Weaving, production of fabric by interlacing two sets of yarns so that they cross each other, normally at right angles, usually accomplished with a hand or power operated loom. In weaving, lengthwise yarns are called warp; crosswise yarns are called weft, or filling. Most woven fabrics are made with their outer edges finished in a manner that avoids raveling; these are called selvages. They run lengthwise, parallel to the warp yarns.
The three basic weaves are plain, twill, and satin. Fancy weaves—such as pile, Jacquard, dobby, and leno—require more complicated looms or special loom attachments for their construction. In the plain weave each filling yarn passes over and under the warp yarns, with the order reversed in alternating rows. Twill weaves are made by interlacing the yarns in a manner producing diagonal ribs, ridges, or wales across the fabric. Satin weaves have a sheen produced by exposing more warps than fillings on the right side of the fabric. The exposed warps are called floats. In the satin weave the process is reversed, and the exposed fillings form the floats.
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A loom is a machine for weaving cloth. It consists of an upright frame with a series of horizontal beams called "trees" and a set of wires or "warp threads" that cross over these trees. A loom has two beams that are attached to a vertical beam and a horizontal beam. The warp yarns are passed through the two beams and then back through the loom, which holds them taut.
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Is weaving sustainable?
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Handloom weaving does not require electricity to operate it. This has a positive impact on the environment and has less strain and requires less resources than powered-looms. While the process is slower, the minimums are lower so its easier to produce only what you need and will have less waste. Traditional loom weaving is the antithesis of fast fashion production. All elements of the textile, from the creating threads to the set up of the loom, is done by hand - it is a true skill to master.
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Loom-Weaving
Weaving traditional techniques into contemporary fashion
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Cassie Leatham, is a master weaver. Her fashion label Yanggurdi (meaning ‘walkabout’ in Taungurung language) debuted handwoven pieces in the Future/History show including bags, earrings, anklets and bracelets all used as ceremonial adornments, alongside an eel trap which outside of the runway lays submerged in the creek. Future/History is an apt name for the work Cassie does, carrying forward her ancestors’ ways of the past and keeping traditions and stories alive.
Once the pieces are constructed, Cassie places the leftover weaving strands under the watchful gaze of the birds in her yard, who collect them to build their nests. The root system of the river reeds is mashed into a softened paste, a starchy carbohydrate that can sustain energy for up to two hours. The process of creating a Yanggurdi garment is zero waste from beginning to end, and incredibly considerate of the ecosystem she is so in tune with.
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Assignment : As a group of 4, weave and collaborate an artefact together.
Before starting the weaving process, I did some research on the type of weave I wanted and some inspiration pictures that I can refer to. Weft yarn will weave through the warp to create a design. Weft can vary in colour and thickness, and the more types of weft yarn you use, the more intricate your designs will be. Usually, you weave the weft through the warp horizontally, with the warp fastened onto the loom vertically.
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There are different types of weaving techniques to make the weave more intricate, textured and 3D. Some of the techniques are using different sizes of yarns with different level of thickness and texture. There are also methods of weaving such as tabby weaving, rya knots, interlocking , soumak, weaving with roving and loop stitch​.
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Weaving is something with rich heritage and tradition and it makes it so fascinating that with yarns we can create a scarf or artefact. I liked the process of buying the yarns of different colours, textures and thickness. The weaving process provides us with a tactile creative outlet for more and more artists and designers seeking to create an artefact using fabric. I was excited to weave them together and see how the final product would be.
COLLABORATIVE GROUP WORK : CONCEPT
My group was a collaboration between me, regina, jaeyee and xinjie. As we were tasked to create an artefact, we wanted to combined all of our concepts (futurism architecture, wonderland, marine and plastics) together and draft out a picture.
Taking inspiration from the weaving images above, we wanted to weave out our drawing. This was a great opportunity for us to collaborate and design an artefact as one. We sketched out buildings, grass and sea and wanted to incorporate small elements of our concepts into this artwork by using beads and other elements. For example, at the sea we wanted to weave through plastics and bead fish into it to show two concepts aligning. The colour was also something we discussed , we wanted the colours to complement each other and put an emphasis on each concept.
