Margo Selby Internship - Week Four

My final week at Margo Selby!

After the meeting on Friday, I've learned that they are releasing a lot of new designs soon - towels - bedding - however only three new cushions in the next 12 months!

Scarves are (surprisingly) their best sellers; they sell themselves therefore the designers don't tend to alter them very often. 

We also managed to complete 100 lavender bags before the end of this week, so we were able to help with threading up the large loom. This has made me realise how small of a scale the warps we create at university are! It took 4 of us to wind on a 1300 ends, 36 inch wide, 12 metre long warp. Ridiculous. It's been really interesting to see floor looms like I use at university, being used to produce industrial pieces though! 

Maybe I could experiment with the scale of my work in a future project?

I also learned how to make hangers for different ranges of fabrics - SO much harder than I expected. To be able to design and create products at a high quality level, it is vital to make sure every job is completed to the best of your ability. It's during times like this that I am thankful for being such a perfectionist, because I know that this will help me in the future. 

I've known since before I started my placement that Margo Selby is well known for incorporating a 3-dimensional aspect into her fabrics, however this means weaving with elastic and lycra. From working at the studio, I've learned that it is a lot cheaper and easier to have all the company's products made from the same roll of fabric, although this has led to many customers complaining. Due to the fact that the rolls of fabric have elastic/lycra in them, it causes the fabric to change in appearance when used for different purposes. For example, 'Cleopatra' is an extremely stretchy fabric, making it perfect for use as a cushion cover, but on the other hand, when made into a pair of curtains, the elastic results in the fabric altering the way it hangs. This has resulted in Margo having to change the way her fabrics are finished, so her trademark look is beginning to fade and the 3-dimensional texture is disappearing from her ranges. I need to consider this in the future, when I want to incorporate a textured design into my own work. 

REMEMBER:

-you can make your own yarn 

-consider weaving with unusual objects