Uncategorized – Kayleigh Mace

New smart materials

Kayleigh — Tue, 02 May 2017 19:53:40 +0000

As i am not able to use the photochomric inks at the uni i have been looking at alternatives to do the same thing. The company i purchased the inks from also produces a film so i ordered some to test that. It changes from clear to blue in the daylight and works really well. The film is slightly frosty but i was thinking about how it could be used. I have the idea of perhaps sticking it to sequins which are either clear or white and seeing if it will still work then. The only issue i have currently is how it would work in the long run with the film and whether it would peel off the sequins over time. It is an idea that I would like to test and I have developed a design idea that it could work really well with.

Development Progress

Kayleigh — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 20:24:31 +0000

I was unsure about how each collection was going so I decided to group them again and see how they had developed. I was surprised to see some had developed a lot more than others for example the first collection had 3 final samples on the way where as the others were mainly development ideas. It also gave me the opportunity to see what was missing and if anything else needs to be bought into them. Doing this has enabled me to form a plan for each collection going forward to address the issues and continue building them.

Collection 1

The samples are coming along well and reflect the aesthetic I want this collection to have. I need to make sure I finish the samples completely before I start to make more so that I don't end up with lots of half finished pieces. There is a lot of fringing so far so I need to look at other techniques to pull into this collection and re look at the layout of the top frayed sample. The collection is starting to give a sense of movement and has a light feminine aesthetic. I also haven't used any purple in this collection so far and need to see where or if I can bring it in or, whether the palette needs re looking at.

Collection 2

Theres a lot of blue in this collection and no pink or purple yet. I need to design how I am going to use the thermochromic printing ink of these colours to tie it in with the collection. There is a lot of 3D and manipulation in the this collection so I need to look at what other techniques can be bought into it. I also need to start developing these into final design samples to make sure they are not forgotten about as ideas. I have changed the green in this palette to a brighter shade which I felt helped to add to the fun, energetic nature of the collection.

Collection 3

This collection needs the most development as it is lacking in design ideas. I have decided from this to revisit my initial photographs from Paris to look at the details and gather some more motif ideas to explore. This collection is going in the direction of having a mix of illustrative designs and large embellishments that use the rich colours to interpret the light movement images. I'm hoping to be able to tie these all together through colour and using similar techniques across the digital embroidery ideas. There are a lot of dark colours so far in this collection, mainly black, so more colour needs to be introduced.

Sarah Kettley

Kayleigh — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 15:23:07 +0000

Yesterday we had a lecture from Sarah Kettley and I have to admit I was really looking forward to it having read extracts from her book for my research. She showed us the various projects she has worked on over the last 13 years exploring e-textiles and sensory work. It was really inspiring to see how the e-textiles have been used in so many different ways for a variety of purposes. The work ranged from using sensors to detect people's presence to interactive projects with the charity Mind. I was intrigued to see the different types of sensors that had been used and the possibilities of e-textiles when used in products. She also mentioned working with conductive thread on the digital embroidery machine which could help my work as I had been wondering what type of thread would work best.

After the lecture I was fortunate enough to be able to have some 1 on 1 time with Sarah to talk about my project. In comparison to last week she was very enthusiastic about my work and what I was exploring which was great to see and hear. She gave me some good advice on people to look into and it was helpful to talk with her about my ideas and get instant feedback on how I could approach them. She did seem to particularly like the idea of putting LEDs on the end of bugle beads to create an almost optic light look. I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to someone who is clearly an expert in their field with lots of experience working with e-textiles and I'm glad I did. Going forward I'm going to start testing some ideas to make sure I get the circuits right for a design as it needs to be structured in a particular way. She told me to look at their work for the 'internet of soft things' as there is a guide to designing circuits which should be really useful. I've got a temperature sensor and light detecting sensor I'm keen to get designs for along with a few others if they are appropriate and I can find the right design for them. The hardest part will be working a circuit into a design but I look forward to the challenge.

Glow in the dark tests

Kayleigh — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:37:00 +0000

As I want to test glow in the dark pigment in the 3D printer I had to test the pigment in resin first so that I could find out how much of the pigment would need to be used. To do this I worked with Ryan to create a series of resin samples each with a different amount of pigment in them to test which would be the best to use. Each small piece would have 10g of resin and varying amounts of pigments which were 1g, 3g, 7g, 10g. We also left one piece as just resin and ended up having an extra random amount piece due to the scales not recording the weight for unknown reasons. Each piece was left to set in the cabinet in a silicon tray so they could be easily removed. After a few days I went back to check on them and put them in the oven for a few hours to set and these were the results:

You can see the distinct different between the 1g pigment sample with the other pieces however the rest appear fairly similar. The powder did also settle a bit in the 1g sample where as the rest mixed in fairly well.

