Bibliography...

Please start my blog from the bottom and work your way up to see the development for the 'Green' with Envy design progress. It will make more sense ;)

Bibliography:-

• Sewing World November 2011.
• Homestyle Sewing 'Xmas Special'. November 2011.
• Simply Homemade. Issue 10. November 2011.
• Homes & Gardens November 2011. No.5 Vol. 93.
• Wallpaper October 2011.
• Elle Decoration May, October & November 2011.
• http://www.naturalenvironment.com/ [accessed 15.10.11]
• http://www.karenperry.co.uk [accessed 29.10.11]
• http://www.madeleineboulesteix.co.uk/index.html [accessed 29.10.11]
• http://www.paintthetowngreen.biz [accessed 29.10.11]
• http://www.picknatural.com/fiber_hemp.html [accessed 29.10.11]
• http://www.organic-furnishings.co.uk/wallpaper/24/ [accessed 29.10.11]
• http://www.orlakiely.com [accessed 17.11.11]
• http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/orlakiely.html [accessed 17.11.11]
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orla_Kiely [accessed 17.11.11]
• http://www.coolpicking.com/50226711/sweet_dreams_in_dream_bed.php [accessed 18.11.11]
• http://www.contemporary-home.co.uk/tree-bed.php [accessed 18.11.11]
• http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=large+bed+headboard&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=666&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=FH4Dhtin5CcqeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.hudsongoodsblog.com/%3Ftag%3Dbedroom-headboards&docid=Y2ndD4ps08HmyM&imgurl=http://hudsongoodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tree-headboard-1.jpg&w=640&h=480&ei=DMrITraiF9Tc8QPd3YVl&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=846&vpy=348&dur=5843&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=88&ty=169&sig=102119563609406933067&page=3&tbnh=132&tbnw=160&start=32&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:32 [accessed 18.11.11]
• Anon, 2009. Think Green ' Recycling'. 1st ed. California: Sadleback Educational Publishing.
• Ikea 2012 Catalogue .
• John Lewis Spring / Summer 2011 Catalogue.
• House and Garden October 2011.
• Period Homes and Interiors May 2011.
• Period Ideas May 2011.
• Design Centre No. 16.
• House Beautiful November 2011.

Mock up of designs in room set...

A sample booklet has been made containing all 6 designs in the 'Green' with Envy collection this also shows ideas of how the designs may look if they were made up...

 

 

This is how the main headboard and hanging mobile would look on a 'crib' style bed.
I think this has worked really well and the design is unusual and as it is made from
Eco friendly and recycled materials it makes it even more desirable.
I feel that showing the cushion on the bed helps to show that the designs compliment
one another.





A roman blind made from the flower and button fabric design from the    
'Green' with Envy collection.




This shows the delicate 'stalk' design on a lampshade. This design has very small
intricate beads and would cast lovely shadows when the lamp is on.




This is a room set showing how the collection would look together.
I think the designs compliment each other well.

 I feel my designs all compliment each well and the headboard and mobile hanging tie all of the designs together.

I have enjoyed making my designs up and am pleased with how they ahve all turned out.




Bibliography:
Original images from www.google.com/images then edited by Rebecca Roe-Smith in Photoshop.

'Green' with Envy...Final Design Development...

Firstly I had to print my 'simplistic' designs on to my chosen natural fabric - Calico.  This went quite well, after my initial screen printing tests had bled quite badly, due to the card stencils being too thin, I chose to do my stencils on a thicker card - I found that this helped to over come the problem (although there was still a bit of bleeding it was minimal and would be covered by the appliques later on in the development).

My final screen prints, for my collection, ready for the intricate development with applique and embroidery:-

Once my screen prints had dried I started at work with the detail of my designs.  I added machine embroidered leafs, buttons, old dish cloths, old scarf and fleece, bits of old cord, hand embroidery, bead work.....




