Art&Design Club members from Nottingham Trent University Saturday Club were joined by Ella Doran for a Masterclass on textile landscapes.
Ella Doran, a highly acclaimed designer, textile mark-maker, photographer and teacher, introduced her career, with images of her work. She has an award- winning portfolio, including her own-label homewares and interior furnishings.
A week before the Masterclass, the Club members had been envisioning what they would like the future of Nottingham to be. Building on this theme, Club members were asked to create textile landscapes that conveyed their ideas in a visual format. The Club members had 15 minutes to sketch their concepts, then used various textiles to turn their sketches into fabric collages.
To bring their designs to life, they were provided with fabrics from Ella Doran’s collection and they could also bring any additional materials like denim or cotton. There were no strict guidelines for what their finished pieces should look like, but they were encouraged to express their visions through the textiles at hand.
As the workshop progressed, Club members used a variety of techniques to create their textile landscapes. Some chose to use sewing machines, while others preferred hand-stitching or appliqué. They could also add text to their pieces with fabric pens.
The Masterclass highlighted how leftover fabrics can be repurposed in innovative ways, with some Club members creating three-dimensional forms from textile remnants.