PRETTY IN PRINT AT KIRSTIE ALLSOPP'S THE HANDMADE FAIR
From block to cylinder, screen to digital, there are so many ways to print on textiles today — but what’s the best choice? Sadly, there is no simple answer. As many makers are proving today, the key to achieving the best results is in a pick’n’mix approach to print, and that's what you'll get at Kirstie Allsopp's The Handmade Fair next weekend.
First there was block printing; the craft of carving designs into wooden blocks and using its relief to print ink onto cloth. Soon plastic and rubber were used as blocks, and by the 18th century cylinder printing arrived, giving printmakers the potential to use up to six colours in a single roller machine. Nowadays, many makers opt for screen and digital printing — but the most astute artisans use a combined approach of their own.
One such printmaker is Emma Clarke. Like many artists she dips her toes into various creative practices, but it all culminates in the printed cloth. A painter, illustrator and printer, Emma creates floral fabrics and wallpapers for the home and is one of many makers representing print at Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair, 15th to 17th of September, where Selvedge readers can receive 15% off tickets with the code SELV15.
All of Emma’s prints are hand drawn and hand painted, inspired by the nature that surrounds her home life. Influenced by her own grandmother who was a talented embroiderer, she draws on her family heritage for artistic inspiration and fuses it with her own contemporary style; choosing bold shapes, graphic patterns, and vibrant colour. Emma will be in good company at the Fair next weekend, alongside Cloth & Candy who will be exhibiting their worldwide collection of printed textiles for visitors to see.
Travelling the globe in search of the finest printed textiles, Cloth & Candy collect printed cottons from the likes of London, Morocco, Lahore, Tokyo and Paris. With a focus on modern, graphic prints that play with pattern and colour, many of their fabrics are made with 100% organic cotton and use low impact dyes and printing methods.
Whether it’s block, cylinder, screen or digital printing, the plethora of printmakers taking part in Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair will be living proof that no one option is better than the other. In fact, it’s a discerning eye, a steady hand, and the ability to dip in and out of each approach that often produces the most exciting results in cloth.
Use the code SELV15 to receive 15% off tickets.
The Handmade Fair, 15 - 17 September 2017
The Green at Hampton Court Palace, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU