Following on with the project 'Twisted fairy tale' I am going to begin experimenting with materials, creating a series of processed sampled pieces which I have constructed together to perform my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I am going to explore many experimenting stages which allows me to experiment skilfully through art and textiles, expressing my chosen fairy tale. I am also going to find ways in which I can experiment using a pathway which is sustainable and environmentally friendly, preventing increasing risks of pollution and global warming towards the environment. I have chosen fabric and paper materials considerately when sampling pieces of art and textiles, so that I can be sustainable towards the environment. I made sure that I recycled and reused paper materials and fabric materials to create art and textile pieces of my chosen fairy tale which would be sustainable.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.
Artists and designers have a moral duty to now consider the environment within their work and the impact of their production. Today, at the forefront of the creative and fashion-conscious is sustainability; creating items of art, clothing and textiles that are eco-friendly and sustainably produced. Sustainability is thought about hugely by artists and designers by them rethinking their chosen materials in what they are using to produce their artwork and garments, and and if the materials are environmentally echo-friendly. This helps the environment hugely in the future because there will be far less waist and less global warming impacting on the environment.
Focus on Fashion & Textiles:
Sustainable fashion is today a highly debated and increasingly covered topic in media and at seminars worldwide. This comes as a result of the fast fashion cycle that has emerged over the past 20 years. Fast fashion is a contemporary term to describe the movement from couture catwalks to affordable chain stores. The clothing collection in these stores are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at fashion weeks. The clothes are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow consumers to buy current styles at a lower price. The fast fashion model leads to overconsumption and produces a lot of waste, both from textile waste in factories and excess clothing in people’s home wardrobes. For example, the average American household produces 70 pounds of textile waste every year, and roughly 10.5 million tons of textile waste is being thrown away annually in the entire country. The clothes discarded into landfills are often made from synthetic or inorganic materials which prevent them from being able to degrade properly, causing negative effects on the environment.
The impact of the fast fashion cycle on our environment has inspired the sustainable fashion movement, which aspires to be eco-friendly and socially responsible. More and more clothing companies are transforming their business models and improving their supply chains to reduce overall environmental impacts, improving social conditions in factories. We also see a growing awareness among consumers, especially younger generations, who are now more conscious of the clothing they buy, looking at eco-friendly brands down to shopping in charity stores. Being from the younger generation I can proudly say I shop at charity shops and buy many things second hand. However, I still buy majority of my clothing brand new from high-street stores which are the main stores causing sustainability in the fashion industry. Therefore, I am going to take into consideration the huge waist and excess material left over when clothing is produced cheaply for these high-street stores. For the future I will make sure that I buy majority of my clothing from charity shops or buy echo-friendly materials, so that I'm helping the future environment and saving it from more pollution and global warming.
The Sustainable Fashion Model
When we learn about “sustainable fashion”, we soon realize that there are many forms of sustainable fashion. Some individuals emphasize the importance of making clothes in a more environmentally friendly manner, while others advocate secondhand/vintage or underline the benefits of swapping, renting or borrowing clothes as opposed to purchasing newly produced clothes. All strategies promoting more environmentally, socially and ethically conscious production and consumption are important steps towards a more sustainable industry. By going down the route of buying eco-friendly clothing, or second hand clothing, it enables to prevent wastage of excess materials produced by Highstreet stores. Therefore, this prevents more pollution intoxicating the earths environment and prevents the increase in global warming.
Japanese Boro
Boro is a general and recent term applied to this kind of patched and mended textile, meaning “broken” or “tattered”. A running stitch is used to connect small pieces of waste cloth, turning them into a larger area, recreating a marvellously reconstructed item of clothing, with recycled pieces of material within it. This can be done easily with scraps of recycled or excess materials which can be constructed together to create a full piece of clothing.
Dana Cohen
Dana Cohen’s first award-winning collection, 'Worn Again', was developed in 2015 using recycled materials. By taking discarded fabrics and shredding them into smaller monochromatic fibers, the designer was able to create new felted textiles out of scraps that would usually be taken to the landfill. After the process was complete, the designer was left with a completely unique knit boasting a combination of colors and patterns produced by the different original fabrics.
This collection was hugely inspiring as it advertised to recycle and reuse, performing this through a collection of recycled clothing made from scrap felted textile materials. This collection enables designers to be hugely inspired and therefore be influenced to recreate collections similar to this in the future. This enables preventing wastage of new materials and stopping the increase of pollution and global warming.
Viktor & Rolf: Vagabonds
Dutch fashion house Viktor & Rolf used fabrics leftover from past seasons to create the haute-couture garments in their Autumn Winter 2016 collection - ‘Vagabonds’. The designers repurposed their leftover clothing and materials into new pieces based on their older designs. "The collection ponders over the past, where elements from past iconic collections are lovingly reworked into a new order”. "The past is looked at in a new light and used as a stepping-stone for the new, the more durable." "As such, recycling is used, reflecting a thoughtful attitude and a focus on conscious designing," they said. The cloth was ripped up and collaged together. Some of the garments combined hundreds of different fabrics. Thin strips were woven and braided to form patchworks of material, which unfurled at the ends to better show the separate colours and patterns more clearly. Larger sections were ruched into shoulder adornments for denim jackets and used to create decoration across pullover sweaters. Patches of multicoloured buttons covered pockets, knees and cuffs, with some stitched across entire garments. This spectacular constructed collection was magnificently inspiring, taking a differnt take on fashion in the fashion industry. The marvellously smart idea to reuse and recycle excess left over materials from old designs of clothing, performed a unique iconic collection which brought a different take on fashion in the fashion world. This collection was hugely inspiring because it presented a new way to recreate designed garments without using new fabric materials, which prevents causing a huge impact on the environment pollution and global warming.
Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton, for Alexander McQueen, has been using waste fabric from the atelier, in the recent collection, made during lockdown. The collection features the sketches created by the designers at the fashion house from periods over lockdown, printed on to the waste fabric and embellished with hand embroidery. The collection is a celebration of lockdown resourcefulness. This collection is hugely admirable because it is preforming a good cause by using recycled and reused materials to construct clothing garments together, as well as preforming this through the tough times of lockdown. The collection enables to inspire many people to do creative skilful things with recycled and reused materials.
Natasha Kerr
Natasha Kerr uses old photos from her own family album and combines them with vintage fabrics and trims (often from old family clothing, furniture, soft furnishings, etc) to create her distinctive brand of recycled textile art. The stories embedded in both the black and white/sepia images and the fabrics used give Natasha’s work a depth that is very appealing to the viewer and triggers an emotional response. Her work is elegantly unique as it creates a warming old traditional affect, as well as the use of creativity within her work, by using recycled and reused materials. This enables to inspire viewers to recreate projects of art like this, which are creatively constructed with recycled and reused material resources. This enables to help prevent the increase of pollution and global warming.
Louise Baldwin
Louise Baldwin is a textile artist using recycled materials and found objects. She combines hand and machine embroidery to create collaged wall hangings constructed from ‘the mundane waste of domestic packaging‘. Louise’s artwork depicts the hectic nature of her own life. She gathers anything she can get her hands on from around the home, including card form toys, medication boxes, biscuit wrappers and layers them, building up the collage as she goes with the sewing machine. There is nothing pre-planned about this process; this is an artist relying entirely on instinct. Her work is hugely inspiring to viewers because of her imaginative creativity in recycling and reusing paper like materials to collage together to produce a magnificent pieces of art.
