Hello again!
Before I write anything I want to thank you for taking the time to read my blog and showing an interest in my work. Feel free to leave any comments or questions in the comments at the bottom- I'm always interested to hear what others think of my work, and what ideas you might have to share.
Since my last post, I have been exploring natural dying processes further, and begun thinking about ways to introduce stitch and other elements to my samples.
Above is a photograph of one of my "Eco bundles" being unravelled. This very simple process involved me dampening the cloth (in this case I used silk), scattering red onion skins and rolling up tightly before leaving on a window ledge for a few days (it really is that simple!). The dye took really well to the silk, producing some really bright pinky purple tones. My cotton and muslin samples (some still to be unravelled) seem to be more brownish colours.
Looking to introduce stitch to my work, I tried using various natural cottons and wools to stitch, couch and french knit with, to create organic, plant-like forms (see above). It was interesting to try dying (with black tea) and stitching at various stages, to see how the different yarns took the colour, and to leave some of them completely un-dyed to stand out against the background.
Searching for further inspiration, I started researching Japanese Textiles and culture, particularly Wabi Sabi and "Boro" textiles.
Wabi Sabi 侘寂 is a Japanese world view that centres around seeing the beauty in imperfections, with the notion that nothing is permanent, nothing is complete and nothing is perfect.
This is just something that interests me as it reflects the way I have been working with natural dyes. While exploring and learning different processes, I have found the outcomes to be quite unpredictable, and often come out differently to how I had envisioned. Also, a lot of these processes- Hapa Zome for example- are only temporary, and will fade over time. While this could be seen as impractical and non-commercial, I feel excited at the prospect of being able to overprint and patch over areas that have faded and worn over time, and to keep adding to an ever evolving textile piece as the seasons and surroundings change...
This takes the pressure off producing perfected finished samples and garments, and allows me to focus on enjoying the process of experimentation and discovery. By not planning meticulously or trying to control the processes too much, my work should retain that organic, unexpected feel...
Image source: http://threads.srithreads.com/
Moving on to look at Japanese Folk Textiles, I came across the term "Boro". In Japanese textiles "Boro" refers to clothing that was worn by peasants, merchants and artisans in Japan from 17th century to early 19th century. It also refers to textiles that have been mended and patched.
There are various different mending techniques but the one that particularly interested me was "Shashiko" which literally translates to "little stabs" (see example above). This method of using tiny seed stitches to reinforce and mend cloth, is also used as a solely decorative technique. Traditionally, the cloth is indigo dyed, and stitched with white cotton (or red cotton for decorative purposes). There are various stitching patterns which can be followed, or tiny stitches can be used to completely cover areas of cloth.
Here are some quick samples of my experiments so far with Shashiko stitching and patching/mending. I love the way these tiny stitches draw your eye to areas and create a lovely texture. I found the whole hand stitching process very therapeutic, and feel this is something I want to explore further.
On a side note, I have also been considering moving into digital printing. Although initially I was against using this process as it didn't fit in with the handmade, organic aesthetic, I feel that it could bring another more commercial element to my project. Also, as many of my samples will fade over time, it would be a good way to translate and preserve the lovely colours onto something more permanent. This is just an idea, and I am yet to explore this further... I'll keep you posted!
Until next time,
Bryony 🌱
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