Reverse Stitch Thesis - Ruby Lennox

REVERSE STITCH

TEMPORARY AND ADAPTABLE GARMENT PATCHWORKS RUBY LENNOX

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ABSTRACT: The advent of fast fashion in the last few decades has had detrimen-

the project aimed to encourage care of our garments and highlight the

tal effects on the planet and on our relationship with the clothing we

disconnect between the throw away trends and the physical textiles our

own. ‘The average consumer buys 60 percent more pieces of cloth-

garments are made of. Through the use of a zero-cut approach to pat-

ing than 15 years ago. Each item is only kept for half as long.’ (Ni-

tern cutting the garments remain open to easy repair and repeated reuse.

jman, 2022). The clothes we buy now are not designed or produced to last and we have become accustomed to them being disposable.

All of the patterns developed and the files for the fabrication

At the same time, the move to off the rack clothing that facilitat-

of

the

machine

were

made

available

online

to

facili-

tate open source interaction with the project from other makers.

ed fast fashion has cut the consumer / wearer off from any involvement in the creation (and consequently maintenance) of their clothing.

Trends are dictated to us and we buy into them rather than

having agency over the design and function of the clothes we own.

This project attempts to explore this new disposable nature of clothing while also re-opening the creation of the garment to the wearer. The clothes created by this project are temporary, fluid and only fully created through the process of being worn returning the final say in design to the wearer. Using second hand garments as the base textile and employing a selection of traditional visible mending techniques to reuse them,

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INDEX:

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STATE OF THE ART – 7 CONTEXT AND FRAMEWORK – 8

CIRCULARITY IN FASHION – 8

LIMITATIONS OF RECYCLING – 9

OPEN SOURCE FASHION – 10

DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY -13 CRAFTING TECHNIQUES – 18

VISIBLE MENDING – 18

PATCHWORK AND BORO STITCHING – 21

PLEATING AND SMOCKING – 23 PATTERN CUTTING TECHNIQUES – 25

ZERO WASTE - 25

WRAP GARMENTS – 26

BODY LED CUTTING – 27 PROJECT PROCESS – 29 PROCESS OVERVIEW – 30 STITCHING TOOLS – 32

PLEATING BOARDS – 32

SMOCKING MACHINE – 35

1ST PROTOTYPE – 36

2ND PROTOTYPE – 39 PATCHWORK CREATION – 42 GARMENT GREATION – 44

ZERO CUT DRAPING – 44

PATTERN EXTRACTION AND SIMPLIFICATION – 45

PATTERN EXPLANATIONS – 48

STITCHING LOCK AND JOINTS – 50 FINAL GARMENTS – 53 BLACK SHIFT DRESS – 54 GREEN DRAPE TOP – 60 CONCLUSION - 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY - 68

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STATE OF THE ART:

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CONTEXT AND FRAMEWORK: CIRCULARITY IN FASHION:

LIMITATIONS OF RECYCLING:

The idea of circularity has been a widely discussed topic in the fash-

One of the main limitations of circularity as I see it discussed in fashion now

value - that offers a new way of examining the copycat culture that is driving

ion industry in recent years as the environmental impacts of the indus-

is the focus on recycling as the most successful way to limit waste. Not only is

the speed of fast fashion. To put the full responsibility of circularity on one

try and its waste problems have become more obvious and extensive.

this often employed as a disingenuous approach by brands to shift the blame

actor at one point in the supply and use chain as recycling often does ignore

Despite this, it has not managed to help to curtail the ever-growing in-

from them for their own overproduction to the customers consuming their

the responsibility of all the other actors in that chain. I think to understand

dustry in any meaningful way and still remains predominantly a theo-

products, but it overplays out current abilities to recycle clothing. ‘Fletcher

circularity as only a repetition of the existing linear system falls short of what

retical concept rather than a viable production method for most brands.

and Grose (2012) state that the recycling of textile waste and more eco-ef-

could be a genuinely innovative, open and collaborative clothing system.

ficient production alone do not solve the problem of an unsustainable inOne of the leading organisations trying to implement more circular ap-

dustry, because the problem of overconsumption is not addressed at its core

proaches in fashion is the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. They define a cir-

– it does not question the amount of apparel consumed.’ (Hirscher, 2013)

cular economy as being defined by 3 main principals: ‘eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), regen-

Additionally, closing the loop of production can only be done with the input

erate nature’ (Foundation, 2024). In this project, I wanted to explore circu-

of those who own a garment at the end of its traditional lifecycle, but to place

larity on a smaller scale and look at how we can engage with our clothes in

the whole responsibility here undermines the much larger role of the pro-

more circular ways rather than suggesting production methods. I wanted to

ducer and the full potential of a circular production system. Questioning the

explore the act of dressing as a point of creation so that putting on and taking off the garment becomes a point of circular creation and disassembly.

