CHAPTER 8: PAPER RELIEF INTO FABRIC RELIEF

Paper relief surfaces made for Chapter 3 were translated into fabrics using a range of manipulation techniques.
Samples 1 & 2: Glacier ice

 

Sample 1 (above) was created by machining shirring elastic in irregular circles on polyester taffeta. Sample 2 (right) was worked by hand, gathering circles with running stitch in strips of cotton homespun to form the peaks, then gathering the strips themselves  to ripple the surface in between the peaks.
I thought the effects in both these samples were very pleasing.

Samples 3 & 4: Cracked glacier surface
I went back and looked at my photos and found this interesting cracked glacier surface. I decided to make some fabric samples using this as my source of inspiration, even though I had not done paper ones in chapter 3, because I thought it was more interesting and had more possibilities than some of the initial paper reliefs.  
 
Sample 3 (above) was developed with a base of cotton chenille. This was gathered with long straight machine stitches in the ditches between the rows of chenille tufts. Strips of cotton homespun were knotted and then couched into the grooves of the gathered chenille, giving an interesting textured effect which I really liked.

Sample 4 was made with tubes of silk satin formed by machine and turned so the seam was inside. The tubes were flattened and pleated irregularly, then stitched to a base of calico. On reflection, I could have used fewer, wider strips and arranged them more irregularly. However I think the concept of using irregular box and knife pleats works quite well.
Samples 5 & 6: Eroded iceberg
These photos show two different ways in which  I tried to convey the texture of this eroded iceberg. 

In Sample 5 (above) ovals of silk satin were gathered with running stitch and loosely  pulled up to form a dome. This was couched to a cotton base and stuffed with polyester filling. Concentric loops of stem stitch were added with wool to emphasise the oval shape and domed appearance.

In Sample 6, thin cardboard was cut into ovals of various sizes. A layer of Pelon was glued to each and then they were covered with cotton patchwork fabric. The layers were stacked and couched together to form the textured domes. I think this approach was more successful than the previous one.
Samples 7 & 8: Brash Ice
 
Sample 7(left) was formed by machining two strips of cotton homespun around some pipe cleaners. The strips were cut into short lengths, the segments were bent and arranged on the background (homespun cotton). A layer of bonded polyester support fabric for machine embroidery was placed on top and this was machined in place in rough circles, around the fabric/pipe cleaner segments. The top layer was cut away and fringed in places to produce the rough textured surface. An interesting effect was created by the fluffy blue ends of the pipe cleaner segments, giving the idea of some areas of water between the ice. This was a nice accident, though I am sure it could be claimed in hindsight as an intentional design effect!
Sample 8 (right) is one of my favourites. I used silk satin as the top layer and calico as the base, with a layer of polyester wadding in between. I then quilted a pattern into the satin layer using running stitch trying to represent the small bits of floating ice. I found that better contrast was obtained by densely stitching some areas and leaving other areas plain. The final result was very effective and reminded me a bit of Kantha quilting.
Samples 9 & 10: Rippled iceberg
The challenge with these samples was to convey the linear effect of the rippled ice as well as the 3D impression of the bulges.

For sample 9 (above) I bonded cotton homespun to pelmet Vilene and then passed the stiffened fabric through a hand pleater. Various shapes were then cut out and assembled as shown. Rows of running stitch were worked along the pleat lines of the two top layers for added emphasis. The pieces were attached to each other and the base by hand, with polyester wadding inserted before each stitched layer was finished.

Sample 10 was created with silk organza.  The fabric was folded into knife pleats and rows of twin needle pintucks were stitched into the fabric; then it was attached to a layer of thin Pelon. After that the required shapes were cut out and assembled, then hand stitched to a background layer of organza. I thought the combination of pleating and pintucks produced an interesting texture which could be developed further.

M5, Chapter 7: TACTILE CONTRASTS

In this section I made an experimental sampler involving several manipulation techniques, with the aim of producing lots of  textural contrast. This was achieved through varying the choice of fabric, as well as the manipulation technique.  I limited myself to 4 ecru coloured fabrics on a black background. The fabrics were cotton calico, cotton osnaburg, silk crepe and polyester polar fleece. These were chosen because they each felt different to the touch and offered different draping properties. Examples were produced with machine or hand stitching or a combination. Samples were placed on the black background in an order which highlighted the tactile contrasts as you moved your fingers across the sampler e.g smooth vs rough or fuzzy, high vs low, regular vs irregular. A touch of white paint was added to the raised surfaces of the fabric at the end, but I did not think this added a lot to the overall effect.
Here is the complete view of the sampler, followed by two close ups of different sections .

