Woven Textile Design: Jan Shenton

23 July 2014 |
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Jan Shenton coverWoven Textile Design written by Jan Shenton and published by Laurence King Academics , offers a comprehensive introduction to weaving for all those wishing to design and produce a wide range of fabrics from scratch.

Starting with the basics of woven textile design, the book looks at how to draw up and interpret records and notation, before explaining how different types of cloth are constructed. From the most basic of plain weaves, through twill weaves, textured weaves such as seersucker, crepe and corded cloths to more complicated designs created with extra threads woven in, a wide range of patterns are covered. Illustrated throughout with diagrams, weaving plans and beautiful examples from contemporary designers, the book also includes tips on using different yarns and colours to create stunning and unique designs.

Offering clear, practical advice, this book shows you how to interpret your initial concepts and develop your ideas on the loom. The book is highly recommended and a must have for textile students and professionals. Contents include

Jan Shenton is a weaver whose designs are bought by manufacturers and design houses in America, Canada, Europe and Japan. Her clients are high profile companies and include Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Etro, Weave Corporation, American Pacific, Cone Jacquards, Custo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Diane von Furstenberg, Etincelle Couture and Lululemon. She is a lecturer in woven textiles at Loughborough University. Continue reading →

Amy Gair: The Worshipful Company of Weavers Associate Prize

22 July 2014 |
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Amy Gair Woven Samples 2The Worshipful Company of Weavers Associate Prize was won by Amy Gair at New Designers exhibition in London.

Amy is from Shetland and studied a BA in Contemporary Textiles at the University of Highlands and Islands, before she progressed onto Heriot Watt’s School of Textiles and Design to complete her honours year in a BA(Hons) in Design for textiles, specialising in weave.

She graduated from Heriot Watt in June 2014 with First Class honours and won The Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers of Glasgow Prize at  her graduation for her  ‘Industrial North’ collection of dobby and jacquard woven fabrics.
Amy Gair_ New Designers copyright

Her ‘Industrial North’ Collection was focussed on Shetland and its northern identity as a remote Scottish Island. As the island is located half way between the Scottish Mainland and Norway, there are some Scandinavian influences  which ideas she  have tried to incorporate too. The collection brings together Shetland, Scandinavian design influences and traditional Scottish woven fabric qualities such as twills, herringbones and checks. She used a combination of wool, merino, lambs wool and also some Shetland wool too.

She  used her own photography and mixed media artworks to create ideas for translating into weaving which are a crucial part to her design process.Amy Gair - Sketchbook 2Amy is about to embark on a Masters in Textiles and Fashion at Glasgow School of Art and aims to work  in the UK textiles industry after graduating from this course. She eventually would like to set up her own textile label back in Shetland.

 

 

 

 

 

Website: www.brownsroadtextiles.com

Twitter: @brownsroad
Blog: amygair.wordpress.com

The Worshipful Company of Weavers

 

Photography of award event: copyright New Designers 2014.
Other photography and text: Amy Gair 2014
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Courses: Devon Weavers Workshop

22 July 2014 |
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DWW courseDevon Weavers Workshop run courses for intermediate and experienced weavers, at their well equipped workshop in Totnes, Devon . The workshop has a dobby loom, a computer loom, several floor looms and Louet table looms. The Tutors are professional British weavers and visitors from America who run 3 to 4 day workshops to share their particular expertise. The Workshop would like to be able to offer places on these courses to other weavers.

Barbara Walker, from Oregon, USA, is booked to teach at Devon Weavers Workshop in October 2014. Barbara is an multi-talented, award-winning weaver, a regular contributor to Handwoven magazine, www.weavezine.com and many other publications.

Barbara is an experienced and excellent teacher and welcomes a broad spectrum of weaving ability in her classes. This is a rare opportunity to broaden weaving skills and learn from a true master. The courses will be run as ‘round robins’ and full warping instructions will be given well ahead of each course. There are plenty of weavers in DWW willing to help those who need it to warp up their looms. You will have with a lovely selection of samples for your records from whichever course you choose.

