The Farnsworth house of Plano, IL was constructed by modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rowe between 1945 and 1951. The home sits on a 10-acre plot of land about 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Kendall County. It was commissioned by American doctor Edith Farnsworth. It’s a quintessential mid-century build characterized by its geometric forms. Its striking 360-degree floor-to-ceiling windows create an intimate relationship with the nature around the structure, through four seasons.

I’ve always been fascinated by architecture and the role that mid-century motifs have played on my home state. I am interested in merchandising and have always curious as to how designs like the Farnsworth house can translate into apparel. I’m similarly interested in the practice of bootlegging and I admire the craft that goes into creating one-of-one style band tees. These designs were some of the first I had applied when teaching myself how to screen print.

The project had varying degrees of success but taught me a ton about what it was to take an idea and make it physical. My objective was to imagine what a Farnsworth house tour guide would wear while working in the early ‘90s. Some notes on my process below:

  • Graphic screen printed on thrifted cotton black and navy blanks using white paint

  • I printed my design on transfer paper from FedEx Office

  • No screen-printing machine was used– I tried to hold my screen as stationary as possible while applying paint, which created plenty of imperfections which I feel like lend to the boot-legged nature of these graphics

  • I dried my emulsion in my closet because I did not have access to a dark room

  • The nature of my design would have been better served by a much finer screen

  • I rigged a UV light to a desk lamp to burn my screen because I did not have access to a more professional UV machine

  • I tried to print 1x red graphic on black cotton and quickly learned that I need to apply a white base layer beforehand :)

  • I was inspired by @petrifiedgood who creates bootleg apparel focused on architecture and music

  • All told, I was very please that I was able to created graphics on cotton myself using a very DIY set-up

December 2022.