TEAK LEAF, AND CASTOR LEAF AS DECORATIONAL MOTIFS ON WOMEN'S LEATHER BAG USING
ECOPRINT TECHNIQUE
Yurian Nurul Islamiyah1), I Komang Kusuma Adi2)
1 Indonesian Art Institute Surakarta
2 Cultural Arts Institute Bandung
a) Email: [email protected]. Phone: 08990450056
b) Email: [email protected]. Phone: 081235912515
Abstract
he final project of Utilization of Chrysanthemum Flowers, Cosmos Flowers, Teak Leaves And, Castor Leaf Leaves as Ornamental Motifs on Women's Leather Bags With Ecoprint Technique, is a work inspired by the use of flowers and leaves with ecoprint techniques.
The purpose of the final project of this work is to create floral and leaf motifs on women's leather bags using the Ecoprint technique. The creation of this work was carried out using the theory of SP Gustami, namely the method of "three stages and six steps of creating craft artworks". The process of creating works starts from the exploration stage, namely by making observations on flowers and leaves, followed by the design stage of alternative designs to be selected as ornamental motifs applied to chrome-like skin. Next is the embodiment technique in the creation of this work using the Ecoprint technique and using the sewing technique in the embodiment of women's bags. The process of realizing the work begins with leather treatment, background treatment, ecoprinting, cutting leather according to patterns, setting, assembling, sewing, and finishing. This final project work resulted in 4 works of women's leather bags with titles; Damai, Cinta, Cinta Alam, and Berumur Panjang. The creation of this work resulted in the work of women's leather bags with Ecoprint motifs of flowers and leaves. With the creation of women's leather bags that lift the beauty of Ecoprint floral and leaf motifs, it is hoped that it can add public awareness about the importance of using environmentally friendly products.
Key Words: Chrysanthemum Flower, Cosmos Flower, Teak Leaf, And Castor Leaf, Ecoprint, and Women's Leather Bag
This work is licensed under a CC-BY-NC
INTRODUCTION
The country of Indonesia, which is located just below the equator and has a tropical climate, makes Indonesia one of the countries that have fertile soil. As contained in the song "Kolam Susu" by Koes Ploes which describes Indonesia's abundant natural wealth. Indonesia's natural wealth in the form of flora and fauna, some of which exist in the world, can be used as a source of inspiration for creation. The use of various plants to support the development of craft products is one of them used in the field of natural coloring. Natural dyes have been used by our ancestors as natural dyes for batik cloth. The process of extracting plant parts such as leaves, roots, flowers, fruit and seeds is a way to obtain natural dyes from plants. Natural dyes are coloring substances obtained from nature such as animals, minerals, and plants, either directly or indirectly.
(Dawson 2019, 61) Most colors are obtained from plants, in plant tissue there are plant pigments that give rise to different colors depending on chemical structure. Plant pigment groups can be in the form of chlorophyll, carotenoids, flavanoids, and quinones. Plants naturally contain distinctive color pigments so that they can be used as natural dyes. (H.M.J. Lemmens and N. Wilujarni- Soetjipto 1999, 3) The use of natural dyes has begun to be replaced with synthetic dyes due to the practicality of use and the availability of various types of colors. reducing the use of natural dyes. From a health point of view, synthetic dyes have a negative impact on the environment, such as pollution of soil, water and air, which ultimately affects humans themselves.
Recently, the term sustainable fashion has emerged, namely the creation of fashion products that cover the scope of production or design methods that are environmentally friendly. Sustainable is often replaced with other words such as 'eco', 'green', and 'organic'. (Gordon, J. 2014, 15) Eco fashion or Green Fashion focuses on reducing negative impacts on the environment, and is widely considered as part of environmental movement. Ecoprinting exploration in this work is to respond to environmental issues which are closely related to the craft fashion industry, especially leather craft.
Utilization of animal skins can be seen in the fashion trends in the use of clothing, bags, shoes and accessories made of leather. Types of leather can be classified into two types based on processing techniques, the first is parchment and the second is tanned. Types of animal skins that can be processed include cows, buffaloes, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, crocodiles, stingrays, and others.
(Agus Ahmadi 2001, 18) In this work the author uses chrome tanned leather from sheep.
The bag has the main function, namely as a place to carry and store goods so that they are easy to carry when traveling or on a trip. Types of bags there are various shapes, colors, and sizes. The existence of bags now owned by many, not only the upper class, but almost all levels of society have them. Historically, ancient bags were first used to carry seeds, medicine, religious items, food packaging, money and other items. The bag was first used by the ancient Egyptians with the waist bag model with the aim of making it easier to carry personal items wherever they go, in addition to carrying goods. (Sherly A 2012, 3) The choice of women's bags as works is due to the Indonesian people's penchant for paying attention to fashion trends and their accessories. This lifestyle results in high demand for fashion products, this is synonymous with female consumers as a group that is always sensitive to the existence or development of fashion. Women's bags that have various shapes are very interesting to be explored into new creations, one of which is a tote bag or more popularly known as the Totte Bag among the public. The use of the Totte Bag is considered quite flexible in various events, the application of leaves and flowers as decorative motifs on tote bags will add to the aesthetic impression.