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The main goal was to create a visual that showcases the collaboration between the four concepts we had chosen cleverly and ensure it looks cohesive together.We were excited of the final outcome and how the tapestry will look with all the different colours of yarns and beads together.
THE PROCESS AND STEPS :
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1. Fasten the warp onto the loom
2. Prepare the weft yarn.
3. Insert your shed stick into the warp thread.
4. Create a basic weaving pattern.
5. Push each new row of weft thread down.
6. Keep an even tension. Make sure you’re not pulling so hard on the rows of weft threads that the warp threads distort and ripple down the side of your weave.
WEAVING PROCESS AND NOTES:
It is really important to comb in each row of the yarns properly using the reed because it packs the weft firmly in place as you weave. There will not be any spaces between the weave and it secures the weft in place as it is woven in. It helps to keep the warp untangled and guide the shuttle across the loom.
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It is also important to adjust the tensions of the yarns properly. When weaving, we realised that both sides of the warp yarns were really tight and it was not weaving in a straight line and curving at the ends. Thus we had to adjust by frequently loosening and tightening the yarns as we weaved.
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Each panel of colour depicting different setting, the white fluffy yarn represent the cloud, the purple decorative yarn - the sky, the greens and browns showing the different shades of grass and the blue showing the water.
Adding beads, laces, embroidery, knots and plastics to our tapestry
Using fluffy yarns to create a 3D
effect of the clouds, they are all
in irregular shapes to show the
different shapes of the clouds.
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Finding the correct size of beads and sewing the beads to outline the shape of the buildings that is part of my theme of architectural building, we were thankful to find square shaped beads to look like windows on the building.
We found a roll of ruffle from daiso and wanted to sew it into the scarf and wanted it to look like waves in the ocean, we sewed in on the different shades of blue that represents the ocean blues.
For the end of the weaving, we did square knots and cut them in a triangular angled shape so that it looks like the ends of a tapestry/carpet. I think with this knots it also looks less messy and its more tidy.
We used rafia strings to weave onto one part of the tapestry to include like theres plastic amongst the oceans to combine the themes of Jaeyee and Xinjie. Then we used a fabric to manipulate it to look like 3d jellyfish and sewed it into the rafia strings part of the tapestry.
Over here, we embroidered roses into the brown areas which is supposed to be the grass area. This was to combine into Regina's theme of Alice in the wonderland. We also included flower beads together with the embroidered flower.
REFLECTION
During the weaving process we experienced some challenges, we realised that the artwork that we envisioned was too tedious to execute and the end product will not be what we wanted as well. So half way we had to change the style of weaving, for example the clouds we wanted to have a pop up effect and we used the skipping method and then weave the building in between but it got too messy and felt like it was untidy. Thus we did some problem solving and decided to remove the weave we had done previously and wanted to do a simple plain weave instead. We decided that after we are done weaving the tapestry we will add on the clouds as embellishments instead. We also realised weaving thicker yarns made our weave nicer and fuller and it was faster to weave them but because our yarns were really thin, it took us too much of time to weave each row and we had to keep combing them to ensure it is packed properly.
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Working as a group was really helpful because we were all trying to problem solve and make the weaving process smoother when faced with a problem. We each took turns to weave as even though it is relaxing, it can get tiring and mundane at times. After weaving the tapestry with different types of yarns and even plastics, we added on some embellishments to enhance our initial version of our drawing, the embellishments focused more on our concepts and it tied them together as one. This gave me a sense of accomplishment when looking at it as a final product.
COLLABORATIVE ARTEFACT : WEAVED TAPESTRY
COLLABORATIVE GROUP : MADHUSHAH, JAE YEE, XIN JIE, REGINA
Screen printing
STEPS BEFORE SCREEN PRINTING : MOTIF EXPLORATION
My motifs were inspired by my design studio project from last semester - Futurism. I wanted to come out with motifs that were abstract and inspired by futuristic silhouettes and architectural building. I included geometric shapes, figures and landscapes but simplified them into motifs. This are the four main motifs that was chosen for my screen printing. I was tasked to further develop them into prints and patterns. (engineered prints and repeated print)
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MOOD BOARD - DESIGN STUDIO
This motifs are single motifs that was designed to make engineered print. My main intention behind this motif was to make the user curious when seeing it and let them have their own interpretation of the motif, which is the idea of futurism. Futurism embodies the ideas of freedom, liberation and hope. My favourite motif is the one on the left with the woman looking far ahead and her neck transform into a road with buildings. This motif really ties my whole concept together.
