Textiles 101

A few days ago one of my readers asked me a few basic questions regarding textiles. He had me thinking that perhaps there are other folks out there who also need some clarification. So here goes.

What are textiles?
Textiles are all woven materials made from interlacing fibers or yarn. Textiles are created via weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, felting, pounding, or lace-making either by hand or machine.  The term originates from the Latin texere,  meaning to weave.

How do we use textiles?
Textiles are used to make clothing, bags, hats, towels, carpets, rugs, quilts, bedspreads, curtains, tablecloths, blankets, pillows, kites, flags, balloons, parachutes, bullet proof vests, biomedical materials, crop protection, and fiberglass, to name but a few.

What are textiles made from?
Textiles are made from 4 main sources: animal, plant, mineral, and synthetic materials. A few examples. . .wool is sheep or goat hair and silk is fiber from the silkworm cocoon; cotton and flax are plant crops; asbestos and glass fiber are mineral products; and polyester, nylon, and spandex are synthetic textiles.

Textile examples:
Photo 1: Knitting from Shetland Island

Photo 2: Lace

Photo 3: Guatemalan textiles woven on backstrap loom

Photo 4: Tibetan floral textiles

Photo 5: Sunday textile market in Karachi, Pakistan

Bon Voyage!

British Textile Artist

Today I'm jumping across the pond to Northumberland, the northernmost county in England. Straddling the border of England and Scotland, the county is noted for ancient castles, golden sand beaches, rolling hills, rugged moorland and friendly little Northumberland towns and villages. 

One of theses delightful cities is Newcastle, located along the banks of the Tyne River. Newcastle "was a major centre for shipbulding and mining in the 18th and 19th century. Sadly this has all gone but has left its mark in terms of buildings and heritage." Now culturally exciting, Newcastle is home to Mandy Pattullo, a textile artist, print maker, quilter, and surface pattern designer. Pattullo's studio is in the Tyne Valley, 10 miles out of the city in a small village close to Hadrian's Wall." If that's not charming enough, the studio is "part of a complex of studios situated in old church buildings where dissenters from the Common Prayer Book met secretly in the past. Located in the attic of a 17th century manse", Mandy creates beauty from vintage and recycled fabrics and well-worn quilts. 

Pattullo's work illustrates the beauty of women's textile art from today as well as the past. She allows the "fabric and colour to set the pace. Sometimes she overdyes other fabrics and rarely uses anything very bright apart from Turkey red."  She works with "everything around her on the floor and just picks at it like a magpie until she has a gathering of pieces which seem to call to each other. Sometimes she has a central piece of printed or embroidered or small special piece that everything has to fit around. It takes alot of time to get the colours and composition just right. She works in total mess as if she can't see it she can't do it." So refreshing to hear as that is exactly the way I work!


Below are some lovely examples of Pattullo's creations. All photos via Mandy Pattullo. Photos 1 and 2 are examples of Mandy's textile collages. She hand sews appliques and employs creative stitchery onto pieced textiles.

 Photos 3, 4, and 5 are examples of Mandy's garments made from recycled quilts. These pieces are lovely, precious, fresh, and evocative of women's work from a bygone era.

 Check out Mandy's blog for her latest pieces. They're wonderful!

I'm ready for a trip to untamed Northumberland and the wonderful textile art of Mandy Pattullo. Bon voyage!

Hawthorne Threads

I'm a great believer in shopping local. Whenever I can I support Beaufort's local merchants including our downtown and delightful fabric store (Tabby's on Port Republic Street).  That being said, when it comes to perusing the latest fabrics, searching for just the right pattern, or finding a particular designer, I head straight to my absolute favorite and fantastic online shop, Hawthorne Threads.

