Chapter 4: Fabric investigation

For this chapter we had to make a collection of all the neutral coloured fabrics in our possession and to make a thorough investigation of their various properties. The vast majority of the fabrics that I own are made from natural fibres.

Fig. 4:1

Fig. 4:1 shows cotton fabrics as follows:

C1 - A1447 Natural cotton fabric from Whaleys - soft, quite thick, clear weave

C2 - Osnaburg, a soft, thin cotton fabric with a slubby even weave which looks a little like linen (bought from Doughtys)

C3 - Curtain lining from IKEA - 100% cotton which is thin, soft and has a close weave. From previous experience this takes dye particularly well and has the added bonus of costing only £2 per metre.

C4 - Patchwork weight 100% cotton fabric is soft, easy to sew and has a close weave

C5 - Cotton muslin is soft and thin with an open weave.

C6 - Cotton scrim bought from Whaleys is thin, soft and has a very open weave.

C7 - Denim - just a small sample of this from Natural Fibres so it is 100% organic cotton, thick, firm with a diagonal twill and dense weave.

C8 - Organic cotton flannel, again from Natural Fibres. This is thin, very soft with a close weave and a brushed surface on one side.

C9 - Organic cotton twill, again from Natural Fibres. This is thin and densely woven with a diagonal twill.

Fig. 4:2

Fig. 2 shows a mixture of fabrics as follows:

J1 - Jute hessian from Whaleys is a coarse fabric with an distinct quite open weave

J2 - Jute scrim again from Whaleys is again a coarse fabric with a very open weave

M1 - Nylon organza bought several years ago from a floristry supplier - soft and transparent with a close weave and a distinct sheen

M2 - Velour picked up from an oddments bin - very soft with a plush pile and a shiny surface. I think possibly viscose

M3 - Nylon lace from my stash so no idea of provenance - soft with shiny areas of pattern woven onto an open background

M4 - Poly-cotton quilt batting - very soft with a brushed surface

 

Fig. 4:3

L1 - Linen scrim in natural, bought from Whaleys and L2 is exactly the same fabric in white. Both have a medium weave though the bleaching process has made the white version softer to handle.

Fig. 4:4

Fig. 4:4 shows my silk collection:

S1 - Silk organza bought from Stef Francis - soft and translucent with a close weave.

S2 - Silk cotton bought from The Silk Route - soft with a slight sheen and close weave

S3 - Silk dupion again from The Silk Route - crisp feel and a close weave

S4 - Silk tussah again from The Silk Route - soft with a slubbed pattern and close weave

S5 - Heavyweight silk tussah from The Silk Route - very soft with thick threads and an even weave 

S6 - More silk tussah described only as JB830 on the texture silk pack from The Silk Route - a firm handle with open double weave

S7 - Another piece of silk tussah from the same texture pack (JB829), this time with an uneven slubbed weave but very soft handle.

S8 - A final piece from the same pack as above (JB848), this is firm with a fine slubbed weave

B1 - Bamboo/silk satin bought from Art Van Go - very soft, with a fine weave and a sheen on the right side of the fabric.

 

 Fig. 4:5

Fig. 4:5 shows the results of the fraying tests on a selection of fabrics.

Fig. 4:6

And 4:6 shows the results of attempts to melt the same fabrics. My findings are shown in the table below (Fig. 4:7).

 

Fig. 4:7

 

 

Finally in this chapter we were asked to produce a series of decorative strips with interesting edges.

  Fig. 4:8

1. Evenweave frayed on both sides
2. Evenweave frayed in the same way and then cut into different patterns
3. Curtain lining frayed and rolled
4. Organza slashed on each side with v-shaped cuts
5. Organza slashed on alternate edges and pulled before being fixed in place
   

Fig. 4:9

 6. Muslin cut with pinking shears

7. Linen fabric frayed down the centre then folded to make a looped fringe

8. Nylon organza torn then knotted (some with a double knot to make them more pronounced

9. Nylon organza strip slashed on both long edges then twisted and frayed

10. Linen fabric with bands of threads removed from the warp then the edges frayed

 

 

Chapter 3: Paper texture and relief

Firstly, an omission from my last post relating to the paper investigation in Chapter 2:

Paper investigation results:

• Copy paper is thin, tears easily, creases well, though is a little more difficult to crumple. Benefits from scrunching repeatedly to break down the fibres first.
• Newsprint is even thinner than copy paper, tears and creases easily and crumples easily (even easier after repeated scrunching).
• Lining paper - mine is a heavy weight which tears and pleats easily but needs extensive scrunching in order to crumple successfully. After this treatment it becomes quite soft and almost fabric-like.
• Card tears and creases easily but I could not persuade it to crumple successfully.
• Wrapping paper tore, creased and crumpled quite easily.
• Kitchen paper is very soft, tears easily but the pleats needed gluing in place to hold them. It crumples very easily but again required gluing to hold it in place.
• Rag paper tears with a lovely soft edge, pleats well but needs repeated scrunching to break down the fibres sufficiently to crumple well.
• Tissue paper tears, pleats and crumples very easily.
• Hand-made tissue - mine has definite fibres which are more evident when it is torn. It pleats and crumples easily though it is quite springy so needed glue to persuade the pleats to stay in place.
• Silk paper was difficult to tear though gave a lovely raggedy edge when torn. It needed glue to hold the pleats in place but crumpled well as it is beautifully soft - it also has a lovely sheen.
• Lokta tissue is again very soft but tears with a very soft edge, needs glue to hold the pleats and crumples well.
• tracing paper tears easily, holds pleats very well and crumples easily. I like its translucency, and especially the effect when glued.

Chapter 3: Texture and relief in paper
 I chose five textures from my tree bark images to interpret in paper:

 Fig. 3:1

I used strips of torn newsprint paper stitched together then torn across and crumpled to replicate this bark, which already looks like crumpled scraps of paper. 

Fig. 3:2

Winter tree branches depicted with scrunched tissue paper which has been glued down to form random pleats and gathers to echo the lines of the branches.

 

Fig.3:3

Kitchen paper glued down with PVA to form deep pleats and bumps to mimic the deep grooves and curving lines of this ancient tree's bark.

Fig. 3:4

The 'platelets' on this bark are replicated with pieces of lining paper torn and layered.

 

Fig. 3:5

Torn strips of newsprint and stitched (without thread) tracing paper have been curled with scissors and glued in place to mimic the curls of this tree bark.