A collaborative textile process with my sister Carla – exploring connection, spirituality, & transformation through stencil, print, & reclaimed materials.
This body of work emerged through an ongoing collaboration with my sister, Carla – a process shaped by distance, but grounded in deep connection. Through online chats & phone calls, we explored themes of spirituality, femininity, resilience, & transformation. The work reflects our shared belief that creativity can be a tool for healing – that through connection, we can move through life’s challenges & reshape them into something meaningful.
Our process began with the exchange of ideas, symbols, & memories. Drawing from these conversations, I translated our shared visual language into digital vectors using Adobe Illustrator. With Carla present online, I then moved into the physical stage, laser cutting the stencil, allowing her to witness the transformation of our ideas into form in real time.
From there, the work became tactile. Using salvaged 100% cotton, I created ink prints with the stencil, embracing the imperfections & material honesty of the process. These prints were then further developed digitally in Photoshop, where I experimented with composition, layering, & variation, evolving the central ‘yoga figure’ motif into multiple outcomes, including bordered scarf designs & expanded symbolic layouts.
The next stage involved sublimation printing & heat pressing onto polyester fabrics. This introduced both opportunity & limitation. Working with a small heat press meant larger designs had to be transferred in sections, which led to distortion & misalignment. Rather than discarding these ‘failed’ prints, I chose to see them as part of the process – raw, unpredictable, & full of potential.
Different polyester bases were tested, from lightweight woven fabrics to heavier materials & raso, each responding differently to the transfer process. The cleaner, successful prints have been reserved for the internal lining of a reversible jacket currently in development, while the distorted prints are being repurposed into a pair of pleated trousers, allowing the flaws to become part of the garment’s visual language.
The final scarf design was professionally printed through Wiaxo to achieve a resolved outcome. Even then, the process pushed back, a printing flaw appeared along the edge. Instead of discarding the piece, I designed & sublimated custom brand labels, stitching them over the imperfection. This act became symbolic in itself, not hiding mistakes, but transforming them.
This work is not just about fabric or print, it’s about connection. It’s about the quiet persistence of showing up, sharing ideas across distance, & trusting the process even when it doesn’t go to plan. Through Carla, through this collaboration, & through the act of making – I heal.
Larissa Sarina BAGLIERI 