Decorative motifs on a bag work must be precise, because if it is too excessive it can reduce the main function and shape of the bag, or lose to the decoration. Therefore, the use of flowers and leaves as decorative motifs on women's leather bags was chosen to create natural, flexible and aesthetically pleasing bag products. Based on the explanation above, the author wants to create an ecoprint motif with the source ideas of chrysanthemum flowers, cosmos flowers, teak leaves, and castor leaves. The work will be realized in the form of
a women's bag with the target of adult women's use. Through creative and innovative thinking, the author tries to create ecoprint motifs and reticule shapes that match the creations or expressions of the author's soul. The reason the author wants to create an ecoprint motif with the source ideas of chrysanthemums, cosmos flowers, teak leaves, and castor oil leaves is because he wants to call for Eco fashion by conducting ecoprint training around the author's residence with the mothers. The creation of the work is an attempt to reduce the use of chemicals in the creation of works. The author will create 4 works of women's bags in which the aim is as a medium to convey to the public, especially young people, that the use of natural materials in making a work can also be an interesting work. This women's bag can be used for young women and mature women who have a simple design.
METHODOLOGY
The method of creating works requires exposure to works regarding the concept of making works that starts with paying attention to and thinking about phenomena. This phenomenon will give rise to curiosity which is formulated densely in the form of writing. The creation of Ecoprint works of flowers and leaves that are embodied in the form of women's leather bags requires a method of creation, in order to gather information and data sources. In the opinion of SP Gustami whose theory is called "three stages-six steps in the process of creating a craft work of art". (SP. Gustami 2007, 329) The following are the stages of creation, including:
Exploration
Exploration is an exploratory step in exploring sources of ideas based on data and related references, all of which will be used as the basis for the design.
The exploration process is carried out by examining specifically fashion trends, especially women's bags. The process aims to find possibilities for new forms that will later be developed in the work. The method taken is by conducting a source study through collecting reference data regarding writings and images related to
the work in order to find inspiration, as well as processing ideas coherently into a written concept. The process is then continued with an exploration of the shape that is realized by making several sketches based on printed images or photographs and then developed according to the author's imagination. The process of developing shapes through sketches is taken by developing the shape of a woman's leather bag.
Experiments were also carried out in the embodiment of motifs, this was done by mixing and matching several plants based on color and shape, and determining the layout of the motifs and the size of the plants so that they looked balanced, harmonious and beautiful when embodied in a women's leather bag.
Design
The design stage is visualizing the results of ideas and data analysis into alternative sketch designs, then the selected sketch designs are determined, to be used as a reference in making working drawings to facilitate the process of embodiment of Ecoprint on women's bags. The planning stage is divided into two steps, namely:
1. The first step is to realize the design work based on the designer's creative ideas in the form of sketches of Ecoprint motif arrangements referring to the predetermined shapes of flowers and leaves.
2. The second step, namely design visualization from several alternative sketches or working drawings of the selected women's bags, refined in working drawings.
Embodiment
The embodiment stage is to realize the selected design then proceed with making patterns and motifs according to the working drawings precisely, then realizing the work of a women's bag with Ecoprint Flowers and leaves motifs on the skin. The embodiment stage consists of two steps, namely:
1. The first step is to create floral and leaf motifs on chrome leather using the Ecoprint technique based on the sketches that have been made. Next is to
make a women's bag according to the shape of the Totte Bag bag based on the sketch that has been made. The sequence of work steps are the preparation of tools and materials, the pattern making process, the process for making decorative motifs using the Ecoprint technique, the leather cutting process according to the pattern, the setting process, the gluing and folding process, the assembly process, and the finishing process.
2. The second step, namely the evaluation or assessment of the form of women's bags that have been completed. This step aims to find out the work of a finished Women's Leather Bag with a design that has been made before.
RESULTANDDISCUSSION
The Ecoprinting technique is defined as a process for transferring colors and shapes to fabric through direct contact. (Flint 2008, 1) Techniques that are currently popular and inspired by nature have developed over a long time, and have been popularized since 2006, one of them by Indiana Flint. Starting from the development of the eco dyeing technique then flint developed it into the Ecoprint technique. Sustainable is often replaced with other words such as 'eco', 'green', and 'organic'. (Gordon, J. 2014, 15) Eco fashion or Green Fashion focuses on reducing negative impacts on the environment, and is widely considered as part of environmental movement. Ecoprinting exploration in this work is to respond to environmental issues which are closely related to the craft fashion industry, especially leather craft. Through creative and innovative thinking, the author tries to create ecoprint motifs and reticule shapes that match the creations or expressions of the author's soul. The steps for creating works that have been carried out are (W. Gulo 2002):
Cutting Process
The process of cutting the skin is done by using a cutter, iron ruler and scissors. This cutting process is done carefully and must match the pattern.
