Innovation (Part Two) cont...

Along with my four fashion prints, i also created two laser cut pieces to make up my final collection of six. Even though i really enjoy the printing side of the project i will always love making things with my hands. So, i created 'Contour' the most successful of the two laser pieces. Still focusing on feathers, i got stuck into natural dye to colour my natural fabrics ready to be laser cut. I used natural dyes such as Logwood, Madder and Sanderswood to achieve subtle yet accurate colours of feathers i had looked at.

To add extra detail to some of the darker fabrics dyed with Logwood, i overprinted them by hand with devore paste and cirtic acid. Both of these are reductive processes, either taking away the original colour or altering it slightly. This addition of detail was meant to recreate the markings and detail sometimes found in feathers.

Soaked in Iron Mordent, died with Madder and Logwood.

This piece was an early sample and it is one of my favourite things i have produced in my time at LCA so far. Partly because the outcome was so unexpected but also because of the coloration. The pattern that  you can see is almost reminiscent of the form of feathers.

Quite a lot like the 'Delicately Damaged' Wall Covering i did in first year, a large part of this piece was all about the construction of it and the different layers merging together. So i spent a lot of time selecting individual pieces one by one to attach to the mannequin so the colours blended nicely.

Here's some work in progress photos:

This cropped section of the 'Contour' piece shows the
variety of print and dye processes i have used throughout.
The top layer is Logwood dye overprinted with Citric acid. And
the patterned piece has been bundled with onion and berries.

The piece as a whole was built to enhance the
form of the body and emphasise the natural
shape of the waist and hips.

I am really pleased with the final outcome of 'Contour'. The most successful part for me is the construction and the beautifully delicate blend of colour and form. If the colours had been too varied the piece wouldn't have worked at all. My intention was to use the feather pieces to enhance and accentuate certain parts of the body. I feel that this has been achieved with elegance. I could really see this design in reality!

This is also one of the two pieces i entered into the Bradford Textile Society Competition. Hopefully it will do well. Fingers crossed!!