[1]

ownership of physical garments at the end of their lives in this way, encourages a similar questioning of the ownership of the ideas behind the garment - be that the design or pattern or less tangible ideas like the marketing and social

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OPEN SOURCE FASHION: Open Source Fashion is a much newer and less defined term. Initial-

and sharing these skills is an important was of dealing with waste, however,

ly, the open source movement focused on softwares and digital fabrication

I do think this is a start not the end goal. I think circularity – which open

tools. While this has some relevancy in fashion now, most fashion pro-

source ideas would feed into - demands a complete severing from the current

duction is still very craft based, not having developed too much techni-

linear production to consumption model, way past the minimal notion of

cally from the introduction of the sewing machine. As a result, it is hard

recycling end of life garments. To truly embrace a circular model, we must

to see this initial movement having much widespread impact on fashion.

relink all actors within the design/supply/consumer chains to all other points.

These interactions are, I think, the grounds on which we break the Black Box

For me, the main impact of open source ideas on fashion is more about encour-

model that encourages the current alienation and throwaway culture and

aging re-learning of the garment construction and tailoring knowledge that has

this is where the open source movement can be really beneficial for fashion.

been limited by industrialisation. In this way, the goal should be that the con-

This also requires discussions around ownership of both the physical gar-

sumer of a product is no longer completely distinct from the designers and mak-

ments and the images and ideas produced by fashion, by moving towards

ers – and told by large advertising companies which pre-made products they

a model of production that requires creation by the consumer we open up

should buy. This has some similarities I think with older systems of disseminat-

the possible outcomes and lessen the intellectual control of the designer.

ing fashion trends where most people would have access to patterns or an example garment - e.g. Queen Anne Dolls - and make their own versions from this.

Being able to alter and remake as you like is integral to this and upcycling [2] 10

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DSIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY: [4]

Design for disassembly is a well-established methodology for facilitating repair and recycling in other industries such as the automotive and electronics industries and has begun to be explored in fashion in recent years. Design for disassembly engages the designer of a product in the end of life processing of their products and helps to more evenly share the responsibility for regenerative (or at least neutral) disposal between the end user and the designer and producer.

The main focuses and rules for implementing this design approach according to Bogue (2007) are as outlined in the table right: Of these, the focus on structure, material and joints translates very

[5]

well to fashion. While it is predominately an approach to construction, in depth implementation will obviously impact the aesthetic design of a garment too, particularly from a material sense.

[3] 12

[6] 13

Vezzoli

and

orities

for

Manzini designer

(2008)

describe

using

DfD

the

main as

pri-

of the garment and the specific repairs this requires. Additionally, considering

fore increases the likelihood of it ending up in landfill. Additionally, any

below:

the hierarchy / dependence of the joints used in the main structure of the gar-

mixed material and anything with adhesive on is non-recyclable so even

ment will help with implementing innovative cutting and shaping techniques.

if the design was simplified very little of the jacket could be recycled.

DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY IN FASHION

A suit jacket is one of the most complicated garment archetypes in regular production nowadays and there are obviously garments that would

There are some main hurdles for the implementation of DfD in fashion that

be a lot quicker to disassemble. However, this example is beneficial in

need to be addressed from both the design and production sides. While

highlighting the some of the necessary balances needed between main-

some of these may be quick fixes like picking different materials or trims,

taining the specific functions of the garment and allowing it to be eas-

there are more complex issues regarding the construction techniques we use.

ily disassembled. They also found a few simple tricks for removing any need for adhesives. ‘Blind stitches were used under the collar and on the

In their exploration of Design for Disassembly in a traditional men’s blaz-

backside of the lapel to replace fusible interfacing’ (Hae Jin Gam, 2011)

er, Gam, Cao, Bennett, Helmkamp and Farr (2011) highlighted a main problem with current garment construction, the excess of parts and com-

Another of the main issue with design for disassembly in fashion is the

Of these, the main focuses for this project are ‘prioritise the disassembly or

binations of materials. They found that the three jackets they disassem-

use of trims. The use of trims, similar to the example above, makes the

more easily damageable components’ ‘engage modular structures’ ‘divide the

bled took all took around 22 minutes and contained 14 individual parts

disassembly process longer and more complicated and certain trims such

product into easily separable and manipulatable sub-assemblies’ and ‘minimise

(not including buttons) made from different combinations of materi-

as rivets are impossible to remove from the fabric meaning that they and

hierarchically dependant connections among components’. These are most

als and adhesives. The number of parts here makes the recycling of any

the fabric around them can’t be reused at all. Additionally, things like elas-

relevant for this project as they also require focus on the physical wear and use

of the materials in this jacket very cost and time ineffective and there-

tic threads, or any thread of a different composition to the fabric it is used

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[7] with means that all stitching would have to be removed before the fabric can be recycled. The effect of this is different for different trimming and depending on the quantity but it is still an important consideration..

