The mushroom bag

The Mushroom Bag project came out of an Elective workshop on Pattern Design I did at the Publication Station. The elective included designing patterns with a nature theme and printing them on fabric. The challenge included looking for relevant fabrics and experimenting with different print techniques.

Inspired by the results of my research, I decided to use one of the patterns I created to make a tote bag. You can follow the making process here.

File:MushroomBagCover.png

The Process list

• Pattern design • Looking for fabrics • Experimenting with different techniques o Laser cutting o Engraving (photo 1) o Plotter o Heat press(photo 2) o Screen printing (photo 3) o Embroidery

1. pattern design

File:MushroomBag1.pngMushroomBag3.png

my pattern were based on images / I illustrated them myself. Used Illustrator to simplify / everything was created on Pro Create

2. Fabric Choices

• Made a simple sewing pattern for the bags by deciding the size must be 40 x 45 cm [--relation to tote bag?--] • Looking for a way to screen print on a big piece of fabric (1,5 x 3m)
File:MushroomBag2.png
• Making the pattern seamless on a big piece of fabric would have been very hard therefore I decided to cut the fabric in the pattern for the bags first. • Prepared a big print screen for fabric • I had two slightly different fabrics, a yellow soft synthetic one and a blue one that was more like suede.

3. Screen Printing

• I used a puff paint base for this project. • The paint did not transfer well to the blue fabric, I had to use an extra piece of fabric underneath it to up the pressure on the fabric. This way, the paint transferred better from the screen to the fabric.

File:Tas project video1.MOV

• After I screen-printed all the pieces, I let them dry for a few hours.

File:MushroomBag4.png

• I used a hair-dryer to get the maximum puff effect.