Sample Key: I chose this  sample shape because it was a  bit more interesting than a strict rectangle or square. For the descriptions below, please refer to the row  letter and then the sample number going along each row form the letter e.g. in the above picture bottom left is A1 and top right is E2.
 
Description of Each Square
A1: Strips of calico and osnaburg cut along one side then coiled and stitched into place.The cut sections were then fanned out to give a tufted flowery effect.
A2: Calico strips put through a smocking pleater then small sections cut and secured by hand. A thread was bound around the middle of each small piece to give a flattish bow tie shape.
B1: Polar fleece placed over a square of cotton chenille and then three lines of quilting worked between each ridge of chenille to give the undulating effect.
B2: A loopy piece of cord was machine stitched under a square of osnaburg using zigzag stitch. The edges of the fabric were fringed and the cord knotted to finish the sample.
B3: Circles of Polar fleece were gathered by hand and then stuffed with polyester wadding to form the balls. The threads used to stitch the balls to the background were left hanging and tied to give the impression of a bunch of fluffy balloons.
C1: Strips of silk crepe were folded, machined and cut into flat sections. These were arranged in a lattice on the black background, with the top rows knotted for added texture.
C2: A large square of osnaburg was gathered onto a smaller square of Vilene backing. The wrinkled surface was caught at intervals with small hand stitches to secure the fabric in place (furrowing technique).
C3: A spiral shape was hand quilted with running stitch onto silk crepe backed with wool wadding.
C4: A square of silk crepe was attached with zigzag machining to a square of Tyvek. The Tyvek was then shrunk by hovering a hot dry iron over it. This had the effect of drawing in the silk fabric into a loosely wrinkled shape.

D1: Two layers of silk crepe were joined by machine around the centre ring and turned right side out. They were then joined on 3 sides by machine to a backing layer of osnaburg. This bag was also turned right side out and a small piece of calico which which had been passed through the smocking pleater was inserted into the peep hole. Finally wadding was inserted between the two layers of crepe to puff up “frame” or “pillow” and then the fourth side of the bag was stitched up by hand.
D2: Circles of calico were gathered by running stitch part way across each. The threads were drawn up and wadding added to puff out the centres giving a flower-like appearance.
D3: A strip of calico was gathered in the smocking pleater and then manipulated into a raised circular shape which looked a bit like a mountain. Hand stitches were added to hold the shape in place.
E1: Rows of tucks were machined on cotton osnaburg and then slashes made at random along the folds to add more texture.
E2: Silk crepe with a layer of wool batting underneath was held in a hoop and a meander patter worked by free machine embroidery. Shirring elastic was used in the machine bobbin so that the fabric bunched up when it was removed from the hoop.

REFERENCE: Colette Wolff, "The Art of Manipulating Fabric", Krause Publications, Wisconsin, 1996

M5 Chapter 6: TUCKS, PLEATS & GATHERS

In this section I experimented with a number of variations of tucks, pleats & gathers.  A tuck is a fold stitched along its length. A pleat is a fold pressed into shape. A gather is fabric pulled (bunched) along an inserted  item such as a thread, stick or ribbon. I investigated several different types of fabrics and stitching, both hand and machine to create different visual and textural effects. I concluded that  the choice of both fabric and technique have an influence on the impact of the finished item. Fabrics & techniques are summarized below.
PINTUCKS Sheet 1

Sample 1: Single needle machining on cotton polyester; Sample 2: Twin needle machining on cotton polyester; Sample 3: Twin needle machine, wavy & straight lines in 2 directions on polyester satin.
PINTUCKS Sheet 2

These two samples were visually pleasing, enhanced by the choice of fabric. Sample 4: Multiple lines of twin needle machining on silk organza, then fabric cut into pieces & re-joined with rows of stitching at right angles; Sample 5: Diagonal & horizontal lines of twin needle machining on polyester satin.
PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 1

Sample 6: Wavy lines of tucks worked in running stitch on cotton polyester. It was difficult to get a smooth curve; Sample 7: Zigzag lines of tucks machined on cotton polyester.

PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 2

Sample 8: Box pleats centred & double centred on cotton polyester; Sample 9: Shell tucks stitched by hand on polyester/elastane blend.
PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 3

Sample 10: Darts machined half way across cotton polyester sample alternating the starting point from left or right. The resulting shape bulged and gave a 3-D effect; Sample 11; Darts machined the full width of cotton polyester sample.
PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 4

Sample 12: Tucks of varying widths machined on silk organza, then fabric turned over & folded in new directions to make extra tucks; Sample 13: Pintucks machined on folds of polyester satin, then fabric was cut into pieces and re-joined with tucks in a different (diagonal) direction.

PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 5

All of these samples were quite interesting and produced different textural effects. Sample 14: Tucks formed and machined in place on polyester/linen blend, then threads withdrawn to give a loopy appearance; Sample 15: Rows of tucks machined on cotton osnaburg and then slashes made at random along the folds; Sample 16: Rows of tucks machined on cotton osnaburg and then folds joined at intervals with handstitched ties.
PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 6

These samples also had future possibilities. Sample 17: Wool held in place with twin needle stitching to make a padded tuck, then fabric folded and machined in diagonal tucks; Sample 18:Rows of blind tucks made in cotton polyester fabric, then direction of folds changed and held in place with extra stitching to give an undulating effect.
PLEATS & TUCKS Sheet 7

These samples gave some interesting effects. Sample 19: Silk organza tucks slashed and  sections folded back to make angled folds; Sample 20: Tucks machined in place on cotton polyester and padded with pieces of plastic straw; Sample 21: Tucks machined in place on cotton polyester and filled with pipe cleaners. Fabric was ruched a bit for added interest; Sample 22: Wide tucks machined in place on silk habutai, then rectangles cut out from each fold. A painted stiff fabric strip was then threaded through each fold.
GATHERING Sheet 1

Again, some visually pleasing effects, especially the texture achieved in sample 24. Sample 23: Loose hand gathering on silk organza; Sample 24: Linen/polyester weave gathered in both directions by machine. Sample 25: Zigzag machine stitching over satay sticks on cotton/polyester weave, then fabric pushed up to gather it along the sticks.
GATHERING Sheet 2

Sample 26: Linen/polyester weave gathered in rows by pulling a thread; Sample 27: Cotton/polyester weave gathered in three spirals using free machine stitching with fabric in a hoop. I liked the impression created in this sample.
PLEATING - GATHERING Sheet 3

Sample 28: Silk crepe pleated/gathered with a smocking pleater then stitching worked by hand over the top; Sample 29: Cotton/polyester weave pleated/gathered with a smocking pleater then machined with zigzag stitch over the top with Perle 5 thread in the bobbin.
GATHERING - SHIRRING Sheet 4

Sample 30: Cotton/polyester weave gathered in wavy lines by machine with shirring elastic in the bobbin; Sample 31: Silk habutai gathered in jagged zigzag lines by machine with shirring elastic in the bobbin.
GATHERING - SHIRRING Sheet 5

All of these samples suggest interesting textural possibilities for the future. Sample 32: Circular furrows worked by hand on cotton/polyester weave gathered onto a circle of Vilene backing fabric; Sample 33: Suffolk puffs (or yo-yos if in the USA) made by gathering circles of silk crepe; Sample 34: Dimpled circular pattern made by free machining a spiral pattern on silk georgette with fabric held in a hoop & shirring elastic in the bobbin.
GATHERING Sheet 6

Sample 35: Orange beads bound with thread and silk georgette fabric gathered with running stitch in between each bead; Sample 36: Three folds were machined at an angle in the cotton scrim, then they were gathered by pulling the threads. Each fold was then cut along its length and threads withdrawn at random to give the untidy slightly frayed effect. This produced a very interesting texture.
Reference: Colette Wolff. “The Art of Manipulating Fabric”, Krause Publications, Wisconsin, 1996.

M5, CHAPTER 5: QUILTING, PADDING & STUFFING

In this section I explored  several techniques for quilting and stuffing layers of fabric, as well as experimenting with a range of materials, patterns  and stitching.