This motif was inspired by futuristic architectural building and I combined the elements of the two pictures on the right together. I wanted to use this motif for my repeat print patterns as I think it would be interesting in a way of creating an illusion with the spirals.
What is SCREEN PRINTING?
Printing motif on acetate (transparent) film. We printed two copies of the transparent film than scotch taped together so that the ink looks darker for exposure. I had to really ensure that the films are aligned properly together to avoid creating any blurred lines or shadow.
Applying photo emulsion on the screen board. Then placed it under a bright light which causes the emulsion to harden and develop.
Once the screen is harden, the motifs on the acetate is placed under a UV light to print on the board.
Screen printing is the process of transferring a stencilled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and a squeegee. Fabric and paper are the most commonly screen-printed surfaces, but with specialised inks it’s also possible to print onto wood, metal, plastic, and even glass. The process is sometimes called 'silk screening' or 'silk screen printing' and while the actual printing process is always fairly similar, the way the stencil is created can vary, depending on the materials used.
Different stencilling techniques include:
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Using masking tape or vinyl to cover the desired areas of the screen.
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Painting the stencil onto the mesh using 'screen blockers' such as glue or lacquer.
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Using a light-sensitive emulsion to create a stencil, which is then developed in a similar way to a photograph.
Designs made using the screen printing technique may use just one shade of ink, or several. In the case of multicoloured items, the colours must be applied in individual layers, using separate stencils for each ink.
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Why is SCREEN PRINTING so popular?
One of the reasons that the screen printing technique is so widely used is because it produces vivid colours, even on darker fabrics. The ink or paint also lies in layers on the surface of the fabric or paper, which gives the print a pleasingly tactile quality.
The technique is also favoured because it allows the printer to easily reproduce a design multiple times. This makes screen printing a very efficient technique for creating large batches of custom clothing.
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​HISTORY OF SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing is an ancient art form. An early version of the technique was first pioneered in China, around AD 950, as a method of printing patterns onto fabric. Several centuries later, Japanese artisans adopted the practice to transfer designs onto paper and fabric, using a stiff brush to push ink through a mesh screen woven from human hair.
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Screen printing arrived in Europe in the 18th century, but it was slow to catch on as a fabric printing method owing to the high cost of silk mesh at the time. Once the Silk Road made imported silk more affordable, screen printing gradually became a popular and profitable way to print fabric. By the early 20th century, printers had developed photo-sensitised emulsions, allowing artisans to create complex stencil designs much more easily.
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In the 1930s, artists began experimenting with screen printing as an artistic medium, naming their new-found form 'serigraphy' to distinguish it from industrial printing. By the 1960s, artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi and Andy Warhol were using screen printing to create fine art. Dubbed 'pop-art', the artist used screen-printing to create multiple copies of a single image, essentially questioning what constituted fine art. Warhol's famous Marilyn Diptych is perhaps the best-known example of screen printing as an artistic form.
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PROCESS AND STEPS OF MY SCREEN PRINTING
Washing the boards immediately, to ensure that the motif is printed clearly. The screen is then dried.
Masking tape the edges of the board and any other parts that I do not want to bring. Now the boards are ready to screen print.
Colour mixing for screen printing together with the binders. There are three different types of binders: transparent, semi-opaque and opaque binders. These binders are used for different shades of fabrics. Powdered shades such as gold and silver were strongly recommended to use the transparent binders.
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For my colour palette I wanted to stick to the colours of my mood board so I used mainly shades of orange, blue, black , red and gold. I wanted to incorporate the mixture of two colours and use ombre shades on the screen print as well.
