Author: JIA ZHEN

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RESIN CASTING AND LATEX

What is resin?
Resin casting involves the use of resin, a viscous synthetic organic polymer that solidifies into a tough, solid form to encapsulate objects.

Materials needed:
Liquid resin
Moulds
Objects to encapsulate
Mould release spray
Cups and Ice cream sticks for mixing
Weighing scale

How to do it:
Using a weighing scale, measure out 100g of resin in a cup and 2g of hardener in another.
Add the hardener to the resin and mix thoroughly.
Spray the mould with mould release spray
Carefully pour the resin into the mould and let it set before taking it out of the mould.

Photos

What is latex casting?
Latex casting is a method uses latex which contains polymer microparticles in a liquid form which solidifies into a malleable, jelly like structure.

Materials needed:
Mould
Liquid latex
Paint or food colouring
Mould release spray
Cups and Ice cream sticks for mixing
Weighing scale

How to do it:
Using a weighing scale, measure 100g of latex into one cup and 4g of hardener into the other.
Mix thoroughly. Add in paint or any colouring of your choice and mix well.
Spray the mould with mould release spray.
Pour the latex into the mould. Wait for it to cure.

Reflection:
I love working with latex, for it can really resemble the skin texture and I love the flabby texture it has to offer! Really fun material to work with especially for halloween hahaha.

Photos

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KNITTING

What is knitting?
This method uses a thread or yarn to create a fabric.  A number of rows of loops, called stitches are continued when a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can be passed through them. After several rows, a fabric of interlocked stitches is created. There are many knitting styles and different yarn, yarn texture or needle size creates different outcomes.

Materials needed:
Yarn
Knitting needles

How to do it:
You will knit to follow the video below.

 

Reflection:
Not my kind of thing. Though it gets pretty addictive at some point as you can repeat the steps mindlessly but the repetitiveness bores me.

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MANIPULATING FABRIC

What is manipulation of fabric?
There are many ways to play with fabric and manipulatel it so that it becomes more dimensional. Throughout history, people have developed different ways of altering fabric to provide contrasts, to create a sense of fullness, and create surface effects.

What is smocking?
This method is an embroidery technique to gather fabric and securing finely pleated or folded fabric with a decorative stitch.

Materials needed:
Fabric (felt)
Pencil (anything to indicate the outlines)
Ruler
Thread
Sewing needle

How to do it:
With a pencil, mark out the grid system/template on the back side of the felt where it would not be showing. (Making sure the grid is even)
Based on the grid/ smocking template, stitch the points together with the needle and thread
Repeat the process until the whole grid is completed.

What is shirring?
Shirring is a method of gathering cloth along two or more parallel stitched lines to create a sense of wavy dimension. It can be done with regular or elastic thread in patterns that might include zigzags or waffle patterns.

(A related method is ruching, in which layers of fabric are gathered on parallel sides and then sewn to a layer underneath. You sometimes see this fabric technique on the tiers in the sides of prom and party dresses.)

How to do it:
Wind the bobbin with the elastic thread and load the top thread as you normally would. (Do not use your machine to wind the bobbin.)
Instead, wind the bobbin carefully by hand without pulling tightly on the elastic and insert the bobbin into the machine as usual.
Get sewing, ensuring even spacing between the stitch lines.

Photos:

 

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APPLIQUÉ

What is appliqué?
Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern.

Materials needed:
Felt
Wool
Felting needle
Thread
Beads

How to do it:
Get your materials ready
Put them in place
Sew them together!

Reflection:
First go at the sewing machine!! It takes a bit of getting use to for you have to guide the fabric through and ensure that it goes the direction you for it to move.

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THERMOPLASTIC

What is thermoplastic?
Thermoplastic involves using a polymer or a fibre whose molecular structure beaks down and becomes fluid at a certain temperature, allowing the fabric to be reshaped through pleating or moulding. When cooled, the fabric remains in that permanent shape until it is reheated to the same or higher temperature.

Materials needed:
Organza (100% polyester)
3D objects (acrylic discs, marbles etc)
Rubber bands
Aluminium foil
Metal pot
Water
Stove
Tongs

How to do it:
Cut your desired length of organza
Tie up your 3D objects OR wrap and twist organza with aluminium foil
Wrap the entire form in aluminium foil
Place them in a pot and boil for an hour
Wait for it to cool before unwrapping the outer aluminium foil
Let it cool further before you remove rubber bands and the inner aluminium foil.

Reflection:
Little tumours. Reminds me of fungi. Would take this a step further and layer different coloured organza to resemble pimples!

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VACUUM FORMING

What is vacuum forming?
Vacuum forming is a simplified version of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mold, and forced against the mold by a vacuum.

Materials needed:
Plastic sheet
Objects / mould
Vacuum forming machine

How to do it:
Place the sheet of plastic in between the frame of the vacuum forming machine and start the heating process
Wait for the plastic to heat up (ripples should vanish leaving a flat stretched surface)
Lift the frame and place the objects you wish to create a mould of on the raised platform
Push the frame onto the objects and turn on the vacuum
Turn the machine off once it has reached its maximum function ability
Remove the plastic sheet and retrieve the objects. There, your very own mould!

Reflections:
Not so successful attempt at this. Perhaps the objects I had chosen were too flat but the vacuum forming machine failed to pick up on the forms and did not give my objects their full structural integrity. What a pity! But overall, a really easy and convenient way to create your own mould especially for resin casting!

