In London

A quick update so that this blog doesn’t get neglected too much:
I am in London for a couple of weeks, doing some precious learning on textile design at the Chelsea College (University of the Arts). The course on textile design is very intense and I am actually exhausted at the end of the day.
It’s not just that I am learning the techniques, this is also a great opportunity for me to get more ideas and inspiration on how to differentiate my working methods on my reclaimed fabrics.
Most of the techniques I am learning I probably won’t repeat in the future, as they involve quite a bit of chemicals, but it’s still very valuable knowledge, not to mention it’s a lot of fun, and I am enjoying the company of some very very nice fellow students from different parts of the world and walks of life.

Just to give you an idea, this is a piece of silk that was first dyed and then “printed” on with a discharge technique, using a silk screen that had been burned with a design I came up with last night while searching for inspiration (that was my homework!).

The most interesting side of this has been preparing the design for the screen. I photocopied a necklace of mine twice on two A3 pieces of paper and then burned the screen with those together with the actual necklace, to create a more intricate design. I think it looks great and I am definitely using this technique for my screens in the future.

p.s. it’s obviously possible to dye fabric using natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly products but this requires a garden of some sort and a separate working space, which for now are not at my disposal. If you want to know more about this, I suggest India Flint‘s book “Eco colour”.

• July 20, 2010
• Tags: Designs, discharge, dyes, silk, silk screen
• Posted in Other things