The three fabric manipulation swatches I’ve tried so far are experimental, and I’m still figuring out the best technique for each one. They are inspired by objects found in nature, with added decoration. The first swatch was meant to be reminiscent of oyster shells found at the beach. Most of these shells are broken and jagged and pressed into sand, yet they still intricate and delicate. The pleating in each layer remind me of the soft creases in the shell of oysters, and the irregular pattern along the edge of each strip of fabric represents the broken pieces that wash up onto the beach, since oysters are rarely intact by the time they reach the shore. This worked the best out of my three ideas, and I discovered the pieces of fabric can be creased when run through my hair straightener, making the process easier and faster, and kind of cool to make.
My second swatch was inspired by the gills on the underside of mushroom caps. The strips of fabric I folded and and sewed on mimic these gills, but create a wandering, abstract pattern. It is difficult, however, to make the two outer strips the same height as the rest after I’ve sewn them on. I’m not sure why this is happening, but I will probably make a new one, and maybe make the two outer strips a little wider, to account for this pulling effect that is happening. I also need to make the strips of fabric longer, so I don’t have the join a new set of strips, which I did in one spot, because this looks weird. I didn’t realize how much of the strips are used up by the decorative curves, so I can edit this when I make a new one.
My third swatch isn’t finished, but is a take tree bark. I vein-like folds are similar to the pattern found on trees, just simplified and cleaner. I’m not sure if it will work out how I’m imagining, but i plan to hand stitch horizontally through the base of each protruding fold. Pinning these folds shrunk the fabric widthwise, so i may do another one and make it wider. The length is okay, though.
The fabric manipulation swatches I made represent objects I think are beautiful, with ornate details. They do fit into my idea of beauty, because they are somewhat obscure. I also like the uneven, jagged nature of the first swatch, and the flowing curves of the second swatch, because they are so different, but both interesting to me.
