Weaving Processes, Trends and Techniques (Secondary Research)


 Weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts. The process involves entwining a set of vertical threads (the warp) with a set of horizontal ones (the weft). The practice is almost a part of human nature as, even before the process evolved to how we know it now, the underlying principles were used in the creation of everyday necessities such as shelters and baskets. The materials used in those early days included twigs and leaves to create ridged objects. When humans found out how to create thread from natural fibres the art of weaving became more widely used to create various practical items. Many households wove their own fabrics for use by the family.

The process evolved and machinery was created to make the production of fabric more efficient and less time consuming than simple looms. The inventions of the "Flying Shuttle" (1733) and "Spinning Jenny" (1765) to revolutionise the art coincided with chemical bleaches and dyes being more widely used. This meant the bleaching, dying and printing could happen in the same location. By the time the "Power Loom" (1812) was invented, all stages of cotton making were consolidated and could occur in one factory.

(All above information is from Scrubba, 2018).

The rise of the woven textile industry saw it become less and less sustainable. It's arguably the easiest method of creating fabric and therefore was cheap and easily accessible to the wider public. This encouraged mass production. There are now many synthetic fibres used to create woven fabric and weaving is almost exclusively commercialised. There are very few communities and individuals that still weave by hand.

Recently hand woven wall hangings have become very popular. DIY kits can be bought from various places. I think encouraging a new generation to learn and fall in love with this craft can only be a good thing. Many items including homeware, clothing and accessories can be created by weaving with materials we already have at home. By using found, reclaimed and recycled materials we can create unique, beautiful and, most important, sustainable textiles. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Artist Research - Christine Gedeon

Image
Christine Gedeon uses paint, fabric and stitch to invent these semi-abstract landscapes with limited colour palettes, intended to make viewers contemplate their individual relationship with the external world (Christine Gedeon, undated).  The use of different fabrics to create shapes and layers adds depth to the works. Overlapping lines and shapes perfectly capture the connectedness of a community and the place it's based. Places hold memories and memories build a persons identity. So conjuring depictions of places via design can hold different meanings to different people but simulaneously be recognisable to an entire community.   
Read more

Print Pathway - Research

Image
There are many ways to create a print, conventionally through methods such a screen printing, block printing, and digitally printing. But I want to explore other methods such as hand painting, collage, stitch and embellishment to create prints. These methods can be used and digitally manipulated to create even more possibilities within the print world.  The above prints all display elements of structure, either through the use of geometric shapes or architectural imagery. Techniques include collage and digital manipulation. I want to use elements inspired by architecture in my own designs as well as experimenting with digital processes and collage within my prints.
Read more

Beach Waste and Plastic in Our Seas (Contextual Research)

Image
 70% of all the rubbish that ends up in the sea is made up of plastic (Kornei, 2017). This puts a lot of aquatic species at risk. Creatures eat and become trapped in it and it strangles plant life under the water. Litter from the sea often washes up on the shore where it's also accessible to birds and other animals.  Synthetic textiles are the greatest cause of microplastics in the ocean, other contributors include tires, city dust, road markings and personal care products (Horiba, no date). All plastic can break down into  microplastics through biodegradation and exposure to natural elements. These microplastics scatter all over the planet. Toxic chemicals bind themselves to microplastics which create a poison that is ingested by marine animals (Bauman, 2019). In order to reduce waste (especially plastics) from damaging our seas we can reduce use and consumption. Switching to biodegradable materials, recycling materials and ensuring all waste is properly disposed of will...
Read more