Week 9: Bleaching & Raster Engraving

Bleaching

Removal of colour from fabrics through chemical means.

Materials:

  • Bleach
  • Spray bottle
  • Dark coloured fabric
  • Stencil

Instructions

  1. Load bleach into spray bottle and dilute if desired.
  2.  Spray over stencil.
  3. Leave to dry.

My Explorations

Firstly, I wanted to go for the spiral tie dye style in the middle to look like a galaxy so I twisted it a little and secured it with a rubber band.

Then, I sprayed the bleach at the tip, and then tried to flick some bleach with my fingers to make splatters to look like stars.

Next, I wanted to see the effects of pleating the fabric so I folded it accordion-style and rolled it up.

And then wet the top half with bleach.

I came across  this photo while researching on bleaching, so I decided to try it out with the coffeecup.

Image result for bleach printing on fabric

So I sprayed some bleach onto the table, stole meryl’s finished coffeecup and dipped the rim into the bleach before stamping it onto the fabric.

Next, I also used the lace stencil provided and rubbed bleach over it with my fingers as I did not want it to bleed out too much directly from the spray.

The last method is inspired from a module I took in year 1 where we got to play with black ink on white paper.

So first I dipped a yarn piece into the bleach solution.

Then I thwacked the string against the fabric as hard as I can continuously.

I also wanted to see if I could use the string as a stencil so I formed the word ‘hello’ with the string.

And then tried to spray upwards instead of downwards as I was afraid that the strength of the spray will make the bleach bleed out beyond the stencil.

However, after seeing splotchy results that overruns the stencil, I just decided to use the string to whack and leave more lines.

Results:

So the spiral effect kind of failed sadly, I think perhaps because of the bleach bleeding out too much as well as the pinched portion was too small. Some splatters turned out too much as well.

The pleated one gave a linear but asymmetrical pattern.

The cup one was quite interesting but I think for some parts, I dipped it in too much bleach before stamping. Also, it was quite hard to estimate where to stamp for an even symmetrical pattern.

The lace unfortunately, still bled out quite a lot although upon closer inspection can tell the faint outline of lace pattern.

The yarn one turned out the nicest of them all, I think! The patterns created are very free-form and abstract.

The texture of the yarn rope can also be seen on the imprints, which I did not expect!

All in all, bleaching is an interesting technique but due to its unpredictable and volatile nature, I would probably not use it in my final outcome.

I think that perhaps the bleach solution should be diluted further and applied with a brush for stencils to work well.

A P P L I C A T I O N S

T-shirt customisation

Image result for diy bleach shirtImage result for bleach printing on fabric

Image result for diy bleach shirtImage result for diy bleach shirt

Writing words using a precise brush dipped in bleach

Image result for diy bleach denim

Can be used on denim as well!

Raster Engraving

Partial removal of material from the surface by a machine to form an engraved image.

Materials:

  • Acrylic Sheet
  • Digital file for print
  • Laser-cutting Machine

Instructions

  1. Switch on the machine, computer, ventilation hood and air pressure valve.
  2. After initialising, place your sheet and attach the focus probe to auto focus.
  3. Open CorelDraw and set the print template to that of the machine dimensions. Then, import your file in .dxf format.
  4. Set the outline/infill colour to black(for laser cut – hairline thickness) & red(for raster). Ensure that the colour is in RGB mode for red, with R at 255 and G & B at 0.
  5.                               Position the print as desired. Then, click print and set preferences. Ensure that the mode setting is switched from Black & White to Manual Color Fill. Then, set the pen colour setting accordingly: For black cut outline, Speed – 3 for 2 mm(depends on sheet thickness), Power – 75, PPI – 1000.  For red raster, Speed – 50, Power – 50, PPI – 600. Then, hit save, apply and print.
  6. Head over to the laser cut machine and ensure that the focus probe is removed before continuing. Leave the lid up if you want too preview where the print will proceed before cutting, then click Stop/Start button on the laser machine.
  7.  After adjusting the location of your sheet as desired, open the door of the area at the bottom of the laser cutter and turn the knob on the right side until you hear a loud and pitchy release of air pressure.
  8. Then, close the door, the lid, and press the Stop/Start button to start the laser engraving and cutting.
  9. Wait until it is finished and the siren rings before lifting the lid and collecting your piece.
  10. Clean up the area and stray cuts in the laser cutter after use.
  11. Switch off everything if not in use.

My Explorations

Did the auto-focusing with the focus probe.

After everything is adjusted, start the cut!

My first attempt was for an image I found online and converted it into a vector shape.

Not too bad! I think making multiple pieces of these will give it a cool layered look.

Tried it again on black acrylic instead! Thinks it looks more like a galaxy in space.

Next up is a planet orbit image I drew out on Illustrator.

 

I realised some details of the planet surface are lost as the lines are too closely placed. Nonetheless, I still like the clean look of it!

Lastly, I wanted to try rastering the logo I created for my entire theme!

I think this image made the best use of the rastering as it is very big and clear!

All in all, laser engraving is a smart way of using the laser cutter to raster images to achieve quite a professional finish! However, it did took quite long as there was a lot of tweaking needed to change the colour of the lines accordingly, especially when you have to do it in CorelDraw manually one by one.

One problem I faced is that for certain shapes, when I set the fill colour, it filled the entire thing instead of just the outline. For instance, the ‘P’ in the SPACE logo initially had no hole as it was filled up. However, I am able to overcome this by setting the outline of the ‘P’ hole to white infill instead, creating a false gap. Nonetheless, it is not the most efficient method and I hope there is a better way to counter this problem in Illustrator itself.

A P P L I C A T I O N S

Image result for laser engraving

I would imagine they can be used as stamps too!

Image result for laser etching design

Lamps

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For a more professional name card look!

Image result for laser etching design

Macbook engraving

Image result for laser etching design leather

Even on leather!

Week 5: Smocking & Shirring

Smocking

Method of fabric manipulation through the gathering of a section of the material into tight pleats and holding them together with parallel stitches in an ornamental pattern.

Materials:

  • Medium weight fabric
  • Needle and thread

Instructions

  1. Find a pattern online to follow.
  2. Draw out the grid using a ruler and lines to sew (with a different colour).
  3. Start by poking in and out at the first point and in and out at the second, fastening the thread so that the fabric from both points gather together. Do a loop through the fabric and knot them together.
  4. For separate lines drawn, poke in and out at the first point but do not fasten from the previous knot, simply leave it a little loose and do a knot. Alternatively, you can cut the thread from previous work and start anew, but it is much more time consuming.
  5. Follow with patience and complete the piece. Flip over for the pattern to be revealed.

My Explorations

So I found online this ‘cross bones’ design with a pattern that seems pretty simple to follow.

ImageImage

So I drew out the grid, erm looking back I realised for some reason I saw the grids in a diagonal manner instead of the square grid hahaha but I think the end result is similar.

I decided to use the grey chalk for the grid lines and a black erasable pen for the sewing lines, which I think it is quite essential so I won’t get confused later on.

My squares are sized 2cm x 2cm.

However, I do realised that my grid lines are not exactly equal I think as the fabric will move as I draw. Perhaps, next time I will weigh something down on the corners.

Honestly, I think I kind of understood how the gathering of the cloth creates such patterns and as such, did not encounter much issues during the sewing. I think it helps that the lines I have to follow are also obvious in colour.

Despite my fastest efforts, I still took around 3 hours to complete this rectangular piece of size 18cm x 15cm.

I think the shiny texture of the cloth accentuates the curves of the smocking pattern. I realised that using the right weight of cloth is also essential, as if it is too thin(like sheer chiffon/gauze), there will not be enough stiffness to hold the pattern but if it is too thick(Like leather), it will hinder the gathering of material.

The pattern itself will also affect the outcome, the simpler the pattern – the thicker the material can be used.

I kind of like the logic and sense behind smocking techniques, so I decided to try one more pattern – the rose pattern.

The pattern, once again seems simple enough, although the website did mention that afterwards the fabric have to be twisted with tweezers from the front and sewn in place once again.

So I did a quick sketch (kind of impatient oops) and figured out that I just need to poke the middle of each line so I don’t really have to draw them.

And I just started with the squares.

I sewed one square to test it out and I realised that my square might be a little small, but decided to carry on anyway.

I think I took an hour to finish all 12 squares, which is considerably faster than the previous one. So it’s time to twist and sew! I was actually quite excited to try it and see if the end result will be as nice.

At first, I did not have a tweezer with me and tried to use a the needle itself but to no avail as it unravels easily. Thankfully, I managed to borrow a very suitable tweezer which can hold the fabric in place before I sew.

I would say it honestly looks much easier than the actual thing as there is some kind of method to twisting that will make it look like a rose, as other times the it will just look like spiral. Basically the middle part has to turn into itself to look like rose bud.

Also, sewing it into place is another issue, as sometimes it doesn’t quite looks the same when released or that the thread is too obvious in certain places. There was a lot of removing and trying involved.

This took me another 2 hours to complete and although it really doesn’t look like what I expected it to be, I think it actually might if i used larger squares.

Still, I am glad I tried it out.

Overall, Smocking is a really intricate technique which although seems complicated, can be easily replicated by following instructions dutifully.

I really enjoyed the suspense during Smocking, as it is not an instant gratification technique, and requires you to complete at least half to see results. It can be frustrating but the end results is quite satisfying.

A P P L I C A T I O N S

Smocking gives fabric a 3-dimensional aspect, which is great for adding volume to cushions.

Image result for smocking cushion

Smocking also cinches fabric, which is great for adding waistline to clothes.

Although I think Smocking was mainly used for olden days children dresses, its geometrical form is also reused in contemporary fashion.

Image result for contemporary smocking

Image result for contemporary smocking

Image result for contemporary smocking

Shirring

Method of fabric manipulation through the gathering of a section of the material into tight pleats and holding them together with parallel stitches in an ornamental pattern.

Materials:

  • Elastic thread
  • Elastic band
  • Fabric
  • Sewing Machine

Instructions

  1. For stiff, thin fabrics, load the elastic thread into the bobbin of the sewing machine.
  2. Sew parallel lines to achieve a cinching effect.
  3. For thicker fabrics like leather, use normal thread to sew.
  4. Cut a piece of elastic band the length you would like the material to shrink to when unstretched.
  5. Stretch it out across the fabric when sewing them both together steadily.

My Explorations

First of all, I learnt how to change the thread on the bobbin and load it into the sewing machine, as well as prepping the sewing machine for use.

I decided to try sewing S-shape curves onto my stiff, thin fabric.

I would say it got jammed a few times which is because the too much fabric was gathered so it is important to stretch it out properly before sewing slowly.

A P P L I C A T I O N S

Shirring is commonly seen in fashion – myself owning one of these shirred tops! Due to their elasticity, they can show off your body shape when worn. They are also commonly used to cinch the waistlines of dresses to give it shape.

Image result for shirred top

Image result for shirred dressImage result for shirred dressImage result for shirred dress

I think shirring is a great way to vary the form of the dress (i.e. tight at the top, flowy at the bottom) even though it is made out of only one fabric.

The raised/gathered texture of shirred fabric also gives it a bit of volume.

Week 4: Wet, Needle & Nuno Felting; Applique

Felting

Consolidation of fibrous materials by the application of heat, moisture, and mechanical action, causing the interlocking, or matting, of fibres to form one uniform and complete piece.

Wet Felting

Materials:

  • Felted wool
  • DIY Acrylic fibres

Instructions

  1. Arrange & layer felt in thin layers as desired.
  2. Pump some soap onto it.
  3. Pour hot water on it.
  4. Rub felt in circular motions.
  5.  If part of it feels like it will peel off when dry, add a thin layer of wool and rub more.

My Explorations

W E T   F E L T I N G

Firstly, I couldn’t find felted wool in my desired colours so I tried to make them myself from acrylic yarn.

I bunched up the yarn and then brush them out with a toothbrush, starting from the ends so that they fray. However, they don’t separate enough for it to appear ‘fibrous’, so I used the wooly fibres that were stuck on the toothbrush instead.

So in order to achieve the galaxy look, I arranged the galaxy colours against a backdrop of black felted wool. I added in some organza pieces which will hopefully get entangled with the felt and also some shiny threads and sprinkles.

Then, I added 3 pumps of soap and poured hot water over.

Then, I rubbed in circles to blend everything together.

I am not really satisfied with the end product as I think the acrylic wool did not blend in with the black felt as much as I liked it to. The organza pieces not melding in between like they did in the plastic fusion technique. I’m not sure why there are holes in between the black felt but perhaps I could have patch them up with more wool, although I did not because I kind of like it to be not too dense and completely covered together.

Next time I will experiment using wool felt instead.

N E E D L E   F E L T I N G

Materials:

  • Felted wool
  • Felting Needle
  • Sponge block

Instructions

  1. Fold felt several times.
  2. Poke with the felting needle on top of a sponge block until stiff.

Since I have tried needle felting before, and have experienced the pain behind it, I decided to try another way of creating felted planets.

So first, with the aid of a pompom maker, I wrapped the acrylic yarn and cut it to make a pom pom.

Then, I trimmed it a little and proceeded to brush it out with a toothbrush to make it more fluffy.

Then, I used strips of blue felted wool to add onto the pom pom by poking it on with a felting needle. However, it did not stick as easily and the acrylic wool will poke out at some areas so I had to cover the entire pom with a thin layer of felted wool to ‘contain’ it. Eventually though, it looked more uniform and round.

I also added a grey needle felted planet ring, which took longer than expected to make.

Overall, I am quite happy with my planet pom and I think I will make a few variations, perhaps with wool yarn instead. I think this is a faster and easier way to make a bigger ball of felted wool.

A P P L I C A T I O N S

Image result for wet feltingPainting with felt

Image result for felt bowlImage result for wet felting

Image result for wet felting

Making 3D forms with felt

Image result for felted woolImage result for felted woolNovelty gifts

Image result for nuno feltingNuno felting

Appliqué

Ornamental needlework in which pieces of fabric are sewn or stuck on to a larger piece to form a picture or pattern.

Materials:

  1. Different Fabrics
  2. Sewing machine/ threads

Instructions

  1. Cut out a shape from one fabric and fold and sew along its edges onto another fabric. If the fabric is sheer, beads or other objects can be inserted before completing the sewing, allowing it to be a see-through patch.
  2. Other techniques include: Sewing zig zag over a piece of yarn.
  3. Repeat as desired.

My Explorations

Firstly, I wanted to explore adding felted wool by trapping it behind sheer fabric. So I arranged the strands to simulate the textures of planets, pinned it into place and sewed a mesh fabric on top of it at the edges using zig-zag lines.

However, I think that the mesh kind of makes it hard to see the felt beneath it, although there is some dimension added when looking at its side view.

Next, I wanted to try adding shiny yarn to look like constellations against the black background, since there was a lack of white thread.

 

I also added a moon-shaped cut out from lace to vary the fabric textures.

Next, I wanted to incorporate the shiny sheer organza somehow, and decided to twist it over the rest, similar to aurora streaks across the sky.

Next, I wanted to add another purple planet with a ring around it, using yarn.

Finally, I thought that the piece was a bit too abstract for my liking, so I decided to add some stars by hand in the background.

Ta-da! I think the textures of the different fabrics makes it very dynamic and more interesting for the viewer! I am quite happy with my final piece as it looks a little like a painting depicting space!

All in all, fabric applique is actually quite a fun technique, but I would say majority of the time is spent more on deciding how to compose the final look, i.e what shapes and where to arrange them. Nonetheless, it is still a easy and freeform way to vary the texture of fabrics.

 

A P P L I C A T I O N S

Embroidery Appliques

Layered appliques

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Lace appliques