Focus on Art:
Sustainable practices and eco-friendly art have been expanded upon in recent years as society begins to become more conscious of their impact on the environment and future of our planet. Artists looking to join in on the current conversation surrounding sustainability are using their work to send a message, either by its theme or the media used to create the piece. This allows viewers to take an understanding of the impact art and fashion has on the environment globally, which allows them to be inspired to help and try and prevent the increase and risk of pollution and global warming effects on the environment. It enables viewers to want to approach art and fashion in a more sustainable attitude by using recycled or reused recourses.
Sandhi Schimmel Gold: Eco-Friendly Junk Mail Portraits
Using a technique she calls ‘Acrylic Mosaic Fusion’, Schimmel-Gold takes junk mail and other paper waste and turns it into beautiful portraits. The artist’s work is inspired by mosaic artwork she studied while traveling in Italy. Schimmel-Gold’s work utilizes upcycle junk mail, postcards, photos, calendars and other paper junk together with water-based, non-toxic paint; everything is hand-cut, hand-applied, hand-embellished and hand-finished. The use of vibrant colour helps bring these images to life, making the work really pop out of the page. Schimmel- Gold’s work demonstrates an excellent way of tackling the issue of environmental waste. From her gathering recycled materials and constructed them together within her artwork, it enables her to produce a sustainable art pieces which does not toxically impact the environment.
Hew Locke
Locke is a London based sculptor and contemporary visual artist. His work uses a wide range of media, and makes extensive use of found objects. His ongoing series ‘House of Windsor’ consists of portraits of members of the British royal family, showcasing the depiction of the modern royal family as ‘approachable and likeable’ public figures as opposed to the ‘powerful, opulent and dominant’ depictions of royal figures throughout history. The work looks at the shift in public persona, and their relation to the media and celebrity culture. Locke’s work is particularly interesting because of the found objects and other unconventional materials he uses to create his work. Locke is known to use small toys and other mass produced objects in his work, which attracts viewers attention through it’s vibrant colours and busy composition. The objects he uses in his work also underpins the message that public figures, celebrities and even the royal’s public image are massed produced constructs, often created by the pubic and fueled by the media. His work is massively admirable due to his consideration of sustainability throughout his artwork pieces. He also provides meaningful message throughout his work to convey the impact of which art and fashion has on the environment.
Eduardo Morales
Morales is an graphic illustrator and textiles artist. He creates textiles illustration using a blend of layering fabric scraps and hand embroidery techniques to create imaginative and tactile portraits. The artist uses simplistic compositions, strong use of colour and effective use of materials to create distinct visually impactful textiles illustrations. His work is admirable to all viewers due to his imaginative creativity of reconstructing portraiture through textile recourses, and making sure that his work is sustainable and not impacting on the environment.
Jane Perkins
Each of her Found Material Collages is made from thousands of pieces of salvaged bric-a-brac which are carefully glued into place to make the picture. Random small objects are used; plastic toys, shells, beads, buttons etc. No colour is added to any of the materials – they are exactly ‘as found’. Her work is hugely inspiring, because it is original and naturally done, from finding the recycled and reused material resources naturally, and constructing them together creating sustainable pieces of art.
Stitched paper collage
I have been given a task to create a paper collage by applying mark making from hand stitching embroidery techniques or machine stitching, to eventually create a marvellous mark making collage which withholds features and elements from my chosen Grimm's Brother fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I decided to gather a selection of paper like materials which I thought fit nicely with my chosn fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I gathered materials which held colours that I associate with the elements from my chosen fairy tale. The materials I gathered were pages from an old book, newspaper, tissue paper, baking paper, coloured card, sweet wrappers and cardboard.
I chose these materials to produce together to create a collage piece based on my fairy tale, because they each equal preformed elements from my chose fairy tale. The pages from a book and the newspaper created a fairy telling style which I thought would look fitting in my collage design based on my chosen Grimm Brother's fairy tale, because it will look like its telling the story of the collage I have constructed together. The tissue paper I decided to include preformed a marvellous 3D effect which created textual elements within my collage based on my fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. The tissue paper mimicked elements from The Seven Ravens, and created a fabulous addition on my collage mark making piece. The coloured pieces of card I included in my collage based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, screamed the colours which I associate with he Seven Ravens. The coloured pieces of card I decided to use were orange/red (which represents the sun) and yellow (which represent the fathers ring and the stars). These pieces of coloured card combined with the other paper materials within my collage represented the colours I associate with my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens, and brought a beautified colour addition to my collage piece. The sweet wrappers I used within my design were used to create different textual surfaces in my collage piece, to make it more unique and iconic to a viewers eye.
The cardboard I used was crimped up cardboard which created a perfect textual feature within my collage design piece. With all of the textual paper materials I used, I constructed a collage of a garment designed dress piece, incorporating all the paper materials to recreate and perform elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I first recreated a Elizabethan styled collar out of the crimped cardboard. I created an elizabethan styled collar, because that is the time in which my chosen fairy tale was set in. I also used scrunched up tissue paper and placed it around the top of the collor to create a more textual dedign. The collar presented features from the elizabethan period, as well as features from a raven (the tail) which is an element associated within my chosen twisted fairy tale.
I also created a collage of a puffy sleeve which is another feature from this time period in which my fairy tale is set in. I filled the puffy sleeve with scucnhed up tissue paper to reveal textual, uneven surfaces and preform a realistic recreation of a puffy eleizabethen sleeve. For the skirt of the dress of my paper collage garment piece, I used baking paper to outline the skirt of the collage dress, and then cut out ravens from coloured car, newspaper and book paper, to then sew in on the skirt of the dress. This screamed elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale and fit beautifully on my callage piece. The ravens cut out from the news paper, and book created a story telling style which made my garmeant collage look as if it held the story of The Seven Ravens within it. I included other elements from my chosen fairy tale within the skirt of my collage dress, such as the father's ring (made out of yellow coloured car) and the sun (made out of red coloured car). I added layering on the skirt of the dress to create features from dresses of the time in which my fairy tale was based in.
To create the gradual layers of the dress I used tissue paper, sweet wrappers and coloured card. This preformed a historically accurate collage dress of which the dresses would have looked like during the time in which the seven ravens is set and based in. The collage also screamed elements from the seven ravens which intertwined perfectly with the historical features I tried to recreate. I wanted to create a collage garment piece which was equally historical and modern, fitting the dress wear of the time in which my chosen fairy was set and based in, but also creating a more modern take on the historical style of dress wear during the time. I created an average historical dress for the time in which my fairy tale was based and set in. However, I made it more modern and futuristic by it only having one puffed sleeve and an exposed open slit on the front of the skirt dress, to revel a unique bodysuit. The over all garment collage piece creates a gorgeous dress both historical and modern, withholding elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale,The Seven Ravens.
After I had finished placing my paper collage design down, I then began the mark making process and secured the paper materials in place, using stitching on the sewing machine. I decided to use a variety of stitches on the sewing machine, to create differnt textures and mark makings. I used a zig zag stitch to secure my paper collage onto a big piece of paper. I then used orther decorative stitches which I though represent my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. Some of these stitchers were stars and swirls. I associated these styles of stitching with my fairt tale, because they held elements which are seen within The Seven Ravens. I also used the stitch in letter on my sewing machine to create words from my chosen fairy tale. I stitched in the word Raven and sun, because these are elements seen within my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
After I had finished my mark making process, I then decided to recycle tea bags which had already been used, and teabag stained the big piece of paper which held my paper collage design. I also decided to rip in holes to create texture and uneavern surfaces. This created more mark making on my designed paper collage piece. I then titled my paper collage using recycled newspaper letters, to make my paper design based on my chosen fairy tale more unique and bold, to express the fairy tale it showing. I then used the recycled news paper letters within my paper collage piece and wrote out words I accosicate with my twisted fairy tale. These words were sun, raven and moon.