PRINTING ON FABRIC PROCESS:
ARTEFACT #1
Combining two single motifs to create a pattern. I used the colours blue and back to resonate with my theme and it complements with the yellow fabric. I wanted the motif to go in opposite direction creating an individual focus on each motif.
ARTEFACT #2
For this artefact, I used one single motif and overlapped the motif with each other in different colours. I wanted the motif to go in different directions to create curiosity. I wanted the user to look at the print and have their own interpretation on it. Even the motifs were all looking at different directions as a whole piece of artwork they look cohesive together.
ARTEFACT #3
This is my repeat print inspired by architecture building silhouette. I played with the spaces and wanted the repeat print to look cohesive and closely placed together rather than in a uniformed distance. The whole idea of this artwork is to create an illusion with this snake like repeated prints. However, I do think I can improve on this artwork, some of the motifs tend to overlap even though that was not my intention because I was not careful with the placement of my screens.
ARTEFACT #4
This last artefact was to create repeat patterns surrounded by one engineered print in the centre. It was inspired by an abstract artwork that looks messy but also visually pleasing. Inspired by clutter-core aesthetic
RESEARCH ON SCREEN PRINTING:
Benefits of Screen printing​
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Cost effective for large batches
- Versatile design placement
- ​The more you order, the cheaper the cost per unit
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Draw backs of Screen printing
- Not very cost effective when printing in multiple colours
- ​Large upfront investment required
- ​One design per batch
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Colours can bleed into one another
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SILK SCREEN PRINTING HERMES SCARVES
Calvin Klein printed by Lqqk Studio.
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Lqqk created 70 screens using licensed Warhol prints — sometimes printing garments with up to five layers of color. The team printed on surfaces including leather, canvas, nylon, silk, wool and PVC — adjusting its ink formulas to suit each fabric.
COLLABORATIVE GROUP ART WORK:
As a group we had to combine our motifs to create a collaborative artefact together. After some brainstorming, we realised that our motifs aligned well together, both regina's motif and nanda's motif matched well together and mine as well as stefani's motif complemented each other as well. We decided to create a bustier together. So we first decided on how we want to print the motifs together then we traced out the paper patterns of the bustier and arranged where it want to print the motifs. To make the bustier more cohesive the back and the front had the same motifs and the side seams had the same motif.
This was how the motifs looked after screen printing them together. We chose colours that complement each other and did not want the colours to be too loud because of the different types of prints involved. As seen on the picture, the centre motif had a clutter core aesthetic but yet looks nice overlapped on top of each other. But for the side seams since it was bigger motifs wanted them to aligned properly and yet playing with directions.
For the finishing of the bustier, we added bias tape for the top of the bustier for a proper finishing. For the hem we added ruffles to make the bustier look more interesting and finally for the back as it is inspired by corset we added eyelets and tied a ribbon at the back.
Working as a collaborative group was rather easy and smooth sailing, as we were very skilled in rendering different task for each other. We worked really well together and the process was very exciting as we were all looking forward to see the final end product. I was really happy to work with this team as everyone played an important part in sewing this bustier and was indeed a shared experience with each other.
COLLABORATIVE ARTEFACT : BUSTIER
COLLABORATIVE GROUP: MADHUSHAH, NANDA, REGINA, STEFANI
Laser cut & Engraving
MOTIF EXPLORATION
Motifs for laser cut was a simplified version from my motifs for screen printing. For laser cut the motifs cannot be too complicated and not have too many details as the image will just drop out. I decided to explore more on geometric shapes and create a motif using these shapes. Thus I came out with three motifs for my laser cut inspired by geometric shapes, stained glass windows and other shapes. For the motifs to be laser cut they have to be vectored using AI, the lines have to be at 0.001 pt and the strokes should be coloured in RGD 255 RED for the laser to read the lines.
Motif for Engraving
For my engraving motif, I was inspired by building and lego blocks and I simplified it by making the building into small geometric shapes, when repeated on as a print it looks like blocks of building and a puzzle piece.
