The Weave modern day Cushion.....

I will be creating the modern minimalist pillow with the technique of weaving.

Weaving is the technique of using two different sets of yarn on called the weft

which you weave in and out of other sections of fabric called the warp.

You can use anything to weave which will create different

textures and patterns between the warps.

 

Weaving has been used all around the world by different cultures to create

fabrics and garments.

 It has been used in China and South east Asia also in the Islamic world and the Medieval period.
Within all of these cultures the more expensive the fabric the higher you
were in social networks and in court.

One of the most famous weaving is the Kente Cloth, this cloth is  type of
silk and cotton fabric which is in turn made out of strips of cloth woven together,
these strips are then woven together to create the distinctive strips of the
Kente cloth. This cloth originates from the Akan ethnic group in Ghana.
All of the different coloured yarns and fabric mean different things....

black—maturation, intensified spiritual energy

blue—peacefulness, harmony and love

green—vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal

gold—royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity

grey—healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash

maroon—the color of mother earth; associated with healing

pink—assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red

purple—assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women

red—political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.

silver—serenity, purity, joy; assoc. with the moon

white—purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions

yellow—preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, beauty

 The 'Legend has it that kente was first made by two Akan friends who went hunting in an Asanteman forest and found a spider making its web The friends stood and watched the spider for two days then returned home and implemented what they had seen'

 

 



 

 

Weave is used to create many different materials in textiles and these are then in turn

made into to lots of different fabrics and garments. There are many different ways in which you can weave such as a Peg loom and a free Standing loom.

 

 

I will be using the loom to create my weave as I feel that it will give me the best results,

I have started to create samples with a hand loom and have used different

colours and settled on different types of blues with a sort of ombre look.

These will be displayed in my sketch nook with the rest

of my samples from my other cushions.

 

Whats next.....

I will be creating the samples for my patch work cushion

next which will be displayed in my sketch book alongside

the other samples for the other 3 cushions.

 

Patchwork is a form of needlework which is created when sections/

pieces of fabric are sewn together to create a larger design.

Different pieces of material can be used to give the patchwork

a lot more texture and pattern, this can then be created with any material

with any colour and pattern which will give a really nice final outcome.

 

Patchwork can be used to make anything but the most common is the patchwork

quilt, however it can be used in fashion to make dresses and

skirts as shown in the pictures below.

 

 

 

 

In my patchwork I will be using different flowery fabric to create different sized squares

which will be sewn together to create a mix match flower design.

I will be creating the same sort of look in my final outcome as the images below.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Crochet Cushions...

I have been researching into Crochet especially into 70's 

crochet, how they used it in both fashion and interiors. 

Looking at the colours that they seemed to have used 

dark colours such as Mustard, Green, Dark Blues and Browns. From this 

I will be using Green,Orange and light Beige. I will be using these as I  feel they 

will represent the 70's well. 

My yarns for the cushion

When looking into crochet I have seen that they tended to use 

this technique for everything from interiors to hot pants (see images below).

Crochet was popular in the 70's as it was easy to get the bright acrylic yarns and

it was easy to get a hook and follow a pattern, this links in well with my packs as  crochet

in the 70's was a do it yourself activity.

Crochet hot pants and dresses 

This is the technique that I will using for my cushion. This pattern is called a Granny Square,

I will be using this as it is one of the most popular Crochet patterns as it 

continues to just go round and round giving a textured outcome with a neat finish.  

 

As you can see from these cushions Crochet was used a lot in 

interiors in the 70's.

Screen prints

This cushion is going to be made from prints on calico

I have chosen to do the prints in the style of 60's pop art.

I have changed the pop art print from 80's to 60's as this is more of the

era that pop art was around and it flows better with the rest of my ideas and cushions.

 

I looked at pop art on the internet and the designs I have chosen to use are

a print of a cassette tape as these were popular in the 60's especially mix tapes for your friend and

partner and also a print of the famous POW, this will link into the cassette tap

as I have put music notes around the bubble.

 

I have chosen to use screen print as I like this technique and the way it looks once it is printed

I will be using lots of different colours in my samples to get the perfect one

for my cushion.

I then will sew into the print with the sewing machine as it will give it more depth. I will also try this on my samples which will be documented in my sketch book.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been researching into famous pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, he famous for favoring the comic strip he produces hard edged, precise compositions. He also favored 'tongue and cheek humor' e.g The famous WHAMM and Drowning Girl.

 

I will also be looking at other pop artists such as Andy Warhol.