{"id":52543,"date":"2023-08-25T12:36:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T16:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=52543"},"modified":"2023-09-05T08:41:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T12:41:52","slug":"jacquard-weaving-course-combines-artistry-computer-aided-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/jacquard-weaving-course-combines-artistry-computer-aided-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacquard Weaving Course Combines Artistry, Computer-aided Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Mary Giuffrida<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before textile design<\/a> (TD) students begin the planning, designing and building of their capstone collections, they first spend their fall semester in FTD 475 (Jacquard Woven Fabric Design: Concept, Structure and End Use). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combining artistry and industry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here, the designers study Jacquard weaving, which is done on a specialized loom and incorporates the design into the fabric by weaving the yarns together rather than printing or dyeing it onto a textile. The designers create digital design patterns through specialized softwares that communicate to the loom which threads to pick up. The Jacquard machines have the unique ability to pick up single threads at a time, creating the complex designs that characterize Jacquard weaving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The designers are then challenged to create an original fabric collection using the skills they\u2019ve built over the course of the semester. Along the way, they gain hands-on experience with computer-aided design (CAD) softwares, color and design trends, and complex weave structures. The designers spend the semester cultivating the skills necessary to create Jacquard designs ranging from fiber art and wall hangings to airbags and medical devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jaymie
Jaymie Googins works on the CAD file for her final project, a rug. You can see the woven sample she’s working on improving on her desk. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“This class has really pushed us deeper into the software, and into being more self-sufficient when it comes to the design software,” TD student Alaina Withers says. “Getting a good grasp of the software really prepares you for the capstone collection design process. We’re learning software now and becoming self-sufficient with it so we can create by ourselves next semester.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From inspiration to final product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The class builds upon the weaving skills designers have developed throughout their time at the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> and encourages them to explore their own inspirations and artistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The first year is all about color and concept, so you’ve formed that foundation of really starting your projects the right way,\u201d Withers explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a strong foundation means the designers have the freedom to stretch the limits of what they can do, and dive into the people and places who influence them the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chloe
Chloe Belton at work on a new version of her Jacquard woven designs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One student, Chloe Belton, created her final project by blending together fashion photography photos she had taken while studying abroad in Florence, Italy and turning them into woven art pieces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m currently interested in working with portraits, and I wanted to take it a step further than just doing portraits,\u201d Belton explains. \u201cI wanted to distort them in a certain way, so I’m starting to blend two photos together in either stripes or a grid.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Belton, the technical skills she has learned in the course are helping her to translate her vision from one medium to another, expressing a whole new set of emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final FTD 475 student projects. Click image thumbnail to expand.<\/h6>\n\n\n