What I have done to be sustainable
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations. Artists and designers have a moral duty to now consider the environment within their work and the impact of their production. Today, at the forefront of the creative and fashion-conscious is sustainability; creating items of art, clothing and textiles that are eco-friendly and sustainably produced. When creating this paper collage I have taken in awareness of saving paper materials and recycling them and reusing them. During the process of gathering paper like material for this collage, I wanted to be as sustainable as possible, and select recycled materials instead of buying new materials. Therefore, this allows me to be sustainable by recycling and reusing paper like materials to perform in my collage piece based on my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I was careful when selecting my materials so that I wouldn't be wasiting anything brand new. I decided to use an old newspaper, and old book, empty sweet wrappers, tissue paper from opened gift bags, scrap cardboard and scrap coloured card. I decided to use all these paper like materials because they were each equally recycled and resued to recreate my marvoulous collage design piece, based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, the seven ravens.
My First Textile collage piece
For my fist textile collage I wanted to incorporate elements of Ravens because this is a main element seen throughout my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I first decided to gather recycled fabric materials so I could be sustainable as possible during this process. I decided to use material from some old clothing as I thought this would create a magnificent collage which would be performing my twisted fairy tale beautifully and be sustainable.
I first cut a square from plain white cotton material because I wanted to paint a raven on the material using water colours. Once I had cut a small square from the plain white cotton material, I then painted on a raven in water colour using black watercolour, so that the painted on raven stood out boldly within the white cotton material. I wanted to paint the raven on so that it was more abstract than realistic, because I felt this created more character and helped hold and show my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
Once I had painted the black raven on the plain white cotton material, I then began chopping up pieces of old clothing to then eventually add onto my textiles collage to create texture. I cut out pieces from blue clothing because this colour fit nicely with my chosen twisted fairy tale. When cutting out pieces form this material I wanted to cut out feather like shapes so that I could then hand stitch them on the painted ravens wings, creating texture and toning of colours on my collage textile piece, based on The Seven Ravens.
Once I had cut out the feather shaped pieces form the blue clothing material, I then secured and stitched them in place using the running stitch technique. After I had done this, I then cut out feather shapes from gold lacing material of a bra. After I had done this process I then secured it down in placing using the running stitch technique on the ravens other wing. This created more textual features onto my collage textile piece which created a more spectacular look. My decision of using lace from a bra to replicate raven feathers created a divine abstract look, which screamed colours within my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. The gold colour this material held replicated the gold from the fathers ring within my chosen twisted fairy tale.
I wanted to create more texture onto my collage textile piece performing my chosen twisted fairy tale. Therefore, I decided to hand stitch into areas which I thought were plain and needed more textual features. I hand stitched a running stitch around some parts of the painted in raven which created a more bold outline to my painted on raven as well as textual features. I also used the chain stitching technique which I used in some areas of the raven to replicate the textures and performance of raven feathers. I also used stitching form the sewing machine and selected a series of multiple fancy stitches which I then sewed into my collage textile piece. This created additional detail onto my textiles collage piece which helped to construct and perform my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. Some of the machine stitches I used on the sewing machine were zig zag stitches and swirl stitches. These types of stitches enabled to add textural detail to my textile collage piece. These machine styles of stitching also helped to convey my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
On my textile collage I wanted to perform my chosen fairy tale, The Sven Ravens as much as possible. Therefore, I wanted to use materials which held colours I associate with the seven ravens. I decided to cut out feather shapes from red tartan material because the colour red is associated with my chosen fairy tale because of the sun. Therefore, I cut out feather shapes from this material specifically because it screamed elements of a raven feather and the sun which is seen within my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. Once I had cut out feather shapes from the red tartan material, I began forcefully pulling on the sides so that it pulled and frayed creating a replica of a raven feather. The pattern of the tartan material created a stem of a feather and the fraying of the sides mimicked the bristles from raven feathers. Once I had done this process, I secured and sewed it in place on the sewing machine onto my collage textile piece. This process was magnificently unique because the red tartan raven feather screamed and mimicked textual features from real raven feathers, as well as performing the colour red which is a colour I associate with the sun from the seven ravens. I also used the red tartan material to recreate the sun from the seven ravens. To do this process, I cut out a circle form the red tartan material and stitched it in on my collage textile piece using a zig zag stitch, so that it replicated a sun. I then cut out circles from the lace gold material from the recycled bra, and also machine stitched this in place using a zig zag stitch. This replicated features of the moon which I also associate from my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
Aswell as using recycled fabric materials, I also wanted to incorporate other recycled materials. Therefore, I decided to incorporate recycled silver sweet wrappers onto my textile collage piece based on The Seven Ravens. These sweet wrappers would add more textual features onto my textile collage piece, as well as colours and toning. I fist began to cut out feather shapes from the sweet wrappers and placed them onto my textile collage before hand sewing and securing it in place. I decided to place the feather shaped sweet wrappers onto the painted in raven to replicate raven feathers. The silver colour of the sweet wrappers represented the colours of stars and the moon which are associated within The Seven Ravens. After sewing the feather shaped recycled sweet wrappers in place I then found a few other recycled materials which I could use within my textile collage piece. I found a few silver buttons which I thought would fit nicely on my textile collage based on the seven ravens. The silver button screamed elements from the seven ravens presenting a silver colour which I associate with the moon and the starts from the seven ravens. I sewed these button in onto my textile collage pice in areas which I thought was lacking details and textures. The sewn in silver buttons added marvellous colour and shine to my design and fit nicely with the shiny silver sweet wrappers used within my designed textile collage.
I wanted to make my textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens as busy and detailed as possible. Therefore, I added machine stitching in areas which I thought were blank and plain and needed more textual details and features. This really brought my textile collage piece based on The Seven Ravens together, thoroughly performing the elements from this fairy tale. I also decided to stitch in the title of the Seven Ravens by using my sewing machine alphabet. I decided to do this process because it told the title of The Seven Ravens as well as expressing elements I associate from this marvellous fairy tale, which creates a beautiful ancient story telling look for viewers eyes.
To create colour and character within my designed textile collage, I decided to tea bag stain it using recycled teabags. This allowed my designed textile collage to hold character and look anciently magnificent. The teabag stained colours and tones fit nicely along with the other collaged in materials within my callage textile piece. I also decided to burn into the material to create a more ancient weathered look, to construct a textile collage piece which performed my chosen fairy tale in a antique grandiose way.
What I have done to be sustainable
During this process of creating and constructing together my textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens, I wanted to try and be as sustainable as possible and think carefully when selecting materials and resources for my callage piece. I decided to gather together materials which were recycled. I went through my clothes and selected items of clothing which I do not wear anymore, so that I could use them for my textile collage piece based on my chosen fairy tale The Seven Ravens. Using old items of clothing to to use within my textile collage piece enables me to be sustainable towards the environment helping reduce the risks of increase of pollution and global warming. I also used recycled tea bags to tea bag stain my textile collage piece so that I could be sustainable as possible during my textile collaged piece processes. Taking into consideration of the materials used during my textile collage and the staining, it enabled me to be as sustainable as possible so that I could help towards the environment and prevent polluting and the increase of global warming.