Located in a 19th century renovated chocolate factory, Hawthorne Threads is an entrepreneurial enterprise owned by Charlie and Lindsay, a husband and wife team (their byline is "two lovebirds who love fabric"). Charlie, a software designer, takes the lead on web design. When I navigate their site with the greatest of ease I appreciate the man's talents and skills. Lindsay, a geology major in college who moved from "plate tectonics to textiles - from rocks to frocks", started an Etsy fabric shop in 2008 and unexpectedly discovered a new generation of quilters, sewers, and artists hungry for well-designed textiles. Her success led to the development of  Hawthorne Threads online; joining forces with her husband; and most recently expanding into the aforementioned chocolate factory in Red Hook, New York. Lindsay is reminded of a quote from Faith Baldwin. Baldwin wrote that "time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." Lindsay loves that it " marries two very different life paths for her, and at the same time, embodies the very idea of change over time."

Lindsay is also happily the sole buyer for Hawthorne Threads. Here's Lindsay's approach: "When selecting fabric to carry in the shop I honestly look for something I like, and we're lucky that so  many sewers and crafters agree with me!  I shudder to think about what might happen if in fifteen years from now my taste has gone by the wayside. I couldn't buy and advertise something that I didn't like, and I think that genuine excitement comes through in our newsletters and blog posts. I love pattern and design and am thrilled to support the beautiful efforts of all the talented ladies and gents in the contemporary textile scene. From the fabric designers, to the shop owners, to the community of sewers, there's such a remarkable positive feedback loop of creativity and design, each one continuing to sow the seeds of inspiration for the next."

Lindsay told me that if "you walked into our post and beam home in Upstate New York you'd see that my taste leads to rustic modern, sort of West Elm meets Adirondack lodge." A few are shown below with Charlie working as design assistant.

All photos via Hawthorne Threads 

Now for some of my favorite fabrics. The first two are from designer Amy Butler's Soul Blossom collection and the final three are from designer Tula Pink's Prince Charming collection. All photos via Hawthorne Threads. 

 

For a great fabric adventure, head for Hawthorne Threads. Sign-up for their blog, newsletter, and fabric alerts. Bon Voyage!

Adventure in 2013

I resolve to seek adventure in 2013. Whether it's traveling the internal crevasses of my mind or crossing the Atlantic to lands unknown I am going to open myself to any sort of adventure that comes my way. This perspective even includes the way I dress as expressed by the sensibility of two young designers, Stella Jean and M.A. Lake of Boxing Kitten (Stella Jean was born in Haiti and raised in Roma. Lake was born in Brooklyn and grew-up in New Jersey) . Both women mix pattern, scale, and color. Both women embody a style embedded with  multiculturalism and a 1950s feminine design. Both women utilize traditional African fabric or Veritable Wax Hollandaise.

Travel with me to Western Africa for an explanation. Traditional African fabric is a batik. Industrial batik is complicated magic that begins with patterns created in wax placed on cloth, which are then immersed in dye, usually indigo. The cloth pieces not covered in wax absorb the dye, allowing a basic pattern to emerge. The fabric passes through machines which break off the wax; since the wax breaks arbitrarily, each piece of fabric is unique. The fabric is then pattern-printed with one to three colors anywhere from one to three times (Steinglass, Matt).  No one creates this textile better than the Dutch company, Vlisco, founded in 1846, which has dominated the African market since the late 19th century. Yes, that's right. A Dutch company creates fabric for the African market not the reverse.

I'm ready for the visual feast. Get ready to be impressed by these women's use of batik, color, and adventurous pattern combinations. Bon Voyage!

What fantastic and unexpected combinations. I am an undying fan of these textiles.

Photos: 1st 2 photos from Boxing Kitten FW 2011 collections
              3rd photo from Boxing Kitten SS 2013 collection
              4th photo from Boxing Kitten FW 2012 collection
              5th photo from Boxing Kitten SS 2013 collection
               Boxingkitten.com

Stella Jean rocks! I love the preppy striped Oxford paired with the African-inspired skirt. Gorgeous!

Love the 50s-inspired design.

 
Photos: from 2011, 2012,  and 2013 Stella Jean collections, stellajean.it













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