In these samples I experimented with different pens/pencils  for marking the quilting lines. Some of these did not erase very well (e.g. 1 & 2). Eventually I decided that an air-erasable pen was the best choice for a line only needed for a short time, and a water erasable pen for lines needing to be visible for longer. Calico was used as the backing material for most samples, unless otherwise indicated.

1. WADDED QUILTING

1.1 Various top layers, batting, designs & stitches.

Loft  is a descriptive term for the thickness, height and resilience of quilt batting. High loft batting is thicker and fluffier, usually polyester and used more often for tied quilts. Low loft batting is thinner and shows off the quilting stitches (Reference http://www.straw.com/equilters/library/tips-hows/glossary.html)

These samples show the effects achieved by varying the loft of the batting.

Sample 1: Flannelette top layer with thick polyester batting (high loft) and diagonal quilting in running stitch.

Sample 2: Cotton interlock top layer with 2 layers of Pelon (low loft) as wadding and quilted in a diamond pattern using backstitch.

Sample 3: Polyester velvet top layer with wool batting (medium loft) and Greek meander quilting using thicker Perle thread and 2 parallel rows of running stitch.

Sample 4: Silk habutai top layer, with bamboo batting (low loft), quilted in a hexagonal shape with running stitch, including a centre feature with many rows of fine stitching.

I then stuck with the hexagonal shape for several of my subsequent samples while I varied other parameters.

Sample 5: Silk habutai top layer with medium thickness polyester batting (medium loft), quilted in a hexagonal shape with fly stitch.  This gave a slightly more defined effect than sample 6, where polyester polarfleece with a lower loft was used as the batting,  and sample 8, where bubble wrap was used.

Sample 7: Silk habutai top layer, with chenille fabric used as the batting and quilted diagonally in the troughs of the chenille with running stitch. This gave quite an interesting & pleasing textured effect.

1.2 Padding Experiments

1.2.1 Shaped Quilting: The shape to be held in place is placed on the backing fabric, then the top layer added and held in place temporarily until stitching is added around the shapes to hold them in place.

Sample 9: here I tried only padding the hexagonal shape rather than the whole square. I used 3 layers of Pelon for the centre shape, two layers for the next band and one layer for the outside band. The top fabric was Silk habutai stitched with chain stitch. The idea was OK but I would have got better contours if I had doubled or tripled the layers of padding in each section.

Sample 10: Cotton muslin was chosen for the top layer  because it was semi- transparent. The wadding was a slice of polystyrene foam cut to shape. Two rows of black running stitch were used to hold the top layer in place.

Sample 12: Silk organza was chosen for the top layer  because it was semi- transparent. Silk noil was used for the backing. The layout was designed first, then the shells (collected from a local beach) were stitched into position with running stitch one at a time.

Sample 13: Nylon tulle was chosen for the top layer  because it was almost transparent. Small scraps of fabric were used as the padding. The scraps and tulle were lightly held in place with Vliesofix and then running stitch added to hold the layers together.

1.2.2 Padded Quilting : This involves a top layer and a backing fabric. The padding is added after the stitching. With samples 11,  14 &  15 the shape was stitched but not fully completed and then the  “padding” added and the final few stitches put in place to close the shape.

Sample 11: Nylon tulle was chosen for the top layer  because it was almost transparent. The rows of running stitch (Perle 5 thread) were partially completed, then the small shells  pushed into the gap to make the  padding, and the last few stitches were worked.

Sample 14: Silk organza was chosen for the top layer  because it was semi- transparent. The padding was a collection of threads obtained by fraying some of my fabric samples. The rows of black back stitch (Perle 8 thread) were partially completed, then the threads  pushed into the gap with tweezers to make the  padding, and the last few stitches were worked. A row of running stitch was added around the outside for decoration.

 

Sample 17: In this sample  I used felt as the backing layer, with muslin over the top. It started off as a trial of different types of stitching using the same diamond/square shape. Stitches used were: Row 1 (L to R) – couching, two rows of running stitch & cross stitch; Row 2 – Fly stitch, 2 rows of running stitch and back stitch; Row 3 – Fern stitch, 2 rows of running stitch and chain stitch. Then I experimented with adding polyester batting to pad different sections of the central row of stitched samples by slitting the back, pushing in the padding and then closing the slit with herringbone stitch (Italian or Trapunto Quilting).

