Playing!

Here are a couple of snaps of some of the fabrics I've been playing with today and also some of my shopping so I can carry on playing!

Apparently felt doesn't dye... lesson one learned!

Looks like another shopping trip for some more yummy dyes now I know how they work.

Photo number 2 is 100% cotton and photo 3 is polycotton. The colour on the cotton is far more vibrant than on the polycotton. Lesson two learned!

I tried to make some patterns with the 100% cotton and I love how the dye gets lighter the closer towards the middle of the roll it got. Now to do something with my fabrics.

I'm going to keep my palette warm; mainly reds, pinks and oranges, just because I can :)

Personal Project

Over the summer I have been tasked with a Personal Project; a project which I have to self direct and choose the topic of which to base it on. The spectrum is so wide and varied. I have decided to explore purely process - stitch, dyeing, folding and manipulating fabrics and understanding the materials I love working with.

My aim for when I return to university in September is to have a swatch book and sketchbook exploding with tests and experiments. For now I am concentrating on technique and process forgetting about ideas and meaning. Sometimes the pressure of giving my work meaning destroys what I can achieve. I would also like to look at Japanese crafts and craft techniques should I find enough time :D

I will keep a research file and will post my findings weekly to compare and contrast notes and techniques.

I have been on a shopping trip to a local haberdashery and am armed with materials galore! Now for the fun bit of exploring....