Multi-Color Diffusion Simulation of Dye Over Folded Fabrics

Creating a unique dyed shirt requires accurately simulating a fabric model, implementing the ability to fold the fabric, encoding the process of dye diffusion through the fabric, and allowing for different color channels of dye to mix. These goals require an adherence to the physical properties and laws that govern the process of diffusion and a suitable representational model that this diffusion is conducted on and through. This paper presents a model for the representation of fabric that is comprised of two layers woven together in a weave pattern. Using Fick’s Second Law of Diffusion and properties of the fabric and threads, we calculate the rate of diffusion for each cell of the fabric. This calculation is done over each color channel to allow for the full spectrum of dye colors to be realized. Using a relationship matrix, the fabric can be folded over itself, and the dye will diffuse over this fold into the layer on the other side. Most of the parameters involved in defining the type of fabric can be modified to allow for a large range of visual expression in the fabric. The results support the effectiveness and veracity of the model

Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project Online Exhibit

This online presentation provides photographs and text from an exhibit prepared by the late Mary Kellogg Rice for the Golda Meir Library in October 1997. Rice served as art director for a highly regarded WPA project operating in the 1930s for women in Milwaukee County. The historic WPA photographs and examples of project work were collected by Rice for her book “Useful Work for Unskilled Women: A Unique Milwaukee WPA Project,” published by the Milwaukee County Historical Society in 2003. Rice dedicated the exhibit to the five thousand women and men who worked for the Milwaukee Handicraft Project from 1935 to 1943. She wrote, “These individuals were forced onto public relief to aid their families during the Great Depression. While they often used inexpensive materials and initially lacked employment skills, the workers made products of outstanding quality, beauty and education value. Their work enriched the lives of children and adults in schools, nurseries, state and county institutions, hospitals and colleges in Milwaukee County and throughout the nation.” Eleven production units were eventually established for bookbinding, blockprinting, screenprinting, weaving, rugs, appliqués, dolls, cloth toys, costumes, wood toys and furniture

A Study Of The Needs And Possibilities For The Teaching Of Art In The Negro Elementary Schools Of Houston, Texas

There is a definite and growing need for instruction in art in the schools, due to the fact that many of the principles employed in art are almost universal in their application. In most of the common necessities of life art plays an important part; it is used in the selection and wearing of clothing, in the furnishing of homes, and in the practical work of the trades and professions. This study is the outgrowth of the needs as mentioned in the above paragraph, as well as, the numerous problems presented by summer graduate students in a problems course during the summer of 1941. These teachers presented problems as follows: 1. How can we teach that which we ourselves have not yet been trained to teach? 2. How can art activities be carried on with limited facilities with which to work? Participation in this class aroused in me an intense desire to become acquainted with the teaching of art in the elementary schools. The writer\u27s interest in this study was further aroused when she observed an exhibit of the Houston Public Schools at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas. At this exhibit, she noted only white schools were represented. With the facts mentioned above in view, an attempt will be made to study the needs and justification of art education, thereby indicating to the elementary teacher suggestions for the use of materials found in his environment for the teaching of art. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. The problem of this study may be stated in the question What are the needs, justifications, and possibilities for the teaching of Art in the Negro Elementary Schools of Houston, Texas? Out of this basic problem grows several subsidiary questions which are: 1. Was the absence of a display of the Negro Elementary schools from the exhibit mentioned above due to the existence of a strong feeling of racial prejudice? 2. Are the Negro teachers prepared to teach art in their particular group; if prepared do they lack interest and ingenuity enough to get materials found in their own environment, if they are not provided by the school hoard, and use these materials in the teaching and correlation of art? 3. Is art included in the daily program of the Negro elementary schools? 4. What are the forms of art taught in the schools? 5 . Is art correlated with other subject matter? 6. How many schools have art exhibits? 7. What kinds of art do children enjoy most? 8. What are some of the uses of discarded materials found in our environment in the teaching of Art

Laser textile design: the development of laser dyeing and laser moulding processes to support sustainable design and manufacture

This research developed new creative opportunities for textile design by investigating CO2 laser processing technology to achieve surface design and three-dimensional effects. A practice based and interdisciplinary textile design methodology was employed, integrating scientific and technical approaches with a reflective craft practice. It was found that the synthesis of design and science was imperative to achieving the research goal of evolving techniques that have opened new design opportunities for textile design whilst being viable and communicable for industrial and commercial application. Four distinct Laser Textile Design techniques were developed in this research including: a laser enhanced dyeing technique for wool and wool blends; Peri-Dyeing, a laser dye fixation technique; a laser moulding technique; and a laser fading linen technique. [Continues.

Connecting the Dots: a design approach to services for the poor

Design thinking is increasingly being promoted as a tool to address social problems. There is little consensus around the term ‘design thinking’ and how if at all it differs from other forms of thinking. Further, evidence for how design can help to tackle social challenges, particularly in resource poor settings is scant. The thesis critiques the notion of ‘design thinking’ as framed in contemporary design practice and literature. It draws out the ontological (pattern), teleological (purpose), and epistemological (process) elements of design, in order to re-articulate ‘design thinking’ as the ‘way of design’ to embody its first principles. Additionally the thesis shows how the ‘way of design’ can help to understand and inform services in resource poor contexts, using the case study of artisan services in India. The study employs mixed methods and bricoleur techniques to carry out design research in a weaving village in India. The study shows how ‘design as pattern’ helps to trace the underlying pattern of services in the artisan weaving ecosystem and highlight touchpoints for interventions. It reveals how ‘design as purpose’ prompts the assessment of: utility, social, emotional and epistemic values that underpin artisan service preferences and choices. It further illustrates how ‘design as process’ guides sense making and evaluation of artisan systems in ‘adaptive’ rather than ‘optimal’ ways. The thesis establishes how a design approach can help fundamentally to reframe the problems and prospects of artisan livelihoods. In redesigning design, the thesis demonstrates the transdisciplinary character of design and the kind of problems it can help to illuminate. In reframing artisan problems, the study shows how the ‘way of design’ can help to connect the dots of policy, practice and research

Traditional Textile Revival: Demonstrating the Potential of Pina Fabric for Apparel

Piña fabric, which is made of pineapple fibers, has been a part of the history of the Philippine Islands for over four-hundred years. Historically, garments made of piña were mostly designed in the same way: light beige in color, use of embroidery and standardized styling. Today in the Philippines garments made from piña are used primarily for Filipino political and formal occasions. The traditional styling of piña garments does not attract attention from the Western market, therefore piña receives minimal exposure outside of the Philippines. This gap in piña fabric exposure framed the purpose of this design thesis: to demonstrate the potential of piña fabric for apparel in the Western market. The intent of this project was to help preserve the piña weaving craft and the production of piña fabrics in the Philippines because piña fabric has been found to be at risk of extinction.Two frameworks drove the product development process: Ruppert-Stroescu & Hawley’s (2014) A Typology of Creativity in Fashion Design and Development and Karl Aspelund’s (2014) The Creative Process. Five ensembles were created using piña-seda (a piña and silk blend) fabric which was transformed by dyeing, draping, and cutting the fabric on the bias, then creating silhouettes including women’s dresses, gowns, pants, and separates. It was discovered that piña-seda fabric can be machine washed and machine dried; however, hand washing and line drying is recommended. The fabric accepted fiber reactive dyes, however, dark colors were difficult to achieve. Fiber reactive dyes were discharged and overdyed without destroying the fabric. The piña-seda accepted iron-pressing on the silk setting. Irregularities in the fabric weave were discovered. The result was a capsule collection for women targeted at a designer-level Western audience. An outside design expert evaluated the collection for its leadership design qualities and deemed the collection was appropriate for the Western market. The piña fabric surface finish and drape substantiated that piña-seda can be used to create garments that differ from traditional piña fabric garments of the Philippines. Further studies investigating the piña weaving and dyeing process and consumer perception of piña in the Western market are recommended.Design, Housing, & Merchandisin