As a late arrival to the shiftWorks project I’ve quite enjoyed having to race through the initial design process, without the luxury of over-analysing.
The 50 year anniversary of the shift dress is in effect its golden anniversary, and though an obvious theme, it instantly triggered a rush of inspiration. My initial response was to create an exquisite, opulent beautifully crafted, possibly gold?, tribute to this iconic dress (and glitter…lots of glitter!).
My handwoven samples are my sketchbook and I often find years pass before a I take a design to the next stage. For a long time my weaving has been synonymous with vibrant colour, which I intend to move away from for this project.
I’m going to revisit a design from 20 years ago. It’s something I wanted to work on for a while but the realities of producing for a contemporary Craft marketplace and other work commitments have prevented this. The shiftWorks project is the perfect opportunity to explore this decadent luxurious design again.
I will be using Krokbragd, a three shaft rug weaving technique. Weaving with finer yarns such as lurex, chenille, glitter yarns and cottons, I will create a heavy fabric, similar to the quilted brocades used to make the shift dresses in the Fashion Museum in Bath (images courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council). For more about this visit see Penny Wheeler’s blog post.
I will be focusing more on creating a luxurious finish and less on the palette by possibly using only one accent colour alongside the gold, cream and glitter.
The desire to create a functional piece will factor in my design.
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