Motif for laser cut #1
My first motif for laser cut was inspired by stained
glass window, since my motifs were mostly inspired
by abstract shapes and architecture, I wanted to simplify
a stained glass window and place them in different
direction
Motif for laser cut #2
For my second motif, I went to research on abstract shapes
and curve lines and I wanted to morph them together to create
an illusion inspired image. When put them together, it looks like flames even though that was not my intention. I just wanted to focus on the curve lines and the shapes of the motif.
LASER CUT IN FASHION
HISTORY OF LASER CUTTING IN FASHION
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The first usage of laser cutting machine took place in 1965 to drill holes in diamonds. Later in 1970, the lasers were adapted to cut non-metals like textiles.
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Laser cutting is a method of manufacturing that uses a laser to cut materials. All of the advantages -– extreme accuracy, clean cuts and sealed fabric edges to prevent fraying -– make this method of design very popular in the fashion industry.
Another benefit is that one method can be used to cut many different materials, like silk, nylon, leather, neoprene, polyester and cotton. Also, the cuts are made without any pressure on the fabric, meaning no part of the cutting process requires anything other than the laser to touch a garment. There are no unintended marks left on the fabric, which is particularly beneficial for delicate fabrics like silk and lace.
HOW DOES IRIS VAN HERPEN USES LASER CUTTING?
Van herpen achieves the perfect mix of technology and creativity. She sites the harmonia macrocosmica (a 17th-century star atlas) and the possibility of engineered human hybrids as her inspirations. Her experimental approach sees a collection of 3D printed, laser-cut, algorithm-defined pieces. The ‘symbiotic’ volumes are made from gradient- dyed silks that are multi-layered into sculptural shapes by a fine 3D laser cut frame of PETG to create hybrid bird shapes in dimensional colour gradations that hover in symbiosis with the body like mythological creatures.
Collection by Manish Arora with Laser Cut filled with works of applique, sequins and more
Advantages VS Disadvantages of using LASER CUT
Advantages:
- High precision
- No material contamination
- High speed
- Unlimited 2D Complexity
- Variety of materials
- Variety of applications and industries
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Disadvantages:
- Limitation on materials and material thickness
- Harmful gases and fumes
- High energy consumption
- High Upfront cost
PROCESS OF LASER CUT
REFLECTION
Laser cut is all about precision, it is really important to not place the lines too near because it then lets the fabric to break and tear. Thus when drawing motifs, it is important that there are not too many details and line work on the motifs. For my first laser cut that was inspired by the stained window glass, it turned out really well with the motif and since I cut it with a dark grey fabric I wanted to overlay it under with a orange-yellow taffeta fabric to mimic the way the light comes through the windows. To make the fabric look more cohesive, I also did a 3d effect of laser cutting the stained glass in the yellow orange fabric. It makes the fabric more interesting and contrasting. For my second motif, the first time I laser cut with a polyester velour fabric it did not turn out so well, I think because the fabric was not suited for laser cutting and the motif did not drop out and at some part they were stuck and were starting to tear. Thankfully, I had another brown fabric to retry that laser cut and it was much better, the fabric was thinner and it was easier to laser cut. Learning this textile work was really interesting and it is something that I would want to incorporate in my future design process. I like how it creates smooth edges and they ensure perfect results without fraying the fabric or harming it in any way.
ARTEFACT #1
This is my first laser cut i played with the negative contrast image so I first laser cut the grey fabric and produced my stained glass motif and then I overlay with an orange fabric to depict light and then I used bonding paper to cut another stained glass motif but this time just the outline so that there are two contrasting images. I like the overall effect of the image.
ARTEFACT #2
This was my second laser cut artefact, I was not really very pleased with this artefact because the lines were too close to the motif and once cut they were tangling and folding in. With the cut out motifs of both fabrics I did not want to waste them so I tagged them into the artefact with contrast thread stitching. Before cutting I should have bonded the fabric with bonding paper so that I could have sticked them but I forgot about it, so I had to hand stitch all the loose motifs. It turned out as a nice appliqué laser cut artefact.
ENGRAVING IN FASHION
The process of laser etching is when a lasers burns away a portion of the fabric that the wanted design is being placed onto. This is what gives the final apparel or non-apparel product a subtle tone-on-tone appearance.