Sample 18: This sample was also padded using the Italian or Trapunto Quilting technique. Silk organza was chosen for the top layer because it was semi-transparent. The padding was human hair saved from my last haircut. Running stitch was used to outline the shape and extra rows added to the unpadded section for contrast. Although I liked the concept of this sample it was less successful than I hoped because my hair was so fine it kept poking through the fabric. This meant that the overall  impression was not as clean or sharp as usual.

1.2.3 Corded Quilting by Hand

Sample 15: Polyester/Spandex knit fabric was used as the top layer. The shape was outlined with two rows of running stitch but the hexagon was not completely closed. A pipe cleaner was then threaded into the channel and the last few stitches added to close the shape.

Sample 16: Pieces of rope were cut to size and the ends sealed with a flame to stop them fraying to make the padding. The top layer was Polyester Polarfleece. Rows of running stitch were used to make channels into which the rope was inserted. In each case the top row of running stitch was worked, then the rope placed under the polarfleece, and the second row of stitching was added.

1.2.4 Corded Quilting by Machine

The next series of samples were made using the sewing machine.

Sample 19: In this sample  white wool was used as the cord and cotton interlock was the fabric.

Sample 20: In this sample  a thin white  cord was used with polyester satin fabric.

Samples 21 & 22 show two attempts to make a channel to anchor a pink cord in nylon tulle. With sample 21, I used a tearaway fabric to support the tulle while machining the cord in place. The proved quite difficult to remove and  many of the stitches broke in the process. With sample 22 I used a Guliette medium weight water soluble film to support the tulle while machining. This film then dissolved away very easily when the piece was dipped in cold water.  The resulting sample was much more satisfactory as the rows of stitching were even and unbroken. I think this technique could have interesting possibilities for the future.

M5, CHAPTER 4: FABRIC INVESTIGATION

 

1. Fabric Collection & Properties

1.1 Sources & description

Natural fibres: Cotton, linen & bamboo are made from plants whereas silk and wool are protein fibres from an animal source.  Rayon (viscose) is made from treated cellulose and because of this behaves more like a plant fibre than a synthetic. It is sometimes classified as semi-synthetic. These materials can generally be spun or matted into sheets like paper or felt.

Man-made or synthetic fibres:  Polyester is the most commonly used synthetic fibre. It is favoured because of its crease resistance.Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum. Acrylics (acetonitrile)  are made from natural gas and petroleum. Polyurethane (brand names Spandex, Lycra) is a long chain polymer which is elastic and used to give stretch to fabrics, often blended with polyester.

Blends: Combinations of fibres are used to try to take advantage of the desirable properties of the components. For example  combinations of cotton, which offers breathability, and polyester which  is crease resistant,  are likely to require less ironing than cotton alone but be more comfortable to wear than 100% polyester.

Batting: Batting is generally a non-woven layer of  fibre. Examples included some made from natural fibres (wool, cotton, bamboo) or synthetic, generally polyester. Polyester batting can be sourced in various thicknesses to give different effects when used.

Support materials:Examples of these non-woven, synthetic support materials include different thicknesses of Vilene and Vliesofix Transfer Adhesive.They are generally used to stiffen or support other fabrics to be stitched, moulded or shaped.

1.2 Creasing  & Stretching

Cotton: Cotton fabrics tend to crease when crushed. Those with firmer weaves e.g. Calico, Homespun, Lawn,Voile & Chenille  creased more readily and did not stretch much in any direction. Those with a looser weave, such as Osnaburg and Cheesecloth, stretched on the diagonal but not much horizontally or vertically and creased less. The cotton interlock knit stretched diagonally & horizontally with the knit and creased less.

Silk: These samples creased a little when crushed, but less than cotton. Those with firmer weaves e.g. Noil, Habutai, Crepe de Chine, Organza & Georgette, creased more readily and did not stretch much in any direction. Those with a looser weave, such as Silk Scrim and Chiffon, stretched on the diagonal but not much horizontally or vertically and did not crease as much.

Linen: These samples creased when crushed and did not stretch much horizontally or vertically. There was a little stretch on the diagonal  if the weave was not very tight.

Wool: The wool crepe sample creased a little when crushed but not as much as the linens and cottons. It stretched a little on the diagonal but not horizontally or vertically.

Rayon (viscose): The rayon felt creased a little and did not stretch much in any direction.