I added buttons to this design - I decided that it was a simple design
and didn't need too much detail to make it work well.
I think this design would look great as a roman blind, curtains or as bed linen.
This is my favourite design - it is so simple but still ties in with the main design
for the headboard.




This design was shown for my 'jumper' cushion with buttons and embroidered dish cloths.
For this design I added free hand machine embroidered leafs,
a large button and the main central design was cut from an old fleece.
I feel that this design would be great, not only as a feature design on a cushion, but also
as a repeat design on bed linen, curtains, or blinds.




This is another very simplistic design that I have added machine embroidered
dish cloths.  I decided that I should onlyhave the appliqued leafs randomly placed
as I did not want it to look too regular.
I think this design would look great as a throw or a roman blind or curtain fabric.




This design is based upon the stalk shape from my headboard design.
I added tiny beads to embellish this design it is a delicate design and I felt that anything more would be too heavy.
I think that this would look great on a lampshade or as bed linen.




I took my main headboard design and rotate it and flipped it and came up with this design.
I then added hand embroidery and pieces from an old scarf to this design to add texture
and colour.  This design would look great on a duvet cover with matching pillow cases -
one 'cluster' placed in opposite corners (ie. top left and bottom right).




This is my main design for the full height upholstered headboard.
I have incorporated aspects of all of the designs within the collection.
The large leafs are made from old place mats and curatins with machine embroidery and beads.




This is the main design hanging mobile. It is made from all the different
style of leafs used throughout the collection as well as some extra experiments
that were made from recycled or eco friendly materials especially for the mobile.


























I feel that my design have worked well and I have enjoyed developing it and lookingat new innovative ways to expand my ideas.



Bibliography:-
All images are my own.

'Green' with Envy...Jumper Cushion Cover...

I have started to bring my collection together, I have finalised my designs and have been creating my leaf shapes out of recycled odds and ends ready to applique on to my screen printed designs.

Materials that have been used include old washed and pressed dish cloths, an old jumper, old curtain fabric, an old fleece, buttons that have been collected over the years from old garments, a leather sofa swatch and old remnants that were found in my sewing basket :-

Leaf made from an old place mat
and old curtain fabric with
added machine embroidered.

                                              

                                                            Machine embroidery on a leather

                                                              sofa swatch. This will be for the mobile

                                                          hanging.

Bead work to look like 'dew' droplets
were then added to the place mat
and curtain fabric leaf designs.

Machine embroidery was applied to

some old washed and pressed dish cloths.

Machine embroidered and hand beaded dish cloth.

The dish cloth leaf pattern was then applied to a handmade cushion.  The cushion was made from an old jumper - I found an article 'Sewing World' November 2011 on how to make a 'cashmere sweater cushion' and I decided that I would adapt this and make a cushion cover from one of my old jumpers in a similar way and then incorporate one of my designs...(a photo of my old jumper can be seen in my previous blog post 'Recycling').



I started off by cutting my jumper in half width ways to try and work out the pattern for my cushion cover.  Once I had worked out which part of the jumper I would need to go where for the cushion cover I cut it into sections and started to pin it in the correct position :-

The ribbed section of the jumper will create a flap
that will be buttoned on the back of the cushion cover.

I then developed my cushion cover but adding old buttons to the flap on the back of the cover and for the front I cut out the pattern from an old fleece.  I then stitched the dish cloth leafs on to the tip of the fleece pattern with an old button to hold it all in place.  I decided to make a feature of all of the button, font and back, by stitching them on with a contrasting thread.

Buttons on back of cushion cover
with contrasting threads.

Pattern on front of cushion cover.
Stitched in place by the buttons and leafs.

 The finished cushion cover, I feel, is very effective and I am pleased with how it has turned out.

Front of cushion.

Back of cushion.

Bibiliogrpahy:-

All Images are my own.
Sewing World Magazine. November 2011.

Recycling...

The 'Green' with Envy Collection has been inspired by the ever growing trend to recycle and to help the environment.