Course 1: Warp  Patterning
Dates: 21 – 23 Oct 2014
Price: £195.00 non members
Deposit: £50.00, final balance 21st September 2014

This three-day, round-robin workshop for intermediate and advanced weavers covers turned drafts and a wide range of supplementary warp applications. It proves that two warps are definitely better than one. Why confine yourself to only one warp? The use of two or more warps opens up new and exciting opportunities for adding pattern to cloth. After learning to dress a loom with more than one warp you will explore many patterning techniques, most of which require only one shuttle. Sample weaving includes turned drafts, large-scale patterns, small-scale motifs, loom-controlled embellishments, and combining warp and weft patterning.
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Looms for hire: Birmingham

16 July 2014 |
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loom_flyer2Situated in the converted Old Print Works on the outskirts of Birmingham City Centre, the looms were rescued in pieces from a local further education college that was downsizing its textiles department and a small dedicated group of Weavers and helpers have restored the looms back to working order.  The looms are available to hire, there is one novice weaver who can give basic assistance in warping and tieing on and 2 experienced weavers/weave graduates who could be available on advanced notice. Ideally weavers who hire the facility need to be competent to work on their own but do contact to discuss any requirements to see if they can be accomadated.

For further information about the Works and its location visit: www.oldprintworks.org


Job: Woven Studio

1 July 2014 |
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Woven studio photoWoven Studio is looking for a new designer. The job involves hand weaving at a very high level for the designer end of the market. Applicants should have technical skills and also have some jacquard weaving skills as the role will involve working on the fashion collection for Vanners Mill and developing fabrics with our clients.

Applicants must have a thorough knowledge of photoshop and understand how to put designs into repeat. There will be some travel to Europe and also USA so a confident manner in dealing with our customers is required. The Studio is based in Bethnal Green, London.

Woven Studio is looking for a designer with a few years experience already in the woven industry, but would consider graduates who have experience from working as interns within the industry whilst studying.

July 15th 2014: This post has now been filled, please do not send any more applications. 

Symposium: Beyond The Blue

11 June 2014 |
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Beyond_the_blue_A2 pdf_final low res

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond The Blue: WOAD From Field to Fashion

The University of Brighton presents a one-day European based symposium and fashion show investigating the neglected story of the history, present and future of natural woad from field to fashion.

Date :Friday 13th June 2014
Venue :The Old Courthouse, Museum of Brighton
Time:10am to 5pm
Admission: Free
Reserve a place

WOAD. Once, a hugely successful and important basic commercial product of the European textile industry throughout the Middle Ages and on through the 19th century, the dye from this plant was the basis of a long and fruitful trade between Britain and Northern France.

This plant now reunites our regions again. The University of Brighton presents a symposium delivered by British and French scholars which will examine the demise and eventual replacement of Woad growing, due to large-scale importation of indigo from China, India and the West Indies. A further theme, presented by today’s growers, designers and makers set against current concerns over issues of sustainability, will assess the possibilities of the use of this brilliant blue natural dye within today’s international fashion and textiles industries.

This French/English bi-lingual conference is closely linked to the University of Brighton fashion show ‘Beyond Blue’ which will showcase their fashion and textile students’ garments created from fabric that has been woven, knitted or digitally printed based on a Woad colour palette. There will also be a static exhibition of work created by sculpture students from the Université of Picardie incorporating printed textile designs by students from the University of Brighton. The fashion show and exhibition will take place at St Bartholomew’s Church on the evening of Friday 13th June 2014 at 6pm.

Partners in the ‘Out of the Blue Waide Project’ are: ‘Amiens Metropole, Musée de Picardie, Amiens Metropole Libraries, ‘Maison de la Culture’ in Amiens, University of Brighton, Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton & Hove, Care
Co-ops and Fabrica Galler

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Commission: Oxford Brooks University SU

2 June 2014 |
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SONY DSCDesigned by design company Peagreen and woven by Gainsborough Silk Weaving, the Oxford Brooks University SU Bar  has a new installation that is testament to their new purpose built development.

