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Victorian Inspired Textile Commission

January 11, 2011 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade, Inspiration & Education, Organizing Projects 4 Comments


Victorian Inspired Textile Commission

I’m excited to share the latest completed textile commission I delivered to clients on Sunday.   This piece was commissioned to fit into a 2 story entrance area in a home that’s design is influenced by Victorian era elements.  I discussed the colors, size and overall feel that the client wanted.  The chandelier and fabric below are a couple of the main elements of design influence.  I wanted to use the peacock feather motif and the colors from the fabric.

I initially did these sketches to get ideas down and then choose materials.  Over the last 6 months or so I’ve worked at the piece at times knowing clearly what I wanted to do an at other times I let the piece sit while I figured out technical or  creative challenges I needed to solve.

A project like this is so rewarding because it challenges you to step into someone else design aesthetic while remaining true to your personal design style.  I knew that this client liked my weaving’s but without my loom set up currently, I was left to find another medium to work with. 

I choose to work elements of weaving into this piece by using the long hand dyed fringe as a major design component.  I also used a subtle toile fabric as the background and selectively  painted motifs that were inspired by a collection of hand colored etchings the client has.  I used layers of sheer fabric bringing in both color and metallic sheen.  Layers of texture are a common theme in my work and this piece ended up having 3 layers of fabric, 1 layer of fringe, feathers and embellishments including stitching and beading.  They were thrilled, I was thrilled and I was thrilled that they were thrilled!  My husband was thrilled to have our dining room table back available for use!

Spotlight::Our American Textile Heritage~Churchill Weavers

December 21, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade, Inspiration & Education, Textiles & Pattern 1 Comment

Today I’d like to spotlight a part of Our American Textile heritage that I was lucky to be a part of in my early career. Sadly, Churchill Weavers is no longer in business but what I share here illustrates an overview of their generous contribution to the historic roots of textiles and manufacturing in America.

Advertisement showing the front exterior of the Churchill Weavers loomhouse.

Our American Textile heritage Before weaving begins, a warp or vertical the threads of the loom must be made. Weft threads are woven through the warp threads using the loom and shuttle. ca. 1928

Churchill Weaver’s stereocard advertisement, style 15319R.

I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to work for some US textile manufacturing facilities my career, some of which are no longer in existence and some that no longer manufacture in the US.  Starting right out of college I landed a job at one of the oldest and finest Hand weaving mills in the US.  I’m speaking of the late Churchill Weavers of Berea, KY.  Once so valued for their products that the US military spared wool rations so they could weave woolen undergarments for our military men.  It greatly depresses me to see their beautifully woven products now being sold as “rare” on Ebay!  There were a number of factors that went into the final outcome of Churchill’s doors being closed forever but they didn’t go down without a long battle.  Historical textiles from their archives were salvaged and donated to the Kentucky Historical Society.  They have compiled quite an amazing online Archive, accessible to anyone!

Churchill Weaver’s stereocard advertisement, style 15451.

Woven Panel made by Churchill Weavers and Designed by Gerhardt Knodel ca. 1978

One of the valuable lessons I learned working at Churchill is that there is no substitution for learning about business and technical data at a facility that manufactures rather than being miles and oceans away from the products you design.  If you’d like more information on the fascinating history of Churchill, please check out this blog.  A limited selection of baby blankets with original Churchill designs are available here.  I’m proud to share below a few of the items I had a part in designing!

                           Cotton Blanket with Chenille ribbing

Cotton “Basketweave” baby blanket with satin ribbon trim.

Luxurious Golden Wheat Chenille thick and thin throw blanket

I knew when I graduated from college in 1998 with a degree in Fibers (textile design) that it would not be an easy career choice.  I headed ambitiously into the profession knowing that the beginning of the end (as I had come to understand it) was already in sight.  Shortly after graduating I started seeing the full effects of the “global” market’s influence (and NAFTA) on the textile industry.  First, the mills began to run shorter shifts, sell off machinery and start to outsource manufacturing to foreign mills.  Within the first 5 years of my career, I had gone from designing for high-end luxury goods manufactured in the USA to designing mass produced goods being imported.  I had a hard time with the ethics of this but I needed to stay employed and by then I was beginning to see my friends design jobs being eliminated as their companies not only shut down manufacturing facilities but started to hire

First, the mills began to run shorter shifts, sell off machinery and start to outsource manufacturing to foreign mills.  Within the first 5 years of my career, I had gone from designing for high-end luxury goods manufactured in the USA to designing mass produced goods being imported.  I had a hard time with the ethics of this but I needed to stay employed and by then I was beginning to see my friends design jobs being eliminated as their companies not only shut down manufacturing facilities but started to hire off-site designers and design studios in other countries. I started to see another trend that was quite maddening.  Before I say more this observation is not singularly in regards to the textile industry.

I started to see another trend that was quite maddening.  Before I say more, this observation is not singularly in regards to the textile industry.  It is the misinformed “American way” to throw something way when it’s broken (or just worn out)! So often we don’t bother trying to fix it because it seems far easier and cheaper to just start all over.  This is maddening!  Can’t we honor those who have invested so much time and energy to make something beautiful and special?

I  am speaking directly about both historic companies and industries disappearing as well as individual makers. We often loose the wisdom of the old ways completely and then find a renewed interest once the individuals who carry this wisdom are all but gone. I will say that the first part of my career in textiles was dedicated to spending as much time around manufacturing and these “wisdom keepers” as possible. I also agree that sometimes new life needs to be blown in but there is often so much we can learn from these establishments.

