Flower Pressing

Flower Pressing

Since I am researching into femininity within my theme 'Gender' I thought it would be important to look into flowers as a print since floral patterns have represented femininity for decades. Flowers are seen on interior, exterior and fashion products. I decided to use real flowers in my test and use the rolling mill to transfer the print. I simply picked some partially dried flowers, placed them on natural white cotton and then rolled it until the roller passed over the whole flower. This adds pressure and makes the print of the flower transfer on the fabric. Unfortunately, this didn't work because the roller was bumpy and caused the print to be inconsistent. I tried it again with same process on the printing press but with the natural fabric Calico. As a result this worked a lot better, the pressure added was a lot more even so the print from the flower is easier to see and in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasing. I am really pleased with this test and I would like to develop it further in my further research.

Stitch Prints

I am still looking into my idea of researching into gender stereotyped toys which begins with toys. I have previously made a couple tests in relation to this. I began this experiment by printing out a image of two care bears and placing them on top of a sheet of A4 acetate. I then went on the sewing machine and I simply followed the outline of the characters. After this was done, I ripped off all of the paper left to reveal the stitched print. I then decided to push this test further and print with it. I mixed red and white block printing inks to create a thick mixture of a light pink which I then dabbed onto the acetate until it was covered. I then used a damp paper towel to wipe of any excess paint. I then dampened the fabric and placed the stitch print on top of the calico. I chose calico because it is a natural fabric that will absorb the print well because it is strong and has a plain weave. I then put these under a rolling mill with a lot of pressure to force the print on the fabric. I rolled it through a couple of times to ensure it worked. Once done, I pulled the fabric and acetate out and revealed the print, I personally do love the outcome, but because the fabric was maybe too wet, the ink dispersed slightly out of the pattern. Therefore I thought it would be a good idea to test it again on different fabric such as white cotton which is also a natural and equally strong material. I repeated the test but made sure the cotton wasn't as damp as the calico and I then really liked the end result because the white fabric made my print look more vibrant and therefore stand out. I then wanted to develop this further and make it appear more stitched so I worked back into my print with the sewing machine to add more texture.

To develop this test even further, I scanned in the prints and manipulated the colour, size and shape on Photoshop to make a exciting print. I really like how the print turned out and I would really like it if I could turn this into a print on fabric and work into it again with stitch and embellishment. I think this would be a great print for putting on a garment also.

I then went on to research any designers who have created similar prints or had similar concepts of using children toys as a theme for wearable garments. As a result I found collections:

• Krizia Robustella F/W 2015
• Jeremy Scott F/W 2015
• Bas Kosters F/W 2015

I definitely take a lot of inspiration from these artists as my specialism is textiles for fashion. I would like to research into similar collections again and possibly make my own fashion garments as a result.

Applique and Reverse Applique

 Following my current research within my theme Gender, I decided to carry on looking at girls stereotyped toys such as My Little Pony and Hello Kitty. I thought it would be a good idea to try Applique to begin with because I haven't done it before and since it is my Final Major Project, I want to push my tests and ideas. To begin my applique test, I chose a picture of My Little Pony and printed it out, I then chose two colours of felt and a background piece of calico to attach it onto. I then cut the fabric and fused webbing pieces onto the wrong side of the back of the material by using a heated dry iron. I then cut out the correct shapes to make it look like a My Little Pony design, once this was done I peeled back the webbing and used the iron again to fuse the pieces onto the calico. This worked well but thought it looked quite plain so I went on the sewing machine and by using a black thread I managed to add detail such as the eyes and the mouth so it looked more aesthetically pleasing. I personally don't like this design because to me it looks quite childish therefore I don't think I want to use this technique again but I am glad I experimented with it.

After doing my Applique test I researched into it a bit more on pinterest and found two amazing artists that create great work from this technique. The names of the Artists are Katie Essam and Rosie James, I loved how they both managed to add texture and detail within their designs that don't look childish at all. I also love the materials that they have used, their work has inspired to maybe try this test again but alternatively use mismatching fabrics like they have to make it more interesting. 

