FROM FABRIC TO FURNITURE. JOURNEY OF AUSTRALIAN DESIGN Photography by Kate Ballis

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2 FROM FABRIC TO FURNITURE JOURNEY OF AUSTRALIAN DESIGN Photography by Kate Ballis 6 7

3 Kate Ballis captures the raw beauty of an industry rich in skilled craftspeople and quality manufacturing INTRODUCTION Fabric to Furniture - Journey of Australian Design, is a beautiful, unglossed portrayal of the people, practices and processes of our local industry. The series, documented by fine art photographer Kate Ballis, captures the raw beauty of an industry rich in skilled craftspeople and quality manufacturing, as seen from two of the industry s most experienced operators, Arthur G and Instyle. The series of images follows the journey of one textile, Instyle s Source from its benchmark LIFE Sustainable Textiles collection and its eventual use, upholstered onto one of Arthur G s designs, the Carmen MKII. 8 9

4 This campaign was created through Instyle and Arthur G s dedication to local design and manufacturing INSTYLE Instyle was established in 1987 by Michael Fitzsimons with the aim to support and promote quality local textile design and manufacturing. Most of Instyle s textiles are designed by our inhouse design studio and woven by local mills. This often surprises many people, given the industry s competitive and challenging environment, however these long-term partnerships provide a consistent and reliable supply of high quality textiles for our clients says Fitzsimons. Today, Instyle has grown into an internationally recognised brand renowned for developing sophisticated, high quality interior finishes made with integrity including textiles, leathers, acoustic solutions and wallcoverings

5 FABRIC PRODUCTION The centrality of textiles in society has ensured that the industry is at the forefront of technological development, it was one of the first industries to be mechanised in the Industrial Revolution. While technology has evolved and many processes are now automated, human touch and skill continue to be an integral part in producing textiles. Yarn cones prepared for dyeing, up to 585kg of yarn can be dyed at one time 12 13

6 Mixing dyes in the dyehouse laboratory to match colours selected by Instyle Design Studio 14 15

7 Manager Tom has worked at the dyehouse since 1997 Piece dyeing machine for dyeing rolls of fabric such as Atlas from Instyle s LIFE Sustainable Textiles collection 16 17

8 Piece or roll dyeing machine for dyeing rolls of fabric such as Atlas from Instyle s LIFE Sustainable Textiles collection The weaving mill operates in the historic Returned Soldiers Mill situated on the bank of the Barwon River, this site was opened by Prime Minister Billy Hughes in

9 Winding machine used for yarn preparation in order to create different sizes of yarn cones suitable for production Warping Operator Sandra has worked at the mill since Warping involves preparing the yarn to feed through the weaving loom, a job that requires attention to detail, good eye sight and nimble hand skills 20 21

10 Cones of raw white yarn ready to put into the thermal splicing machine Thermal splicing machine used to untwist and join weft yarns to create larger cones by using compressed air and heat 22 23

11 Thermal splicing machine A warp creel used in the preparation of yarns for the warping machine 24 25

12 Warping machine drum, the number of warp yarns determines the width of the fabric, Source has 2800 warp ends (individual vertical yarns in the fabric) Starting a new section on the warping machine, a process that requires dedication and a skilful knot-tying hand 26 27

13 Start of beaming-off process, Jacky removes the knots and attaches each section to a warp beam by placing the yarns into the holes and twisting around the warp beam Beaming off a new warp, after the knots are tied the drum is turned and then placed at the back of the weaving loom 28 29

14 Lease device on warping machine to keep yarns in sequential order and separated to avoid yarn tangling The other side of the lease reed on the warping machine 30 31

15 Drawing in involves threading each warp end through the heddles. Today this process is automated and takes half a day, here Gines is doing this process manually, which takes one and a half days Heddle wires, heddles are an integral part of a weaving loom 32 33

16 Warp ends collected for the tie-in process in order to change to a new warp. Each old warp yarn is tied to a new warp yarn to be pulled through each heddle Rear view of Jacquard weaving loom used for more complex patterns 34 35

17 36 37 Warp beams

18 All yarns are fed through the weft accumulator on the loom to control the yarn tension during weaving to optimise efficiency and maintain quality of the fabric The leno and selvedge device on weaving loom produces a false selvedge that is cut off so that the sides of the fabric roll remains intact 38 39

19 Weaving loom heddle frame, the heddles are connected to shafts that go up and down to allow for the interlacing of the weft yarns through the warp 40 41

20 Threading a broken end through the reed on the weaving loom, when a warp yarn end breaks this causes a dropper to fall onto a device that triggers the machine to stop, the broken warp yarn is carefully repaired by a weaver Ready to start weaving after repairing the broken warp yarn 42 43