My Second textile collage piece
For my second textile collage piece, I decided to focus on the elements of the raven feathers within my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I wanted to recreate the elements, features and performances of a raven feather through my textile piece. Therefore, I first decided to stitch in a raven feather on a pice of plain white cotton material. To begin this process I first marked out a raven feather in pencil onto the plain white cotton material. I then began to sew over the marked out feather in black thread on the sewing machine to replicate the colours of a raven feather. When doing this process I wanted to recreate a raven feather which was abstract and not realistic, as I felt this created a more unique ancient style on my textile collage piece based on my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. On the sewing machine I tried a technique of sewing forward then pressing the reverse button which helped create the bristles on the raven feather I drew out onto the plain white cotton material. This created a iconic peculiar look, however looked magnificently abstract.
After sewing in the marked out raven feather in on the sewing machine, I then gathered together the remaining black stands of thread and jumbled it together. I decided this created a felicitous exemplary look, along with the sewn in black raven feather. Therefore, I decided I wanted to incorporate this into my textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale the seven ravens. To make the strands of jumbled together thread more stern and stiff, I experimented with ironing over it with baking paper. To do this process I layered baking paper on the bottom of my ironing bored and put the jumbled together strands of sting ontop of it. I then put baking paper onto of this and ironed over it. I made sure I ironed over it thoroughly for approximately five minuted so that is was fixed and stern together. After doing this process, I made sure that the jumbled together thread was more stern and stiff before I sewed and secured it in place on the sewing machine. I decided to position the jumbled together strands of thread near the sewn in black raven feather, as I felt it fit here best and looked appropriate on my textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. when sewing it in place, I decided to use a normal running stitch on the sewing machine to securely fix it in the correct position I wanted it to be in.
After I had completed this process, I then decide to hand stitch in a black raven feather. To do this process, I first marked and drew out a black raven feather in pencil. When marking out the raven feather, I wanted to make sure I positioned it appropriately within my textile calve piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale the seven ravens. After I had drew out the raven feather, I then hand sewed it in using the back stitch technique which enabled me to recreate features, elements and performances of a raven feather. I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled when sewing in my raven feather by hand, as I wanted to make it as neat and professional done as possible. I decided to use black thread when stitching the hand stitched raven feather in place as this was the colours I associate with raven feathers, and the colour I associate with my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
After I had hand stitched in a raven feather on my textile collage piece, I then started selecting coloured materials which performed the colours I associate from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I selected red tartan material which represented the colours of the sun from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I decided to cut out feather shapes from the red tartan material. Once I had done this process, I then began to forcefully pull and and fray the sides of the feather shaped red tartan material. This allowed the material to fray with ease, replicating elements, features and performances from a raven feather. The pattern from the tartan material created a stem of a feather, and the fraying of the sides replicated bristles of a raven feather. Once I had finished createing a replica of a raven feather from red tartan material, I then sewed and secured it in place on the sewing machine using a zig zag stitch. I tried to sew over the top of the red tartan feather in black zig zag sticthes to recreate detailed bristles of raven feathers. This created a fabulous addition to my designed textile collage piece based on my chosen fairy tale the seven ravens
After I had done this process I then began doing some hand embroidery with stitching using embroidery thread. I wanted to include hand embroidery within my designed textile piece based on my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens because I wanted to include more textual features and colours within my design. I decided to stitch in hand embroidered circles using red embroidery thread, as this is a colour I associate from my chosen twisted fairy tale, as it replicates the sun within my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I stitched in a few circles using hand embroidery techniques so that I could create textual surfaces on my designed textile calve piece. This performed a marvellously unique look which enabled to add aspect and personality to my textile collage piece, performing the fairy tale, The Seven Ravens hugely. I also included some more textual features within my textile collage to create even more consistency within my textile collage piece. I decided to use the French knotting technique with the red embroidery thread to create more uneven surfaces which were rugged to complete a weathered ancient textile piece, which fit my chosen twisted fairy tale attractively.
Once I had finished doing the hand embroidery process, I then decided to get more materials to collage onto my textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I selected a gold lace material from a recycled unworn bra, in which I layered over the top of the loose strands of sewn in thread. This material withheld elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven ravens. The gold colour on the lace represent the colour of the fathers ring from The Seven Ravens. I decided to sew in the gold lace material using the sewing machine running stitch which held the lace in place accurately. This added a beautified filigree style within my collage textile piece which performed a magnificently hoary style, presenting elements from The Seven Ravens. The delicate features of the gold lace painted a fairy tale telling style which fit comfortably within my textile collage piece. I also decided to add the French knotting technique over the top of the jumbled together strands of thread and the gold lace. This added additional textual features which created a more harsh consistency over my textile collage piece, performing a wrinkled weathered style of the textile collage of my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
After I had sewn in the gold lace, I then decided to take a quote from my chosen twisted fairy tale which I thought fit pleasantly with the elements I decided to execute within my second textile collage. The quote I decided to use was 'I wish the boys were all turned into ravens'. I then marked this out onto my textile collage in pencil, and sewed into the markings using red embroider thread. I decided to use red embroidery thread because the colour red represents the sun from my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. The additional quote I decided to hand stitch in onto my designed collaged textile piece created a unique story telling themed style. This allows viewers to instantly understand the minutiae elements within my textile collage piece, and how they significantly characterise the elements and colours I associate with my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
I wanted to tea bag stain my textile collage piece based on my chosen Twisted Fairy Tale the seven ravens. Therefore, I took used tea bags so that I could recycle and reuse them on my textile collage piece. This enabled me to be sustainable towards the environment preventing increasing pollution and global warming risks. I decided to tea bag stain my textile collage based on the seven ravens because It created a weathered ancient look which fit the style of my twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens perfectly.
The effect of the tea bag staining performed a textured, urban rustic theme which held the fabric collage elements of my chosen twisted fairy tale together, intertwining them all with one another, performing a magnificent representation of a textile collage based on my chosen fairy tale. After I had completed this tea bag staining process, I then decided to sew in a white bird feather to create a more realistic textile collage piece, presenting elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. The sewn in feather created more textual features within my second textile collage piece, and withheld elements and colours I associate with this fairy tale. The colour of the feather represented the colours of a moon which is an element and colour associated within my twisted fairy tale.
What I have done to be sustainable
During art and fashion processes of either producing art work or producing textile samples or garment pieces, I want to try and be sustainable as possible to help prevent an increase in pollution or global warming towards the environment. I thought very considerately when selecting and gathering together materials to produce together for this textile collage piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale the seven ravens. I gathered together material from old clothes I no longer wear which would be useful to use within my collage textile piece. This allows me to be sustainable because I am not using new materials which causes waist, I used recycled materials which I could reuse and preform within my collage textile piece. Another way I was sustainable during this process was by using recycled teabags which I tea bagged stained my textile collage piece with. By using recycled teabags, it enables me to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly towards the environment.
My third textile collage piece
for my third textile collage piece I wanted to create it so that it withheld elements I didnt thoroughly preform and convey in my other textiles pieces. I decided to produced this textile piece to withhold astrological elements such as the sun, the moon and the stars, as these are the elements I associate with The Seven Ravens.