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There

are

some

companies

such

as

working

to

make

trims

made with design for disassembly in mind. For example Resortecs makes heat dissolvable thread so that garments can easily and rapidly be taken apart to this original pieces with little effort.

[9] Regarding the actual textiles used in fashion, any mix blend of fibres is non-recyclable so even if the structure and joints of the garment are perfectly in line with DfD the fabric must either be used again in its pre-cut state (making it less and less useful) or be wasted. Laetitia Forst is a researcher developing a selection of DfD textile ‘blends’ to al[8]

low for the multifunctional nature of poly-blends without drawback.

FREITAG makes screw on buttons and rivets so that the functionality of these trims doesn’t need to be lost to ensure all of the fabric can be recycled and these trims can then themselves be easily reused.

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[10]

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CRAFTING TECHNIQUES: VISIBLE MENDING: Visible mending is a catch all term for a wide range of techniques that can

skills in schools’ (Norum, 2013, as cited in Cassidy, 2018). Visible mending

be used to extend the life of garments. ‘Visible mending is a textile repair ap-

techniques are mainly done by hand and therefore done require any machin-

proach where, instead of hiding the mend to restore it to its original state, the

ery however they can require a selection of specialist needles and other tools.

maker uses the repair as decoration with embroidery and hand-stitched patterns’ (Lee Jones, 2021) among other techniques. While mending was once a widely shared and practiced skill, since the advent of fast fashion it has large[12]

ly fallen out of favour. It is now in a lot of instances easier and quicker to just replace a broken garment than to fix it. Visible mending aims to counter this by adding value to the signs of age and wear in a garment and encourage care and preservation. By taking the time to fix and simultaneously personalise a garment, people engaging in visible mending often find that the ‘act of mending their clothes strengthens their relationship to the item’ (Lee Jones, 2021).

As fast fashion has risen, the number of people capable of and regularly fixing their own clothes has fallen massively. One ‘survey indicated that many participants did not have the necessary skills to repair clothes and that an overall decline in repair skills was in part due to a decline in teaching the

[11] [13]

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[14]

[15]

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PATCHWORK: Patchwork is a common textile technique the around the world. There are a variety of specific patch working techniques but the basic premise is stitching small pieces or fabric together to create a full textile. It has been used for millennia for many purposes from ‘ancient Egyptians for their clothes, wall decorations, draperies and furniture’ to ‘the knights of the middle ages [wearing] quilted

[17]

jackets’ (Various, 2011). Nowadays it is widely used as part of the decorative arts as well as more functional applications, particularly as part of upcycling.

[20]

BORO STITCHING: Boro stitching is a subsection of sashiko, which refers to a range of traditional Japanese stitching technique. ‘Sashiko—frequently translated as “little stabs”— was born in Edo period Japan (1603–1868), when rural women attempted to prolong the life of their families’ tattered garments and bedding, giving rise to a humble form of white-on-indigo patchwork known as boro.’ (Halliday, 2020).

There is a selction of boro tools available to buy to make this process more accessible. These all mainly focus on helping to mark the position of the stitching points to then be sewn by hand.

[18] [16]

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[21] [19]

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PLEATING:

ered stitches create small pleats or gathers in the fabric, giving the smocked area its characteristic appearance.’ (Martejevs, 2024). Smocking has a very

Pleating is a common textile manipulation technique in which fabric is fold-

decorative appearance creating geometric patterns on the fabric sections it

ed in on itself in some form. There are a range of ways of pleating fabrics

is gathering. Similar to boro stitching, there are a range of tools available to

and possible pleat shapes. Traditionally, it was a slow and painstaking pro-

hep with marking the stitching positions needed to create these patterns.

cess done by hand and secured with stitching, now with the digital pleating machines it can be done much easier and faster. The most commonly used pleat shapes are knife/accordion and box pleats. Pleating can be purely decorative or it can be used to add extra movement and volume where needed to a garment. With the introduction of synthetic fabrics, pleating [23]

[24]

has become easier to do and maintain as these can be permanently pleated with heat and don’t require as much securing or stitching afterwards.

SMOCKING: Smocking is a traditional stitching technique used to gather fabric to allow stretch. It was commonly used on details like collars and cuffs before elastic.

