M5 Chapter 4 - Fabric Investigation

I started this chapter by collecting samples of all the white/natural fabrics that I had, which turned out to be quite a lot. I sorted my samples into groups.

 

4.1 - Silks

 

4.2 - Man made, polyester/nylon

 

4.3 - Cottons, wool and linens

 

4.4 - Specialised fabrics for manipulation

 

4.5 - Unknown composition

For these I was unsure of the fabric composition although I suspected they were cotton or cotton mix.

As these investigations involved burning and melting I ensured my work area was clear of anything not in use, used a large tile for my soldering iron and heat gun and had a damp cloth nearby. I also ensured the area was very well ventilated.

These are the results of my investigations:

 

4.6 - Some of my fabrics after investigation.

 

4.7 - The investigation of the unknown composition fabrics indicated that they were most likely cotton or cotton mix.

 

4.8 - Specialised fabrics after manipulation.

 

 

The next exercise was to look at edges and form bands. This was similar to Module 2 Chapter 8 about different ways to form interesting seams. I used a variety of fabrics tearing, snipping, twisting, gathering and so on.

 

4.9 - Including edges from an old top, gathering, frayed edges of old curtain fabric, organdie snipped and scrunched.

 

4.10 - Linen strips, cotton, withdrawn thread, silk and scrim.

 

4.11 - Melted edges, Lutradur and Tyvek.

 

This is a bit addictive and I have a nice lot of samples. I found the melted edges turned out far better than I anticipated and the soldering iron gave a precise 'cut' with practice.