"Recycling is the manufacturing of waste materials to make new products. It involves collecting and treating discarding materials as raw materials. Some commonly recycled materials include aluminum, glass, plastic, and paper. Recycling helps to save the earth's precious resources by treating waste as raw materials. It also helps the environment by saving energy and reducing pollution." (Anon, 2009).

The 'Green' with Envy collection has incorporated recycled products from an old jumper and a well loved fleece through to washed and pressed dish cloths and odd remnants collected over the years such as buttons from old garments etc.

The recycled materials will be embroidered and then appliqued on to a screen printed design.

The main design of the collection will be a full height upholstered headboard and will tie in with the rest of the collection which will include fabrics that could be used as bed linen, curtains / blinds, cushions and even lampshades.

An old jumper that will be turned into a cushion with one of my
'Green' with Envy designs ...

I will be recycling this old jumper and making it in to a cushion.  It will feature on of my 'Green' with Envy designs and machine embroidered cleaned and pressed dish cloths as well as buttons that have been collected from old garments over the years.

Watch this space for photographs of my collection coming together ... :)

Bibliography:
Anon, 2009. Think Green ' Recycling'. 1st ed. California: Sadleback Educational Publishing.

experiments...

I have been experiementing with different recycled materials that I have found laying about.  I also got some bamboo leaves from the garden to see how they could be used and manipulated.

Dried Bamboo leaves from the garden...

Dried Bamboo stalks and leaves...

Once I had collected the Bamboo I dried the leaves out over night and then 'folded' and 'weaved' 2 leaves together to see how they would work:-

 I like the texture that the result gave so have decided to add this to my mobile hanging.  I don't think it will work as well on the screen printed fabric though as I think it is a bit too delicate.

I also found some slippers (that came free from a hotel), an old woolen belt, some old ribbons, card and old swatches of fabric that I could use for my mobile hanging.  I have shaped all of the recycled materials in to a simple basic leaf ready to attached to my hanging.  I added some machine embroidery to some of the leaves that are made from old fabric swatches - this will help to add some texture and collour to my mobile hanging.

Old fabric swatch texturised with machine embroidery

Attaching my recycled 'leaves' to the woolen belt.
When this is finished this will be my mobile hanging.

Recycled card - adding another element to my mobile hanging.

An old hotel slipper that I have cut to be part of my mobile hanging.

My mobile is coming along quite well.  I am now going to concentrate on my fabric collection and start expanding my ideas some more.  I have about 3 or 4 ideas that I am happy with but I want to keep developing my ideas for my collection, as I feel that I would like to be able to offer a wider variety for my Eco-Friendly range.

So watch this space for my progress reports....

Orla Kiely....

After qualifying as a textile designer from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin Orla Kiely moved to New York where she worked as a wallpaper and fabric designer.  Kiely then moved to England and in 1995 the London based Irish fashion designer founded her collection range in 1995.

In the late 90's Kiely's idea of laminating cloth for handbags came to her. At the time "no one was doing anything like it". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orla_Kiely [accessed 17.11.11]).  When people thought of laminated fabrics they thought of wipe clean tablecloth's not handbags.

Laminated Cloth: 'Acorn Cup' Print Sally Bag. (image from www.orlakiely.com/)

The Orla Kiely collection expresses Orla's "love of pattern, colour, texture and rhythm, which as components all play and work together." (http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/orlakiely.html [accessed 17.11.11] ).

"With clean orderly repeat constructions and a boldness of scale, her work achieves strength with a very modern quality, while her nostalgia for all things mid century, help make her patterns charming, uplifting and instantly recognisable." (http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/orlakiely.html [accessed 17.11.11] ).

Kiely uses simplistic bold designs that are clearly inspired by everyday life and objects.  Her 'stem' and 'multi stem' designs are very similar to how I have interpreted branches, twigs and leaves within my designs.

