook of weaves" by  G. H. Oelsner (if any of you are aspiring weavers, check it out!) its bloody fantastic.

Theres a fully section on "fancy twills" which just blew me away.

Here's some of my work using those patterns.

16 shafts and large scale

exploring various 16 shaft honeycomb looms and "fancy twills" from a book from 1915!! amazing how 'contemporary' this work is to say the pattern is almost 100 years old ey?

I love learning new things, I just can't help it. I'm one of those people who wants to do everything and I want to do it now! I want to be able to create tiny embroidery cotton loom woven samples whilst making 10 yarn thick 3D loom structures whilst doing fine tapestries and bending wire into bizzare sculptures to coat in upcycled strips of fabric.

I just can't help myself.

I can't wait to get these patterns going with some colour. I'll soon be learning pockets and double cloths too which I really am excited for. I think weave is something that is really taken for granted. I know a large majority of fabrics are created using huge pieces of machinery now but what about all those fabrics that are hand woven? Each shaft lifted individually and each weft yarn pushed through by hand. I love weaving and go into a world of my own everytime I'm infront of a loom and can't imagine doing anything else. 

The concept of being able to bring patterns from 1915 into contemporary artwork just astounds me.

16 shaft loom #1

I've recently started working on a 16 shaft loom rather than an 8 shaft and my current project is all about grey!! We've been set restrictons of working with one colour and working souly on finish, technique and style. Not colour, not context. Just pure skill! I'm loving every single second ofi t.

I've recently started to specialise in "hand constructed textiles" and as you will know, a lot of my work is very sculptural so I'm going to start working on some large 16 shaft patterns that will hopefully go 3D once removed from the loom.

wellity wellity..

My last post stated I'd entered a competition, and now the competition has closed. I guess I can show my piece? 

I've just entered the "upcycler of the year" competition ran by twisted thread. It's based around "upcycling" a vintage garment. Now.. my piece is a little different. Being that I used 3 garments and some upcycled rope I found to create a basket style bag as I feel it reflects me and my work really well. The prize is work experience at TRAID and your work displayed in a shop in camden. I can't even begin to expres how amazing that would be.

The way the competition works is that the pieces are all auctioned off and obviously the one with the highest price, wins! Now I don't have much hope for my piece, as it isn't clothing and I know the general theme for the competition is clothing.

But all I can do is keep my fingers crossed :)

Below is the original garments..

and my upcycled final product..

Work in progress..

I'm not too sure how much I can say at the minute, but I've just entered a competition and this is the work in progress of my entry!

I'm not 100% sure when you can post your work about that you've entered but that is definitely something I will look into for the future, and will of course post a photo of my piece when I can :)

I've really loved making a piece for a competition.. I always love making work, of course I do! But it feels so different when its for a reason.. when you know people WILL see it and will form an opinion of it.

I don't have much hope as I have literally never won ANYTHING but fingers crossed... :)

"work"space

This is really what my desk looks like all the time.. Its suppose to be a clear space where I can think, draw, create. Its really just a pile of stuff and when theres a space, a sketchbooks fills it and I grab a pen and doodle away! I love being surrounded by things that inspire me and objects I care about.. but sometimes I also need a blank canvas. Maybe I need an inbetween?

Photos, scissors, glue (and my new stamps)

Collage is something I did a lot during my foundation degree when I did some work in illustration and for some reason its something I always forget about? But anyway, after I bought my wonderful new stamp set... I decided it was time to combine the two! I love it. Again, I've used some of my favorite quotes that maybe don't relate in any way, shape or form to the imagery but I love them all the same.