Batik!
Ayyyy fam what's good? Been quite the hot minute since I've updated my blog. I had quite a year and a bit of succumbing to shyness and self doubt. These things happen but I am happy to be feeling better and to be back at work! What I have in the pipeline for hijulez this spring is something I am quite excited about! Over the past three years, I have been refining my dyeing, sewing and embroidery skills... but there was an element missing. The missing element is: printing patterns or custom designs.I have, for a while, been struggling with how to print textiles in a way that satisfies my vision but also doesn't take a bajillion years. I started last summer with: Block printing: this was slow and made uneven images. Screen printing: I love this medium—but if you are not quick enough, the screen dries and you have to clean the screen and restart, while trying to not smudge the print! Hand-painting with inks: Too slow. Shibori dyeing: Good for some elements, but I am not skillful nor patient enough to hand stitch the images I want... I was in no way close to giving up with this method, but I didn't perhaps think through my idea. My plan of taking thrifted bed sheets, giving them a pattern and then sewing them into clothing wasn't as full proof as I had originally thought.. Enter November 2021—wax and dyeing! On a gloomy day in November, I started a project that had long been swirling around in my head: painting large format prints onto thrifted cotton bedsheets with wax, re-dyeing them and then seeing what happened. I instantly fell in love and saw the possibility this could bring for my ability to transform these plain bedsheets into patterned beauties for spring & summer. I have been watching countless Youtube videos, sampling ideas and practising techniques to better refine my ability to express what is in my imagination onto textiles. It definitely has been a process and a learning curve but I am so excited to share with you what is in the works for hijulez SS22!!! The process is labour-intensive but the result is oh-so-rewarding! A true testament of love, patience and perseverance. I hope to continue to refine my skills in batik and textiles production across as many mediums as possible!How do you like to make patterns in your textiles? Send me your ideas and thoughts. :)