‘When smocking, a grid pattern is drawn on the fabric. The fabric is then [22]

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[25]

gathered and sewn together using a series of small, regular stitches. The gath[26]

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PATTERN CUTTING TECHNIQUES: ZERO WASTE:

WRAP GARMENTS:

Zero waste pattern cutting is a method of pattern making that aims to

waste pattern cutting - ‘unlike the majority of fashion design practice – where

Wrap garments predate contemporary European pattern cutting by

eliminate all waste from the cutting process. ‘With the predominant con-

the goal is primarily to introduce a difference (Hallnäs, 2009) – zero waste

millennia and are still widely used. They are in some ways a more in-

temporary methods of fashion making the amount of fabric waste is ap-

fashion design could be seen as a practice concerned with solving a problem.

tuitive way of covering the body with cloth and require much less,

proximately 15 percent of the total fabric used.’ (Rissanen, 2005). There

When engaging with the zero waste redesign of an existing garment – we know

if any, stitching a cutting. A wrap garment is at least partially con-

are different ways of approaching zero waste cutting. For example, by

its overall desired form, but we strive to achieve something similar without

structed only through the act of actually being worn making it more

eliminating most of the cutting so that the number of pattern pieces and

making so much waste – so the design problem is the waste.’ (McQuillan, 2019).

easily adaptable to an individual’s body than most other garments.

[28]

the negative space in between them is minimised. Alternatively, using the negative space in between pieces to inform new pattern pieces.

‘Wrap clothing such as the Indian sari and dhoti, the Roman toga, or the Arabic hajk were rectangular woven pieces of fabric that remained unde-

Zero waste as an approach is a textile led pattern cutting method, as the

fined in shape until being worn and were recreated each time while dress-

textile available dictates the possible outcomes in a way that it does not in

ing.’ (Lindqvist, 2016). As a result, the ‘pattern’ for these garments is more

conventional pattern cutting. additionally, in this way, the creation of the

the process of putting them on and how the fabric should move around

garment and the pattern are much more interlinked than normal. Tra-

the body than a static shape as in more convention contemporary cutting.

ditionally, a garment is designed (sketched) and then a pattern is made to suit this, in zero waste, the two processes have to happen in parallel.

This

again

is

a

textile

led

approach

to

garment

construc-

tion, in which the aesthetic of the garment are the ‘pattern’ genAccording to Holly McQuillan - a designer working at the forefront of zero

erated [27]

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in

conjunction

with

the

wearers

body

not

separately.

[29]

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BODY LED CUTTING: Kinetic pattern cutting is a type of pattern cutting developed by Rickard

basic premise of Subtraction Cutting is that the patterns cut do not rep-

Lindquist to focus the movements of the 3D body more in the process of 2D

resent garments outward shape, but rather the negative spaces within

pattern making. ‘The principal difference between the prevalent theory of the

the garment that make them hollow. Simply put, shaped holes cut from

tailoring matrix and this human kinetic construction theory is that the latter

huge sheets of cloth through which the body moves.’ (Roberts, 2013)

is derived directly from how the fabric interacts with the living body instead of being derived from measurements of a static body.’ (Lindqvist, 2016).

This approach focuses on the movement of the body and how the garment should be designed to enable and react to this rather than creating garments from a few specific measurements that the body will have to adapt to fit.

Subtraction

cutting

is

by

Roberts

that

Julian

a

form creates

of

pattern

garments

cutting

through

developed

‘the

remov-

al of fabric rather than the addition of fabric’ (Roberts, 2013).

[32]

Subtraction cutting focuses on creating the space in the garment through which the body will go rather than creating a covering for the body. In this way, the result is often very organic and draped as the shape is determined through the wearing of the cloth not through design before. ‘The [30] [31]

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PROJECT PROCESS:

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PROCESS OVERVIEW: BASE GARMENTS

ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY: MEND The full creation process proposed by this project is illustrated in the dia-

en to minimise the cuts done to prepare them for use within the patch-

gram to the right. Contained within the larger circular process are different

work. Ideally, there will only be 1 or 2 seams that require repair after use

options for undoing and repeating smaller sections of the process. The gar-

within the process to return the original garments to their initial state.

UNMAKE

ments and textiles created here should not be viewed as undergoing another full lifecycle as with upcycling but rather as undergoing short moments

As most of the shaping for the garments is done through the gathering,

of alternative use. The intent is that they move between the different states

there is no cutting required at all for most of the patterns presented in this

– original garments, new textile, shaped garments – with fluidity and ease.

project. The creation of the garments depends on the combination of the gathering, a temporary manipulation secured by the addition of toggles,

This is reflected in the textile techniques used and the way the fabric is

and the wrap of the textile around the wearer. These are both open to ad-

treated. By only using running stitches, the patchworks are quick and easy

aptation by the wearer and give them final creative control of the garments.

UNMAKE

COMBINE

to disassemble as these can be pulled out in one go when not required.

