YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!

As a woman who has math and science anxiety, I still bristle when given a task involving these subjects.   What I realize now is that, under the right circumstances, I can get really excited when I learn something new and discover how things work. 

I am in the process of learning the Arduino coding system for Lilypad circuitry as well as creating beautiful cuffs and other wearable items that light up with LED lights, batteries and conductivethread. 

The design part is what I first love to tackle and peeks my interest the most.  I could spend hours on my drawings, choosing color combinations, carding the embroidery thread and mapping out the design.  I’ve taught myself several embroidery stitches (no fear there) in preparation for my most recent project.  I chose three LED colors to include in my cuff and diagramed the layout of lights, thread, snaps and battery.  I loved working on this hands-on project and seeing the pattern take shape and come into fruition. 

When the last thread was stitched, I couldn’t wait to snap the cuff together and see the lights light up.  Oops.  What happened?  The two red lights I had chosen were shining bright but the pink light flickered faintly and sometimes wouldn’t light up at all.  I checked my stitching circuitry and all was correct.   I then remembered that the pink lights don’t work well with warm colors.  Back to the drawing board.  I replaced the pink light and connected the LEDs with new thread.  Now none of the lights worked.  What had I don’t wrong?  I looked online for answers and couldn’t find any reason as to why my lights wouldn’t work.  I really took a good look at my stitching and circuitry and a light went off (figuratively speaking!)  I noticed that one of my short tails had wandered under another stitch which interfered with the circuit.  There it was – the problem.  As soon as I pulled the stitch out and clipped it shorter so as not to have this happen again, all the lights sparkled brightly!  Success at last.  I did notice that the one snap didn’t keep the battery stable so I added two small snaps on either side which seemed to make the connection stronger.
 

My next project was to create a simple t-shirt using the Lilypad.  The simple circuitry didn’t threaten me too much, but writing code – now that was another issue all together.   Thanks to my team Mishael and Sophia, I had the Arduino and Ardublock systems loaded and working on my computer.  I now had to tackle writing the code to make my three lights light up in the pattern I planned and make the buzzer play a little tune.  As the Ardublock program is visually based, I didn’t have too much of a problem working with this and really began enjoying playing around with different ideas for my light show that preceded the tune I wanted.  I couldn’t believe it, but I was really having some fun.  My design idea for the t-shirt was an old fashioned bicycle incorporating the Lilypad in the big wheel and the lights on the road leading to a buzzer in an old streetlight playing a tune.  It was quite simple to adjust the frequency for different notes, lengthen the duration the note played and upload it to Arduino.  I did have one difficulty in playing the tune.  We realized that a delay must be inserted between each note in order for the tune to play.   Once again, I was relieved and happy to see my ideas actually work and the tune play. 



 

Now I’m on to a more complicated solar panel powered sweatshirt.  Stay tuned for my progress and the big reveal of the design. 

LED Dress

For my final project I decided to do a dress with LED panels. There are two panels, each consisting of 34 colored LEDs and then one Lillypad with 9 white LEDs that blink very quickly in a circle. The two panels are mirror images of each other except the Lillypad one starts at the top and one starts at the bottom so when you turn them on together they “spin” opposite of each other.

The actually dress is just a simple cotton dress with a very mild shark bite hemline and a v-neckline. The Panels were made with a Pleather material so I also added a similar material to the sides and the straps. I also have a v-strap in the middle.

Before I could start the panels I needed to know how many LEDs one battery pack could support, the most I have connected to a single battery is 13, so I started at 8 and built up from there. I have a feeling you could add more than 13. Something that I did find out that was interesting was at first I had designed the dress with sections of blues and greens and then sections of red, yellow, and pink.

I had previous trouble with getting the pink to light up, and when I did the test of how many I could fit on one battery I did it with red, yellow and pink specifically to see if the pinks would work this time and they didn’t. So I changed my design to just be sections of blue and green, and then red and yellow. But, after talking to Sophia we started thinking that maybe the pink was actually considered a cool color. So then I did another test to see if I could group together pink, green and blue and it worked! So now I have one section on the panel that has the three colors.

My next problem I had to solve was how to attach the panels onto the dress. The problem is I wanted to hide the battery packs on the bottom so you would still have to have access to them. So my solution was Velcro. I sewed the rounded side of the panels to the dress and the middle point, but kept the top and the bottom points free then added a piece of Velcro to the panel and Velcro to the dress. Now it sticks to the dress while still allowing me to peel it back and add the batter when I need to. The other thing I did was slice a section of the side to secure the batteries for the Lillypad.

So that’s basically it, I think it turned out really well, I’m not sure how comfortable it would be to wear because of the battery packs sticking into you, but at least it looks cool!

Crafting culture? Count me in.

It has become clear that the mathematics of traditional female crafts are hiding in plain sight. One need not look far, but if you want to look far, go ahead - you will still find the math.


