3rd Final Piece

I got my 3rd and last final piece  finished today ready for my photo-shoot tomorrow. I have spent this week blasting through getting this piece done in time. For this piece I've chosen a pattern that uses regular pleating instead of box pleats. As I though the colours were a bit blander than the others I made sure that I had a strong pattern and that the larger width was the darkest plastic. I used grey for the larger strips, white for the middle size and clear for the smallest.

2nd Final Piece

I have chosen a new pattern from my exploration of patterns for my 2nd final piece. I like this pattern as I can see triangles and squares in it. I used the same ratios of how many strips for each width (8 x 5cm, 10 x 3.5cm, 12 x 2.5cm). This time I've used a different colour combination of grey bobbles, clear and black.

Finshed 1st Final Piece

After visiting London on Wednesday to get more plastic material I have been able to extend the length of my first final piece. I have been cutting, folding, Stitching and joining for the last day to double the length of the first attempt. This final piece now contains: 8 x 5cm black, 10 x 3.5cm white and 12 x 2.5cm clear. With this doubled I now tested its length on a mannequin to see if it was the right length and am really happy with the results.

Different Patterns

Lisa advised me that it was important for me to discover different patterns to expand on my ideas. I've been playing with the box pleat and pinning sections together to see what patterns I can make. I've also looked at regular pleats as well to explore what other patterns I can make with them.  I think I've made a nice collection of patterns for me to pick out some favorites to use.

Sprout Waves

I have arranged to half of each sprout oppositely in three channels to make a wave with the folds. I flipped round some sprouts and moved them over to be diagonally crossing in the same direction. I find this piece rather interesting but I don't see it on the body, I do however could see it with multiples of folds and as a wall piece or framed. I may reconsider with it on the body but with not as many, possibly just a chain of two waves.

Multiple Angled 'Sprout'

Today I carried on from my 'Spouting' sample where I had changed the angle and made a new sample with the same technique but this time I've created a line of multiple. I'm really fond of this technique and the way it looks when it curves and bends. I've been looking at current trends and strong geometric folds are very popular right now in S/S14 collections. These types of samples are are going to fit in really nicely.

Sample Placement Ideas

I spent all day working with my samples, placing them in different positions on my mannequin and documenting each idea I had for where my fabric shapes could be placed. I came up of all sorts of variation and different places. I found myself in the end mostly interested in placing things on the shoulders or hips. These are a select few of the images I made with them.

Angle Change on 'Spouting' Sample

Today I followed on from my 'Sprouting' samples. I reworked the pattern and changed the angle that the fold comes out. It comes out to more of a point this time. I'm rather fond of this sample, and again I want to create a line of multiples of this to see how they sit together.

Revised and Diagonal Tucks

I wanted to revisit my previous work of tucks and again create multiples all straight and uniform. This time when I made the tucks I didn't sew each fold, I folded it first and then sewn a line of straight flat fabric along the folded edge to keep the folds secure. Inspired by my 'Sprouting' samples I wanted to try two lots of tucks diagonally coming together into a point. I was interested by how it would form and whether it was possible to put two lots of tucks together. I was very impressed with how they came out its worked very nicely.

Sprouting Samples

Today I have been working on a new type of sample, moving away from the fabric cubes. Looking through the pattern magic books again I found a style they called 'Sprouting' or 'Nyokitto'. From looking at the images it didn't look like much. I just looked like extra fabric hanging from the body. However when I tried it for myself I was quite surprised and excited by what I had made. Using only two pieces of material I made fold that grows out of the flat fabric. From this one sample I needed to try multiples in a row, I knew that it was going to work so well together with multiple lines of folds. It was much more difficult to make a multiple line as the pattern curves round in a circle with too many of the folds. I think 5 or 6 would be the most I could do without the pattern going over itself. I could probably rectify this if i wanted more by cutting the pattern into pieces and having seams on the insides of the folds to be hidden. I want to play with this some more, move the folds around see how the fit together with other folds in different positions and change sizes and lengths.

Notched Tucks and Fold Samples

During some time around my work experience I managed to find a couple of hours to think about my creative samples. I revisited some of the previous techniques I had done before. I considered my paper to fabric folds I did in my last project and attempted to redo it to spark some ideas. I was thinking about the lines of tuck I could do, that still relates to my linear imagery for this project. I wanted to retry it but instead putting in notches within the tucks to form shapes in the lines of folds. Putting in small triangle and long trapezoid notches that matched up to form triangles that together look like diagonal diamond pattern. However the quality of the tucks is some what lacking, a problem I've always found when making notched tucks. It's a process I'd not want to be using on my clothing.