They also allow for very smooth movement along the gathering lines and therefore rapid shaping and un-shaping. This also embraces the principals of design for disassembly through creating non-static objects that can

WEAR

SHAPE

be partially taken apart with minimal dependency between the different parts of the patchworks. The initial unmaking stage is the most important regarding the ease of repair of the original garments, care should be tak-

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UNSHAPE

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STITCHING TOOLS: PLEATING BOARDS: Pleating boards are traditionally made out of thick paper of cardboards fold-

heat reactive. Plant based materials may hold the shape of the pleat

For this project, used accordion pleating boards to gather fabric to allow for

ed into the pattern desired of the pleat. They most basic of these is the ac-

for a while but it will not remain for extended periods of time or af-

rapid running stitching. Running stitching is a meticulous and time-consum-

cordion pleat where the paper is folded one way and then the other into

ter washing without some maintenance or stitching to secure.

ing process and there are currently no machines to help automate the process

parallel sections of the same width so that it resembles an accordion or fan.

(the type of stitching done by sewing machines is very different and would

There are a wide range of pleating types requiring pleating boards of much

not allow for the ease of movement and removal required for this project).

more complexity but for this project, only the accordion fold is necessary.

To do this, evenly spaced holes of 5mm diameter are added to each folded secTo use the pleating boards, they are stretched out flat, and a layer of fab-

tion of the board, perpendicular to the folds, to allow the needle and thread

ric placed in between two. It is important that both the fabric and the

to be passed through. A slit is also added to join every other hole, on alternat-

boards are taut at this point so that it fits into all of the folds even-

ing pairs on the top and bottom board, this allows for the board to be lifted

ly. Next the boards are gradually returned to their folded state ensur-

off the fabric once sewn without catching on the stitching. The spacing and

ing that the two boards remain in perfect sync. While in this position

number of lines of the cuts is dependent on the desired density of stitching.

the fabric and boards are heated and cooled so that the fabric adopts the shape of the board. When the fabric is then peeled away from the boards, it should retain the shape of the pleat over time even when washed.

Synthetic fabrics are best for this type of pleating at the are very

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To use these boards for patchworking, the required fabric pieces should [33]

be placed in between the boards together with ample overlap. This technique will not work if the fabric inside the boards is too thick as it will affect the alignment of the holes between the top and bottom boards.

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SMOCKING MACHINE: The smocking pleater machine is a table-top machine used for adding the running stitches necessary for smocking. It works by passing fabric between 4 serrated wheels so that it is pushed onto a set of needles in a small accordion pleat. The machines are not in production anymore but it is still possible and there is limited information about their dimensions online.

[34]

Instructions for using a Princess Pleating Machine: - Thread all the needles you need.

- Roll the fabric tightly round a wooden or plastic rod, and place inside.

- Fit the open end of the fabric between the rollers.

- Then turn one or both of the handles to steadily feed the fabric onto the needles.

- And hey presto, out comes the pleated result.

- The sides are open, so any width of fabric can be used. And the large handles give complete control. Pleat depth is about 8mm, depending on fabric thickness.

[35]

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1ST MACHINE PROTOTYPE:

The side pieces used for this machine were as shown. Enough space at the back

proaches, the plyers were more successful. The mould would need to be

of the machine for a dowl loaded with fabric is necessary to make feeding it

adjusted for the curves to be deeper than the desired shape to allow for

The first prototype for the basic gear shape for the 4 wheels was designed in

Despite the success of the initial test prints, it proved difficult getting the

through easier and smoother and a slit along on side for the excess fabric.

the needle to decompress after release. Both needles fit into the machine

rhino to be printed on a desktop FDM printer. Initially, 2 small test sections

printer to work with the full-length wheels. As a result, for the first full

This machine turned very smoothly and the fabric passed through very easily.

well but did not stay in place while the machine was rotating. Addition-

were printed to ensure they turned correctly. The dimensions of these were:

prototype, the gears were laser cut from plywood and stacked in posi-

ally, the gaps between the teeth were too wide to hold the them securely.

tion. The dimensions for this were the same with and addition of 2 add-

inner diameter 30mm

ed inner cut outs either side of the main one of 3mm to help with the

-

outer diameter 40mm

alignment. 100 of each of the 2 pieces was cut and 25 each used per gear.

-

tooth depth 5mm

-

tooth width 5mm base to 3.6mm end

-

tooth array 30°

-

centre cut out diameter 8mm

To make the needles for this machine, long doll making needles were used as a base and bent into the correct shape to match the curves between the gears. This was done both by hand with plyers and using the hydraulic press and a mould made with the CNC machine. Of the two ap-

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2ND MACHINE PROTOTYPE:

they fit the needle correctly. There were some issues with the printer meaning the models were curved but they successful for confirming the size.

