Fabric:
Within the fabric workshop I learned how to use a heat press to transfer my designs from paper onto fabric. This was incredibly exciting as I really enjoy working with fabric. For the first design I painted a floral/leaf pattern with 2 different shades of blue oil based paints. I really enjoyed painting my design and would like to continue using this for future projects. Once the paint had thoroughly dried I placed the paper between fabric and a scarp piece of paper to protect the fabric from burning. Once this was done I placed it under the heat press and held the plate down for 17 seconds. I then lifted the press up and separated the paper copy from the fabric. This process allowed me to successfully transfer the print onto fabric which enabled me to see that I can produce a variety of different soft furnishings from my own designs. These can then be used within my interiors which provide a personalised touch to my designs.
My first attempt at using the heat press:
The next fabric process I learned about was Batik. This is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to a whole cloth. This is done by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting. Though this was interesting to learn about I personally did not enjoy this particular process. This is because I struggled wot produce an intricate drawing using the canting without spilling large amounts of wax onto the fabric. Therefore I would not use this particular technique for my interior furnishings as I believe you have to be incredibly skilled to complete this successfully. However, if I continue to practise and get help in understanding how to avoid the implications I came across then I could possibly regain my confidence in this area.
My first attempt at Batik:
This is an image of a Batik print which has been done by a professional:
I really enjoyed learning about these new techniques and I think that I have developed as an interior designer as it has given me the knowledge and skills to produce my own patterns and prints for soft furnishings for my interior spaces.
Charlotte's blog 