Rosina Gavin
Story
There is recognition worldwide that we must all take responsibility for using the earth’s natural resources less wastefully. ‘A Sense of Place’ is a collection of interior textiles that utilise printing techniques and fabrics that that aim to be ‘more sustainable’.
Hemp and linen, both produced from flax plants which are grown with little harm to the environment, provide strong biodegradable fabrics. Hemp is thermo dynamic, blocks UV rays and is resistant to rotting, mildew, mould and salt water. Unsurprisingly, The Eden Project has proclaimed it ‘a potential sustainable crop for the 21st century’.
Surface pattern has been created through traditional hand printing techniques using reactive water-based dye pastes. Other techniques with reduced impact on the environment have also been explored: oxygen bleach has been used to create pattern on naturally coloured fabric; decorative stitching; digital printing and pigment dye.
The visual inspiration for this collection is the rural village of Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire, an agricultural area often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Mearns’. The Mearns with its undulating landscape, rich earth, abundant crops and coastal villages, has influenced writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon and artist Joan Eardley. Designs have been developed from landscape painting and through the printing process.
Printing onto ‘GOTS’ certified organic hemp and unbleached linen from the EU provide quality textiles for domestic interiors with the durability and traceability synonymous with the Scottish textile industry.