Devore Process
The devore process was developed in 17th Century France as a means of creating a poor man's lace. Devore means to devour; to eat away; to burn out. It is a very exact and demanding technique.
I begin with plain white silk velvet, this is screen printed with an acidic paste, which is left to dry on the fabric. This is then processed through a large 8 metre long tunnel dryer, which is like a giant oven with a conveyor belt passing the fabric beneath heating elements throughout its length.
The heat activates the paste and carbonises the fibres of the velvet pile.
The heat has to be at the exact temperature for the 'burn out' to take place. Too little heat and the pile doesn't dissolve evenly, too much and holes appear!
The velvet is then thoroughly washed to remove the loose fibres and hung out to dry.
The dyeing process can then begin.
Despite being such a time consuming and challenging process the results are worth it.
There is nothing quite like it when the light catches the fabric in motion and the true depth of colour is revealed, especially when it is hand dyed as ours are.
Shibori Process
The word Shibori is Japanese for a variety of ways of embellishing textiles by binding, stitching, folding, twisting or compressing cloth before it is dyed.
Rather than treating the fabric as a two dimensional surface, the processes above give it a three dimensional form and as such, an element of the unexpected is always present.
Shibori is an age-old tradition with the first examples dating back to the eighth century.
I have experimented with the various forms of Shibori over many years and have refined my own technique of stitching and dyeing the silk velvet.
This gives my fabric a distinct look, with the individual dyes blending together to create their own unique colour.
As the light catches the silk velvet, the magnificent range of hues is made apparent and it changes like a chameleon before your eyes.
Because of the way in which the fabric is prepared and dyed by hand, no two pieces of silk are ever the same, even if the same dye colours are used.
This gives my customers the satisfaction of owning a truly individual piece.
