Tea Staining

I have decided to tea stain all my fabrics to give a nice, natural looking colour that gives a mood of Marrakech.
It is a really cheap and easy method and also gives the rugged look I am trying to create.
I thought about the different colours using various herbal teas but decided to go with the good old english breakfast for an orangey/brown almost terracotta shade.

Obviously the different fabrics would take the stain in differently and would each have a different tone.
I want this as i want the layers to be subtle but noticeable.


I used about 15 tea bags in a bucket of hot water, let it soak for about 5 minutes to let it brew.

Then slowly started pushing the fabric into the water with my hands and a wooden spoon making sure all surfaces were covered in the tea. 

I left the fabric soaking in the tea for about 10 minutes and kept moving it about to make sure all areas are dying. 

Before I took the fabric out to hang to dry, I made sure the full length of the fabric had no white marks and was fully covered. 

                                     

                                      


I did this process with all of my fabrics each of them came out in perfectly.
i really liked the effect i got on the scrim, as the edges pull together and created a really nice curl.

I was really, really happy with the results of the tea staining. The silk chiffon came out as a really soft, orangey tinge. The tea made it seem a little less transparent but i was still happy. 

My Fabric Selection

I went to Rolls and Rems on Seven Sisters Road to choose and buy my fabrics for my final garment. After reading up on different fabrics and textures and putting it together with my ideas i had an idea of what i wanted.
When i got there I especially looked out for certain loose weave textures and natural colours, although i wasn't closed set on exactly what fabric to choose as i had not yet felt them.

Once I was there I found some amazing things at really good prices.
I got 4 meters of a creamy coloured Muslin, which was about £2 a meter which i thought would be really soft and easy to drape and still be sheer enough to layer and print.

I then found some scrim and bought 4 meters of this too for about £3 a meter. I got this in an unbleached, natural colour. It has a looser weave than the Muslin and is therefore more transparent. It it still soft but a little stiffer and easier to mould. I love the ruggedness of this fabric and the way the edges curl as i think this will look good once layered. 

For the top layer i decided to go for something a little finer and softer that had an element of luxury. 

I was going to print over it to bring back the ruggedness but still wanted something more elaborate. 

After some digging about i found a small roll of Silk Chiffon. i got 3 meters for £14 a meter. 

Although it was quite expensive i thought it was worth it and would give a really nice feel to the garment. This was also a creamy, light almost natural colour that i knew i could dye or stain. 

The winner of the day was this fabric the really helpful man at Rolls and Rems brought out for me. He was really excited about my selection of fabrics and my project so he told me he had a really special fabric and only one roll was brought in. 

Im not even sure what it it called but its really different and can  be pulled apart and pulled back together. 

It is quite heavy so i knew it would drape perfectly and  be great for a hood so i was over the moon. 

he then told me that he ordered the role through someone who supplied Vivienne Westwood and it was the last one as all the other rolls had been died grey for one of her new collections. 

I HAD to have it. 

I bought 4 meters for about £3 a meter.

Fabric Research

For my FMP I have been looking at soft, sheer and loose fabrics that i can layer, pull and drape.
I started by looking through books and reading descriptions to see what I liked.
Below are some of the fabrics I thought would work with my designs.

Cambric 

Cambric is a lightweight, firm, closely woven plain weave fabric traditionally made from cotton. usually given  a finish that stiffens it. 

It originated in France and was made from linen but it is now made from good quality cotton. 

Uses - Children's clothing, nightwear, dresses, blouses, aprons bed linen. 

Chiffon

A plain weave, soft transparent, flimsy, sheer fabric. Probably the finest and and most lightweight of woven fabrics although it is still strong and has very good handle and drape. 

Originally it was woven in silk but now it may be woven in nylon, viscose, cotton, polyester or wool. 

Silk Chiffon is the softest form of chiffon.

Uses - Lingerie, nightwear, scarves, blouses, dresses, bridal wear and evening wear. 