Photos:

 

heating the plastic

    

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PLASTIC FUSING

What is plastic fusing?
This method requires melting or fusing different colours, shapes and texture of plastic (e.g bubble wrap, plastic bag etc.) together to create a fused surface that is waterproof. The temperature that is applied would produce a different result for when the heat is high, it melts and eats away the plastic, leaving holes on the plastic.

Materials needed:
Plastic of choice
Baking paper
Iron

How to do it:
Have your selection of plastics ready
Sandwich the plastics between two sheets of baking paper
Iron over
Layer more plastic over until desired effect has been achieved

Reflection:
Another method which I love. Again with the element of chance and surprise, there is a lack of control over the outcome here for the heat will create holes and each piece is unique. The holes also creates this lace like texture and melting plastic of different opacity over creates a different result. There is a lot to play with here and seeing how our everyday common and mundane material (our plastic bags and plastic straws) can actually offer us such interesting overlap of textures and forms leave me to wonder what other great textures I can create with our everyday materials.

 

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FABRIC OF THREAD

What is fabric of thread?
This method requires the use of threads, sewn and interlocked with one another to create a specific type of fabric that resembles lace.

Materials needed:
Water-soluble stabiliser
Decorative threads / Sewing threads / Yarn
Sewing machine
Sewing pins (to hold everything in place so the threads do not run)
Object to hold the water soluble lattice into shape (optional)
UV resistant clear acrylic spray

How to do it:
Arrange the threads between a sheet of water soluble stabiliser of desired dimensions
Use needles to secure the sheet
Stitch the two planes together using a sewing machine
Wash and soak in warm water until the stabiliser dissolves
Mould over a 3D object and allow it to dry completely
Spray it with Spray Starch to harden it

Reflection:
Ohmygoddd i love this method. I have always wondered how this method could have been achieved, did they really joined and attached pieces of thread together one by one? Finally got to know how it can be done! I really love how each piece of thread interact with one another to form an interlocking network and see how something so thin and fragile and rather insignificant can actually form a surface that is strong enough to hold things up and provide support.

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TRANSFER PRINTING

What is transfer printing?

Transfer printing or sublimation printing transfers an image using heat and pressure onto a fabric or other materials via a substrate. This technique relies on the fact that dyes sublime when heated which is sometimes also known as sublimation printing.

 

Dry transfer
Dry transfer involves the use of crayons. Doodle your designs freely! Another way to approach this would be to find an interesting texture, place your paper or fabric over it, and shade over it!

Materials needed:
Crayola crayons
Baking paper
Paper
Objects or textures
Fabric (polyester) / wood
Heat press machine

  

Wet transfer
Using dry brushstrokes or find any textured surface and brush the fabric dye over the surface.

Materials needed:
Fabric dyes
Baking paper
Paper
Objects or textures
Fabric (polyester) / wood
Heat press machine

Direct Transfer Print
How to do it:
Heat the heat press to 200 degrees
Set the timer to 35 seconds
Lay a sheet of baking paper on the heat press machine
Lay the fabric (polyester), shiny side up
Lay your paper, ink side down
Lay another piece of baking paper above the fabric
Press it. Collect the print after 35 seconds.

Indirect Transfer Print
How to do it:
Heat the heat press to 200 degrees
Set the timer to 35 seconds
Lay a sheet of baking paper on the heat press machine
Lay the fabric (polyester), shiny side up
Place your object of desire above the satin
Lay your paper, ink side down
Lay another piece of baking paper above the fabric
Press it. Collect the print after 35 seconds.

 

 

Reflection
Reminds me of cyanotype, a photographic printing process where you place an object on a chemical coated paper and leave it out in sunlight to achieve a negative print. I did not really enjoy this method perhaps due to the selection of colours. I have a penchant for muted and pastel colours and such bright and vibrant dyes did not really appeal to me. However, it was really interesting to work with threads and the indirect transfer as the result is always a surprise and the way the thread blocks out the dye and gets captured on the fabric creates an interesting lattice.

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FIBRE ETCHING AND BLEACHING

What is fibre etching?
This method also known as Devore works best on  fabric blends that contain both cellulose and non-cellulose. The chemical in the etching liquid “eats” away the cellulose, leaving the non-cellulose within the fabric intact.

Materials needed:
Silkscreen with design prepared
Squeegee
Velvet (80% rayon, 20% silk)
Fibre remover

How to do it:
Place the screen above the velvet.
Spread a good amount of fibre remover onto the screen.
Apply pressure and screen the design onto the fabric with the squeegee.
Remove the screen. Leave the velvet to dry.
Iron till the design appears burnt. (see if it can be scraped off)
Wash off the burnt parts. Dry it.
There! You have your negative space design!

 

What is bleaching?
Bleaching is the destruction of colouring matter from textile to achieve the original colour or the raw colour of the textile.

Materials needed:
Bleach
Dark coloured fabric
Rubber bands
Stencils

How to do it:
Dilute the bleach with water using a 1:1 ratio in a spray bottle.
Fold and secure the fabric with rubber bands or lay a stencil over top the fabric.
Then spray the fabric with bleach.
Wash the fabric. Leave to dry.

Reflection:
Again with the element of surprise, you have little control over the results hence each piece is again unique and I really like the effect achieved for they resemble microscopic cells.