Re-dying Process:

I worked with Nicky Robert and her Designer, to translate our design image to the fabric. I sent both the top image by itself and the origninal reference image to give an idea of where we were coming from. We’re still aiming for the coral itself, but there is a slight hint of paua shell theme coming in as well.

The Designer took a look at the design and had a discussion with me about the style of stitching and the theads I wanted to use. She also showed me a Sample of what she had been thinking of.

Later proceeding to take off all of the previous tests from the loom, hoping it would also help us in understanding all of the measurements needed and how to warp the loom.

Mama was the one to remove the tests from the loom and calculate the required amounts for the garment top using this process.

~~~Measurement images~~~

The first test I did was with a strongly pigmented watercolour I recently got. I diluted it into some water to get the shade I wanted the dunked the first piece into the solution.

After dunking it I got it out and set it to dry hanging about the water.

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While waiting for the colours to dissolve into the water I got a bit impatient and decided to paint with straight pigment onto the first piece’s “A” on one side. It was also done with a colour that hadn’t been very clearly showing up in the water. The print took the colour almost immediately and after a little bit of drying seemed to have set.

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While waiting for the first piece to dry or drip off most of the water I decided to tey the painting with large amounts of pigment onto the second piece after the success of the “A” on the first piece. This would not be the desired final method for colouring the garment prints but each method much be tested for effectiveness.

Though the test garnered reasonable though patchy results, it was undertaken on an absorbent surface. Meaning it wasn’t as effective as it could have been.

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The first piece when reasonably dry.

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Frustrated after the second piece’s test difficulties, I decided that I would grab out some proper food colouring to test its effectiveness. Even on both already partially coloured pieces.

The first piece:

fter drying for a while on an absorbent material the colour has been sapped a bit, so I did another layer of food colouring.

The second piece:

I tried the red food colouring I’d found first just to see how it would look and absorb over the blue watercolour.

Then just added blue, in theme with our garment.

I then put loads on to try and saturate the entire thing for the best coverage.

After letting them dry overnight this is the result.

The colour has become a bit murky but it’s still overall good for our final design. Some difficulties that could arise using the food colouring would be controlling the dark and light patches of dried colour. Otherwise a feasible option for colouring the SLS print of the garment skirt.

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These will allow me to make sure I don’t go over a certain distance when creating the interesting asymmetrical shape of the final collar.

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Though this prototype has to have a start point for the new style. The plan I’m still running with is that the LEDs will be glued along the outer loops of the structure pressing outwards into the fabric. So to achieve this, I believe all of the outer structure has to have two anchor points to the neck. Hence the two centre loops and supporting material I’ve already made. Then the intricate asymmetrical shape would be made from several loops of varying lengths with supporting material in between holding them out. To get the beginings of my desired effect I created this protoype with all of the loops the same length for a proof of concept and to test wrap the fabric around.

At this stage, I decided to start putting even more stabilising structure into it, because I felt the loops weren’t staying where I wanted them to be.

Once all of the supports were in I tried it on again and asked both my Mother and Father to as well. Because the garment is to be worn by a male model and all of the measurements have been based on male measurements, I decided to add a strip of elastic to the back where the piece had been clipped shut originally after my Father had a little discomfort trying to get it over the end of his nose.

Because the structure for the Showcase wasn’t made with the fabric we have in mind, or the final LED pattern. It made it difficult for the fabric to sit over, and the LEDs had to be looped through the random spaces. It left some pieces of fabric not fully covering it and others precariously tucked up in hope of it staying put for the night. The way the fabric was also attached to the top underneath didn’t help.

This structure has everything in mind even a new draping effect and attachment type, both being tested as the prototype moves forward. Some dimension measurements have been taken from the initial structure to keep in mind where the limits are. I also used our previous research for better neck measurements.

Our neck measurements from our fellow BCT classmates during last semester.

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The intial wire loops for around the neck. Testing sizing after realising that it has to pass over the wearer’s head not secure around the neck.