It was about this time (early 21st cent-Y2K-current) I really became aware of the “Indy craft”-now also called the Makers movement.  I started seeing all sorts of crafters, makers and designers pop up on the www.  In response to this, I also saw a few new kinds of manufacturing facilities in the US who were responding to the needs of these independent makers.  I’m speaking of textile print on demand (such as Spoonflower and others) and weaving mills in particular but I’m sure there are lots of other examples by now.  This is encouraging to me on the one hand but also frustrating because we have already lost many older manufacturers.  I often think that if the generation gap had found a way to communicate with one another some very unique solutions could have come about and kept some companies afloat. 

There are some companies in the industry who did respond in this manner and I see them now as established and valued but also aware of new and upcoming trends.  My request to you is this; if you are a maker, manufacturer, lover of all things handmade and you are working in the US please consider the source of your purchase and support our US heritage of manufacturing. We can’t bring back these historic and iconic facilities but we can learn so much from them by informing ourselves and making the most of our purchases now and in the future.

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Textile “Out-takes”

November 30, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade 3 Comments

Today I’m sharing a Textile “Out-takes”  for an art piece I have been commissioned to make. This client really loves my weaving’s but since I don’t currently have a loom set up I had to come up with an alternate idea.  Below I’ve used a neutral cotton thread and threaded it through a reed to space it evenly the full width of my finished piece.

Next, I’ve painted the “warp” with dyes to match the decor and colors that my clients have requested.  This process is similar to warp painted ikat which is usually done after a warp has been threaded onto a loom but before it’s been woven.  In this case, I wasn’t working with a loom so I threaded the reed and secured it to a surface and painted the threads without tension.  This allowed for a painterly effect but wouldn’t be ideal for very precise image/color placement.

These “fringe” will become one layer in the finished piece.

Below are layers of block printed and metallic silk organza and hand painted cotton toile fabric (back layer) that will go behind the fringe. The finished piece will have 4-5 “layers” of textiles.

I haven’t decided if I will be using the blue layer and I have a couple other tricks up my sleeve but in all, I’m pleased with my progress and soon, it will be finished and ready to present to my client!

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Exciting Craft events, coming soon!

September 20, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Handmade, Inspiration & Education 2 Comments

Literally!  If you live in the DC Metro area there are some exciting craft events coming soon.

First, on October 2nd is the 7th year of Crafty Bastards in Adams Morgan.  I am not sure I will be able to attend this year but I’ve enjoyed all the vendors in the past several years.  Here are a few shots from some of my favorite vendors over the  last couple of years. 
The Small Object

Carlybird Weaves

Biggs and Featherbelle

In addition to great vendors there are always some fun DIY craft projects to get your hands on as well as music, b-boy battles and other great entertainment.

The second event coming to DC in October is the “Crafting A Nation” conference at the Smithsonian American Art museum.  This event is FREE and it’s in conjunction with American Craft Week 2010.  There is a great lineup of speakers and discussion panels and this event will be going on over 2 days so you can attend one or both days.  If you can’t make it to the conference check the website out for events in your state.  This event runs October 1-10 and there seems to be something going on in practically every state.

The last event I’m going to mention is the Sugarloaf Craft Festival at the MD State Fairgrounds on October 1st-2nd and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on October 8th-9th.  This festival is always fun for me to attend (even though I won’t be going this year) because I grew up in the area and have attending this event many times and I have fond memories of dreaming of becoming a crafter one day.  Dreams can come true!

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Something for nothing?

September 3, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Handmade, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Something for nothingHave you ever been asked to do something for a client only to find out that they can’t actually pay you? If not be prepared to be in that situation sooner or later in your creative career.  As I have started this journey of self-employment I have encountered quite a few opportunities to do something for someone where I was not necessarily “paid” in monetary terms.

Depending on your situation you have to ask yourself a few questions to determine if this project is a good idea or not.

1.  Is this project something I would enjoy or love doing?

2.  Is the client offering me something I can truly use in return for my time and services -is it truly of VALUE to me?

3.  Can this client lead me (or refer me) to other clients who can pay me?

4.  Are the project and the expectations of you and your client clearly defined?

5.  Is this an opportunity to expand in a new direction that you have been wanting to gain experience in?

If you answered yes to at least 3 of the questions above then you may want to consider this sort of arrangement.  I am finding that I am being asked to participate in various types of projects by other entrepreneurs and when someone else is just starting out as well I am more inclined to help them out if they are serious, professional and can offer me something equally valuable (relative to the time I would spend for them).

I’ve also been approached by mid sized/large companies asking me to work a barter deal with them.  Frankly, this is not as appealing to me unless they rarely have something valuable to offer me in return. We all have to earn a wage at some point, here in the US it would be virtually impossible to survive on a barter system alone.

The whole subject of “Free” is one that is continuously being discussed. I’ve participated in a few online discussions over at the former website “Make and Meaning”.  You can find an archive of these discussions on the subject of free over at Crafty Pod. This subject really gets people worked up, they either love or hate the idea of sharing their ideas and services for free or for the exchange of publicity, referral or some other less monetary exchange.

Either way, be prepared to explore the possible advantages and disadvantages of doing something for “free”.

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