More on pleats
09 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in dye, manipulation Tags: heat press, indigo, origami, pleats, polyester
There’a a whole new world out there. When I went online to get other ideas for possible pleat moulds, I came across some very advanced origami tessellation techniques. And I realised that some of the techniques used by artists I’ve previously written about, like Polly Verity, could be adapted to make pleat moulds.
However, their folding skills are far more advanced than mine – I got very confused in discussions about iso, 64-pleat grids and 12.12.3 tessellations!
Then I came across this piece about the Miura Ori map, a type of origami pleating that minimises the stress on paper where folds intersect and is also easier to fold and unfold (anyone who has ever tried to refold a map in a confined space like a car will know what I mean!).
So in class this week I made my own Miura Ori mould from cartridge paper, plus a longer parallel pleat mould, and used them with synthetic fabrics and the heat press.
First, I steamed some sheer polyester organza in the Miura Ori mould and then put it in the heat press, still folded with some disperse dye paper on either side. As you can see, the dye did not penetrate very far through the fabric folds:
I also repeated this with the diamond pleat mould:
Then I dyed the fabric in the heat press before steaming it in the mould:
Similarly, I dyed a piece of shiny polyester in the heat press and steamed it in the longer parallel pleat mould. Unfortunately, I clamped the fabric and moulds between two plastic rulers to keep it straight before putting it in the steamer – mistake!
Finally, I steamed a couple of pieces of cotton muslin coated in PVA in moulds, before clamping them and putting them in the indigo vat. Obviously, dunking the fabric in more liquid means the pleats are lost, leaving just the dye pattern where the indigo penetrated:
Paper and pleats
07 Feb 2012 4 Comments
in dye, manipulation Tags: Bridget bailey, origami, paper moulds, pleating, procion dyes
After a somewhat uncreative week, it was a delight to spend Sunday back at Morley on a short course with Bridget Bailey called Introduction to pleating.
Bridget’s work featured on the cover of the first book I ever took out of Morley Library, a volume called The New Textiles (left). I was enthralled by the movement and colour she created in fabric, so the chance to do a course with her was too good to miss.
We started by dyeing a couple of pieces of cotton of different weights, because Bridget hates working with white. It was the first time I’d used Procion dyes on fabric, and it made me realise how quick and easy indigo dyeing is by comparison – no waiting around for an hour for the mordant and fixer to work. Obviously, however, you are not limited to blue with Procion!
After dyeing it, we coated the cloth with diluted PVA and left it to dry.
Then the fun part – making the paper moulds. To save time, Bridget provided a template, which we had to transfer to two pieces of cartridge paper by pushing a pin through both sheets, rather like artists used to do when making a cartoon. We didn’t sprinkle with soot, however – we joined the pinpricks by scoring with a scalpel on both sides, depending on whether the folds were mountain (folding away from us) or valley (folding towards us).
This is a bit tricky to explain if you’re not very familiar with origami, but the photo below shows one of the final bits of scored cartridge paper lying flat. Behind it is the other piece folded along the score marks.
We then put a piece of fabric between the two bits of cartridge paper, folded them up, secured with an elastic band, and steamed for about 5 minutes. After drying, we undid the moulds to reveal a crisply pleated piece of cotton that had taken on the exact shape of the moulds. Magic!
Below is another, simpler mould of diagonal parallel pleats, so they run on the bias. We folded the fabric in half before putting it in the mould, which results in a chevron pattern when it’s unfolded.
Bridget had also brought various pieces for us to see that combined screen printing and discharge dyeing with this technique. Great potential – very exciting!
Friday favourites
22 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in knitting, manipulation Tags: jewellery, knitting, shibori, stools, Velcro
Just a few works that have caught my eye in the past couple of weeks.
Michelle Griffiths, Cross Pollination series
Michelle Griffiths uses shibori techniques but without the dye to create beautiful 3D forms. I’ve noted before that when the fabric is pleated, folded, stitched or tied before dyeing, it often looks very attractive. Michelle has worked this concept into an art form. I missed her exhibition earlier this year at the Lesley Craze Gallery, but I would love to attend one of her workshops.
Velcro necklace by Yong Joon Kim
Yong Joo Kim received her Master of Fine Arts in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design. So she’s used to working with silver and precious metals, but her latest collection of jewellery is made from Velcro.
Knitted stool covers by Claire Anne O'Brien
Claire-Anne O’Brien is an Irish textile designer who specialises in knitting. I love her huge-scale knitted stool covers.
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