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LASER ENGRAVING - Because of their incredible precision, lasers can cut even the most intricate of patterns into a variety of materials. And although they may seem delicate, many different fabrics can actually be directly engraved without diminishing the durability of the material.
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CREATE STRIKING GRAPHICS
When laser engraved, many fabrics produce a great color contrast. Fleece and micro-fibers typically produce a darker look, while denim and sturdy cottons tend to result in an almost bleached appearance.
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Synthetic leather can also withstand laser engraving due to its flexibility and durability. Most designs or images can be easily etched onto these materials: laser engraving quickly burns away the top layer of fabric to produce the engraved contrast.
ARTEFACT #1 (ENGRAVING)
This is my engraving artefact, one thing to take note when engraving or laser cutting is to iron the fabric especially during engraving when its not ironed properly and laid flat down it does not engrave properly. I did not iron my fabric properly prior to engraving thus the sides were not engraved properly and was smudged for my initial artefact that is shown on the left. I did my first engraving on a denim fabric and I thought I would not need to iron it since it is stiff however after engraving there was a bump in the fabric and it did not engrave completely where there were missing lines. I really like how the motifs look with the fleece fabric, it looks like repeated print and lego blocks stacked together. I used fleece fabric for this engraving and realised with the shaved fabric it gives a mesh effect. When layered on a garment, I think it will give more dept to the garment as a whole and give a new texture.
Smocking
Smocking is an embroidery technique that relies on decorative stitching between pleats to create textural patterns. Historically, smocking lent garments (like bodices or blouses) elasticity around necklines and cuffs before the invention of rubber. Unlike shirring, which uses elastic thread to shrink a piece of fabric, smocking involves thread that is stiff, not stretchy. Smocking is used to control the fullness of a garment, especially around the sleeve cuffs, bodice, shoulders, as well as in the front and back neckline, leaving the material following these areas free and loose fitting.
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Originally, smocking was developed to give elasticity to fabric that was non-elastic and became widespread for both decorative and practical purposes. The best known examples are of agricultural workers overgarments, made from linen or jute cloth, often oiled or waxed to repel rain. The stitching on these garments became decorative as well as practical. Smocks were made for specific functions as well as labouring work.
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Smocking involves gathering the fabric by hand, following applied ‘dots’ placed on the back of the fabric. These dots are in lines, both vertical and horizontal so the pleats created are regular in size and depth. These can be iron on dots, available in blue, yellow and silver. Several different sizes of dots are available to suit different fabrics and designs, or use powdered tailors chalk and a thin metal template and ‘pounce’ the dots onto the fabric. These days it is also possible to gather principally by machine, adjusting the spacing of the rows to suit the fabric or design.
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Following the gathering and drawing up of the fabric to the desired width, the decorative stitches can be worked on the surface or the reverse of the fabric to achieve the desired effect before the garment or work object is completed.
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POPULARITY OF SMOCKING
Smocked clothing was traditionally worn by people such as shepherds and farm hands, living in rural areas and throughout England, and later in countries like Italy and Germany to name a few. The smock clothing style would soon expand out of the rural areas and into the cities where it was worn by adults and children. Smocked embroidery would adorn baptism and Christening gowns, girl's bishop dresses, smocked coveralls; while adults would be seen wearing hand smocked casual and elegant embroidered clothing wear.
Inspired by 18th century smock-frock dress
TECHNIQUES:
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SMOCKING
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North American smocking
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Lattice smocking
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Lozenge smocking
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Flower smocking
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Arrows smocking
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SMOCKING STITCHING
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Outline stitch
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Cable stitch
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Wave stitch
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Honeycomb stitch
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Vandyke stitch
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Surface honeycomb stitch
ISSUES AFFECTING THE VIABILITY OF THIS CRAFT
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Smocking is currently practiced by older people and few young people learning the craft.
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Smocking is a labour intensive craft. There is a huge demand for smocking but not enough young people willing to work for so little money. Most makers turn to smocking once they become a grandparent.
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The need for smocked dresses by travelling families helps to keep this tradition alive.
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There is a throwaway culture regarding clothes.
