iele Oana Tudose
A project funded by ing romania and the institute, part of redesign crafts.
iele a research project on handcrafted textiles out of sheep wool
Oana Tudose
Currently, sheep wool is a season renewable material and extremely undervalued in the mountain areas of Romania. Every year, in the Gorj region alone, tons of wool are thrown in the near-by rivers or burnt.
iele proposes to explore the unique characteristics of wool fibre through a series of textile-craft experiments. The aim of the project is to provide a creative response to the problem of discarding a natural material. With a vision oriented towards the future, iele promotes and recovers the existing local resources, investigating the potential of adapting traditional working methods in the contemporary space.
EXPERIMENT #1 Simple knotted thread. Crochet thread. Complex knotted thread. 4h The wet felting process resulted in a heavy fabric constructed of four layers of wool. The exploitation of the different types of thread connections has materialized in a unitary texture.
EXPERIMENT #2 Interruptions in the material through the creation of systematic voids. 3h During the wet felting process, two woollen layers were used to make to make the base of an opaque fabric. Thus, the yarn has become a structural and connection element.
EXPERIMENT #3 Interruptions in the material by creating major gaps. 3h Three layers of wool were used as a base during the wet felting process to explore the structural and connection capabilities of the hand spun yarn.
EXPERIMENT #4 Three-dimensional. 5h The felt was realised from three layers of wool with decorative texture made out of hand spun and twisted woolen yarn. Felted spheres were later stitched to the edge to add a centre of gravity.
To
what
extent
techniques
of
can
textile
traditional dyeing
with
natural plants can be explored in the contemporary space? The technique of dyeing textiles by extracting the colour from the natural environment is used less and less. However,
in
isolated
cases,
it
is
the only method of colouring natural fibres. The following experiments have been designed to capitalize on the unique chromatic potential we find in nature, while exploring wet felting techniques. This working method has informed the development of a variety of textures.
Brassica oleracea Red cabbage Pre mordanting the wool in an aluminium sulphate bath for one hour. The infusion time in the colour bath varies from one hour to twelve hours.
The coloured bath derived from red cabbage is sensitive to changes in pH. Thus, the chromaticity of the material is altered according to the amount of sodium bicarbonate dissolved in the simmering colour bath.
B P b
15g NaHCO3 ĂŽn 6L H2O. The material was left bicarbonate dissolved material, obtaining a
2h in the colour bath for 2h. The 15 g of sodium in the simmering bath altered the chromaticity of the blue hue.
EXPERIMENT #5 Simple knotted thread. Natural coloured wool. 5h The carded wool and hand spun yarn, naturally painted with red cabbage, created the decorative texture of the felt. At the same time, the material base was realised out of four layers of wool and wet felted to become a textile.
Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra 30g NaHCO3 in 6L H2O. The material was left bicarbonate dissolved material, obtaining a
1h in the colour bath for 1h. The 30 g of sodium in the simmering bath altered the chromaticity of the green hue.
EXPERIMENT #6 Simple knotted yarn. Natural coloured yarn. 5h The felt was made by using the wet felting technique out of five layers of wool. The decorative texture is made of a single layer of hand spun yarn allowed to follow its natural direction.
Allium cepa Red onion Colouring was achieved by immersing the yarn in a colour bath derived from red onion skins without additional mordant. Infusion time varies from one hour to ten hours.
10h The material was left in the colour bath for 10h. The chromaticity of the material is altered according to the immersion time of the wool in the simmering coloured bath.
2h The material was left in the colour bath for 2h. Concluding the experiments, the chromatic difference resulting from 1h and 10h immersion in the color bath is easily noticeable.
EXPERIMENT #7 Simple yarn, naturally coloured. 3h The hand spun yarn dyed with red onion skins was felted to form a unit. The process resulted in an uneven, non-woven textile mesh, following the principle of the hand spun yarn.
Calendula officinalis Marigold Colour binding was achieved by immersing the wool yarn in a colour bath derived from marigold flowers without additional mordant. The infusion time of the yarn in the colour bath was ten hours.
Anethum graveolens Dill Colour fastening was achieved by immersing the wool yarn in a colour bath derived from dill leaves without additional mordant. The infusion time of the yarn in the colour bath was twelve hours.
EXPERIMENT #8 Texture. Simple yarn, naturally coloured. 3h A linear decorative texture combining hand spun yarn naturally coloured with marigold and dill. A textile fabric obtained by wet felting technique, with three wool layers as a base.
EXPERIMENT #9 Texture. A layer of wool. A layer of yarn. 3h A fabric that alternates during the felting process, three layers of carded sheep wool with three layers of hand spun yarn, previously dyed with marigold flowers and dill leafs.
Indigofera tinctoria Pigment from indigo plant. Pre mordanting the hand spun yarn in an aluminium sulphate (alum) bath for one hour. Infusion time in the colour bath, with pigment from indigo plant, varies from one hour to twelve hours.
EXPERIMENT #10 Texture. Complex nodes. 4h The textile was realised through wet felting technique; five layers of carded wool and a layer of hand spun knotted yarn, previously dyed with natural pigment from indigo plant.
Dactylopius coccus Pigment from cochineal. Colour fastening was achieved by immersing the wool thread in a colour bath derived from cochineal pigment for ten hours. Pre mordant the wool thread through an aluminium sulphate bath for one hour.
Pigment Blue Prussia Intense but ephemeral chromaticity. Colour fastening was achieved by immersing the wool thread in a colour bath derived from blue prussia pigment for ten hours. Pre mordanting the woollen yarn in an aluminium sulphate (alum) bath for one hour.
EXPERIMENT #11 Wet felted textile. Ethanol. 48h The felt made of three layers of wool with hand spun yarn texture was sprayed with ethanol and burned arbitrary. It burned and only a trace was left.
EXPERIMENT #12 Textures. Wet felted textile. Ethanol. 48h The felt made of five layers of wool with hidden thread inserts was sprayed with ethanol and burned in a linear direction. Reminiscences of the burning process inform the exploration of new textures.
EXPERIMENT #13 Contrast. Wet felted textile. Acid dye. 10h Chemical dyeing of the felt was done by applying chemical spray paint. This intuitive process has created new contrasts.
The textile-artisanal research of sheep wool, has mainly explored the potential of the material in terms of colours, textures and structure. The next step will be focusing on instrumentalizing wool as the base, functional material in disciplines such as product and fashion design.
iele
Š
oana tudose 2017
Content and editing: Oana Tudose Assistent editing: Mihaela Rădescu Photography and graphic design: Luis Rios-Zertuche
A project funded by ing romania and the institute, part of redesign crafts.
iele Š oana tudose 2017