To ensure the needles were correct, for this second prototype, I bought a pack of needles for a Princess pleating machine – while the machines are out of production, it is still fairly easy to purchase the needles. These were much smaller than the 1st prototype of the machine so the model was scaled down to fit them. The diameter of the curve of the needle was 20mm so the inner diameter of the gear was changed to 18mm and the number of teeth was reduced to 8 to ensure they weren’t too fragile. The new dimensions are: -

inner diameter 18mm

-

outer diameter 24mm

Following a few more attempts with different printing settings, 4 full

-

tooth depth 5mm

length gears were successfully printed in the new smaller size and a pro-

-

tooth width 5mm base to 3.6mm end

portional version of the sides made for the first prototype was laser cut.

-

tooth array 45°

-

centre cut out diameter 4.8mm

When it was all constructed, the scaling down did severely limit the number of layers and the thickness of textile that could be passed through the machine. Also, as with the first prototype, when the needles were put in, the gears didn’t turn

3 small tests were printed of the new size using the SLA printer to check

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as smoothly as required and the needles tended to fall out after a few rotations.

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Returning to the videos of the machine found online again, I real-

In conclusion, for the machine to be most useful for this project, it would

ised that I needed to reposition the gears so that the needles would

need to be the size of the 1st prototype. This is because to patchwork, at

be less horizontal to try to secure them better. A few different posi-

least 2 layers of fabric will need to be passed through the gears at most times

tions and angles were tested out until a more successful setup was found.

and the smaller machine would not be capable of handling this. The next steps for developing it would be to try either printing the gears with the gaps in between the teeth at about 1mm or to laser cut with a different material for the sections in the teeth at this thickness. Additionally, it would be beneficial to cast needles at exactly the right shape and size for the machine.

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PATCHWORK CREATION: CUTTING ORIGINAL GARMENTS:

LAPPLANNING:

STITCHING:

The process of generating the textiles for this project was based in

Due to the sensitivity of the needles, when working with the smock-

These patterns require running stitches, this is the most basic hand stitch

The finishing of the garment is open to the maker to decide based on their

patchworking existing garments. In this way, the only virgin materi-

ing machine, thin fabrics only are recommended. When stitching

and can’t be done on a sewing machine.

skill level and desired time taken. To embrace the most temporary version

als required for the project is the thread and potentially bias tape should

by hand, thicker fabrics can be used. Thicker fabrics will not gath-

the maker want to bind the raw edges of their garments. It is recom-

er as tightly as thinner ones and care should be paid to not lay-

Due to the tension and weight placed on the stitching by the gathering, use

the patchwork. This allows for the initial garments to be remade / repaired

mended to keep the cutting to a minimum and to only follow exist-

er them up too thickly to ensure the full shaping can be achieved.

a double layer of strong thread. The more parallel rows of stitching you do

easiest and keeps the process as fluid as possible. To create a sleeker and

for each line, the less the pressure will be on the individual threads. Be-

more permeant garment, the raw edges from can be hemmed or bound.

ing seamlines to facilitate easier repair after use as part of this project.

of the garment, leave the edges raw and hide them through the layering of

When using the machine, it is recommended to remove all trims,

tween 3 and 6 rows of stitching is recommended for each line of the pat-

When cutting trousers, it is best to cut the whole way down both out-

this is optional by hand. When positioning garments to be sewn, if

terns. The more rows, the more pronounced and secure the shaping will be.

side seams - including the waistbacnd if possible - this will leave only

trims are being kept in, ensure that they are not placed so that they in-

a section around the waist double layered. For shirts and other tops,

tersect with a line of stitching as this will interfere with the gather.

cut along the side seams straight through along the sleeve seams.

Skirts

and dresses can be cut along the back or either of the side seams.

To do the stitching by hand, use the smocking rulers provided to mark the points where you need to stich. To avoid permanently marking the textile,

It is recommended to keep the shape of you patchworked textile as close to the

use either a heat erasable pen and iron along the marks after or use marked

pattern dimensions as possible but small differences will not affect the gar-

masking tape as a guide.

ment. Apart from achieving the basic shape, the positioning of the garments should be used to hide as many raw edges as possible for a sleeker finish.

To do the stitching by machine, position the fabric so that the marked line you need to stitch is perpendicular to the dowl and wind the fabric on in this position to ensure the correct alignment with the needles.

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GARMENT CREATION: ZERO CUT DRAPING:

A range of 6 drapes was selected for the project, made up of dif-

PATTERN EXTRACTION AND SIMPLIFICATION:

ferent of garments. It included two tops, two dresses, one jackIn order to know where the lines of stitching were needed within the patch-

et and one skirt. All were very draped and voluminous aesthetical-

These drapes then underwent a process of extracting and simplify-

works, I needed to generate some basic patterns. These pre-decided garment

ly but had a decent amount of movement that wouldn’t keep the arm

ing in order to be used as easily distributable and repeatable patterns.

options could then be applied to the textile patchworks rather than trying to

too close to the body or restrict leg movement despite the lack of cuts.

extract shaping from random stitching done purely to secure the patchwork.

