Turkey Reds

I love highly ornate and colorful designs, so it's no surprise that my eye was drawn to these "turkey reds" as they're called.

   Here area a few interesting points about these designs:

*" turkey red" refers to a dye process that produces a bright, solid scarlet color on cotton

* brought to Europe by Jewish and Syrian dyers from Levant (the Mid-East then referred to as "Turkey")

* it was mainly considered an export item for the colonies in the 18th century

* the color source is "madder root" which produces a very lightfast, bright red color

* the process is labor-intensive, expensive and limited to cotton

* a reliable colorfast and cheaper synthetic red was produced in the 1920"s

* found in modern day bandanas

Not sure I would wear them, but could see them framed on a wall......

pattern of the day

My favourite colour is blue.Second fave is turquoise.I'm discovering my love of a fuller ground(I'm really partial to a white background but that may change) with filigreed elements.Very feminine.....

pattern of the day

The top is a close-up ....had fun with this one.

Pattern of the day

This design is inspired by a chinese illustration found in a book of embroidery...I think this would look wonderful on a cotton silk blend.

Paper Illusions by Isabelle de Borchgrave

I came across this beautiful book in our local library.It illustrates the exquisite work of Isabelle de Borchgrave who "with a single sheet of paper, she creates the most beautiful dresses, the finest costumes or, simply, a chain of white roses....".Many more examples found in the book Paper Illusions :The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. And to think I can barely wrap a present......

In my research into surface design,  3 main components  are  stressed  :

1. Design- which consists of an idea, theme or motif that will be the basis of the pattern.

2. Colorways- the color combinations the pattern will be created in.This can be very important and can make or break the overall design.

3. Repeats- the repetition of said motif without interruption or breaks .

I will try to approach each of my designs keeping these factors in mind.So far, I've mainly been concentrating on motif design and not giving much thought to the other 2 factors.I must tell you, repeats are very difficult and take practice, not just in getting a seamless repeat, but also deciding on the appropriate repeat for each motif.......a challenge, at least for for me.

I'm going to show a simple motif at the top bottom  , with 3 different repeats to illustrate.

They all have a different feel, depending on the density of what I'll call "ground coverage".The first is a half drop repeat, the second is a half drop of a medallion made with the motif and the third is a straight repeat.

my designs

Welcome to my playground of ideas.In this inaugural post, I thought I'd share with you some designs I've been working on.My style runs from Indian to Persian, victorian to contemporary-a wide gamut.In the upcoming weeks, my goal is to add more inspirational ideas, as well as a sprinkling of tips and facts learned along the way.

As this is a self guided exploration, I welcome comments /critiques from all.....

Shawn