21 Tensioned warp yarns in perfect alignment on beam in the weaving loom Rear view of weaving loom 44 45

22 Weaving loom Spare yarn ready for repairing any broken threads 46 47

23 Selvedge waste can be recycled to make felt Fabric Mender Petra has worked at the mill since Fabric mending requires a good eye and attention to detail in order to skilfully darn any fabric flaws 48 49

24 Each roll of fabric is inspected for flaws and mended by hand to ensure the highest quality Inspecting fabric for faults, Petra can check up to 20 rolls per day 50 51

25 I like the notion of making the unseen, seen. I experiment with the patterns and textures found in the environment, combining scale and context to create images that, while being wholly grounded in reality, feel other-worldly. Kate Ballis Manager Derek has worked at the mill since

26 ARTHUR G Arthur G is an Australian furniture company dedicated to the creation and production of classic design. In 1979, Arthur Georgopoulos designed his first lounge suite from the garage of his Melbourne home. With no prior furniture making experience, but an unbridled desire to produce his designs, he did. In short succession, Arthur G was established. Leonard Georgopoulos, son of founder, Arthur Georgopoulos. Leonard has been Managing Director since 2002 Almost four decades later, Arthur G is now one of Australia s longest operating, family-owned, furniture manufacturers. Today, Leonard Georgopoulos is the driving force behind the company s evolution, which continues to manufacture solely from Huntingdale, Victoria

27 FURNITURE MAKING All Arthur G furniture is made to order in Melbourne. Each piece is manufactured from solid hardwood and finished by hand. While technological advancements have improved the efficiency of manufacture, the success of a completed design still relies on the skilled hands of a trained craftsman. In contrast to the production of Instyle s fabric Source, each piece of Arthur G s furniture is made individually by hand Uniquely, the upholstery process is one of the few manufacturing steps which requires individual interpretation; each design dictates a different order of assemblage and relies heavily upon the upholsterer s expertise

28 Stacks of Victorian Ash 58 59

29 A bandsaw slices the wing of the Carmen MKII from a piece of Plywood Frame pieces cut to size and ready for assemblage: Victorian Ash and Plywood are used in the construction of all Arthur G frames 60 61

30 Frame assemblage process: a combination square marks the centre of the Carmen MKII leg A biscuit joiner cuts a hole in the leg 62 63

31 Wafers of wood, known as biscuits, are glued and inserted into the leg Biscuits align the leg joints at the correct angle during gluing. These are secured firstly by hand before being clamped together 64 65

32 Wes marks the point where a dowel is to be inserted Using a drill press, Wes drills a hole into the Carmen MKII leg 66 67

33 Once drilled, dowels are glued, inserted and hammered into place to provide strength and stability to the frame 68 69

34 To prevent the upholstery being cut by the timber frame, a random orbital sander is used to smooth sharp edges 70 71

35 A belt sander efficiently removes any rough areas from the outside of the frame 72 73

36 Carmen MKII frame Head Joiner, Wesley. Hailing from Mauritius, Wes has worked at Arthur G since

37 Plywood frame patterns 76 77

38 The upholstery process: Source is unfurled on the cutting table, and the Carmen MKII pattern is placed and traced Peter operates the fabric cutter, slicing each pattern piece to size 78 79

39 After the individual pattern pieces have been overlocked, Peng sews the panels together. Peng has worked at Arthur G since 2007 Loan operates the twin needle sewing machine, responsible for all top stitches. She has been working at Arthur G since

40 Fabricating the frame: Aaron commences this process by covering each leg in 10mL thick foam. A skirt of Source is then placed over the legs Source is cut and wrapped around each leg 82 83

41 Staples secure the fabric in place To finish each upholstered leg, Aaron back-tacks the fabric to the frame. The method of back-tacking allows the fabric to be adhered almost invisibly 84 85

42 Two different types of webbing are used in the Carmen MKII; Elastobelt webbing is used on the back, and the heavy duty Black Cat webbing is used on the seat Remnants of fabric from the upholstered wing are tucked into the frame 86 87

43 High density premium foam is applied over the framework giving the Carmen MKII its comfort The order to which a frame is fabricated, depends on the design. This decision is made by the upholsterer. Fabricating the Carmen MKII begins with the leg, followed by the wing, seat and back 88 89

44 High density premium foam is secured to the seat back Arthur G lining is applied to the edges of fabric, which is then tucked in and pulled taught, ensuring a smooth finish 90 91

45 Aaron folds the fabric over the inside back of the framework Aaron has been an upholsterer at Arthur G since

46 The upholsterer s role exceeds simply covering the frame. Here Aaron drills into the base, allowing the seat to be attached The seat and base are aligned and screwed together 94 95

47 No Sag steel springs 96 97

48 Carmen MKII upholstered in Instyle's Source Peace fabric 98 99

49 KATE BALLIS Kate Ballis is a Melbourne-based portrait, lifestyle, travel and fine art photographer. A natural aestheticist, Kate plays with light, complexity and finding beauty in the darkness and shadows. 100