izzi Design

A Piece of Nature

Isabelle Nolz

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Specialism: Knit

The inspiration behind this project has been developed from nature. As nature is a broad term with so many possibilities so is the inspiration focused on stones. Particularly the work was inspired from shapes and structures of stones. Elements within nature and stones can be so expressive and interesting, so it´s the perfect inspiration for a textile designs.

The name “Piece of Nature” for the textile collection is suitable because the collection is made for interior fabrics. The brief was to create a selection of comfortable and cosy fabrics for interiors which also brings nature back into the home, a piece of nature at home. These fabrics are being designed for furniture to make the home more comfortable and relaxing. Creating items for interiors that not only brings a cosy element, but also have a lovely and modern atmosphere.

The colour scheme for this project was inspired by the colours of stones. It includes the colours; black beige and a variety of shades of grey. The colours go together well and at the same time, natural and simple colours make it easy to combine the fabrics with other furniture and trends on the market today. For an eye-catcher and variety I used an accent colour. A mint green and different shades of blue enhances the collection and gives it a unique style. The new colours have brought new life into the work. Colours give the collection a straight line and they are very important for the atmosphere which should be modern and classic.

In the final project it´s important to use suitable yarns to create the cosy and comfortable fabrics not only this but to work well on the machine designs. From the beginning the samples have been created using cotton because it has a very nice grip for cushions. Most of the pieces are knitted with John Smedley yarns these are good quality and work well with the designs. After experimenting with the different yarns the best yarn for the interior design collection resulted in a selection of cottons and wool, this mixture was very successful.

The knitted fabric for the final project was developed mainly on domestic machines, some other samples experimented on the Shima Seki knitting machine. These machines give a suitable structure and produced interesting and unique fabrics. Some of the designs where more suitable for the Monarch machines because there allow more details. Unfortunately the fabric from the Monarch is very thin and it´s better to connect them with felt and so the fabric becomes robust. Different types of surfaces exist in the knitting collection because both machines are used. The combination of structure and forms is a very important part in the designs.

This project allowed a lot of experimentation with different knitting techniques. Knitting allows many structures to be created and represent the patterns from the visual research. The forms from the inspiration adapt to the knit and are developed to create a variety of new knit designs. The collection mostly combines lines and holes by layering. The base fabric is simple without a structure and the top layer is a knitted structure which creates the designs.

When researching the market for the collection, there is a gap in the market for these types of fabric. There is definitely a niche for creations like that. These fabrics would be produced for a higher quality interior shop which sells beautiful textiles. Elle Decoration, Selvedge and some other catalogues informing of current trends and new designs. Researching helped to find the correct way to work. Looking at a strong trend for the final collection provided research into knitting structures influencing the structures in the final knitting process. This helped for the project, because it gave an understanding of technique. The market is so vast and the market research shows that the fabrics can sell in different companies.

The project explores the understanding of knitted techniques and has expanded on creating an amazing variety of different fabrics. Furthermore the final year has given confidence as an textile designer, gaining a lot experience over the last view months. To summarise the past year would involve a lot of enjoyment. Working towards the final collection has allowed a lot experimentation with different patterns, techniques, colours, yarns and many more. There is a big variety of styles in the project, squiggles, different structures, holes, felt, cords, laces and layers. Overall the final fabrics work well together as a collection. Although the start point of was completely different. A lot of improvements in skills have been achieved, throughout the year. Proudly look back and it was a really big chance for the next steps of a designer.