This spring, I started a class that would challenge me in some ways I cannot yet imagine. I would be learning about some ancient art forms of weaving. The class started with the professor giving us some weaving materials, a little though provoking discussion about crafts and some of the other things we would be doing in the class. One of the things that fascinated me was the verdigris growing discussion, I did not know that I can grow my own paint pigment. 

The tools for the weaving is the "Hello Loom" weaving kit  shown in the image below. 

Weaving is done by warping the loom with wool treads as seen in the image below

Weaving

Plain weaving was done by trading the needle and then treading the loom by starting under the first tread, going over the next tread and continuing the trend. At the end of the line, the process is reversed. Other weaving patterns tried are basket weave, twill, diamond twill and satin weave.

Back-Strap Loom

The back-strap loom is a traditional handloom that requires a bit of setup before weaving can begin. Here's a brief explanation of how we used a back-strap loom for weaving. Our loom had already been wrapped so we did not need to do that but the description below explains the whole process.

1. We started by attaching one end of the loom to a sturdy object, such as a tree or post. The other end of the loom will be tied around your waist. Make sure you are comfortable.

2. Create the warp: The warp threads are the vertical threads that run the length of the loom. Tie one end of the warp threads to the fixed object and the other end to the bar or stick that will be used to create the tension. Then wind the warp threads around the bar or stick, making sure they are evenly spaced.

3. Thread the heddles: The heddles are the loops that the weft thread will pass through to create the pattern. Tie each warp thread to a heddle, making sure they are evenly spaced.

4. Create the shed: The shed is the space between the warp threads where the weft thread will pass through. To create the shed, lift the heddles on one side of the loom and place a stick or shuttle through the opening.

5. Weave: With the shed created, you can start weaving by passing the weft thread through the opening. Use a shuttle or stick to push the weft thread tightly against the previous row of weaving.

6. Adjust the tension: As you weave, you'll need to adjust the tension of the warp threads by leaning forward or backward to create the desired tension. You may also need to adjust the position of the bar or stick that creates the tension to keep the warp threads even.

7. Repeat: Continue weaving, alternating between lifting the heddles on one side of the loom and then the other to create the shed. Be sure to push the weft thread tightly against the previous row of weaving to keep the fabric even and consistent.

The loom was difficult when we started but it got easier with more practice.

Felting

Felting is the process of creating a non-woven fabric by compressing and matting fibres together. This can be done using a variety of fibres, including wool, alpaca, and other animal fibres, as well as plant-based fibres such as hemp and linen. For our class, we used wool that had been dyed with different colors and wh explored wet felting and dry felting.

The process of wet felting involves three main stages:

1. Preparation: The fibres had been cleaned and carded to ensure that they are free of debris and arranged in a consistent and even manner.  We took the carded fibres in the direction of the fibres and a different layer is placed at 90 degrees from the previous layer of fibre.

2. Wetting: The fibres are then wetted with warm soapy water ( we used olive oil soap, our instructor mentioned it makes felting easy) and we then worked the different layers together by hand. This allows the fibres to begin to mat together and form a cohesive fabric.

3. Fulling: The fibres are then further agitated to compress and mat them together. We achieved this by rubbing the fibres together by hand, rolling them up in a bubble wrap and applying pressure, I place the wrapped felt in the microwave for a few seconds .and that seemed to also help. I also used the drying machine as suggested by the instructor, this I did by placing the wet felt in a sock and then putting it in the dryer as it turns. My felt almost became one solid item because I removed it from the bubble wrap. . The result is a fabric that is dense and stable, with a slightly fuzzy texture.

Dry felting has a slightly different method for matting the fibre together. Layering the fibre at 90 degrees and then using a felting needle for working the layers together. The felting needle has some grooves that pulls the fibre into one another.

Rearing the Silkworm

Here is the summary of how we took care of the silkworms.

We had a transparent bowl (I later switched this to a larger bowl when the silkworms increased in size) where we kept the worms for the first 2 weeks. the basic work involved included feeding them and cleaning the pen. It was also important to have clean hands when handling them or their food so as to not give them diseases. Below are the best practices we adopted as a class.

The worms were kept in cool, dry place and ventilated spot. 

We washed our hands before and after handling

We clean droppings and old chow out daily

Manually transfer worms onto new chow rather than letting them crawl over

It’s very important to keep all the worms, cocoons, and moths out of drafts and direct sunlight. 