Assembly Process
The assembly process is the initial process that is carried out after the cutting process is complete. This process is to unite the parts of the bag with accessories and furing. In this process, the pattern and other patterns are attached, which aims to simplify the sewing process and produce neat folds.
The Process of Making Decorative Motifs Using the Ecoprint Technique
1. Leather Treatment
In applying the leather treatment the author uses a mordant solution (acetic acid) which consists of tannin powder and husks as a natural mordant. This process is usually carried out using a solution of 20 grams of alum in every 1 liter of water. However, in this work the author uses sustainable principles where in each process and material uses natural ingredients and is not harmful to the body. Mordant on Ecoprint leather is done to open the leather fibers so that the dye can enter the skin.
2. Background Treatment
In applying the background treatment the author uses primisima cloth with a solution of sugar water, lime and indigo powder. A mixture of sugar water, lime, and indigo powder is used to give a dark color to the background of the applied motif, so as to accentuate the floral structure. Primisima cloth with a mixture of water, lime and indigo powder is used to cover empty areas where there are no flower and leaf motifs.
Picture 1. Soaking Fabric in Dyes (Source: Yurian Nurul Islamiyah, 2021)
3. Ecoprinting
In applying Ecoprinting, the author uses leather that has been treated with mordant, flowers, leaves, and primisima fabrics that have been soaked in dyes.
This process is the making of motifs on the skin.
Picture 2. Arrangement of Flowers on Half Wet Skin (Source: Yurian Nurul Islamiyah, 2021)
The process of making women's leather bags
1. The Process of Cutting the Skin According to the Pattern
The leather cutting process is carried out after the process of making Ecoprint on leather is complete and the fabric has completely dried. This leather cutting aims to separate the parts of the women's bag according to the pattern design that has been made. In this cutting process used tools cutter, iron ruler, and scissors.
2. Skin Adjustment Process
The skin adjustment process is carried out to get skin with a thin thickness on the part to be sutured. This leather adjustment aims to facilitate the sewing process. In this tuning process, a leather skiving machine is used so that the skin has an even thickness (B. Muria Zuhdi 2019).
Picture 3. Skin Adjustment Process (Source: Yurian Nurul Islamiyah, 2021)
3. Assembly Process
The assembly process is the pasting and folding of layers of leather with furing and accessories according to the shape of the women's bag pattern that has been made. This peakitan process aims to facilitate the sewing process. (B.
Muria Zuhdi 2019)
4. Tailoring Process
The sewing process is the process of combining pieces of a woman's bag pattern using sewing machine tools, needles and threads. In this sewing process, a special leather sewing machine is used to produce neat stitches. The sewing process is carried out according to the sequence, starting from the installation of accessories, installation of zippers, installation of bag straps, and the main body of the bag.
5. Finishing Process
The finishing process is the final stage of a work-making process. Finishing is a process that will shape the outer appearance of a product, especially leather products. Before finishing the work of this woman's bag, it is necessary to clean it from the remnants of glue and adhering dirt. In this work, the author uses
finishing leather balm and vinegar water which is rubbed on the skin, this aims to lock the pattern color on the leather so it doesn't fade and fade.
Picture 4. Finishing Process
Picture 5. Finished Work 1; Peace Picture 6. Finished Work 2; Beautiful (Source: Yurian Nurul Islamiyah, 2021) (Source: Yurian Nurul Islamiyah, 2021)
CONCLUSION
The idea/ idea in the creation of works is the application of the Ecoprint technique to women's leather bags because they have a unique and new color to the decorative motifs of women's bags. The creation of the work entitled
Utilization of Flowers and Leaves as Decorative Motifs on Women's Leather Bags Using the Ecoprint Technique went through several stages, namely the stages of exploration, planning, and realization. The exploration stage was carried out by practicing/testing applying flowers and leaves to sheepskin until several flowers and leaves were selected which were deemed suitable as motifs in this work. The planning stage begins with making several alternative sketches of the shape of the bag followed by refinement of the design so that it becomes the selected design, the next process after selecting the sketch is making working drawings, breaking patterns, and details of women's bags. The embodiment stage is the final process in the creation of this work, wet blue leather is the material of choice for Ecoprint and napa leather from sheep with a thickness of 2 millimeters is chosen with the aim of strengthening wet blue leather which has soft and smooth characteristics. The process of unifying or merging leather parts using machine sewing techniques. (Irianingsih 2018)
This women's bag work was made with the hope that it can be seen as a creative, innovative, fashionable and eco-friendly leather craft work. The obstacles in the creation of this work are the risky Ecoprinting process and the thickness of the skin which is quite thin so that it requires accuracy in each process. These obstacles will be used as additional learning and experience for the author so that in the future the resulting work will be even better.
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