A knitted weave pattern digitally printed on a flat weave for a 3D look!
Knit one, print multiple times!
Shelley Faye Lazar celebrates the possibilities digital textile printing can bring to her work with The Silk Bureau.
From graphic designer to textile artist, Shelley has developed creative skills during a career steeped in practical crafts.
No, we don’t have a knitting machine! Although we can understand any confusion when you see how realistic our printing is. It just goes to show the quality and detail our printers can achieve.
Watch this mesmerising video of Shelley’s knit weave being printed onto Silk Habotai.
This fabric is a great choice for scarves, as it has a wonderful soft drape that allows it to be worn in all sorts of ways. Shelley has made a few short videos of how she wears hers. If you would like to see a demonstration of them, then click here.
Q
What was the trigger that made you move from a career in graphic design to textile surface pattern?
A Back in the 1980’s I was extremely fortunate to be a founder stall holder at the very new Apple Market, Covent Garden. Genuine crafts were promoted here by the 40 daily stallholders, and I took a stand every Friday and Saturday with my embroideries and stitched tapestries. I had begun developing my skills in this field because it satisfied my need to produce my own designs, but with fabric and yarn. During this period, graphic design was gradually migrating to computers, so I journeyed on with textiles, constantly learning, experimenting, and re-inventing my products!
Q
Colour and texture play a big part in the design of your products. What has influenced your artwork?
A
The environment has been my greatest influence for my use of colour. Flowers, skies, water – all the things we see every day. I take inspiration from what I see; any exhibition, trip to the shops, walk with the dog, plate of food, artworks – all this can give me ideas for colour.
Sophisticated mobile phone cameras help to record what I see. I can spend hours just searching through my photos. Also, technology has influenced my enjoyment of colour and the potential with the use and choices of colours. Dyes, inks, and printing processes are so reliable and consistent that it’s a joy to have fun with what is available.
Q
Your design really does trick the eye into believing it’s a knitted weave, rather than a flat weave. What inspired you to design this?
A
It was very important to me not to just repeat any design to silk for my printed range. I felt that I had to stay true to textiles, and the textural value of thread and yarn.
One of my favourite methods of using colour and thread is stitched tapestry or needlepoint, but I find the result limited in its uses and not cost effective for the hours of labour.
Out of a want of something to do during lockdown, for pleasure and love, I picked up my canvases and cotton perle and began stitching. The first design was a form of meditation – quite random and simply a matter of squares building up to the finished product. Then I began to realise the potential of my designs. Through expert photography, the magic of the computer (with the invaluable assistance of my husband, designer Richard Evans) married to the expertise of The Silk Bureau, my new range, The Trompe L’Oeil Collection was born.
The integrity of the textile, being the stitched or knitted design remains, with superb colour values and splendid textural teases that are there to be seen, but not to be felt. Instead, the quality of silk becomes the sensual experience. The mind is entertained and excited, the senses are stimulated and comforted and the need for an exclusive attractive accessory is satisfied! Job done! Also, very suitable for people with wool allergies – they can still have their knitted scarf!
If you would like to meet our featured artist and see her work in 2022, then you can visit these events.
Craft Festival in Cheltenham, 11-13 March,
Craft Festival Bovey Tracey 17-19 June, Country Living Hampton Court
RHS flower show,4-9 July,
Landmark Arts Textile Fair, Teddington 18-20 March
BCTF (British Craft Trade Fair) 10-12 April
More events will be announced during the year on Shelley’s website and social media platforms.
Shelley Faye Lazar: www.shelleyfayelazar.com
Facebook: @ShelleyFayeLazar
Instagram: #shelley_faye_lazar
© The Silk Bureau Limited 2023
The processes involved in digital textile printing causes the original fabric to shrink. If you are printing scarves, the size of the finished product will be important to you. For example, if you have square artwork, you will be expecting your finished scarf to be square!
To get the printed fabric closer to the size you need, all fabric intended for scarves must go through an extra step to reshape it. Please allow extra time on your deadlines to allow for this process.
Let us introduce you to the …
The stenter is an enormous piece of machinery that has many uses, including coating our fabrics and reshaping scarf orders.
After travelling through a solution to soften the fabric, it then passes over a flat bed, gripped on the selvedge edges to pull it back into shape.
It’s a long and precise process that needs to be carefully monitored.
If you have selected to use our hemming service, we will check the stentered fabric for you before we begin to finish your scarves. If you are not using our service, it’s up to you to check the size BEFORE you cut out the individual scarves from the fabric length. We cannot re-size after your scarves have been cut out.
