Aesthetic: Textiles & Crafts, Art Forms, Architecture
Aesthetic: Textile and crafts
We have lost touch by and large with the manual processes that were the origins of the mighty cotton industry of Lancashire.
However, there has been a revival of interest in textile crafts of all kinds, and research shows that these kinds of activities have a positive impact on health and well-being.
We are also fortunate in having fabulous public sites and collections that reflect on the area’s textile heritage.
Springboard for ideas: visit to a venue with renowned textile associations eg Whitworth Art Gallery; Macclesfield Silk Museum; Styal Mill
#1 Working with fibresExploring the hand processing of a variety of plant and animal resources, either spinning or felting them as appropriate
Record your results as you work! Digital snaps and a bit of explanation is all it takes.
Linen - a difficult one to process as it requires long soaking and the resultant liquid is highly toxic. Raw flax can be obtained from crafting suppliers
Nettle fibre! Apparently not as painful as it sounds http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/Nettle%20cordage.htm
The same website has advice for using willow and lime wood as a source of fibre, although the processing takes a few stages
Cotton fibre from craft sources - doubt many will have grown their own….
Raw silk is available from craft suppliers
Wool: lots of different choices, from hedgerow gatherings to clippings from someone’s pet lamb, to buying craft materials eg combed long-staple wool intended for felting projects
Depending on how easily grossed out you are, working with pet hair is an option. The obvious choice is angora rabbit, first obtain a pet angora rabbit and comb it regularly, saving the combings…..
Many people may have a pet long-haired rabbit that could substitute
People have been known to work with cat and dog hair…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pAUAMT5I8 making a blanket from dog hair….
Skills to explore: fibre cleaning and combing, spinning, felting
Suggestion: combine different fibres and plant textures in a felted square
Most plant fibres alone will not felt together, but sandwiching them between layers of wool will secure them.
#2 Exploring Natural dyeshttp://www.wildcolours.co.uk/index.html is a very useful information source
There was / is a great amount of variation in the end-products of the dyeing process, before the introduction of man-made chemical dyes. This is an opportunity to explore them.
Many commonly found products can be experimented with as dyestuffs eg onion, blackberries, raspberries, beetroot, nettles, tree barks, teabags etc etc
Great variation in dyeing results can be obtained from the same dyestuff using different mordants, and again many mordants are commonly-found household materials.
In addition the choice of fabric or fibre will produce different results using the same dyestuff.
Suggestion: choose a specific fibre or fabric and a specific couple of dyestuffs for each session
Record your work with digital snaps and a bit of explanation
How to share findings
Eg sew all samples together into a patchwork hanging
Frame individual pieces
Make objects from pieces eg cushion covers
What will you do to share your project with a wider audience?
Eg Facebook / website / display in local library (if any spared)
We have lost touch by and large with the manual processes that were the origins of the mighty cotton industry of Lancashire.
However, there has been a revival of interest in textile crafts of all kinds, and research shows that these kinds of activities have a positive impact on health and well-being.
We are also fortunate in having fabulous public sites and collections that reflect on the area’s textile heritage.
Springboard for ideas: visit to a venue with renowned textile associations eg Whitworth Art Gallery; Macclesfield Silk Museum; Styal Mill
#1 Working with fibresExploring the hand processing of a variety of plant and animal resources, either spinning or felting them as appropriate
Record your results as you work! Digital snaps and a bit of explanation is all it takes.
Linen - a difficult one to process as it requires long soaking and the resultant liquid is highly toxic. Raw flax can be obtained from crafting suppliers
Nettle fibre! Apparently not as painful as it sounds http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/Nettle%20cordage.htm
The same website has advice for using willow and lime wood as a source of fibre, although the processing takes a few stages
Cotton fibre from craft sources - doubt many will have grown their own….
Raw silk is available from craft suppliers
Wool: lots of different choices, from hedgerow gatherings to clippings from someone’s pet lamb, to buying craft materials eg combed long-staple wool intended for felting projects
Depending on how easily grossed out you are, working with pet hair is an option. The obvious choice is angora rabbit, first obtain a pet angora rabbit and comb it regularly, saving the combings…..
Many people may have a pet long-haired rabbit that could substitute
People have been known to work with cat and dog hair…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pAUAMT5I8 making a blanket from dog hair….
Skills to explore: fibre cleaning and combing, spinning, felting
Suggestion: combine different fibres and plant textures in a felted square
Most plant fibres alone will not felt together, but sandwiching them between layers of wool will secure them.
#2 Exploring Natural dyeshttp://www.wildcolours.co.uk/index.html is a very useful information source
There was / is a great amount of variation in the end-products of the dyeing process, before the introduction of man-made chemical dyes. This is an opportunity to explore them.
Many commonly found products can be experimented with as dyestuffs eg onion, blackberries, raspberries, beetroot, nettles, tree barks, teabags etc etc
Great variation in dyeing results can be obtained from the same dyestuff using different mordants, and again many mordants are commonly-found household materials.
In addition the choice of fabric or fibre will produce different results using the same dyestuff.
Suggestion: choose a specific fibre or fabric and a specific couple of dyestuffs for each session
Record your work with digital snaps and a bit of explanation
How to share findings
Eg sew all samples together into a patchwork hanging
Frame individual pieces
Make objects from pieces eg cushion covers
What will you do to share your project with a wider audience?
Eg Facebook / website / display in local library (if any spared)