Series of eco fashion from trio-design 設計師的自然回歸時裝展

Not long ago I was approached by young fashion designer/ artist SeeManHo for the bespoke natural prints for her eco fashion exhibition. Concept was all natural and back to nature. With another felt maker Magenta who made the wool felt part, designer SeeManHo made a series of eco fashion with my natural printed fabrics.  Her design is simply fresh, natural and well fit the theme.  Fabrics printed mainly of eucalyptus cinerea and casaurina. Since cotton needs mordant before printing, I have to make soybean mordant thus the process took quite some time to finish.
早前為香港年輕時裝設計師何詩敏 (二犬十一咪) 以天然植物印染 一批主題綿布, 她設計了一系列的自然回歸手工時裝 , 配搭另一位羊毛氈工藝家 (Magenta) 的服飾, 展現自然柔和的簡約時裝.

Wool felt cape and single sleeve by Magenta

 

This set of black and white, printed with casaurina.

 The linen pants of eucalytpus and casaurina

 A few panels printed with iron mordant euc and casaurina

 All fabrics are bundle boiled for two hours

Such fresh and natural printed series of eco fashion. 

Photo credits to SeeManHo.

Wool felt earthy vase 羊毛氈花瓶

  

Though I immersed so much in eco printing experiments, I can't ignore my fond of wool felt. Took some time to do a wool felt vase this weekend with scraps of my natural printed swatches, I made this one with flat enclosed resist.
Finished it with shots near my studio, listening to the wave........
縱然沉醉植物印染創作, 我不忘對羊毛氈的熱愛, 這日弄一點植物染的碎料與羊毛混混, 做了這瓶子, 在工作室不遠處聽看  「浪 ● 花 」

The wool batt used is Austrian mountain sheep. It's so perfect for 3D creation. Very easy felt and sturdy.  Enclosed the whole resist template, I put 2 layers only with intention to have a side ridge thus a bit extended the side template.

Both sides with my silk scraps of eco prints, one side with a little Romney and Wenslaydale wool fleece for curly look.  This way of nuno felt is to add some textures on the surface.

After rubbing and rolling, cut open the bottle neck, removed the template and inserted a jam jar inside to full the bottle shape. Left the glass jar inside as water holder.

In an hour the vase finished and the flowers breathing in the seashore near my studio.

A wool felt vase with textures of eco prints and wool fleece. 

One side with ridge is to make it not the ordinary one.

Bright in a gloomy day with eco printing 沉悶中的明艷

 It's a gloomy and rainy day but we managed to have a bright and fun play

今日下雨天, 深沉的, 但不礙我與朋友們分享植物印染的樂趣, 這鮮明由綠葉加熱後變為紅色的桉樹葉,  我的朋友好奇不己, 一個興奮的下午製成一件柔和色調的絲巾.

 Today I invited two friends for the experiment of eco printing. We used the common plants such as eucalyptus, rose leaves, onion skins and casaurina with some iron and alum mordant to have shades.

 I never disappointed with euc silver dollar (euc cinerea) which give orange red.  Thus I always do with friends for their first experiment.  Leaves placed on silk scarf and bundle boiled in a dye pot with onion skins for 1.5 hours.

 After tea time it's the exciting moment to unwrap the bundles

 Red from euc silver dollar and yellow tie marks from onion dye pot

 As always Mogi is my good company

 My friends each made their own piece and I made one for demo too

 Soft prints of rose leaves. Bright red from euc

 Onion skins with alum mordant are yellow while those with iron mordant are kahki

 A few casaurina made the vivid layout

 Euc silver dollar with iron mordant is dark red

 Before & After if the prints

 A soft tone scarf with red and yellow. 

 I'm glad to share with like-minded friends. It's always fun to play with this sort of crafts.

Delicate wrap up 2015 細緻總結 2015

 Time to wrap up my 2015. Facebook reminded me I've visited 7 countries and 11 cities in 2015.  Looking back the days abroad half was wool felting and half was natural-printing. For the natural-printing it's more challenging since outcome depends very much on plants used.  Fortunately every time was so impressive. 

Recently I got some floral leftover from flower arrangement, I did experiments with it.  I made two pieces to wrap up my 2015 with more delicate and vivid color.

 Here the plants used on wool are casaurina with cones (馬尾松), almost dried eucalyptus  silver dollar (桉樹), Grevillea Robusta (銀華), Limonium (彩星) and Brunia Nodiflora (青銀小足球)

 Placed the delicate layout

 Curious Mogi is always my good company

 Another one with casaurina, eucalyptus, Lagerstroemia Indica (紫薇) and Loropetalum Chinense (紅彩木)

                 After 1.5 hours bundle boiling the outcome is more khaki green to orange brownish due to iron mordant leaves

    

  Very strong imprints but not as expected with euc bright orange

 

This one placed with a few almost dried euc silver dollar and other leaves with iron mordant

 Outcome is vivid with bright as wanted

 The dark round ones with dots are from iron mordant casaurina cones

 I'm quite pleased with this one, vivid color and strong imprints

 The "before & after" of the two layouts

The longer and stronger casaurina are bold prints

 

Purple of Loropetalum Chinense 

2015 is closed with color and I wish 2016 will be fabulous !