To do this, all of the marked join points and the lines for the gather-

This was done by draping rectangles of varying sizes around the mannequin

ing on the calico used for the drapes needed to be extracted and digital-

generating shape only through gathering and securing as few points as possible.

ised. This was done by measuring the distances of all the points from one corner of the calico and them inputting them into rhino like coordinates.

Only rectangles of calico were used with the intention that I any pattern extracted from this would be able to be used on a textile of any irregular shape that was roughly the same dimensions. As this project uses found and patchworked textiles, they are never going to be exactly the same size as the patterns so the patterns would have to have a very simple base shape that would allow for pieces extruding or slightly missing without ruining the intended design. I envisaged most of the patterns being interchangeable on the same patchworks as long as all of the stitching from the different patterns was done so the same pieces of textile were used to generate multiple drapes to ensure the sizing would match. These were 4m x 0.6m, some 1.5m x 2m and some 1.5m x 1m.

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After a rough pattern had been generated, it needed to be simplified it to

On

the

right

a point where it could easily be redrawn by someone without a good pat-

one

of

the

page dress

an

example

of

this

process

drapes,

the

steps

are

as

for

follows:

tern kit. All of the angles and distances needed were measured a few key measurements were selected to be the base points for the redrawing.

-The base pattern from the shift dress drape after it was initially put into rhino

The points were then moved around a little to make the lines and distances more uniform. All of the distances needed to measure were converted to ra-

- With all the measurements of the distances and angles:

tios of each other as this would allow the creation of a set of very simple rulers and stencils for redrawing them. The angles were also altered so that similar

- With the angles simplified to repeats of either 30 or 80 degrees and all

lines were fully parallel or symmetrical. For any drapes that should have been

main distances simplified to ratios of 20cm or 25cm:

symmetrical down the middle such as the jacket, the average of the two corresponding points was found and used to get a perfectly mirrored pattern.

- The pattern as it would be presented for use, black lines are the full stitching lines required to be able to do the red lines of gathering, blue lines are

This process took a few tries as it was important not to move the

just needed for ease marking cuts and joints so should be traced in chalk,

points too much as it could damage the functioning of the pattern.

the letters mark join points and the thin rectangles are cuts:

However, as all of the drapes were very loose and organic I hoped that I would have enough flexibility with the exact positioning of the gathers to move them this much and still get a similar outcome.

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PATTERN EXPLANATIONS:

To aid with the pattern drawing, a selection of rulers and stencils were created. In some cases, these allowed for the sections of the pattern con-

In order for these to then be reproduced by other people, the pat-

taining the most information be accurately drawn and the rest to be ex-

tern process needed to be explained as clearly and succinctly as possi-

trapolated from this point. In others, they contained all of the angles and

ble. As the patterns and the construction process needed for this project

measurements needed for the patterns so that the points needed could be

were so distinct from conventional patterns, it wasn’t a worry that they

easily marked with minimal chance of mistake. Rulers were also mad to aid

would be inaccessible to people without prior pattern cutting knowledge.

with the marking of the stitching points if this was being done by hand so that the multiple rows of stitching could be quickly and accurately marked.

In order to create the instructions, the process needed to be broken down into a few distinct simple steps. For the whole process of re-

These graphics are the most basic version of the instructions, they

drawing the pattern and constructing the garment, there were 6 steps

were accompanied by a pattern explanation zine with informa-

(7 for the shift dress as this was the only one that required cutting).

tion about the textile generation process too and a detailed video tutorial showing the full assembly and disassembly process.

The pattern drawing and construction are not 2 distinct phases but overlap through the placement of the locks and the gathering so that once the pattern is finished, the garment is basically constructed, just needing to be wrapped around the body.

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STITCHING LOCKS AND JOINTS:

a few cm can be passed through the lock. The thread from both points that need to be joined should be passed through the same lock and then secured.

While the garments are intended to be very fluid and temporary, there needed to be some way to keep the shaping of the gar-

These can be removed by slightly loosening the screw and pulling

ment in place for short periods of wear. This was not intended to be

off, the stitching can then be lightly pulled to remove the gathering.

too secure as it needed to allow for rapid assembly and disassembly.

