Experimental Textiles Final Project, Fall 2023
Cayla Kennedy
I set out to use a variety of woven structures in order to create a frog whose eyes light up when you press on his belly. To do so, I chose to create a woven pressure sensor in a pocket, connected to two LEDs wired in parallel. The whole system would then be powered by a battery, though I planned on keeping the battery separate from my swatch. As I created each swatch, I wanted to experiment with different woven structures to see what would feel the best to interact with, and what would look the most like a frog.
For my first swatch, I tried to create the basic structure of my frog. I wanted to figure out how to use inlay to make the general shape of a frog, as well as create a pocket to put the pressure sensor into.
Every structure in this swatch is tabby, which lead to a lot of the color being hard to see, as it got swallowed by the warp and non-supplemental weft. I used two yarns as supplemental wefts, and the colors used left me dissatisfied, as they didn’t quite come across as frog colors.
From this first swatch, I learned that I would need to use different structures in order to create my frog. So in my second swatch, I experimented with using twill on the darker supplemental weft for the outside of the frog, though the frog’s belly was still left tabby, as I was working on a block drafted eight shaft loom and I wasn’t able to easily do double weave with any structure other than tabby.
I was pleased with the result of seeing more of the dark supplemental weft color, and I chose to stay with this for the rest of my work on this project.
For the next swatch, I wanted to focus on how I could make the belly show more color, so I experimented with different structures in my inlay. I tried a twill, though doing it by hand took much more time than expected, and I didn’t quite trust myself to not mess up the double weave structure here.
I moved on to try a loop pile, and I found that I was satisfied with the color coverage as well as the interactive experience a loop pile can bring, as its texture invites touch. On part of the swatch, I tried cutting at the top of each loop, though I wasn’t as satisfied as I was with the pure loops, so I stuck to that.
I also found that one way to make loop pile take much less time was to use a crochet hook, as I was able to pull up the loops faster and keep them at around the same length.
With the next swatch, I wanted to try to create the full frog. I used new colors and I learned from my smaller experiments in the last two swatches, and I was very pleased with the result. While this swatch did not have electronics integrated into it, I was pleased with the woven structure and mostly pleased with the way it looked.
When comparing this swatch to the first one I did, I noticed that I liked the way the top of the frog looked on the first swatch better than I liked the top of the second swatch, so when recreating this swatch for a final swatch design, I mirrored what was done differently in that first swatch.
In my final swatch, I took everything I’d done before and integrated the electronics. I used a twill for the outside of the frog, a loop pile for the inside of the frog, and followed an inlay pattern more like the first swatch than the fourth.
I was satisfied with the looks of my result, however there was much left to want for when I hooked my frog up to the battery. In my weaving, I may have made two wires touch that weren’t supposed to, or I may have made the felt in the pouch a little too compacted, as the pressure sensor did not work, but the circuit was complete.
I also had an issue with the two LEDs wired in parallel, and I found that it is much more difficult to think of a circuit when it is woven than it is when it is done with hard electronics. I found that if wired one way, one of the LEDs would turn on, and if the polarity is reversed, the other LED would turn on.
Overall, if I were to remake this swatch, I would put a little bit more focus on my electronics, though I am very satisfied with the way the final swatch looks.
Cayla Kennedy 