To begin creating my astrological textiles piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens, I first started to draw out a sun and a moon in pencil onto a piece of plain white cotton material. These pencil markings of a sun and a moon will then eventually be painted in with watercolour. Once I had finished drawing out a sun and a moon on the plain white cotton material, I then began to paint it in using watercolours, colouring them in with the colours I associate with them in the seven ravens. During this process, I wanted to make sure I neatly drew out a sun and a moon so that it could be painted in with water colour successfully, and look professionally neat as possible. I also wanted to make sure that I selected the appropriate colours to paint into the drawn out sun and the moon, so that it fit perfectly with my textiles piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I decided to use a large scale of colours varying form different shades and tones, so that the painted on sun and moon could perform a 3D affect with the different shading and toning of colours.
Once I had finished this process, I then moved onto creating a sun and a moon out of found materials in my house. I first cut out a black circle from an old top I found to create the background for the material sun and moon to sit on. I then selected material from an old white dress to which I then cut a moon shape out of to recreate a moon out of material. I then cut out a sun shape from red tartan material to recreate a sun out a material. When doing this process, I selected found materials in my house which withheld the colours of the moon and the sun, so that it performed the colours I associate with The Seven Ravens on my third textiles piece. After I had cut out a sun and a moon shape from old materials found in my house, I then began to sew this into my third textiles piece. To begin this process, I first secured and stitched down the black circle material cut out. I pinned the black circle so that it fit in the middle of my plain whit cotton material, and stitched it down using the running stitch technique in black thread. When doing this process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled to Create a neat profession running stitch, successfully sewing and securing the black material cut out circle in place. Once I had finished this process, I realised that the black material had not thoroughly been stretched out and pinned onto the white cotton material. Therefore, there was a bubble in the black cotton circle material. However, this created additional textures onto my design which I thought looked aesthetically pleasing.
Once the black cotton circle had securely been stitched onto he middle of the plain white cotton material, I then began pinning in place my cut out moon in white material and my cut out sun in red tartan material. I first pinned in the cut out white material moon shape in place on the black cotton circle. Once I was happy with the placing of the moon on my textiles piece, I then began to hand stitch it in place using the running stitch technique in black thread. I decided to use black thread because it created a textual bold outline on the moon, making it look aesthetically pleasing to a viewers eyes. After I had done this process, I then pinned the cut out material sun in place. Once I was happy with the placing of the red tartan sun on the black cotton circle, I then hand stitched it in place using the running stitch technique in black thread. I was really happy with how the material moon and sun turned out on my third textiles piece. The chosen materials I decided to cut the sun and moon out from, fit perfectly together and complemented each other thoroughly on my textiles piece. When sewing the sun and moon in place on my textiles piece, I wanted to make sure that I was steady and controlled so that my quality of running stitches could be equal all over and look professionally neat. I was pleased with the quality of my running stitch because it was consistent in size throughout the stitched in moon and sun.
After I had done this process of stitching in the sun and the moon, I then began to use hand embroidery techniques and stitch in stars, as this is another element seen within my chosen twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens. To do this process, I stitched in stars using the running stitch technique. However, instead of stitching forward into a straight line, I brought the needle up at different sides so that it created a delicate star. I stitched in the hand embroidery stars using yellow material, because this colour fit the stars best and was a colour I associate with my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I also hand embroidered around the material sewn in sun to create more textual details of a astrological sun. I stitched this in using yellow coloured embroidery thread. When stitching in the hand embroidered stars and around the sun, I wanted make sure that I was slow and steady to create a professional outcome. I was overall pleased with how the hand embroidered stars turned out, because they strongly held atrolological elements of starts which I associate from The Seven Ravens, and withheld the appropriate colour yellow. I was really pleased with the additional hand embroidery stitching around the sun, because it created more textual features and performed elements from an astrological sun massively, communicating my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens through my third textile piece.
Once I had stitched in the in the hand embroidered stars and around the sun, I then began to gather together scrap clothing material to collage into the water colour sun and moon. I found an old shirt which withheld colours and features that I associate with my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. Therefore, I decided to cut up pieces of this material and stitch and collage it into the painted in water coloured sun and moon. I first began pinning pieces of this silk like shirt material onto the moon, and stitched it in place using the running stitch technique in white thread. I then repeated this process on the painted in water coloured sun, stitching in pieces of this silk like shirt material in place, using the running stitch technique in white thread. I was over all pleased with how this turned out. The silk like shirt material fit the colours of the painted in water coloured sun and the moon perfectly, and made a gorgeous textual addition onto my third textiles piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
I decided to paint in black raven wings using black water colour so that my third textiles piece could withhold more elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale. To begin this process, I fist marked out two raven wings in pencil. Once I was happy with the drawn out raven wings in pencil, I then began to paint them in using black water colour. When painting in the marked out raven wings in water colour, I wanted to make sure I painted gently and lightly so that it created a ruff abstract look and style of a ravens wing. This is so I could carefully execute elements of the bristles from ravens feathers and wings, to make it communicate features and elements of a real ravens wing.
Once I had painted in black raven feathers in water colour on my textiles piece, I then decided to create stitching in areas which I thought could use more textual detailed features. I decided to stitch in the chain stitching technique by the painted in water coloured raven feathers, to create textual features of real raven feathers. The loose thread of the chain stitches creates an uneven surface which fits perfectly next to the painted in raven feather, because it performs the style of ruff raven feather bristles. I also used the running technique in areas which I thought was bare and could hold more textual features. I stitched around the moon using the running stitch technique and the raven fathers in black thread. I then stitched out from the painted in water coloured sun, using the running stitch technique. I stitched this in using red and yellow thread to represent the colours of the sun, and the colours I associate with The Seven Ravens. I was really pleased with how the sticthing in areas tuned out. I wanted to make sure I was slow and controlled when sewing in stitching techniques to create a neat possible outcome, so that it looked professional on my third textiles collage piece. The running stitch technique was consistent in size and looked professional neat around the moon, raven feathers and the sun. The chain stitching technique was gorgeously executed creating a delicate raven feather styled look. The chain stitches I created was neatly and professionally executed because I tried to be slow and controlled when creating them.
How I have been sustainable
During this process of constructing together my third textile piece , I wanted to be as stainable a possible to prevent the impacting risks of pollution and global warming towards the envioremnt. To be as stainable as possible creating this piece I used old clothes to get materials from, which allowed me to create a sustainable third textiles piece. From using old clothes, it allows me to be sustainable as I am not using new things and creating more waist materials, I have used old clothes which I have reused and recycled to produce a collage textile piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. The old clothing materials I used were from old dresses, shirts and tops. I also used waisted scrap pieces of material which was left over from garment making. From using old clothing materials and waisted scrap materials it enables me to produce together a sustainable third textile sample piece, based on The Seven Ravens.
Textile collages conclusion
During the textiles collage project based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens, I thoroughly enjoyed constructing and creating these collage pieces togther. During this project, it allowed me to practice my creativity in textile processes to perform together collage pieces which communicate my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I thoroughly enjoyed collaging together materials and using stitching techniques to perform and echo elements and features from my chosen fairy tale. I learnt how to create sustainable textile collage pieces by selecting materials appropriately within my household, so that I am not causing any impacting effects towards the environment. It was extremely interesting to work with a mixture of contrasting materials which I performed within my textiles callage pieces. The contrast of materials helped create textual features and elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I was extremely pleased with how my collage textile pieces turned out, because they each equally performed a magnificent outcome, and communicated elements and features from The Seven Ravens beautifully.
