Fabric Mosaics

Design Research

Head wear has been an interesting catalyst in my ever explorative nature of expressing art in 3D forms. It is an easy non-gendered way of interacting with people through a utilitarian object that can hold so much artistic value. I decided to do a series of hats combining techniques that add to the utility as well as the artistic expression I was aiming to achieve. Most of the designing is done as the project evolves and develops so, as I start making one hat and challenges appear I use those moments to pivot and execute spontaneous design decisions. I allow my obsession with fabrics, colors and, textures to flourish in these projects. I also get the opportunity to share pieces of the fabrics I’ve collected over the years. Lately my projects have been less “inspired by” and more of an observation of how colors and patterns “feel” together and tapping in to where that takes my mind visually. I feel its like the reverse order of how most people design but It has produced very unique objects.

mo·sa·ic /mōˈzāik/

1. a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass.

Moroccan Tile

When I chose the fabrics for this series I started with a pink vintage obi satin for the crown and a grey stretch denim for the band and brim. Both fabrics have a similar weight and the colors felt good together. As I chose the fabrics that I wanted to use for the patchwork I started gathering prints and textures of complementary colors and similar tones. The way the patchwork was sewed on to the brim is reminiscent of tile work I’ve seen around the city and the amazing Moroccan tile work patterns where I draw a lot of inspiration from.

Bow Peep

This run of hats were cut to a size small but I wanted to make these available to more people so I decided to make this one adjustable with tie in the back. When I did the patch work for this hat I added a white cotton shirting fabric to the mix and cut and sewed them on more geometrically giving it a more quilt-like feel. When wearing this hat you can adjust how it fits by tying it in different ways also giving it a bonnet feel, thus the name “Bow Peep”.