The Design Process: More Powerful Ways to Create Original Designs by Tien Chiu

This two-day workshop will provide you with an array of tools for brainstorming, creating, and refining original designs, as well as an understanding of what makes a well-designed fabric. Students will:

•   Explore new materials

•   Brainstorm project ideas from materials
•   Create mood boards and mind maps to explore and organize ideas
•   Brainstorm designs
•   Discuss the elements of a good design
•   Refine designs and work with a critique group
•   Determine what additional work (samples, sketches, etc.) needs to be done to answer design questions
•   If time, start working on any samples needed to finalize your design.

Materials needed:

•   A warped loom with two or more shafts (rigid heddle is OK, too!). If you are using a shaft loom, thread the loom straight draw (1-2-3-4 or 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8). The warp can be your choice of neutral-colored yarn (black, gray, white, beige, brown). Warp can be any width as long as it is more than six inches.
•   An assortment of weft yarns you’d like to play with, compatible with the warp you’ve chosen.
•   Two or more shuttles, including a stick shuttle if you have one (don’t worry if you don’t!).
•   Colored pens or pencils
•   1-2 fiber-related magazines or fiber arts catalogs with lots of photos, that you would be willing to cut up. If, like me, you treasure your fiber magazines, bring some fashion or style magazines, or printouts of fiber-related photos you like. In a pinch, any magazine with lots of color photos will do.
•   Scotch tape, preferably double-sided.

 Instructor bio:

Tien Chiu has engaged in fiber arts for decades, and fell in love with weaving in 2006. She currently specializes in handwoven couture, and has won multiple awards for her handwoven garments, including “Best in Show” at CNCH. Her handwoven wedding dress is part of the permanent collection at the American Textile History Museum, and scheduled to be exhibited there April through August of 2013. Tien is also blogging a book on the design process in fiber arts, which you can read at http://www.creatingcraft.com

This wonderful workshop will be held at WC Mercantile on May 4th and 5th, 2013. Cost is $215.

Sign up here!