Introduction
Patchwork is a fairly inexpensive and simple craft. The basic tools are a sewing machine, an assortment of fabrics and a lot of imagination. Before you know it, you've become an addict and so you spend countless of hours going from one fabric shop to another. In some cases you redefine yourself, buy white fabrics and lots of colorants - you've become a dyer and fabric designer to boot!
Marie-Therese Wisniowski's fabric length - AIVA (two meter length view).
On this blogspot is a range of Art Resources that will assist you into designing your own fabric. I have listed a few of them below and so this post will not repeat these resources.
Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics
Occupational, Health & Safety
A Brief History of Color
The Nature of Color
Psychology of Color
Color Schemes
The Naming of Colors
The Munsell Color Classification System
Methuen Color Index and Classification System
The CIE System
Pantone - A Modern Color Classification System
Optical Properties of Fiber Materials
For example, in the post on the Psychology of Color the following diagram illustrates how we feel subconsciously when we encounter the color "red". Of course such feelings are tempered by the colors that surround it as well as the subject matter of the image itself.
Fabrics can be designed using dye bath techniques and various other techniques such as shibori (scrunching), printing blocks, screen printed images, transfer dyes as well as being hand painted, and stencilled etc.
Artist: Marie-Therese Wisniowski.
Tie Akash.
Technique and Media: Hand dyed and hand painted background colors, discharged, silkscreened and stencilled employing metallic paints on silk satin.
Size: 9.5 w x 142 h cm.
Hand-Sewn Patchwork [1]
Hand-sewn patchwork can be a very time-intensive artistic endeavor. However, hand-piecing is a very attractive technique in that it will not take up a significant part of your home (unless you're a fabric hoarder!)
If you are sourcing fabrics rather than designing them, the equipment you need is quite basic: scissors for cutting fabric and another pair for cutting paper or cardboard; needles that are now called quilting needles; fine pins; thimble; and lastly beeswax - used to wax sewing threads in order to strengthen them and so prevent tangles.
Mosaic pathwork is made up of single patches such as hexagons, diamonds, triangles etc. - sewn together to create a whole piece. The patches consist of fabric carefully turned and tacked together on paper, and then sewn together by hand. This craft was solidly embraced in Britain during the Victorian era, where the Lady of the house had a significant amount of leisure time.
A panel showing a variety of different types of patchwork, including strip patchwork, Folded Star, Cathedral Window, woven strips, blocks, mosaic patchwork and Clamshell[1].
Artist: Linda Cook.
Material and Techniques: The fabrics used are plain and hand-dyed cotton and silks[1].
The variety of fabrics to use is only limited by your imagination. However, if this is your first attempt Jenny Bullen suggests you use dress-weight cotton as it will crease beautifully. For more details of the technique please refer to reference[1]. The rest of the images below will inspire you to develop your art using this technique.
A panel using patchwork as a design source.
Artist: Anne Coleman.
Technique and Materials[1]: Hand-dyed silk patches glued to a background and held in place with stichery. Silk and paper patches are used in the border.
The design for this quilt was influenced by Indian patchwork[1].
Artist: Jean Draper.
Technique and Materials[1]: It is in strong plain colors and has been hand-quilted in a variety of colored threads so that the quilting pattern plays an important part in the surface design.
An assortment of different fabrics have been used in this wall hanging with a design of polar bears[1].
Artist: Valerie McCallum.
Technique and Materials[1]: The various fabrics were machine-pieced and hand-quilted.
Folded Star used to create a totally different effect[1].
Artist: Muriel Fry.
Technique and Materials [1]: Plain fabrics have been arranged to that they shade light at the edge of the artwork to a darker center.
Fabric paints were used to color a piece of plain silk fabric[1].
Artist: Jenny Bullen.
Technique and Materials[1]: The silk fabric was cut up and used in this small wall hanging of long hexagons. Hand-pieced over paper templates and hand-quilted.
A small quilt in various fabrics[1].
Artist: Valerie McCallum.
Technique and Materials[1]: Various fabrics including synthetics, based on the Windmill block. After it was made-up, the whole top was put in a pink dye bath. Hand quilted.
"Flotilla" (Detail View).