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Needlework/embroidery skills are no longer taught in schools.
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Smocking is not taught by the Royal School of Needlework.
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Therapeutic value of creative needlework much undervalued, despite the evidence of many years.
Rodarte Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show
Cecilie Bahnsen Camden poplin dress
ARTEFACT #1 :
LATTICE SMOCKING
ARTEFACT #2 :
ARROWS SMOCKING
ARTEFACT #3 :
FLOWER SMOCKING
FRONT
BACK
REFLECTION
Smocking is something that I struggled with because it was tedious and a slow process, it is something where you have to just trust the end process. The process of smocking takes a lot of time from drawing the grids to hand sewing them. For mine I started by drawing the grids at 2.5 cm by 2.5cm and from the edge of the fabric I measured them 6 cm apart. After having my grids, I followed the step by step guidelines of the smocking I was doing. All of the smocking I did was challenging for me because I am a slow learner so I had to watch to youtube video to understand and ensure I am doing it correctly. It made me realise that one wrong step sewing the smocking will alter the whole end result.
The most challenging smocking for me was the flower smocking, I think the fabric also played apart in it because I used satin and it was not easy to sew it because it was really flimsy. I have to ensure that after going through all four ends I pull it tightly and reinforce it by backstitching in the centre so that it is secured and the flower will not be distorted. Interestingly, I really liked the back product of the flower smocking and the texture compared to the actual flower smocking. I think the texture was very interesting and it gives a very tactile effect to the garment. The most straightforward smocking was the arrows smocking for me, I was able to do it pretty quickly as compared to the rest. For lattice smocking, I have to redo it a couple of times because I kept getting confused with the grids and going into the wrong numbered points.
With more practice, I was able to get the hang of it and do the smocking faster. I think one take away from this exercise was to be really patient with the final product because at the start it can be confusing if it was the right way but then after finishing it and flipping over to the right side the end product is beautiful. After learning these three techniques of smocking, I wanted to see how they would look on fashion garments or bags, so I photoshopped them and I think they look really pretty and gives the garment a 3D effect which I really love.
Origami
Origami is a thousand years old art practice of paper folding to create sculptural designs. The ultimate goal of origami is to create three dimensional sculptural forms through folding and sculpting techniques. When people hear of origami fashion, they may think that the garment is made by folding without any cutting or stitching. However, origami has also spilled into fashion wherein the art form is incorporated in quilting and pleating. The Japanese word origami is a composite of ori (to fold) and kami (paper).
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Papermaking was established in China two thousand years ago, but the Chinese did not share this knowledge. It eventually found its way into Korea and reached Japan by the seventh century where the practice of origami expanded into an art form. Two highly artistic fashion designers, Issey Miyake and Charles James, influenced the origami fashion concept.
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What is fabric origami?
Fabric folding is like origami but with fabric instead of paper. The major difference between fabric and paper is that fabric is softer and won't hold creases well. Thus, unless you use fabric stiffener, objects folded from fabric will have rounded corners and look softer than traditional origami.
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FASHION DESIGNERS
Issey Miyake is recognized for his unconventional designs and re-interpretations of traditional textile designs in variants of modern materials. Miyake’s work is an amalgamation of both his Japanese heritage and his training in Western couture that has redefined the concept of clothing and re-invention of the the activity of wearing clothes. His pleated creations are inspirational as they portray how modern clothes can be fun as well as high-tech.
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Contemporary fashion designers have been always inspired by origami ideas and its sculptural forms; they realize that Origami art is a valuable opportunity to explore very futuristic and interesting ideas in fashion design. The origami art is the central idea in the creation of 3D Geometric Dresses.
Issey Miyaki and his Flying Saucer Dress
Issey Miyake is another famed Japanese designer known for his origami clothes. Back in 2010, he launched the 132 5 collection, with number 1 referring to the use of a single piece of cloth for each dress, 3 representing a dress’ three-dimensional shape, 2 reminding the fact that the dress can be folded into 2D, and 5 indicating the idea that each dress can be worn in several ways.
Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons.