The tessellating shapes and disrupted visual continuation of the piece was inspired by the geometric architecture and artwork in the Victor Vasarely Museum in Aix-en-Provence. Up close the installation becomes a mirage of intricate textures, patterns and gradients created both by the artwork patterns and the weaves.

The 3 x 10 metre piece proved an exciting challenge for Gainsborough Silk Weaving and consists of eleven woven panels, which were then rearranged and stitched together to create the finished work. No two panels are the same, employing a mixture of warps and weft yarn to create a completely different feel from one side of the loom to the other. Using silks, cotton, rayon and lurex to create added depth the installation has  great impact and is enticing.

The SU Bar will be open to students and the public from September 2014.
SONY DSC

Profile: Calum Clarke

20 May 2014 |
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Calum Clarke fabric HackettCalum Clarke was the winning weaver in the Monty Don’s, Real Crafts programme on More4 TV channel on 19th March 2014. His woven textile was selected by Jeremy Hackett to be used for a limited edition of bags for men. The range should be available in Sept 2014
Calum Clarke_Hackett bag

Calum is an award winning Textile Designer, specialising in hand-woven fabrics – he creates unique and experimental pieces for fashion, accessories and interiors. His distinctive style is informed and inspired by aspects of architectural Design.

Proportion, scale and geometric qualities are all integral parts of his design process.

Calum completed a BA(Hons) Textile Design degree at Central Saint Martins’ in 2013. In his final year he was awarded a top scholarship and the Stuart Hollander Memorial Scholarship 2013 from the Worshipful Company of Weavers.
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Monty Don’s Real Craft: Weavers

15 May 2014 |
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Monty Dons Real CraftMon 19th May, 9-10pm: More4

In the final show of the series Real Craft, Monty meets three trainee weavers who are competing for a commission that could seriously put them on the road to a career as professionals, with the winner’s work set to be sold internationally as part of a collection for the luxury menswear brand Hackett.

The three are put under the tutorage of Ptolemy Mann, a master weaver and textile designer whose clients range from the Hilton Group to Sotheby’s.

The three trainees are 24-year-old Juliet; single mum Aviva, who went back to college five years ago to study weaving and hopes to one day earn enough money from the craft to put her own daughter through university; and 22-year-old Calum. But will any of them prove good enough to represent an international brand?

Series Prod: Kate Morey; Exec Prod: Tim Quicke; Prod Co: Ricochet

Print/Weave dual city course: London/Istanbul

15 May 2014 |
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csm weave workshop1low resDual City Course
Istanbul/London: Print /Weave
16th June – 11th July

Istanbul 16th June – 26th June
Taught by Nesrin Türkmen, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University

The 2 week course in Istanbul will introduce you to screen printing on textiles and give the opportunity to create your own collection of printed textiles by utilising the same pattern with a variety of compositions and colour combinations. Studio and workshop sessions will be complemented by visits to places of interest, such as bazaars to buy woven/printed fabrics

Week 1 will concentrate on building design and preparing screens for printing.
Week 2 will be based in the workshop creating various techniques and compositions to make printings on various fabrics. The course aims to introduce you to screen-printing and provide the confidence to experiment printing on your own fabrics.

London: 1st – 11th July
Taught by Ayse Simsek, Central Saint Martins, University or The Arts London.

The second part of the course will take place in Central Saint Martins’ weave department where you will create a collection of hand-woven fabric samples using a table-top loom, inspired by your time in Istanbul and the prints you produced there.

You will be introduced to hand weaving starting with the technical aspects of loom set-up and how it can affect the final product leading to you making your own samples. By rotating round a number of looms during the nine days you will have an opportunity to create a variety of different samples using different techniques – combining different yarns colours and weave patterns to create something unique to you. You will create a collection of beautiful samples that will be an impressive addition to your portfolio.

No experience of weave is required to attend this course; however you will be expected to develop your own weave designs and patterns so some design experience will be useful.
For details and application

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