The garments needed to be able to be secured two distinct ways, the first was keeping the gathering in the desired places and not evenly spread across

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the whole line of stitching and the second was joining parts of the fabric

then be pulled so that the fabric in between these two points is as gathered

to secure the wrap. Both of these were done with the same trim, a screw

as possible and then secured in the same way. The excess thread can be more

on toggle with 4 holes to pass the thread through. This was made using

evenly distributed between the two locks if needed but this is the simplest way.

an open source model from Thingiverse and scaled appropriately for the thread used. The scale model is available open source on the project website.

To use them for securing the wrap is slightly more complicated. In a few of the patterns, there will be a line of stitching at most points where the locks

To use this for securing the gathering, the thread at one end point of the gath-

here are needed but in some cases, it may be necessary to do a few stitches at

ering needs to be pulled so that a few loose cm can be passed through the holes

the points indicted by the pattern. When doing extra stitching, ensure that

in the bottom half of the lock. The top should then be screwed on and secured

enough thread is used to allow for at least 10cm excess to be pulled from it.

so that the thread can’t pass through. The thread at the other end point should

Once the stitching is in place, it should be pulled as explained above so that

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FINAL GARMENTS:

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BLACK SHIFT DRESS: For the final video of this project I made 2 garments using the pro-

It was made of 4 garments: a jersey maxi dress, a pair of waterproof trousers,

cess described above. The first, a black dress used the shift dress pattern.

a ribbed top and a chiffon top. These were all of a similar colour for cohesion

when it was worn and gravity added some more tension between the fabrics.

and to allow for more focus on the textures. All 4 garments were cut along as

This pattern was the only one that required any cutting. 3 slits are need-

few seams as possible to gain as large a surface area as possible. the raw edges

ed, 2 for the neck hole and 1 for the arm hole. To reinforce this, as espe-

from these cuts was then bound in black bias tape to give a more refined finish.

cially the neck hole slits would be holding most of the weight of the rest of the dress, they were hemmed with a double layer of facing in a matching colour from some scraps at the lab. This unfortunately does add a hurdle for the disassembly process, as does the binding, making this more time consuming to take apart and then potentially repair the initial garments.

As the machine was not working fully as intended at this point, this was sewn by hand and therefor took 2 days to do all of the required running stitches. Either 2 or 3 parallel lines of stitching was done for each line indicated by the pattern. In the end, the patchwork this garment was made from was very secure with few gaps visible between the pieces, this was enhanced

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GREEN DRAPE TOP: The second final garment made was a green top used the drape

skirt, a grey knit sweater and a pair of khaki suit trousers. These garments

As the machine was not working fully as intended at this point, this was

blouse pattern. The instructions for creating this garment are below:

had a much wider range of colours and textiles than the last set which did

sewn by hand and therefor took 2 days to do all of the required running

give the final garment a more obviously patchworked aesthetic than the

stitches. 2 parallel lines of running stitching was done for each line indi-

other garment. All 4 garments were cut along as few seams as possible to

cated by the pattern. However, for added security of the patchwork and

gain as large a surface area as possible. the raw edges were hidden within

due to time constraints, 1 or 2 parallel lines of stitching done on the ma-

the layers of the patchwork where possible but no extra finishing was done.

chine was added either side of the running stitches. In the end, the patchwork of this garment was not very secure and there were some points between the pieces that gaped slightly with some movements. Despite this, enough stitching was done for the textile to stay together while worn, disassembly was much easier for this than the black garment.

It was also made of 4 garments: a khaki raincoat, a light green tweed-look

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CONCLUSION: ADAPTABILITY:

PROCESS:

All of the patterns presented in this project should be open to easy alterations

Overall, I am happy with the garment outcomes of this project, I think

for both fit and style. They are not an exhaustive list and are a suggestion of

they embodied the concept well and had a genuine fluidity that was easy

how to use this technique to create garments. The placement and number

to manipulate. I would have liked for the machine to have been working

of the stitching lines can be altered to exaggerate or minimise certain shap-

but within the time frame available it was not possible. I think this did hin-

ing points. The intensity of the gathering and the wrap can be altered to fit

der the project quite a bit as it undermined the work to simplify the pro-

the wearer. Additionally, different patterns can be combined on the same

cess and make it available to people with limited sewing ability. Doing so

patchworks to alter the textile appearance and open up new shaping options.

many lines of running stitches was incredibly time consuming and at odd

Extra stitching can be added for more details around the existing shapes.

with the intended temporary nature of the garments. Despite this, I was happy with the variety and simplicity of the pattern selection presented.

Garment creation should be approached openly, allowing the textile to guide more than dictating to is what it should become. The shaping will depend on a combination of the textiles used, the positioning of the stitching in relation to the textile, the density of the stitching and the wrap around the wearer’s body. The wrap of the garment is an important part of the design process of the garment and the wearer should embrace this moment of dressing as a point of creation giving them the final control of the design.

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