Creativity and Design Blog Post #2

Exploration of E-Textile Materials

In this in-class challenge we were given fabric samples, conductive thread and Lilypad components to try and create an e-textile that would light an LED. Last week I was inspired by Luke Kachelmeier to try and use the GoPro head cam footage to try and create GIFs of my process. Since I had never made e-textiles before or made my own GIFs this problem type was unfamiliar.

My Process and Experience

I began by working with a flat piece of felt to try and complete a circuit before I started anything more challenging. I noticed that the conductive thread (which is made out of stainless steel) is very different from cotton or synthetic thread. It is easier to catch and create knots on itself. After a few failed attempts to sew with the thread, I started to use smaller lengths which were less likely to snag and knot.

After completing a simple circuit I decided to start something more complex by adding two LEDs and making a 3D felt scene. I chose purple and yellow LEDs and aimed to create a purple flower with a small yellow bee flying around the flower. I wanted to make the stitches of the conductive thread look like a dotted line flowing behind the bee.

Adding Complexity

The instructor suggested that I try adding a pre-programmed Lilypad component, which she had many to choose from. This would be an example of creating and considering many options (Fast Company Staff: https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what). I chose a component called a Lilypad mini-twinkle. After attempting to incorporate the component I realized that I would have to re-stitch the whole scene. I chose to take the mini-twinkle component home to experiment when I had more time.

Making GIFs

I was surprised to find many online free programs for making GIFs. I read reviews on a few before settling on GIPHY.com which seemed to have many after-effect options, and it did not require an account. I initially tried to upload videos, but the file size was too large, so I played the videos full screen and took screenshots of each frame, then uploaded the photos to GIPHY. It was a simple three step process, after uploading I chose how many seconds each frame would show for, then added artistic filters and downloaded the final products as .gif files. You can see some of the better GIFs here in throughout this blog post.

Reflection

I used the GoPro head-cam again this week to document my process. I realized that my process changed. This week I was talking and interacting with other people in the room more that I did last week. I also realized that I would turn to my phone for inspiration of things to make or directions on how to use certain Lilypad components. This may be because I was working around less people around since I had to make-up the lab after class.