The pioneers of Origami fashion are Japanese. From Junya Watanabe to Rei Kawakubo, all these designers have incorporated Origami principles into their designs and continuous to blur the line between fashion and Origami.
Junya Watanabe folds textiles into mathematical patterns for Autumn Winter 2015
The Junya Watanabe Autumn Winter 2015 presentation was awash with folded three-dimensional forms, starting with connected pyramid-shaped structures that created monochrome dresses, tops and scarves. The shapes were exaggerated into longer spikes worn across the chest and shoulders. Different folding techniques were used to create more structural clothing, including a set that incorporated diamond-shaped patterns formed with the golden section – a mathematical sequence commonly found in nature. These rigid sections were worn around the shoulders and arms as tops over long, colour-matched dresses, as well as used for ample skirts.
ORIGAMI ACCESSORIES
ARTEFACT #1
HERRINGBONE ORIGAMI
ARTEFACT #2
HYPERBOLIC ORIGAMI
VEASYBLE is a set of wearable accessories that can be converted at a touch into a means of isolation.
The project is based on three keywords: isolation, intimacy and ornament. It consists of a set of wearable objects that can be converted into means of isolation, to create a personal intimacy in any environment. The idea derives from a reflection on the change in our relationship with the domestic environment, due to the effects of our increasing mobility, and how this has affected our concept of intimacy, creating new demands. This led to the design of four accessories, screen for four different parts of the body: eyes, ears, face and upper body, expressing, through their shape and colour, our desire for intimacy at any time, any place, on various levels.
An ornament that can be worn.
A gesture to transform it.
A secret place for personal intimacy.
A reminder of our exterior aspect.
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REFLECTION
Origami is something that has to be followed through step by step attentively and yes again you just have to trust the process for the end product. I was rather excited to learn about origami but these two origamis we did together as a class was really the most challenging origami I have done. Something that I really learnt from this technique is the accuracy of the folding, each folding has to be really accurate according to the angles and the directions. For the Herringbone origami, I had to redo it a couple of times because my folding was not accurate at the correct angle and I think my paper was also too thin and with the folding it was causing my paper to crease and tear. Then, I retried the Herringbone origami again with a thicker paper and this time I carefully followed each angle correctly and folded it and I was happy with the final product. The steps in origami is very repetitive and detailed so once I got a hang of it, I was able to fold it by myself and achieve the final product and have the pop up 3d effect. For the Hyperbolic origami, it was even more challenging than the Herringbone one because the folds were very intricate and detailed and sometimes it was confusing to follow. So once I achieve one row of the desired fold, I drew lines to help me for the next few rows. I think incorporating origami in fashion garment is a really interesting technique because it gives the garment more dept, a more rigid silhouette, keeping the form clean and strong. Lately, it has also been very popular in accessories, such as bags and jewellery. Origami really helped me in teaching and learning geometry, thinking skills, fractions and problem solving.
Design studio Artefact
As part of our design studio project, we were tasked to work on an artefact that resonates with our design studio project.
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For my project which is related top up-cycling denim and collection old discarded garments to make nw garments, I wanted to make a bucket hat that is reversible with different shade of denim and different types of recycled denim. I wanted to make bucket hat because to me personally bucket hat represents streetwear culture and so does denim as a fabric.
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Since my project is related to futurism, which celebrates change, originality and innovation in culture and society. I wanted to use the foiling method to justify futuristic elements and fuse it with the streetwear culture.
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For the process, I laid down the different types of denim fabric I had and I cut out all the paper patterns and laid down different types of denim on each paper pattern. Then I used a glue to scatter on the fabric and iron the metallic silver foil on the fabric. Some of the scattered mark or pattern was not very well done because the glue dried up pretty fast. However, I was still happy with the outcome. After the foiling was done, I sewed up the bucket hat and made it reversible so that the wearer can turn it inside out.
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The final product of the artefact was really nice and I was happy with it, however, I decided to not include it on my exhibition for my studio project because my garment comes with lot of details and I felt like by adding the bucket hat with also a-lot of details of the foiling with be too much as one w. ole look. Even though, I really liked the idea of the foiling method, I felt like together with my garment they were both giving off a different concept and did not look cohesive together.