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Friday, March 29, 2019

Six Methods Used By Fabric Manipulation Textile Artists

By Jason Butler


As an aspiring fashion artist, you have to learn different ways to manipulate fabrics to meet a particular design. It is vital for an artist to learn these methods to have different creations that help one complete in a demanding market. Anyone who intends to learn different fabric manipulation methods should have enough time and tools to make this process a success. This article provides various techniques used by fabric manipulation textile artists.

Applique. This is a technique that involves sewing pieces of fabric onto one material base to create beautiful designs. One can make the stitches by hands or using a sewing machine. One can adapt different decorative stitches such as satin, buttonhole and zigzag. A designer who intends to use this kind of manipulation technique should consider colors that match with the primary material to make a remarkable design.

Consider the smoking technique. This is an ancient method that dates back to the Anglo- Saxon era. It produces a sculptural effect on a cloth by using different patterns such as square, pinwheel, and tubes. A professional designer can adopt more complex patterns or grids which can use different materials and stitches. Look for a material that is not too stiff such as silk, linen, and cotton.

Decide on using the patchwork. Patchworks have a similar approach like the appliques but rely on various patches that one should sew together. Choose fabrics that have contrasting colors to create a uniform design. You can also refer to the technique as piece work. You should adopt a stitching technique that is not conspicuous enough to create a bigger impression compared with the colors used in the patchwork.

Embroidery. In this method, the artist uses different stitches to have a unique texture. Some of the embroidery techniques include Kantha embroidery, Chikankary, shadow, and sashiko. As a beginner, you have to look for the simplest methods that suit your knowledge and the kind of machines you have. Some of the natural techniques that a beginner can use include the bullion stitch, French knots, and knot stitches.

Learn how to pleat. Pleating is a common cloth manipulation technique that consists of folding a textile on itself. It creates an impression that can run through the whole material or to a certain point of the cloth. The artist can decide to press the pleats with iron to create an elegant impression or leave the creases to create a softer and more natural effect. One can use three types of pleating methods which include machine, hand and pattern pleating.

Fabric painting. An artist usually uses special paints to create a design on a material. One can also use the color to add a dimensional effect on the fabric. The best material to use is cotton due to its tight weaves. Make sure that you have quality brushes, paints, and design transfer materials for this process to be suitable enough.

There are quite a lot of other techniques that one can use other than the one highlighted above. As an aspiring designer, it is recommendable to learn one technique one by one to be sure about your suitability before you start learning the other. Look for reliable sources such as videos and even a professional that you can use to learn these techniques.




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