Orla Kiely 'Stem' Design.
(image from www.orlakiely.com/)

Orla Kiely 'Multi Stem' Design.
(image from www.orlakiely.com/)

I have now decided to look at expanding my design collection further.  Orla Kiely's designs are all very similar - the 'theme' carries through in to all of her designs whether her design is a leaf or a car you can clearly tell they are part of the same collection.  I will basing all of my designs around my leaf and twig designs.

Back to the drawing board for me now!!! :)



Bibliography:

http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/orlakiely.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orla_Kiely
http://www.orlakiely.com/

Initial Ideas & Homemade Screen Printing ...

I have based all of my design ideas around natural, organic shapes. I want my final design to be simplistic as I am going to add detail to my designs using applique and embroidery. Once I have decided which design works best with screen printing I will further my designs to create a wider variety design range for my 'Green' with Envy collection.

Some of my initial designs:





A slightly more delicate & intricate
twig & leaf design.



Simple leaf and bamboo design



Simple design for a cush

 
       A 'collection' of designs using an uncomplicated basic leaf and 'twig' design.



I decided that I wanted to do some screen printed test pieces for my design collection to see if this would be the best route to take for my final designs.

I handmade my screen printing frame from some old wood that I found in the garage and some organza fabric that I bought from my local haberdashery.  I stretched the organza as tight as I could across the frame and then secured it using a staple gun.  I then covered the edges with duct tape to help to stop any paint bleeding into the wooden frame.

Homemade Screenprinting Frame.



I then cut out my designs on some card ready to use as stencils for my screen printing.

  I used natural fabrics, cotton and calico, to test my screen printing on.  They both worked quite well.

I attached my stencil to the under side of the screen with masking tape, placed it on my fabric and put a line of water based paint across the top edge of the frame...



I then got a squidgy and flooded the screen with the paint - this in turn pushed the paint through my stencil on to the fabric below creating my desired pattern.



Unfortunately, the card I had used for my first stencil was not thick enough and when I did my screen print the paint bled.  This is why some of the test designs above look a bit smudged.  This was why I had decided to do test prints though, so I can learn from my mistakes ready for my final pieces.

These are some of the other designs that I printed:-

A. For my bamboo design I
used 3 different colours.
I waited for each colour to
dry before adding tone
and shaddow with other
colours.



B. This is a very basic leaf and stem
design. I feel this may be a little
too simple, although it has worked
quite well with the screen print.





C.  This is a development of the above design (B.) and I feel this works
a lot better.  It is still a basic design but slightly more intricate.
I feel this design lends itself to delicate applique and embroidery.

The above design (C.) is my favourite design.  I have started to look at how I can expand on this design to create a range for my 'Green' with Envy collection.  I am looking at how this design would work when I duplicate it and rotate it as well as creating new patterns with it. I will be enlarging my new 'Green' with Envy Collection designs and doing some more trial screen prints.  I will then start adding some of my applique designs (basic leaf shapes made from recycled materials - embroidery, etc) to the screen prints.



I concentrated on a small section of
design C. and repeatedly placed it
with the base positioned to form
 this circular design.



I 'flipped' part of my design to form this
'corner' feature that could work nicely on
a cushion or even on an upholstered chair.





I concentrated on the top
section of my design.
I thought I could 'flip'
and rotate it to see designs
I could come up with....



I think this simple idea works
well and would look good as a
repeated pattern - maybe as a
feature cushion...

As part of my 'Green' with Envy collection I have decided to incorporate my designs on a full height headboard.  I have also designed, and started to make, a hanging mobile to go over the bed, hanging from the large full height upholstered headboard:-



These are ideas for my full height headboard.....

I have taken my inspiration from magazines and catalogues - A lot of beds have huge pieces of art or a collection of images hanging above them. This has helped me to decide that my 'Green' with Envy collection should include an upholstered full height headboard ...



'Green' with Envy bespoke Headboard and Mobile.

... I have designed my headboard so that it curves back over the bed, like an old fashioned babies crib - this then lends itself for a bespoke mobile hanging to become part of my collection too.