They do need plenty of fresh air, so it’s best not to smoke around silkworms at any stage of their development. 

The temperature of the incubating box should be increased gradually over a couple of days, and then maintained as nearly constant as possible. Anywhere from 68 to 77°F will do.

Give the worms adequate regular feedings, and never let them run out of food.

The worms may stop chewing during their four molting periods, which occur about every five or six days.

Shortly before each molt, the heads of the worms will swell, their skins will lose color, and their bodies will become transparent and immobile. It’s extremely important that the larvae aren’t moved or disturbed in any way at this time. During the 24-hour “skin-shedding process” the worms will go into a sleep and lose all interest in food. Otherwise, their appetites are regular and enormous.

Once the “spinning time” approaches (after three weeks or so) provide containers with lots of edges, so your wiggly weavers can quickly set up the “guide wires” from which they’ll hang their silken shelters.

Since the larvae have no eyes, try to make sure that they don’t have to travel far to find a suitable corner.

I got 16 tiny little worms from the professor, they were barely half an inch at the time. There were cared for for about two months from February to April. Like every other creature, they grew at different rates with some growing up to two times the size of the small ones by the time they went into their cocoons. Their feeding and cleaning was done mostly in the night when I get back home from school and a few times I had to feed and clean them in the morning because I forgot to clean and feed them the night before.

I transferred them into a bigger space after a little over a month as the bowl which was their house was getting too crowded two weeks later, I built a mesh in the new space to give an even bigger real estate for them as they were getting crowded again. I also got to feed them mulberry leaves almost one and a half months after I started caring for them, they were feeding on chao before now because we felt that they would not be able to chew on the strong leaves from the tree before new leaves started to spring.

Toward the end of the second month, I added toilet paper cores into their homes, and almost a week after, they started to cocoon. It took about two weeks for all of them to go into their cocoons and the first set of moths came out about 5 days after the last worm cocooned.

After the second month, I soaked all the cocoons in hot water until the water cooled down and then drained off the water for the time I took them to school where we unreeled the cocoons together in class. The unreeled silk is seen in one of the images below.

Overall, two of the sixteen worms died, 6 of them evolved into moths while the rest of them were processed for their silk before they evolved.

A visual story of the silkworms

Below is a time-lapse of one silkworm cocooning.

Spinning Yarn

Yarn spinning is one of the most exciting exercises we did in the class. it is the process of creating yarn from fibre or other materials. It can be done by hand or with a spinning wheel. For the spinning, we used wool and cotton fibre and two different hand spindles, one type for cotton fibre and another for wool. The wool fibre was easier to spin because of the long length of the fibres while the cotton spinning needed a lot more.

The first step was to prepare the fibre but luckily for us the fibre was already prepared for us. The preparation of fibres for spinning involves the following processes;

1. Clean the fibres: Raw fibres often contain dirt, dust, and other debris. Clean the fibres by washing them gently in cool water. Be careful not to agitate the fibres too much, as this can cause them to felt. If the fibres are particularly dirty, you may need to wash them several times until they are clean.

2. Dry the fibres: After washing, gently squeeze out any excess water and lay the fibres flat on a towel to dry. Avoid wringing or twisting the fibres, as this can cause them to become tangled.

3. Card the fibres: Carding is the process of separating and aligning the fibres using carding tools or hand carders. Hold the carding tool or hand carders in one hand and the fibre in the other hand. Place a small amount of fibre onto the carding tool or hand carder, and gently comb through the fibres with the other carding tool or hand carder. Repeat this process until the fibres are evenly distributed and aligned.

4. Comb the fibres (optional): Combing is another method of preparing fibres for spinning. Use a pair of wool combs to separate and align the fibres. Hold one comb in each hand and gently comb through the fibres with one comb, pulling the fibres through the teeth of the other comb. Repeat this process until the fibres are evenly distributed and aligned.

5. Blend the fibres (optional): If you want to create a unique yarn, you can blend different types of fibres together. Use a blending board to mix the fibres together. Place the fibres onto the blending board and use a blending brush to mix and blend the fibres together.

In our case, the fibres have been prepared and we only spun the fibre into yarn by attaching a thread or yarn as a leading line to the drop spindle. This line is then attached to the fibre to be spun. We then rolled the spindle on our tighs in order to add some spin to the fibre so that it attaches to the leading line until we were able to drop spin the spindle while feeding the fibre to the spin.