And just to prove they work:

Again you can see the difference in the 1g sample with the rest appearing fairly similar in colour. I'm really pleased with the outcome, its the first time I've worked with resin and this pigment so wasn't sure what to expect. From these we have decided to use 3g of pigment to every 10g of resin this is due to the 4g sample being not too dissimilar to the 7g and 10g samples and with how much resin is needed in the machine. The next step is the buy more pigment as the 100g bag I purchased initially will not be enough and for Ryan to work out exactly how much we need to mix up to enable me to have enough resin to print with and for the machine to work. I cant wait to see how it all turns out, hopefully it will look how I want it to and not too cheap in appearance or gimmicky but I'm hoping how the pieces are used will attribute to that.

Kit Miles tutorial

Kayleigh — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 21:54:55 +0000

So I had a tutorial with Kit Miles today who had in the morning given us a lecture on his interior print design company. I loved his designs and ideas and, how he mixed traditional detailed drawings with a modern aesthetic. I was intrigued to see what he would think about my work with it being a similar take on the idea of combining traditional ideas and motifs with modern approaches, smart textile applications and modern imagery. To be honest I don't think he really understood what I'm trying to do and why. Obviously I'm working with mainly embroidery but I am going to be working with print with smart applications using thermochromic and colour shifting pigment. He seemed to struggle to see past its obvious medical application with regards to a final product and certainly could not understand the use of the glow in the dark referring to it as gimmicky on more than one occasion. Although he didn't seem to understand why I had chosen to use these applications it was a good opportunity to really defend my ideas and why I had done them. He asked me about my market and I explained the various markets I am looking into and that the work doesn't simply sit within one. He suggested from that I look at creating my own market, a new sector looking at smart textile applications for RTW and Couture which I do think is defiantly worth considering. I had explained already though that the idea to pursue smart textile applications was a personal one and that I intend for the final designs to work simply as designs if someone where to want to use them without the smart techniques. He did seem to like my ideas without the smart applications and gave praise to them, particularly the quilling acetate idea. If anything the experience makes me want to prove how these ideas can be used well in modern fashion and that they aren't gimmicky. It hasn't put me off my ideas of what I want to achieve but made me aware that I may need to defend them more than I had previously thought and really work to convince some people that they would be used more in fashion. Its also made me start to think more about my audience and who exactly would wear these designs and why.

Ferrofluid

Kayleigh — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 22:00:16 +0000

Whilst searching for new materials and reactive dyes I could use for my project I came across a substance called Ferrofluid. It is a liquid that becomes magnetised when it is presented with a magnetic field and it changes shape to replicate that field. The results are these amazing moving shapes with depth that create a 3D surface. I hadn't realised how many products its currently used in today and was wondering for a way of how it could fit in fashion. More research into this led me to find a project by Iris van Herpen who is well know for her experimentation with materials where a dress was created using the material. The dress itself was created in partnership with Niccolo Casas for "The future of fashion is now" exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningens.

(Images used are from Niccolo Casas.)

I also found this Video about Iris van Herpen, the dress in the exhibition and explaining a bit about the process of making it.

I found it interesting that Iris van Herpen talks about designers she has spoken to not having enough time to develop really new techniques and how she gives herself the time to develop as no body else will do it. It is a shame that not many designers seem to push the boundaries as much as they could but from her continuing to show that it can be done gives me hope as a designer. She leads the way in innovative design and others will follow eventually as it becomes easier to access new technologies. As she says in this video "Its a matter of time before we can print the clothing we wear today". There will always be front runners in any industry and I intend to push my design ideas to show how these new technologies can be used in textiles and, perhaps someone will take them on if the work has already been done for them.

The year ahead…

Kayleigh — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:50:45 +0000

So this year for me is a chance to really explore and push the boundaries of embroidery and embellishment. I've always liked to find new ways of approaching techniques and questioning the possibilities of embroidery so I'm excited to see what I can come up with! Alongside this I've continued to follow innovations in textiles and fashion and, I'm hoping I will be able to explore some of these in my work in particular reactive dyes and smart materials. So here's where my head is currently at and what I've been researching to start off this project...I'm starting off with images of light movement at night and intricate Parisian architecture details and seeing where that takes me. I like the contrast in the two and the idea of mixing something traditional with something modern. Again that's something I hope to explore in my work this year.

A fresh start

Kayleigh — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 07:27:06 +0000

So I'll start this blog off with a little update on how things have changed this year...

I've taken the decision to leave my day job as a womenswear buyer and undertake a masters degree at Nottingham Trent University. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now and I decided that this year it was now or never! Embroidery and embellishment design is my passion and there was so much more I wanted to do during my degree that I never got chance to do. This year for me is to fully explore the potential of embroidery design and what its future holds and, to experiment with another area I've grown a huge interest in which is smart textiles. So let's see how it goes...