AW13 Colours
It seems a strange time to be thinking about an AW collection seeing as we are having such glorious weather here in the UK but that’s what I’ve been doing. The past 2 weeks have been spent getting sample screens made, choosing and mixing the colours and then printing up some samples. I then packaged those up to be sent down to London last week in time for an important deadline. I’ve also been busy finishing a wholesale order which also got posted to the USA last week, the Parcel Force guy is getting to know my studio building really well.
I’d love to share the samples for the AW collection with you now as I’m very proud of the new designs, but seeing as it’s summer and the weather has finally caught up with the season let’s just enjoy that for the time being and I’ll share them with you in a few weeks time. You can see a sneak peak of the colours above, in addition to those there is also Plum, Chocolate and Emerald.
Another batch of fabric was sent to the heat setters this week and so has been listed in my Etsy shop, the long-awaited Trinity is finally here and I’m so glad to get the whole collection back together after the whole screen damage fiasco.
Trinity in Emerald
Trinity in Tomato
Trinity
Also included in the batch was the first of the new upholstery range which I’m very excited about. I have a few coloured base cloths for this range as well as an eco bleach version, the first to be printed is a lovely Ice Grey colour which in some lights has tones of purples. It’s a lovely strong fabric which is a blend of Hemp and Organic cotton and as it’s intended for upholstery I got the fabric put through the Martindale Test. The test is an abrasion test which simulates the wear and tear of seat fabrics. General domestic fabrics rate at 15,000 – 25,000 rubs, this covers most interior household uses apart from furniture that will be subjected to everyday use, such as sofas, and chairs with fixed seats and backs. For heavy-duty use the rating should be 25,000 to 30,000 rubs, this kind of fabric can also be used for light commercial which is usually 30,000 and above. The Hemp and Cotton mix rated at 26,000 rubs and the 100% Hemp at 28,000 rubs so I’m very happy with those test results as it means that the fabric will stand up to a good deal of use.
Here are the first of the upholstery fabrics, Rain Flowers is available by the metre and is 140cm wide including the selvedge. Pods is available in panels 80cm tall by 140cm wide and is seen here in Graphite and Night.
Pods panels in Night and Graphite
Pods in Graphite on Ice Grey
Hey Sarah,
I’m glad you got a new screen for the trinity print. I really like that print. :-) Good luck with your AW collection.
This is my first comment on your blog but I’ve been lurking for a while. Before I saw a post about you True Up, I thought it was financially impossible to live from hand printing fabric in Europe and I am glad you are proving me wrong. I love most artisanal jobs, would enjoy doing such a job myself but I don’t how I can make enough money this way. You give me hope and I thank you for that. I’ll continue following your blog and wish you the best.
Greetings,
Femke
Hi Femke, thank you for leaving such a lovely comment, I’m so glad you did, it’s lovely to hear from you and I hope you can find a way to have your dream job too :)
Sarah
Lovely work Sarah – so good to see the screen is fixed. Your shop looks fabulous :) Kx
Thanks Kylie xx
Hello! I’ve also been admiring your work for a while, but haven’t commented. I’ve been experimenting with fabric printing, but trying to expose the screen on my own. With small screens I may be able to make it work on my own, but I can’t imagine my primitive method will work well on larger screens. It sounds as though you send your artwork off and have a screen made for you. If you don’t mind, could you share how you located someone who could do that for you and if it is much more costly than purchasing screens and exposing them yourself? Thanks!
Love the pods on graphite, by the way!
Hi Sara, thanks for your message, I’m glad you enjoy the blog. I used to produce my own screens too for the smaller prints but it’s just not feasible for the larger ones. I think you’re based in the US aren’t you, I’m afraid I don’t know of any screen manufacturers there but I think a google search is your best bet unless you know of any other printers in America you could ask?
Thanks! I think I found a couple in the US. I’m still working on a small scale for now. The large screens look a bit intimidating, but it’s nice to know that others have their screen made up by someone with the specialized equipment and experience. I appreciate your time in answering!