Technique

Sewing pieces of fabric of different shapes and and patterns onto a larger fabric.

Materials

• Fabric of different colours and shapes
• Sewing pins

Machines

• Sewing machine

Method

1. Cut out the pieces of fabric into desired shapes and sizes

2. Arrange them onto the base fabric

3. Pin through them to keep them in place

4. Sew with the sewing machine in the desired type of stitch

Results

Reflection

This was my first time using the sewing machine (aside from using it for the fabric of thread). Figuring my way through the machine and getting used to it was tough at first. I don’t think I have fully mastered the machine yet and there is still a lot for me to learn, but I do want to keep practising – there are so many things I want to try making with it!

Technique

Consolidation of felt material to create either flat or three-dimensional fabric.

Materials

• Felting wool
• Wool yarn
• Felting needle
• Hot water
• Soap

Wet Felting

1. Arrange the felting wool into desired design in a thin layer
2. Pour hot water and a little soap onto the wool
   note: soap softens the fibres
3. Rub the wool to close the gaps and consolidate them
4. Leave the finished piece to dry
5. (optional) Shape the piece into any form with the felting needle

Results

Needle Felting

1. Bundle up felting wool or wool yarn into a ball
2. Poke them with the felting needle
3. Poke more
4. Just… keep poking

Results

Nuno Felting

1. Arrange felting wool or wool yarn onto the fabric
2. Poke them with the felting needle
3. Poke more
4. …you know the drill

Results

Reflection

Wet felting is quite arbitrary especially when using multiple colours, but the plus side is that you can look at it from either side and have totally different patterns. Nuno felting on organza is a lot more controlled, so I tried doing finer details. But if I were to pick my favourite, that would be needle felting! I like the repetitive motion required – it’s quite calming and therapeutic – but still requires a bit of attention from time to time to ensure that the shape stiffens up efficiently.

Technique

Heating and stretching of plastic sheet to form a desired shape.

Materials

• Mould
• Plastic sheet

Machines

• Vacuum forming machine

Method

1. Cut out a sheet of the plastic sheet to desired size

2. Place the mould onto the allocated spot of the vacuum forming machine

3. Place the plastic sheet on top of the opening

4. Pull down the cover and lock it in place

5. Pull out the heater and wait for the plastic sheet to heat up
note: look at the light reflected off the plastic sheet – initially there would be wrinkles, so wait until it’s all gone!

6. Turn the vacuum on

7. Pull down the level at the side to bring the mould up

8. Once the mould touches the plastic sheet, pull down the little lever to create a balloon
note: this is done to easily encapsulate larger and more complex moulds

Results

Reflection

Learning to use the machine was a little difficult at first – there were so many steps and I had no idea on how to form the balloon! – but it was easy once I got the hang of it. One thing I regret not doing is to be more resourceful with the mould, since I was using both CNC’ed moulds.

Technique

Forming thermoplastic fabric into 3D shapes.

Materials

• 100% polyester organza
• Mould (water resistant; avoid heat-sensitive materials)
• Elastic bands
• Aluminum foil
• Pot and stove

Method

1. Wrap the mould around the organza and tie tightly with an elastic band

2. Wrap the whole organza piece in aluminum foil

3. Submerge the aluminum ball into pot of boiling water for 45 – 75 mins

Note

• Do not stretch the fabric right after taking it out of the pot or when it is still hot!
• After its form is manipulated, the fabric cannot be ironed – else it would lose its 3D shape.

Results

Reflection

The shapes of the rocks I used as mould were a little too organic. I think this technique would produce more interesting results if the moulds were more systematically-shaped, like marbles or cubes. The folded fabric fell flat; it might work better to use different folding techniques and on a larger piece.

But still, I quite enjoyed this technique! There are so many ways to make interesting forms and textures out of it.

Technique

Creating new fabric by sewing pieces of thread together.

Materials

• Variety of thread, yarn, fabric strips
• Water soluble stabiliser
• Sewing pins
• Mould (optional)

Machines

• Sewing machine

Method

1. Arrange the thread and yarn onto the water soluble stabiliser
2. Place another sheet of water soluble stabiliser on top
3. Pin through the layers to keep them in place
4. Sew in grids
   note: make sure not to sew the grids too far apart from each other to avoid the thread/yarn from falling out
5. (flat) Submerge the stabiliser into water and wash off the starch completely
   (3D) Submerge the stabiliser into water and leave some starch on the thread/yarn piece. Place it over a mould and leave to dry overnight.

Results

Reflection

This is definitely my favourite technique!! Sadly I did not take process photos since I was a little too excited about the whole ordeal… I would definitely love to try doing more of this technique though – especially with the leftover threads and fabric pieces I collected from the past 3 months. I think it would be fun to try sewing in different shapes and patterns!

Technique

Fusing plastic together through heat and pressure

Materials

• Variety of plastic bags
• Baking paper

Machines

• Iron

Process

1. Place sheets of plastic bags into the desired design
2. Sandwich them in between two sheets of baking paper
3. Put the iron on top for a few seconds

Results

Reflection

It was enlightening to know that this technique could be done with easily available materials (that I could even find in my room) like plastic bags and an iron. However it’s a little difficult to control because the different types of plastics react in different ways, and requires a lot more experimentation to create a controlled outcome. I also tried to heat it over a mould to form a three-dimensional shape but I guess I need a little more practice on that 🙁

Technique

Transfer of images or patterns onto fabric through heat.

Materials

• Polyester satin
• Plywood
• Transfer paper (The Magic Touch: TTC 3.1 and CPM 6.2)
• Fabric crayon
• Transfer ink
• Flat objects (e.g. thread, feather, leaf)
• Baking paper

Machines

• Iron
• Heat press machine

Direct transfer printing

1. Draw and/or paint the desired design with fabric crayon and transfer ink on a sheet of paper
2. Place the paper facing down onto polyester satin
3. Sandwich the paper and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
4. Place a hot iron on top of the layers for 30-60 seconds

Results

Indirect transfer printing

1. Draw and/or paint a solid block on a sheet of paper
2. Place flat objects onto the paper before placing them both onto polyester satin
3. Sandwich the paper, object and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
4. Place a hot iron on top of the layers for 30-60 seconds

Results

Digital transfer printing

1. Print the desired design onto the transfer paper (TTC 3.1 or CPM 6.2, depending on the type of surface to transfer onto)
2. Place the transfer paper facing down onto polyester satin or plywood
3. (satin) Sandwich the paper and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
   (plywood) Sandwich the paper and wood in between baking paper on the bottom and squishy foam on the top – the plywood may be warped i.e. not completely flat, thus the foam helps to push down the transfer paper to ensure all parts of the image is transferred
4. Place the layers into the heat press machine and press

Results

Reflection

This technique requires a lot of trial and error, but I like how the transfer ink prints give pleasant surprises – especially how the colours are more vivid after heat transferred. The details after transferred are more diluted though.

As for the digital prints, I used several of my illustration works and it was a joy to see them in different mediums!

Things to improve on:

• (transfer ink) Use less diluted mixture of ink to create more vivid colours
• (indirect transfer) Less thick objects – such as thread or feather – might give more interesting results
• (digital fabric transfer) Be more mindful during the peeling process because it stretches the fabric in a particular direction – as seen on photos on fabric, the shapes are skewed
• (digital wood transfer) Check for the flatness of the plywood and sand the surface lightly
• (digital wood transfer) Use a sponge or squishy foam in between the transfer paper and baking paper to ensure coverage of the print on all surface area of the wood

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