Couch Recovery

When a friend's apartment was lacking in furniture, two other friends and I decided to buy an old couch as a gift and recover it ourselves. We found one in fairly good shape at Goodwill, and picked up some fabric remnants at a different second hand store. None of these pieces were big enough to cover the entire couch, so we bought up all the black fabric they had to cover the arms and the front, and picked out a big piece of polka dot fabric for the cushions. We brought it home, and after a few hours of stretching, wrapping, smoothing, tucking, cramming, and lots of stapling, we ended up with a cute black and white sofa that we were all really proud of. The proud owner loves it and plans on taking it with her to her house next year.

Pattern to Textile

The concept of connectivity is central to the textile design. In the module, the two halves of the drawing are joined by thin black lines which could resemble train tracks. Just as a train takes you to your destination, the series of vertical black lines visually unites the two shapes. On a larger scale, the leading lines match up to create visual movement across the entire composition. These horizontal lines also provide a sense of rhythm to the composition, as they are evenly arranged from left to right. Overlap is evident in the module: two basic shapes are manipulated to form multiple quadrants, each with its own unique characteristics. When the module is rotated and combined in the textile design, the shapes within the module come together to make larger blocks of color.

Modules to Pattern

After selecting two modules to work with in more detail, I manipulating them into multiple patterns. By rotating and arranging the 2"x2" modules, I created interesting patterns which can be repeated. I then picked my favorites to apply different color schemes to.

Moah's Bedroom

German Quilt Block

This quilt block was created using Photoshop and InDesign to manipluate three different images into one cohesive pattern. The design is inspired by the German tradition of elaborate decoration. The central image of each square is of an adorned Christmas tree, chosen because of that tradition's origins in Germany. The next image is a section of a tablecloth that would be used for large family gatherings. In the corners are flowers, which are found in decor for every holiday celebrated in Germany. The dark background is meant to emphasize the bright colors in the images.