Designer Research

As recommended I have focused on researching some fashion designers that I feel relates to the interests of my project. I have collected images from designers that show form, fold and lines within their clothing. More images can be found on my Pinterest. I'm planning on looking into these designers' work even more to find more

I have also looked at designers' collections for S/S 14 and it looks promising that whites and pales colours will be a popular trend as well as fabric pleats. I was mostly impressed with Christian Dior's S/S 14 Ready to Wear show as his work shows a lot of form, pleating and white.

Donna Karan                                         Channel     

Yiqing Yin                                           J.W. Anderson

David Koma                                   Christian Dior S/S 14

Final Piece Idea Generating

I've been trying to figure out what to make using my folded forms. I know I want me make something wearable but I need to work out what it is, where it's going to be and how will it sit. I've been trying to draw some things but the best way to do it is to use my samples to place them upon a body form to see how they work. I've also used a bigger sheet of a paper form to test more outrageous ideas. The difference between the paper and fabric is that the paper is more strict to it's form and doesn't have as much give to moving. So I know that the fabric won't sit into some of the lovely structures that the paper produces. I have decided from playing with the shapes to make a skirt and arm bands both incorporating the tuck lines along with the folds.

Applying the Folds

I've been thinking about how I would stitch the edge of the folded pieces to other fabric. I tried stretching the folds out to sew along the edge but it wasn't looking right as it flattened the edge too much. Through some playing around with the folds I've worked a way by folding a line in the opposite way to get it to stitch together. This is a big turning point in my work which means I can combine it with my tuck and work towards refining and making a product. My only concern now is how i'm to finish my fabric work so that the fabric doesn't fray.

Stitch Tests

Looking at adding colour to my folded pieces I worked on testing different types stitch on the folds. I tried stitched along different lines to find out the out come. The pink lines that follow the top of the folds seem really obvious and takes away from the crisp fold, making them softer. The blue lines that follow the inside zigzag folds are hidden amongst the folds and are hardly noticed. The yellow lines however I really like as they are straight lines dissecting the folds and tie in with my use of straight repetition of lines. The yellow straight lines are my most successful stitch test. I also tried a combination of all three on one folded sheet but it looked a little crowded for what I wanted as I'd want it to be subtle. I quite liked the combination of pink, blue and yellow, it reminds me of the CMY colours. I tried to use neon colours in relation to my white to keep to a bright and vibrant colour code, also neon additions are very popular right now.

Colour Addition to Fabric Folds

After testing colour additions to my folds, I picked my favorite and got it digitally printed on silk. After a day of drying I peeled it off the paper back and folded into shape. This is a very effective use of colour, as it emphasizes the folds than distracts from them.

Colour Addition to Fold Tests

I was inspired to add colour to my samples from a folded lamp shade by Nellianna, who works in making paper origami shades. Their striped shade gave me the idea to use colour in the same manor of in a line in the folds. I worked out on illustrator the ratio of the colour addition and printed them off in paper to test the look of them in a multitude of ways and folds.

New Folds

I've been researching I've been looking for new folding patterns similar to my previous ones that I can use to expand from my current favorite pattern. I have found a few and tested them out. I really like these patterns as like the other one they have interesting and different patterns on both the sides. The difference with these is that they don't fold flat. So if I was to try to translate them into fabric forms then I will have to work a way around so that I don't put it in the heat press.

Dyed Folded Fabric Pt.2

I carried on with dyeing my folded fabrics but this time I coloured the fabric yellow first and then dyed the folded piece with blue making it green but darker on the edges. This was much different than I expected as I thought the inside would be yellow and the outside areas would be blue or green.

Dyed Folded Fabrics

I have been feeling a bit stuck yet again so to try to overcome this I have been in the workshop to expend on my folded fabrics for what else I can do with them. I have attempted a new process of making them by sandwiching the fabric between folded paper and then pressing it. This has made it so much more easier and faster than before. My only ponder is how thick can I have stuff in the heat press, if not very much then I wont be able to make very wide pieces. I was able to make three folded samples in the morning and after lunch I made up some procion dyes to try dip dying them. When I get the folded samples wet it washes the starch off and it loses its form.  So to stop this I have to pin them and starch them after they are dry and press them again. I'm thinking of trying to steam them into their form like shibori. When they are pinned together the dye only effects the outside areas and leaves white sections inside. I made one completely blue, one white with blue edges and a yellow one I am going to do blue edges tomorrow morning. I quite liked the blue colour with the folds, I might want to try a more grey colour. I still want to try different processes with the folds to see what I can create.