Mousseline

A general term for most fine, semi-opaue plain weave fabrics that are of better quality than Muslin, made from silk, wool, cotton or man-made fibre. 

Silk mousseline is made from from good quality highly twisted yarns, but imitated with man made fibres. 

Uses - evening dresses, formal dresses, blouses, scarves, ribbons and millinery. 

Muslin

A generic word for fine, soft, lightweight woven fabric made from cotton. There are many different qualities from sheer open-set fabrics to semi-sheer fabrics. 

Muslin is  traditionally made from cotton. 

Uses - dresses, scarves, blouses, shirts, bookbinding, household fabric and packing material. 

   Organdie 

A very fine, thin, lightweight woven fabric made from cotton yarns. It is a sheer fabric that gets a finishing treatment to give it a crisp handle. The best Organdie have a wiry handle. It is the finest cotton fabric made and is prone to creasing. 

Uses- dresses, blouses, scarves, evening dresses, bridal wear, millinery, curtains and as a stiffening fabric in collars cuffs etc. 

Organza  

A thin, fine, lightweight fabric similar to organdie except it is usually made from silk or man-made yarns rather than cotton. It is a stiff but sheer fabric and creases easily. 

Uses - evening wear, bridal wear, dresses, blouses, lingerie, scarves, millinery, panels and trims. 

Peau De Cygne 

A light to medium weight woven crepe fabric that has a shine and a soft crinkled texture, the name in french is 'swan skin'. It is woven with soft silk yarns in satin weave construction. it is soft, luxurious and has very good drape.

Uses - lingerie, evening wear, dresses and gowns. 

Laser Cutting Research

I am currently looking at Laser Cutting within fashion design as I am planning to use this as a main point of detail for my Final Major Project.

I am still just looking around and seeing what is out there in terms of techniques and shapes and have literally just started working with Adobe Illustrator to try  get my designs in a Vector format.

Below are a few images i found interesting.







 

Negarin



Alice Temperly A/W 2012




Crystal Macfarlane





Eddie Gav




Qasimi Homme





Designer Research

I have started looking at some designers and collections that I can relate my project to. Here are a few garments I found inspiring and useful for my FMP in terms of colour, shape and fabric.

Most of the below garments are  from 2009 Spring/Summer collections in multiple Fashion weeks.

I am mainly looking at the draping of fabric and the soft yet dramatic movement in the garments.

Diane Von Furstenberg

Lacoste

                               

                                       Peter Som

Peter Som

Paul Smith

Feretti

Etro

Donna Karen

McQueen

Max Mara 

Proenza Scouler

Terexov

 

                           

                                Dries Van Noten

Pattern - Final Major Project

For my Final Major project I will be working towards creating a final garment and accessory based on my experience in Marrakech exploring colour and pattern.  I intend to work towards a collection of dress designs incorporating drapery within the accessory element. The inspiration for this is primarily inspired by the headscarves worn by Moroccan women. Incorporating and experimenting with sheer fabric, laser cut layers; laser etched or printed elements.  The accessory aspect could possibly be created using exaggeration in scale wrapping around the body form in numerous ways.

 I would like to create and produce a collection of raw edged pieces and interpret a handmade quality and feel of the Moroccan items found in the souks of Marrakech.   I would like to add a western twist with the use of different fabrics and current techniques and processes with the latest machinery.
 

I will also be looking at designers such and Yves St Laurent who has collections inspired by Marrakech and the Marjorelle gardens. 

I am considering using laser-Cutting and laser etching techniques as a possible main detail of my final garment and accessory. I may use Adobe Illustrator to create a pattern as a repeated motif and after finding appropriate fabrics I will source a laser cutting service.  I will also try laser etching as a different technique to give a burnt or sheer aspect to the pattern.  I will be experimenting with use of various print making techniques such as Mono-printing and lino-printing as a form of illustration and ideas development. I hope to experiment with different colour ways and print types to bring in the raw-edged, handmade and rugged aspect.