Synthetics: Examples of synthetic fabrics made from 3 different materials – nylon, polyester,polyethylene-  were collected. On the whole the fabrics were crease resistant. Nylon (polyamide) tends to be spun into fine threads and was found in knitted lingerie, tulle & lace. It can stretch diagonally(e.g. tulle) or horizontally & diagonally if knitted. Polyester is very versatile and examples collected included fine & coarse weaves as well as knitted  fabrics with a pile (e.g. Polar Fleece and Polyester Velvet). The finer weaves tended to crease more and did not stretch.The more open weaves  stretched diagonally and the ones with a knitted base were very stretchy horizontally and diagonally. The Tyvek (polyethylene spunbonded) could crease but did not stretch. It is mostly used in protective clothing as it is impermeable to water.

Blends: Fabrics made from blends of different materials tended to reflect some properties of both, and their behaviour largely reflected the major component. For example a fine cotton/polyester weave behaved more like a fine cotton fabric but creased a little less. A polyester/urethane (i.e. Spandex or Lycra) knit was very stretchy and crease resistant.

Batting: Not particularly stretchy. Thicker polyester types can have pieces or layers peeled away.

Support Materials: They can crease and do not stretch much.

1.3 Fraying & Withdrawing Threads

Cotton - interlock, lawn & flannelette: Edges of woven cotton fabrics frayed readily. The effect depended on whether the weave was fine(e.g. lawn) or coarser (e.g. flannelette). The knitted (interlock) fabric did not fray readily. Threads could be withdrawn easily only from the woven fabrics.

Silk-organza, georgette, noil, habutai : The edges of these fabrics frayed readily, but the effect depended on the fineness of the weave. It was possible to withdraw threads from these woven fabrics but it was more difficult when the threads were very fine.

Linen & Wool: The edges of woven linen, linen blends and wool crepe frayed readily. Threads could be withdrawn readily from these woven fabrics.

Rayon (viscose): As the rayon felt was not a woven material it did not fray readily and threads could not be withdrawn from it.

Synthetics & synthetic blends - polyester velvet, polyester spandex blend, polyester polarfleece, nylon tulle, polyester cotton blend: These fabrics did not fray readily, except for the polycotton blend.Threads could not be withdrawn from the polyester knits (e.g. velvet, spandex blend, polarfleece) & nylon tulle. However they could be withdrawn from the woven polycotton blend.

Batting: Battings could not be frayed but polyester or wool batting would pull apart if sufficient force was applied.

Support Materials: These non-woven  materials did not fray.

1.4 Burning with a Candle Flame

Cotton- interlock, lawn & flannelette,  Linen & Rayon (viscose):

Cotton, linen and cellulose based fabrics, e.g rayon, burn readily but do not melt, leaving a fine ash residue which crushes easily. May smell like burning paper. Rayon tends to burn longer after the flame is removed. Cotton generally has an afterglow.

Wool: Wool crepe shrinks away from the flame as it burns, and does not melt. It smells like burning hair and leaves ash or black beads which are readily crushed.

Silk-organza, georgette, noil, habutai:

Silk shrinks away from the flame as it burns, and may extinguish itself. It does not melt, but leaves ash which is readily crushed, sometimes in the form of a black bead. Its smell has been described as like burning hair or charred meat.

Synthetics:

Synthetic fabrics (e.g. nylon or polyester) or blends with a high percentage of synthetic fibres burn away from the flame and melt, leaving a hard edge that feels like plastic. Nylon edge is like white beads, whereas polyester is black. Smoke may be very black with a chemical smell. Silk / polyester blend burns like a synthetic but has a crushable black ash on the edge.

1.5 Applying Soldering Iron or Hot Wire

Cotton- interlock, lawn & flannelette: Hot implements lightly scorched the fabric but did not cut it. Small cuts could be made with a hot wire, but this needed persistence.

Silk-organza, georgette, noil, habutai: The soldering iron scorched the silks, and cuts could be made with the hot wire, especially in the finer fabrics.

Linen & Wool: The tools lightly scorched the fabric but did not cut it. The hot wire made a cut in the fine wool crepe with a bit of effort.

Rayon (viscose): The tools lightly scorched the fabric but did not cut it.