Stitching into photographs
I have been given the task of experimenting with stitching and sewing into images inspired by the work of Victoria Villasana. I am going to apply mark making techniques to work back into photographs, magazines and other images. This allows me to be creative and imaginative, sewing and stitching into old photographs and recreating a marvellous new take on it. When doing this process, I want to be sustainably aware of the materials I will be using, so that I don't create any increasing affects towards the environment. I want to select photographs considerately, selecting ones that are not special and valuable so that I can use ones which are no longer use to me, and would make a perfect addition towards this project of stitching into photographs. When doing this stitching photographs project, I want to try and link it to my chosen Grimm's brother fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. To perform my chosen fairy tale through stitched into photographs, I will try and stitch elements and colours I associate from The Seven Ravens. The elements I could stitch into photographs which I associate with the seven ravens is ravens is the sun, the moon, the stars and a golden ring. The colours I could use which I associate with The Seven Ravens are red/orange (the sun), black (the ravens), white (the moon and stars) and gold (the father's ring). I could perform these elements within a photograph, stitching them in and recreating a hand stitched in garment based on my chosen fairy tale, The Seven Ravens, by performing the colours and elements I associate with it.
Victoria Villasana
Villasana is Mexician textile artist, interested in cultures & human spirit, looking at how cultures connect to each other in a fragmented, post-digital world. In her early work, Villasana began placing embroidery images in public areas, inspired by street art and graffiti. Villasana’s use of vibrant colours, text and the way the yarn is left uncut in her work, giving a dynamic and surreal aesthetic to her work, reflecting in the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Her work is fabulously inspiring for the project I am going to begin. I am going to use some of her magnificent style ideas of her work and perform it through my photographed stitched in pieces. However, I will present elements and colours from The Seven Ravens through my stitched into photograph pieces, so that it links to my twisted fairy tale project.
My first stitched into photograph
For my first stitched in photograph piece, I selected an old photograph of myself at my year 6 prom. I decided to use this photograph to stitch into because I was wearing a gorgeous turquoise dress which I thought I could sew into, to recreate a dress detailed with elements and features from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I wanted to sew into the dress on the photograph and recreate a stitched in new styled dress which withheld elements and features from The Seven Ravens.
To begin stitching into my photograph, I first began to stitch in feathers using white thread, because feathers are an element I associate within the seven ravens. I decided to use white thread because it stood out boldly against the blue turquoise dress which created an elegant unique styled look. However, I would have preferred to stitch the feathers in using black thread, because of the black ravens within my twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I didn't stitch the feathers in black thread because they wouldn't have been seen as boldly and would have been disguised and lost in the dress within the photograph. When doing this process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled so that my quality control was as neat and professional as possible. I also wanted to make sure that I was carful when stitching the feathers into the photograph so that it didn't tear or rip the picture. I decided to poke holes into the dress within the photograph, marking out the feathers before I stitched them in place like a dot to dot. This allowed me to create gorgeously captivating feathers which were neatly and delicately done. Doing this process also allows me to create the feathers without th risk of tearing the photograph. I was extremely pleased with how the feathers turned out, because they were magnificently sewn together performing elements and characteristics of a real feather.
After I had stitched in the white feathers, I then decided to stitch around the outline of the dress in he photograph using white thread. This allowed me to create a bold captivating outline which made my stitched in photograph more abstract and unique. When doing this process, I used the back stitch technique and dotted out the dots before stitching around this dress, because this allows me to create a more neat outlined stitch of the dress, and also prevents tearing of the photograph. Wen doing this process I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled so I could achieve a neat out come with professional stitches. I was extremely pleased with how the stitching of the dress outline turned out, because it created a bold iconic style to the photograph which looked aesthetically pleasing and abstract to viewers eyes.
After I had finished doing this process I then began to stitch into the dress within the photograph using the feather embroidery stitching technique. When doing this stitching technique I used light blue wool, as I felt this fit the colours within my chosen twisted fairy tale, and also created more textual features within my stitched into photograph piece. When doing this process, I wanted to use this stitching technique around the sewn in feathers I created, so that I could perform a busy textual stitched into photograph piece. I also decided to stitch in a zig zag stitch around the neckline of the dress within the photograph, using blue wool. I then decided to add the French knotting technique to create more texture within my stitched into photograph piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled when doing this process so that I could create a neat outcome of the techniques of stitching, creating a professional stitched into photograph piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I was really happy with how this turned out because the feather embroidery stitching intertwined with the stitched in white feathers, performing an elegant beautifying styled look. The zig zag stitching around the neck line of the dress within the photograph, and the French knotting stitching fit perfectly together with the stitched in feathers and feather embroidered stitching. This created a fabulous stitched in photograph piece, based on The Seven Ravens.
After I had stitched in the feather embroidery around the sewn in white feathers, I then decided to sew in blue feathers using wool to recreate a shoulder feather piece on the dress within the photograph. When doing this process, I first marked out the holes of the feathers so that when it came to stitching them in using the blue wool, they could be neat and professional as possible. By marking out holes before stitching the feathers in place, it allows me to create gorgeously delicate neat feathers, without tearing the photograph. When doing this process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled to create neat professional stitched in feathers on the dress within the photograph. I was over all pleased with how the shoulder piece stitched in wool feathers of the dress within the photograph turned out, because it performed a magnificent stitched in designed dress based on my chosen twisted fairy take, The Seven Ravens.
After I had finished stitching a shoulder piece of feathers onto the dress within the photograph, I then decided to stitch in more white feathers so that I could recreate the dress in the photograph to communicate the elements and features from The Seven Ravens, as much as possible. I first stitched in feathers using white thread to recreate feather earrings within my photograph stitched in piece based on The Seven Ravens. I then decided to stitch in white feathers to create a hair piece within the photograph. During theses processes, I marked out holes before I stitched the feathers in place, because this allows me to create neat professionally stitched in feathers. When stitching in white feather earings anda white feather hair pice, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled to achieve neat quality control performing a proffesional stitched in photograph piece. I was over all pleased with how this tuned out because the white feathers were executed magnificently and performed characteristics of real feathers, which communicated elements and features within my chosen twisted fairytale, The Seven Ravens, perfectly.
My second stitched into photograph piece
For my second photograph piece I wanted to recreate the elements The sun, The moon and the stars within the stitched into photograph because these are the elements I associate from my chosen twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens. I decided to use another photograph from my year six prom because I liked the turquoise dress seen within the photograph, because it can be stitched into and added to recreate the elements and features from The Seven Ravens.
To begin stitching into my chosen photograph, I first decided to add stitched in details onto the dress of the skirt within the photograph to create a more puffy magnificent style of skirt. To begin this process, I first marked out and poked in holes to then eventually help me stitch back into. By doing this process it allows me to create neat stitches into the dress within the photograph, without tearing it. When doing this process I used blue wool and stitched into the dress using the back stitch technique to create a unique style of a recreated dress within the photograph, which communicated my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I was over all pleased with the quality of the stitching. The blue wool stitches created textual elements within my stitched in photograph, performing a recreated puffy style of dress. The white stitches around the outline of the dress within the photograph performed a uniquely bold outline, creating an abstract styled look. When doing this process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled so that my quality control was neat, creating a neat professional stitched in photograph, which looked magnificent for viewers eyes.