Dyeing with cochenial

Cochineal is a natural dye made from the dried bodies of a particular species of insect, known as the cochineal bug, which is found in certain regions of Mexico and South America. The use of cochineal as a dye has a long history and dates back to ancient times.

To dye with cochineal, the dried insects are first ground into a fine powder and then mixed with water or alcohol to create a dye bath. The fabric or fibre to be dyed is then immersed in the dye bath and allowed to soak for a period of time, depending on the desired depth of color.

Cochineal produces a range of hues, from bright pink to deep red, depending on the method of preparation and the mordant used. It is also known for its excellent light and wash fastness, making it a popular choice for dyeing textiles.

Cochineal is still widely used today, particularly in the food industry as a natural food coloring. It is also used in the production of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. There is a chance that cochineal is in your beloved red lipstick, food coloring or medicine.

Dyeing with bacteria

Dyeing with bacteria involves using living bacterial cells to produce pigments that can be used to color textiles or other materials. The process typically involves growing the bacteria in a suitable growth medium and then adding a substrate that the bacteria can metabolize and convert into a colored pigment.

For this project, we painted a substrate in a petri dish and then cultured the cultured bacteria in the lab for two days. After two days, we transferred the bacteria to our fabric and then soaked the fabric in alcohol for about 10 minutes to kill the bacteria leaving only the pigment behind. Some bacteria produce UV reactive lights, some produce antibacterial properties to fight other bacteria. and they seem to leave these properties behind on the fabric. 

Cochineal Dyeing sample are in the image below

Paper making

Mending

Mending is a way of promoting sustainability with textiles and textile-related items. So you have a turn fabric and instead of thrashing it, you can mend the fabric thereby increasing the lifespan of the fabric. In class, we talked about two types of mending, visible and invisible mending. For invisible mending, you will mend sich that the stitches are hidden but in visible mending, the stitches are visible. We read the book "Mend" by Kate Sequels for this portion of the class and she highlights the importance of repairing and reusing textiles as a means to promote sustainability. By doing so, we can significantly reduce waste and consumption. In fact, there are many ways in which we can repurpose our textiles beyond their initial use. For example, we can transform them into various forms such as paper, or even use them to create innovative and unique products. Ultimately, by prolonging the lifespan of our textiles and giving them a new purpose, we can make a positive impact on the environment and move towards a more sustainable future.

For my mending project, I originally thought to mend a jeans pant but I changed my mind last minute to mend my wife's knitted sweater. Below is a photograph of the damage and what it looked like afterward. I am contemplating filling up the flower with yarn or just leaving the outline.

Final Project

The purpose of this project was to create a fiber-spinning tool that could serve as both a tool for exercise and a means to educate people about the process and origin of textiles. One of the primary goals of this project was to encourage discussions around textiles, and it has successfully achieved this during the exhibition at Vizagogo over the past few days.

I enjoyed the opportunity to share my passion for using games as a training tool at the show. It was a pleasant experience explaining various aspects of fibers to interested attendees. As a game designer and educator, I believe that gamification experiences can help break down barriers in learning and communication, which was also a goal for this project.

At the start of the project, there was this question of whether people would show interest in learning about fiber and textiles. To my surprise, many individuals were keen to discuss fiber and textiles, with some even eager to attempt spinning with the bike.

Initially, I had multiple ideas for this project, but I eventually settled on using a bike pedal to power a loom. However, the complexity of implementing the shuttle movement made me quickly change my plans and instead focus on spinning yarn with a bicycle pedal. The design for the bicycle spinning aspect remained consistent with my original idea, except for a modification to the stand design from welding iron to constructing a wooden base. Additionally, I had to use a brass connector to create my bobbin as I could not find a better alternative. One of the highlights of this project was traveling to Paige, Texas for a consultation, as recommended by the guild. It's worth noting that it took two bikes to get this project to work because the first one was too tall.

I think the job is finished, but there are still some areas that could be better. For instance, the drive belt and mechanism could be improved, and it would be helpful to use rubber to attach the spinning wheel board to the bike handle, so it can move when necessary while still being secure. When I decide to paint the base, I was not sure if I would be bringing it to school to show the class or at Vizagogo, painting it was the reason I brought it and I was glad I did.

Based on feedback, the bike has been used for spinning and received positive reviews. Around 60% of the users expressed interest in discussing topics related to yarn making, weaving, knitting, and fibers in general.

The 3D designs below show the components I used for the project (Bicycle is a different model), feel free to interact with them.

A participant trying out the bicycle

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