A few weeks ago, I crossed paths with Dona Claudia Vega, a local artisan in San Salvador, El Salvador. Claudia is a older women, perhaps in her mid-seventies or older, but her mind is young. She carries herself gracefully and is the type of woman whose wisdom you can feel when she enters the room. Her specialty is weaving.


Claudia arrived at the workshop location with a portable loom, fiber material, and many examples of her work. She had prepared a weaving demonstration for the children attending the workshop. She set up her loom near a stairway, explaining the importance of correct tension to her craft. She told the children that she was only eight years old when her grandmother taught her the craft, and that she was considered an expert by age ten.


As she unpacked her tools and began to weave, she spoke with the children about the process of making. Her hands moved and manipulated the material so naturally and easily, as if she was not even thinking about her actions. In the moment, I remember thinking that the material itself seemed to be an extension of her body. Claudia touched on many familiar ideas, such as the connection with material one develops when using her own hands to make.

Dona Claudia Vega demonstrates her process of making with her weaving loom. 

Claudia also spoke about number. While elaborating about the planning and design stages of her artwork, she stressed the importance of even numbers and groups of four for specific patterns. The artisan must keep track of the count, according to Claudia, and if one does not think about the number, one cannot envision the final product. She also talked about addition and subtraction, with respect to color work.


At the culmination of her demonstration, we told Claudia that we planned to use one of her works for an e-textile project. The material we selected had taken Claudia three days of near-nonstop weaving to create. She mentioned that the artist must be mindful while making, but this was not a challenge for her, for the craft itself is a mindful practice. It is interesting to observe and identify commonalities in material and traditional female crafts cross-culturally. Number, mindfulness, and sense of community arise naturally in conversation again and again.

Claudia explains that number and mindfulness are key to crafting.

I’m new to the Re-Crafting Math Team.  I’m Angela Caldwell and currently a returning student receiving my BFA in Metals.  I have always been a maker and come from a family of “hands-on” doers.  My Grandma was a piano major in the 20’s here at I.U. and also a beautiful seamstress.  My Great-grandfather was a tailor, my Grandpa a carpenter as well as other family members who were always crafty.  I was also a Montessori art teacher for 14 years and also taught art courses in the community.  It’s exciting to see where my experiences can cross paths with new teaching ideas.

 When I first heard about the Re-Crafting Math project I thought two things – “Why didn’t I learn math this way,” and “I might be just the person they’re looking for.”  I’m one of those women who have math anxiety yet also one of those knitters who can always find a way to “fudge” a project and figure out how to make it work.  I guess I’m doing math then, right?   The concept that working in traditional crafts can teach math without one really knowing it was intriguing. 

While knitting, stopping to think about if and when I’m doing math was a curious task.   At what stage in a pattern is my brain adding, subtracting and possibly doing more complicated equations?  Can math be visual?  Can numbers present themselves in many ways?

In planning ideas for the project, the first idea I had focused on scale.  Using the same yarn, I knit the same number of stitches and the same number of rows using different size needles.  The outcome was pretty obvious but a simple way to show ratio and scale.  I then went on to create triangles, which required adding stitches to my knitting.   I then decreased and mirrored my knitting by turning my triangle into a diamond.  I slowly realized that math was present in most aspects of knitting.

As a jeweler, I liked the idea of making a picture with beads in my knitting.  Graph paper and counting are necessary to accomplish that – more math!  After several attempts at mapping out my design for a simple flower, I was ready to knit.  This project involved quite a bit of focus and counting in order to correctly follow my pattern.  Again, several attempts to stay on track were needed, but finally I was very satisfied when I could look at my knitting, and very clearly see the flower pattern created.

Taking a break from knitting at the moment to work on e-textiles with stitching and embroidery.  We’ll see where that leads me. 

Percentage and Factions in Dyeing

When math and textiles are mentioned together I immediately think of dyeing. I decided to take on a series of colors to show how percentages and fractions change the outcome of a color.

First a little about dyes, I used cotton broad cloth with is a very strong cotton that is a bit stiff. Cotton is a cellulous fiber that uses a specific type of dye called fiber reactive dyes. In the lab we use dyes that are mixed with a depth of dye of 1%. The depth of dye helps calculate the amount of dye needed to make a color. Every color is made with a specific percentages. For example .125% will give me a very pale color compared to 6% which will give me a very saturated color. Fabric does have a limit of dye it can soak up, usually I do not go over 8% unless I am working with a color like black or blue. And in my formulas I do go up to 10% a few times.

For this project I chose a pallet of 5 colors, to which I figured out the formulas for. Usually I can look at a color and figure out the color formula, but sometimes I do need some help, so we do have some sample books that have different samples to help figure out a color formula. Of the five colors I then wanted to take each color and go lighter by two shade and them more saturated.

 So if my color was a 2% I would do .5% and 1% for the lighter colors and then 4% and 8% for the more saturated colors. But, percentage is not the only part of color mixing. There are several ways for mixing. I will use green as an example. Yellow plus blue make green, but if you were to mix equal parts of each color you would have a blue with a little bit of a yellow tinge because the blue would take over the yellow. So in order to make green we would have to put more yellow than blue. This could be achieved

   1.     By percentage you would do two different equations with a 6% yellow and a .5% blue which would give you a green, but it would be hard to make it a perfect color.