After i had finished stitching in a puffy dress onto my photograph, I then decided to stitch in the elements which I associate from the seven ravens. I started to mark out a moon shape onto the dress within the photograph by poking in holes. I then began sewing into the marked out holes using white thread. By poking holes to mark out a moon shape, it allows me to create neat proffesional stitches within my ohotgraoh without it tearing. Once I had stitched the moon shape into the dress within the photographs using white thread, I then stitched into the moon using blue wool to colour and stitch in the mood. I decided to use blue wool to colour and stitch in the sewn in moon because this is a colour I associate with the moon from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I then decided to mark and poke holes to create a sun shape on the dress within the photograph because this is another element I associate from The Seven Ravens. I then stitched into the marked holes using orange embroidery thread, then stitched inside the marked out sun to create a coloured stitched in sun. I really liked how the stitched in moon and stitched in sun looked on the dress within the photograph. It performed a spectacular iconic look creating elements and features from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. After I had stitched the sun and moon in place on the dress within the photograph, I then marked out and poked in holes of star shapes. Once the holes where marked out In place within my photograph I then stitched into the marked out star shapes using blue wool and white thread. This created a perfect fitting look along with the sun and the moon, magnificently performing the elements I associate with The Seven Ravens. I also decided to mark out and poke in holes around the outline of the dress within the photograph to then stitch into using white thread. This created a bold abstract stitched in outline. When doing these process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled to create neat quality control stitches. I was extremely pleased with how the stitched in sun, moon and stars turned out on the dress within the photograph, because it performed a beautifying recreated style of dress, communicating my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens.
After I had finished stitching in the elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale The seven ravens into the dress within the photograph, I then decided to stitch in feathers which is anothe elemt I associate with the seven ravens. To begin this process I first marked out and poked in holes to create a feather shape. I then stitched into the holes using white thread to reveal the stitched in feather. The stitched feathers created a beatified style on the dress within the photograph, performing elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale magnificently. I also decided to poke in holes and mark out a feather stitch using white thread, which fit perfectly along with the stitched in feathers. By poking holes into the photograph, it creates a permanent marking for me to stitch into, to create neat professional stitched in feathers and feather stitches without tearing the photograph. When doing this process, I wanted to make sure that I was slow and controlled to create a neat presentable stitched into photograph piece. I was over all pleased with how the stitched in feathers turned out because they performed the elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens beautifully.
Stitching into photographs Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this project because it allowed me to experiment with stitching into photographs to recreate a dress garment piece based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. When doing this stitching into photograph project, it allowed me to be creative and imanagitive when stitching into my old year 6 prom photographs. I wanted to redesign the dress within the photographs to communicate my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. Therefore, I stitched into the dress within the photographs using stitching techniques to create features and elements from The Seven Ravens. I also selected thread colours appropriately so it fit the colours I associate with the seven ravens. I was extremely happy with how my stitched into photograph pieces turned out. The process of stitching into these photograph pieces was easily created through the poking hole dot to dot method I decided to do. This allowed me to create presentably neat stitches onto the recreated dress within the photograph. The idea of stitching into the dress within the photographs to recreate a new designed stitched in dress based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens, created a spectacular iconic look, which was uniquely performed within the photograph.
Historical Renaissance fashion
Many Grimm's brother fairy tales were written in the 1800s-1900s. However, most of theses Grimm's brother fairy tales are based in the time period of the Renaissance during the14th century. I have researched into the historically accurate fashion clothing in which would have been worn during the time in which the Grimm's brother fairy tales are based and set in. It is extremely interesting to analyse the historically accurate fashion of the Renaissance period, and how this would have been historically worn during the times in which the Grimm's brother fairy tales are set and based in. It is massively fascinating to see how the historical renaissance clothing is designed and put together, with the layerings, features and colours within the historical clothed garments. For my chosen twisted fairy tale designed garment based on The Seven Ravens, I want to include a majority of renaissance clothing features, layerings, colours and elements within my designed garment based on my fairy tale. This is so that it produces the elements from my twisted fairy tale, as well as being designed to be historically accurate during the time in which The Seven Ravens is set and based in. I want to thoroughly analyse Renaissance fashion, so that I can take features and elements from the clothing of the historical time and foreshow it in a modernising futuristic style.
Renaissance Splendour
This was the period when fashion finally moved from draped clothing to fitted garments and the art of tailoring came in to its own. Clothes gained structure and became stiffer and more supportive. The first templates for garments that remained modern items of clothing were created: hose with a fitted doublet and outer coat for men, a bodice with separate skirt for women.
Clothing during this time consisted of a greater number of parts including detachable sleeves, under and over-skirts, sleeveless jerkins, and breeches of different lengths. This emphasis on seperate parts of the body reflected new interest in human anatomy that had gripped the natural sciences. The masculine form was enhanced by the latest clothing, with its wide shoulders, prominent codpieces, strong legs and bellies. Women’s clothes emphasised their narrow waists performing hour glass figures, combining wide shoulders and skirts with a deeply pointed bodice. The garments of different regions and nations showed greater differentiation, and the religious schism between the Catholic church and the reform or Protestant faiths led to the creation of the new visual identities for members of different faiths. The clothing which Men and women wore during this time is massively magnificent in how it was executed. The clothing during this time created an illusion of a favoured ideal body type for men and women. Women's dresses significantly expressed an hourglass figure creating an illusion that the women had tiny waists. The over sized shoulders on the beautifully executed dresses, and the spectacular large skirts helped create the illusion of a small desired waist. Mens clothing was designed to create a strong physique for men. The mens clothing consisted of big extravagant shoulder sleeves which created a more masculine and muscular illusion. By how the clothing was designed for men and women during the time, it is interesting to see how significant they were when worn, and how they created illusions of how a women and a male want to be perspectively seen.
The Fashion Split
By the middle of the 15th century there were marked regional differences in women’s dress. The medieval standard one-piece tunic moved towards a broad spectrum of fashions in cut and construction. As garments began to separate into pieces, dressmaking played with the cut of skirts and sleeves newly liberated from bodices, and incorporated folded collars and laced closures. Clothing became softer and wider. Improved weaving technologies continued to increase textile production and make fabrics more affordable, especially for the growing, prosperous merchant classes. In Northern Europe fur remained a vital addition for warmth.
Often areas of the garments would be split in order to show off other garments and fabrics that lay underneath. You would find splits down the centre front of overskirts and in sleeves. The trend for visible linen undergarments began in Spain and fashionable women combined many ideas in one ensemble thanks to the splits created. Split sleeves allowed the linen chemise undergarment to spill out of the bodice sleeves. This often created a more interesting silhouette and a flash of complementary colour. Split over skirts allowed for another luxurious patterned fabric to be seen from below, adding extra depth, interest and colour. The creation of the splits in the Renaissance period dresses performed a Lush divine styled look, presenting layering of fabrics and delicately detailed patterned materials peering through the slit. This style in the skirts from the Rennasiance time has thoroughly inspired me to want to included this gorgeous feature within my designed garment based on my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I really like the idea of layerings in a skirt on a dress garment. Therefore, I feel like the slit style from the Renaissance period would fit perfectly within my designed garment based on The Seven Ravens.