Synthetics & synthetic blends - polyester velvet, polyester spandex blend, polyester polarfleece, nylon tulle, polyester cotton blend: Holes and cuts could be readily made in these fabrics with the soldering iron or hot wire due to their synthetic content. The finer fabrics cut more readily.

Support Materials & Tyvek^®: Thin Vilene^® and Polyethylene Spunbonded (Tyvek^®) could be cut easily with a hot wire. Thicker materials such as Pelmet Vilene did not cut very readily. The next photo shows how a decorative effect could be obtained by making holes in Vilene with a burning satay stick.

1.6 Response to Heat Tools

Most synthetic fabrics distorted readily when a heat tool (blower) was applied,  whereas natural fabrics like silk just scorched. Polyester polarfleece scorched and distorted on the fluffy front side. The "back" side was not discoloured and had an interesting buckled appearance.

A hovering dry iron could also be used to buckle or distort some synthetics. Very interesting effects can be obtained using this method with Tyvek^® if you control the distortion carefully. With the nylon knit, the top surface could be partially removed.

References

http://quilting.about.com: How to do a fabric burn test

http://info.fabrics.net/fabric-facts/fabric identification: Fabric identification: The burn test

http://www.ehow.com/how_7859531_identify-wool-acetate-silk-polyester : How to identify cotton, wool, acetate, silk an d polyester

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Spandex.html: Spandex

www2.dupont.com/Tyvek/en_US/‎: Tyvek Home Page

http://www.createforless.com/buying-guides/sewing-and-quilting/quilt-batting: Quilt batting – types and choosing the right one.

2. Decorative Edges

Decorative edges were created using various distressing techniques such as  cutting, fraying, applying a hot wire or soldering iron. The method was selected according to the properties of the fabric observed in Section 1. In some samples, 2 techniques were combined.

Edges 1:

Polyester woven blend frayed & threads withdrawn; Polyester woven blend frayed and edges cut at angles;Rayon felt cut with pinking shears; Silk chiffon frayed on one side and self gathered by pulling a few threads on the other side to make a ruffle.

Edges 2:

Tyvek^® - scalloped edge cut with scissors, then holes poked along it with soldering iron;Wool crepe pleated & cut at angles across the pleats;  Polyester woven blend frayed & threads withdrawn to fray one edge, then holes made with soldering iron; Silk chiffon - pieces cut out with soldering iron & edges frayed.

Edges 3:

Polyester cut with hot wire; Tyvek^® cut with hot wire; Nylon knit cut with hot wire & twisted; Nylon knit fringed & scalloped with soldering iron.

Edges 4:

Polyester/Spandex^® blend rolled and knotted; Polyester/Spandex^® blend twisted and coiled back on itself like a twisted cord;Nylon knit cut along edges & slashed in middle with pinking shears then twisted; Polyester satin - fringe cut then twisted & knotted;Polyester woven blend frayed, threads withdrawn in two directions & sections bound together with some of the removed threads.

M5, Addendum to Chapter 3

Following some feedback from Sian I have tried a few more paper relief ideas, with varying success! Overall though it was a worthwhile exercise to do these to extend my thinking for later work.

Sample 2A: The original had some big lumps of “ice” with spaces in between. In this sample I added some small pieces of twisted polythene bag to add some contrasting texture by representing the smaller fragments of floating ice. I think this improves the overall effect.

Sample 6A: Sian suggested that I scrunched up the paper more to add texture to the rounded surface. I took a sheet of  thicker cartridge paper, then scrunched it, opened it out and re-scrunched several times. The very scrunched up paper was then mounded over the  humped area. The effect is quite pleasing but moves away a bit from the original picture. I guess this does not really matter as it is just a starting point for the design.

Sample 7A: I tried cutting some circles out of tissue paper than folding and roughly pleating them so the pleats radiated from the centre to the edge of each circle. The circles were then formed into overlapping mounds padded with tissues. I  liked the look that was achieved with this approach as well, but have to be honest and say I preferred the original puffy version.

Sample 8A: In this sample I tried to create  a version focusing on the  roughly padded oval shapes in the original photo. I aimed to represent the smoother tops and the striated sides of the shapes. Instead of using twisted tissue cords for the striations, I decided to try pleating the paper to achieve a more grooved look. I then inserted a padded shape into each pleated oval to give support and represent the smooth tops.

I think this approach was also reasonably successful and opens up various options I can experiment with later in the module using fabric .