knit development

I found this great book in the library by Mitchell Beazley. It was written in 1979, and some of the ideas inside are pretty fun and quirky, as you can probably guess from the title- 'Wild Knitting'! Seeing as I'm experimenting towards my final knit samples based on my collection of things to play with, I really enjoyed flicking through this for some inspiration (and laughs!)

I like the way lots of the ideas in the book are quite 3D and very textural. Continuing to look at and draw from my objects, I experimented a bit further with small scale samples to inform what to make for my final samples. I tried incorporating wire to add structure, inspired by the coiled shape of the slinky I have in my box. I love the effect of lots of tightly e-wrapped bits of iridescent thread to get the idea of the plasticy, synthetic shine of many of my objects. 

drawing from rubber band shapes- aimed to create a similar busy, mesh-like
 feel to knit samples above

drawing from slinky and bubble blower- informed wire expermentation below

playing with colour/pattern/texture

Part of drawing and analysing my objects has been to look at the colours, textures and patterns, which I'll be able to derive inspiration for my work in the technical blocks from. 

Creating windings with yarn and material scraps helped me start to think about colour combinations. Lots of my objects have a plasticy shine to them, which prompted me to look for some shiny threads, and to incorporate rubber bands, wire, shredded carrier bags and other alternative materials into my initial test pieces. 

I now have a swatch book full of lots of mark-making inspiration too. It was interesting to look at little details and textures on my objects, then record them experimenting with scale, repetition, rotation and then colour. The only restriction was the dimension of the squares I could do my mark-making on! Once I got going, I really enjoyed this- it'll be a great starting point for print designs. 

Fascinated by fabric - Spray on technology

After Kate Goldsworthy’s talk introducing TED’s sustainable design strategies last week, I was interested to look a little further into one area she raised: developments in new fabrics and technology. 

Since 2003, when Spanish designer Manel Torres collaborated with the Imperial College of London to patent ‘Fabrican’, the idea of spray on clothing has been in and out of the news.   The fabric is seamless, lightweight, washable, and can be built up in layers to achieve different thicknesses. Arguably, these properties give it the potential to be seen as a more efficient alternative to conventional garment cutting, where excess material wastage around pattern pieces is highly inevitable.  Torres was inspired by “principles of the earliest textiles such as felt, which were produced by taking fibres and...binding them together without having to weave or stitch them” (Torres, 2010, www.theguardian.com). Contained within an aerosol, the spray is made of a solvent based fibre mix that bonds together and dries on contact with the skin. This means no finishing techniques are required to create a garment, further reducing the need for extra energy and material use (such as threads and bindings). The texture and colour of the fabric can also be changed depending on the type of fibre used within the spray mixture, making it highly adaptable, and meaning it wouldn’t be restrictive to work with from a design perspective. Although the product is still being researched and refined for different purposes, Fabrican’s website suggests it also has a role in medical, hygiene and even manufacturing industries, including everything from spray on bandages to upholstery.
 

Fabrican sprayed fabrics in different colours

A spray-on t-shirt being created

A finished spray-on garment

If made widely available to the public, imagine all the different uses Fabrican could have in everyday life...small areas of fabric could be sprayed on to mend holes in existing garments, making it easier for people to increase the lifetime of their current clothes. It could be used to alter garments, such as adding pockets where you want them, quickly lengthening something, or perhaps creating sleeves for winter. Fluorescent sprays could be used to spray on reflective strips for safety when out at night...And as Bridgette Meinhold observed in an Ecouterre article,  ‘if the material rips or doesn’t fit right, it can be dissolved and reworked’(Meinhold, 2010, www.ecouterre.com). 

Spray-on technology could help people to live more sustainably by giving them the power to easily mend or renew any type of worn fabric themselves, whether on an interior piece or something wearable; therefore reducing the need to keep buying replacements. In today’s society, where quick, convenient processes are favoured by those leading busy working lifestyles, perhaps the ease of a spray on solution would at least encourage people to repair and alter, rather than discard, items from their homes and wardrobes. It will be interesting to see how Fabrican develops, and whether or not it can impact on people’s attitudes in our throwaway culture. 

References:
Sample, I (2010) Spray-on clothing becomes a reality. The Guardian. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/16/spray-on-clothing-t-shirt [Accessed 20/08/13]

What is Fabrican? (2010) [Internet] Available at http://www.fabricanltd.com [Accessed 19/08/13]

Meinhold, B (2010) Wearable technology- Instant Spray on "Clothing in a Can" redefines fast Fashion [Internet] Available at http://www.ecouterre.com/instant-spray-on-clothing-in-a-can-redefines-fast-fashion-video/ [Accessed 20/08/13]

Images:
Fabrican Ltd. (2010) Fabrican Fabrics [Online Images] Available at http://www.fabricanltd.com [Accessed 20/08/13]

We all love to play

When I was at the Museum of London last week, I passed through the 'Pleasure Gardens' Gallery and overheard a sweet little conversation that helped feed into my 'Box Clever' collecting. The space is filled with mannequins clad in elegant Georgian dress and when I entered, there were two little girls running around very excitedly. 

"Which dress would you wear?"
"ummm....THAT one! but with THAT hat. Which one are you?"
"This one looks like a princess-"
"-Over there, he's her Daddy"
"Oh, this one is me by the way. Actually, no THIS one is me!"

I couldn't help stopping and listening to them as it was so cute. 

"Mum, why can't we touch anything?"

As I'm basing my Box Clever collection on the idea of things to play with, it made me realise how touch is so important to playing. In the next room of the museum, there is a walkway of recreated Victorian shops, and it seemed the one most people really stopped to look at was the toyshop. Whatever age we are, I think we all love to play. We love things that are tactile, that we can interact with, that have moving parts and make us smile. So that is what my box has ended up being full of. Fun things, slightly silly and crazy things, things that you can shake and blow and press and twist around- things that I hope those two little girls would have enjoyed having a laugh with.  

My box- overview (October 2013, author's own)