Hats and Veils
Headwear became spectacularly complex. Headdresses often emphasised a woman’s high, smooth forehead. Many women bleached their hair to a fashionable blonde or plucked their hairline to create a higher forehead. Cylindrical hats of different lengths were stylish in France, Burgundy, England, and the Low Countries. They were supported by a small cap or wire structure. Wiring and pins were used to attach fine veils of silk or linen over the headdress. It is hugely interesting to see what the fashion of hats and veils were like during the renassiance period. The spectacular colossal cylindrical hats were gorgeously designed and executed and fit perfectly along with a renaissance styled dress garment. It is hugely interesting to discover the extremes of what women would go through for fashion, by plucking their hairlines to reveal a larger forehead, and bleaching their hair to extreme colours. Discovering this historical fashion inspires me to want to create a headdress for my designed garment based on The Seven Ravens.
The Renaissance Man
From the 1480’s new broad shapes began to replace the last traces of the flat medieval tunic. Instead of an emphasis on a long, vertical male figure, the Renaissance man, with his earthier, artistic and scientific pursuits and a new interest in classical ideas, favoured blunt square forms that expanded sideways. Men began to wear collections of clothing as an ensemble and used surfaces, fabrics and edges as decorative spaces. Places where clothes joined - in seams, the top of sleeves, and under lacing - revealed layers underneath. Though pleating continued, natural folds reappeared using the elegant drape of circular pieces to great effort.
Clothing expressed an assertive, confident masculinity through bulky layers that increased a man’s physical presence. Huge shoulders, broad chests, prominent codpieces, and an emphasis on thighs all enhanced a sense of an active body. The legs usually peeped out below knee-length skirted robes and jerkins and the newly separated breeches and hose. Clothing complexity increased as linings and shirts burst through deliberately cut and slashed outer garments. Embroidery and lines of braid also helped enrich the surfaces of clothing, largely replacing patterned textiles for men. It is hugely interesting to discover what the male clothing was like during the rennasinace period. Male clothing was creatively designed and put together to create an illusion of a more masculine physique.
Elegant Formality
As the century progressed, the gradual stiffening of women’s dress continued. The increasingly rigid garments began to need extra support, and separate boned “pairs of bodies” (stiff undergarments) worn under gowns started to appear - the beginning of stays and corsetry. Linear bands and braids followed the clothings sharp lines and emphasised its control of body shape. The body’s natural lines rarely appeared. The rise of the Spanish empire made their severe formality and clever tailoring fashionable. Ruffs slowly widened and became separate from shirt collars. Labour intensive lace made its first appearance and became a mark of luxury - similar to velvets and jewels. Necklines were either at bust level or up to the chin. The silhouette stayed triangular with narrow waists ending in sharp points and full skirts. The tops of sleeves started to be styled into puffs, tabs and rolls. The magnificent style of women's fashion during the renaissance period is hugely fascinating to discover, and has inspired me hugely to want to include the historical elements from this time, within my designed garment based on The Seven Ravens. The gorgeously executed princess bodices, cinched waists, puffed sleeves and extravagantly large skirts look beautifully captivating during the renaissance period. I want to include some of these historical features and elements within my designed garment based on The Seven Ravens. I want to perform my designed garment in a modernising style to create a garment which foreshows elements and features from the time in which my fairy tale is set in, and also communicating The Seven Ravens within it, creating a futuristic modern style.
Blackwork and Embroidery
As undergarments peeped out from clothing in the 15th century, Italian and Spanish needlework was used to embellish the visible edges. Blackwork is the English name for an embroidery technique using red or black silk thread in geometric, stylized patterns on linen garments. After the idea came to England local needlewomen built on the technique. By the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, complex twining patterns of naturalistic plants and animals covered out clothing in a tangle of multicoloured designs accented with gold. The exuberance contrasted with the geometric formalism of garments. From discovering this clothing fashion feature during the rennasiance period, it has thoroughly inspired me to want to include it om my designed garment pice based on the seven ravens. I want to include the historical patterns and colours from the renaissance period, and foreshow it in my designed garment in a more modernising style. This allows my garment based on the Seven Ravens to be historically accurate with a more modernising themed style, performing elements and features from the seven ravens, and the Renaissance period.
Symbolism and Fantasy
The Renaissance world revolved around emblems, iconography, and allegories, and people delighted in using these symbolic representations in dress. Almost any animal, plant, god, object, colour or foreign fashion could be used metaphorically to say something more than itself. At a time when most people could not read, visual meanings were especially important. Personal iconography became a poetic, decorative language using emblems such as knots, phoenixes, carnations, and lilies to show a person’s virtues along with other abstract ideas. These could be embroidered or painted on to clothing, or worked into jewellery or armour. Characters from religion and classical mythology were popular allegorical themes, often used to convey hidden moral or political messages. At masques (theatrical court entertainment) and costume balls, fancy dress was an opportunity to draw on different cultures. Discovering this fashion feature during the renaissance period has hugely inspired me to include it within my designed garment based on The Seven Ravens. Within my twisted fairy tale there are astrological elements which I would hugely like to recreate through my designed garment piece. Learning about this style of fashion during the renaissance period, it allows me to recreate the astrological elements from the seven ravens onto my designed garment piece, using the historical style from the renaissance period.
A Re-Renaissance
Once again, the fashion cycle seeks inspiration from the past. The rich fashion of the Renaissance period has brought about a second Renaissance in the catwalk designs of contemporary designers.
My Design
For my illustrated design based on the Renaissance fashion time period, I wanted to create a dress garment sketch which held elements and features from the Renaissance time period, as well as elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens. I wanted to create a designed dress which was historically constructed with a more modern style. I decided to design an extravagant raven feather collar piece, as this echoes features from collars in the Renaissance time period. However I created my designed collar in a more modernising style because I designed it using raven feathers. This was to communicate then elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, The Seven Ravens. I also designed a puffy one sided sleeve on my illustration out of raven feathers. This screamed the features of the traditional Renaissance puffy sleeves. However, my designed puffy sleeve based on Renaissance sleeves withheld elements from my chosen fairy tale, and was more modernising being one sided. I decided to create a princess bodice styled dress to mimic the styles of dress wear in the rennasiance time period, so that my illustrated design could be gorgeously executed withholding historical features and elements. I designed my illustrated princess bodice to be up to bust height and triangular pointed at the bottom, performing the style and performance of a traditional Renaissance dress. On the bust area of my designed princess bodice, I decided to draw in elements which I associate from my twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens. This was the sun, moon and stars. This was so that I can recreate traditional historical Renaissance patterns on a dress garment, using elements from my chosen fairy tale, in a more modernising way. I wanted to design an illustrated dress which fit the fashion elements from the Renaissance time period, as well as communicating my chosen twisted fairy tale, performing a more modern design. I decided to create traditional rennasiance split dress in a more modern and futuristic style. I designed a short puffy dress which had an exposed open renaissance split in the middle, revealing colours which I associate from The Seven Ravens. These colours were orange, yellow, red and dark blue. I associate these colours hugely with elements from the seven ravens such as: the sun being red/orange, the stars and the golden ring being yellowish in colour and the night sky being dark blue. The layerings overlapping over the colourful exposed material where the slit is shown, I decided to design flowing out gradual black raven feather to fit the elements from my fairy tale. On the hem line of the of the exposed colourful material from the slit I designed the sun, moon and stars, which are elements from my chosen twisted fairy tale, to recreate a renaissance pattern style. Over all I was extremely pleased with the results of my final illustrated design based on the Renaissance time period and my chosen twisted fairy tale The Seven Ravens. The decision of creating a more modern style towards my design created a beautifully executed look, which performed elements and features from the renaissance time period and my chosen twisted fairy tale, in a spectacular modern way.
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