Artist: Muriel Fry.
Technique and Materials[1]: A wall hanging worked in the log-cabin method, using a triangular instead of a square block. All the fabrics were hand-dyed.
In the collection of Lord Walpole.
Reference:
[1] Jenny Bullen, Patchwork - From Beginner to Expert. B.T. Batsford, London (1992).
Patchwork is a fairly inexpensive and simple craft. The basic tools are a sewing machine, an assortment of fabrics and a lot of imagination. Before you know it, you've become an addict and so you spend countless of hours going from one fabric shop to another. In some cases you redefine yourself, buy white fabrics and lots of colorants - you've become a dyer and fabric designer to boot!
On this blogspot is a range of Art Resources that will assist you into designing your own fabric. I have listed a few of them below and so this post will not repeat these resources.
Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics
Occupational, Health & Safety
A Brief History of Color
The Nature of Color
Psychology of Color
Color Schemes
The Naming of Colors
The Munsell Color Classification System
Methuen Color Index and Classification System
The CIE System
Pantone - A Modern Color Classification System
Optical Properties of Fiber Materials
For example, in the post on the Psychology of Color the following diagram illustrates how we feel subconsciously when we encounter the color "red". Of course such feelings are tempered by the colors that surround it as well as the subject matter of the image itself.
Fabrics can be designed using dye bath techniques and various other techniques such as shibori (scrunching), printing blocks, screen printed images, transfer dyes as well as being hand painted, and stencilled etc.
Tie Akash.
Technique and Media: Hand dyed and hand painted background colors, discharged, silkscreened and stencilled employing metallic paints on silk satin.
Size: 9.5 w x 142 h cm.
Hand-Sewn Patchwork [1]
Hand-sewn patchwork can be a very time-intensive artistic endeavor. However, hand-piecing is a very attractive technique in that it will not take up a significant part of your home (unless you're a fabric hoarder!)
If you are sourcing fabrics rather than designing them, the equipment you need is quite basic: scissors for cutting fabric and another pair for cutting paper or cardboard; needles that are now called quilting needles; fine pins; thimble; and lastly beeswax - used to wax sewing threads in order to strengthen them and so prevent tangles.
Mosaic pathwork is made up of single patches such as hexagons, diamonds, triangles etc. - sewn together to create a whole piece. The patches consist of fabric carefully turned and tacked together on paper, and then sewn together by hand. This craft was solidly embraced in Britain during the Victorian era, where the Lady of the house had a significant amount of leisure time.
Artist: Linda Cook.
Material and Techniques: The fabrics used are plain and hand-dyed cotton and silks[1].
The variety of fabrics to use is only limited by your imagination. However, if this is your first attempt Jenny Bullen suggests you use dress-weight cotton as it will crease beautifully. For more details of the technique please refer to reference[1]. The rest of the images below will inspire you to develop your art using this technique.
Artist: Anne Coleman.
Technique and Materials[1]: Hand-dyed silk patches glued to a background and held in place with stichery. Silk and paper patches are used in the border.
Artist: Jean Draper.
Technique and Materials[1]: It is in strong plain colors and has been hand-quilted in a variety of colored threads so that the quilting pattern plays an important part in the surface design.
Artist: Valerie McCallum.
Technique and Materials[1]: The various fabrics were machine-pieced and hand-quilted.
Artist: Muriel Fry.
Technique and Materials [1]: Plain fabrics have been arranged to that they shade light at the edge of the artwork to a darker center.
Artist: Jenny Bullen.
Technique and Materials[1]: The silk fabric was cut up and used in this small wall hanging of long hexagons. Hand-pieced over paper templates and hand-quilted.
Artist: Valerie McCallum.
Technique and Materials[1]: Various fabrics including synthetics, based on the Windmill block. After it was made-up, the whole top was put in a pink dye bath. Hand quilted.
Artist: Muriel Fry.
Technique and Materials[1]: A wall hanging worked in the log-cabin method, using a triangular instead of a square block. All the fabrics were hand-dyed.
In the collection of Lord Walpole.
Reference:
[1] Jenny Bullen, Patchwork - From Beginner to Expert. B.T. Batsford, London (1992).
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