After realising I didn't particularly like my Applique test I thought it would be a good idea to try Reverse Applique. I began again by finding a image online and printing it out, this time it was a picture of Hello Kitty. I again chose two pieces of felt fitting the colours on the image and a white piece of cotton layered on top. I also left the picture on top of that and sewed on top of them all following the outline of the image with a black thread that was set to do zig zags. Once this was done I ripped off all the paper and then the appropriate bits of fabric to reveal the different materials underneath. I thought that this test was a lot easier than the applique and a lot more effective.

I think that the felts were very strong and easy to work with, I would definitely like to use them again in future tests, I also think the fabrics are all durable because they wouldn't break easy in the way that if you pulled on them they would stay in tact. 

I then researched Reverse Applique artists on pinterest and found two amazing pieces. Both artists are unknown but I put them in my sketchbooks because their work is what I aspire mine to look like.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

I have decided to add a couple of heath and safety points to keep safe whilst experimenting with these tests.

• Iron away from yourself
• Keep hands away from the Iron
• Be aware of anyone around you
• Concentrate on the sewing maching
• keep hair back whilst using the sewing machine

Screenprinting

Screen printing

I decided to begin my research of my theme Gender by looking at girls stereotyped toys. I thought Barbie would be a great idea to research because it has been a popular girls toy for years. I decided that using the textile technique of screen printing an image of barbie would work well. I began by finding a suitable picture of Barbie on the internet that I could copy and create a layered screen print from with acetate and paint. Once I printed the image I put a piece of acetate on the paper where I used a craft knife to cut out each different coloured layer on a different sheet of acetate. For example I created one layer for Barbies yellow hair, another layer for her face and another layer for her glasses and the well known Barbie logo. I then mixed and found the right colours for each layer of the image. This meant that I could then individually screenprint by using a screen printing board and a squidgy to drag the paint on the board resulting it to only make a print on the white cotton fabric where the acetate did not cover. My first attempt didn't work as I started with the hair and I forgot to put the acetate where the glasses would be so I had to start again. After I did this again for each layer it left me with with a interesting print of Barbies face. I thought the cotton took really well to the print as it absorbed it well because it is a natural fabric with a tight weft meaning it is a strong fabric. It is also quite durable because if you pull on it it would not break easily. I also like the colour of the fabric as it was white; meaning it let my print really stand out with the bright colours I included.I also got a interesting print from the paper that was underneath the cotton fabric, I really like how the image looks faceless and a bit skewiff. I developed this further by using the sewing machine to go around the glasses and Barbie logo to make it stand out.
I then moved on to just doing a screenprint of the Barbie logo because it is such a well know text. I did the same method as before where I printed the image, cut it out with a craft knife on acetate, layered it on top of white cotton and then screen printed on top of it with a bright pink. Both of these tests did not go to plan because when I was screen printing the first one, I clearly didn't make the squidgy go over each bit of the board as some parts did not show up very well. On my second attempt, the acetate moved when I was screenprinting causing the paint to not just go where I cut out on my acetate for the image. I would like to go back and attempt this test again because I have identified what went wrong so I now know how to fix it.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
When screenprint there is a couple of heath and safety guidelines I would recommend to make sure the test goes to plan.

• Always cut away from yourself when using a craft knife
• Be aware of everyone around you when holding or using a craft knife
• Wear gloves when screen printing so the paint doesn't get on your skin

After testing and researching the Barbie brand, I found that Moschino did a collection where they recreated the barbie designs on the Barbie dolls for real humans. They also copied the Barbie text and changed it to Moschino. The models also had the Barbie look (big blonde hair, tanned, small figure) I love how they have adapted a dolls toy to something in real life. I feel that the collection is very controversial as it was made to get people talking. I love this idea and I would love to research into any other designers who have had a similar idea.