The Printed Cushion two.........

From looking at the design and pattern I have decided to only use the
'Mix Tap' design as I feel that this is the strongest print
and will look the best on the cushion.

With this I have tested the 'Mix Tap' on a coloured background
and I also feel that this is not as effective as the
plain background which really makes the colour pop. I also feel that this plain
background has more of a pop art feel.

THINKING ABOUT THE PACKS 

 I have also been thinking about how I would be able to create a pack for the
printed cushion and I thought that if there are different designs and
colours to chose from which are already on the fabric what they would have to do is just sew it together.
This would mean that the printed cushion will be the easiest of all of the packs to create so this could be a sort of starter pack which would ease you into making all of the others.
I will be putting pictures of all of the other cushions in each of the packs
this means that they can chose which one they would like to create next.


WHAT I AM DOING NEXT 
 
Next I will be creating my logo which will be 'CrarftyCreations' I have chosen this name as
all of the cushions use different techniques and they are very arty crafty.

I will also be looking at creating the different packs and what I would like them to look like.

Research into the packs......

There are many different types of do it yourself

art packs which people can make and create.

1) The first do it yourself pack is the dot to dot pictures, these are used a lot by younger

children to create a bigger more detailed piece of work. 

These are one of the easiest things  that you can get help with, as you just follow the

the dots on the picture.

2) Moving up from this is the colour by numbers pictures

these can be any picture made into sections which are number, each of these

numbers correspond to a colour which you then use to paint that shape.

This is also an easy technique which can be used to create really

good pieces of art. This technique is also used to replicate amazing

works of art created by famous artists such as Van Gogh's sunflowers painting.

3) There are many different things that come in packs which you can complete
yourself not only for children, a lot of these are to create cards such as Christmas cards and
Birthday cards.

Crafty Blitz Supplies  are a company which sell everything that you would need
to create your own cards for every occasion.



4) There are many different do it yourself packs that I have researched into, but the sort
of thing that I would like my packs to look like are Nancy Nicholson,  

 She creates different embroidery packs which she sells, these include
everything that you would need to replicate the designs which are on the front
of the packs.

 These pictures show the designs and also the pattern which you need to follow,
this is what I will also be including in my packs.

Nancy Nicholson inspired me to create the packs as I feel they are a really
good thing to do which creates amazing pieces with hardly any effort.

Common sizes of cushions.......

I will be creating my cushions with dimensions that I have

created due to the size of the samples and the

sizes of the covers, but I am planning with the

packs to give dimensions so that people can go out and

buy the inside of the cushion, this will be a lot

easier than giving the amount of stuffing that people would need.

 

I will be giving two different cushion sizes as all of the cushions other than

the modern day weave cushion will be square with the standard dimensions of,

 

Standard	(51 x 66 cm)	20" x 26"

 

and then the weave cushion will be with the dimensions of

 

Typical Boudoir/Breakfast Pillow	(30 x 41 cm)	12" x 16"

 

I feel these will be the best dimensions for the pillow packs as they are

pretty much the standard pillow sizes.

 

 

So far middle of project.......

So far I have been looking at creating samples which I have for

the weave, patchwork and crochet cushions, I now

need to create a sample for my print cushion. These

will all be displayed in my sketch book which I will

be handing in with the rest of my EPQ.

 

After I have created these samples I will start to make/create my actual

cushions I have already completed the crochet cushion this just needs

a calico backing and needs to be sewn onto calico meaning that the stuffing will not fall out.

 

 

All of my cushions will be different shapes and sizes. I am planning

the minimalist weave cushion to be long and thin which will compliment the look

of the modern day shapes.

 



This cushion is like the one that I will create, I really like the look of it

and I like the thin weave which has been used.

 

I will start creating the cushions in my next lesson as well as making the

sample for my printed cushion.

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.