.06*DWG                                    .005*DWG

_________=                             ___________ =        

     .01                                                 .01

2.      2. We could do it with ratios meaning we already have mixed colors them we do

 2:1 of the mixed color but for this that’s a bit too complicated just to make a green.

3.      So then we get to my favorite way of color mixing with is with parts. To make a perfect Kelly green you would probably do 2-4% of dye and then after you solve the equation take the product and divide it into any number really I usually do 10. And for Kelly green I would do 7 parts yellow and 3 parts blue.

Let’s do 4% and a DWG of 5 (Dry Weight Goods) or how much the fabric weighs while dry

.04*5

_____= 20    then take 20/10=2      2*7= 14ml of yellow dye and 2*3=6 ml of blue

  .01

In order to do samples I like to use mason jars because they are small so I can easily cover the fabric with the water and dye. For Fiber reactive dyes A few things must be done first. 1. You have to do something called mordenting. This allows the fabric to open up for dyeing and it must mordant for 24 hours. After the 24 hour period the dye pot consists of water, a chemical called metaphose, salt and dye. Each ingredient has a specific amount that is calculated with the DWG.

For the dye process first you add the water which is 20*DWG, then add dissolved salt and dissolved metaphose ( both can be dissolved in boiling water) and add to the dye pot then add the dye and stir. The fabric that has been soaked in the mordant is then rinsed and added to the dye pot. It must be stirred or in the case of mason jars shook vigorously for 15-30 minutes. After this Soda ash is then added also dissolved. This product allows the dye to stay in the fabric essentially. A lot of the time your dye pot will change color slightly. Then the pot must be stirred every 5 minutes for one hour. After the hour is must be rinsed thoroughly and put into a soap soak for 10 minutes.  Then all you have to do is let it dry and you’re done. I chose to sew all of my rectangles together to show the gradient between colors but also how different mixes look together.  

Finished Product

Cosplay and the Maker Movement

Here at the Creativity Labs, we're deeply invested in the educational potential of hands-on making and makerspaces. Though, of course, people have made stuff for as long as we've existed, the recent maker movement has been re-valuing personal fabrication over mass production, and has popularized high-tech tools like 3D printers and laser cutters. At the same time, we're seeing the founding of more and more makerspaces, where people gather to use these tools and make/ repair stuff together, both in and out of schools, and for both adults and youth.

Though the maker movement is supposedly about all forms of making, both high- and low-tech, it's the high-tech stuff, like 3D printers, robots, and projects made with microcontrollers like Arduinos that get the most press. Things that light up really grab people's attention!

For a long time, it seemed as if the maker movement and the cosplay community were totally separate, even though cosplay is obviously all about making stuff--whether that's sewing costumes, sculpting props, or styling wigs. I've seen some recent trends, though, that are starting to bring these two communities together, in a way that, I think, is of great benefit to both.

First, cosplayers are gradually starting to open makerspaces of their own. A few weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure to visit Studio Cosplay in the DC area. Initially founded thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, this "cosmakerspace," as they call it, contains all the tools you might need in order to make costumes. It has sewing stations, a fabrication area for cutting and sculpting props, a photography corner so folks can get good pictures of their costumes, a well-ventilated room for spray-painting and sanding, and even a room with 3D printers! Studio Cosplay hosts many popular events, such as a pet cosplay contest, a cosplay swap/sell event, and panels and repair booths at conventions. In addition, it offers lessons to those wanting to learn how to improve their skills. Here are some pictures I took while at Studio Cosplay:

The 3D printing room

Fabrication station and the door to the ventilated painting/sanding room

Studio Cosplay is lucky to get a lot of donations, such as these old sewing machines, used cosplay parts and materials, and sewing patterns

Cosplay Kitchen in Pittsburgh, PA is also in the process of opening up its own studio space. The great thing about this trend toward communal spaces for cosplay is that, from the cosplayers I've talked to, cosplay creation tends to be a very solitary affair (though wearing them at conventions is of course very social). A centralized location allows cosplayers to get to know each other, help each other out, learn new skills they never would have attempted on their own, and share special tools that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive. At the same time, it's also beneficial for the maker movement to have new makerspaces where sewing machines play a prominent role, re-valuing the traditionally feminine and dismissed craft of sewing in a way that most consider "cool" and impressive. Cosplay is still a majority-female hobby, too, so this is also a way to acknowledge more women as makers.

A second trend I've noticed is an increasing use of "maker" tech in cosplay. More and more cosplayers are using 3D printers, laser cutters, and other digital fabrication devices to enhance their cosplays. Ohayocon, which I attended in January, had a 3D printing lab in progress throughout the con. A week ago at Colossalcon in Sandusky, OH, there was a 3D modeling class, I spoke with a few cosplayers who use a 3D printer and laser cutter, and I saw more examples of light-up cosplays than I've ever seen before! This burgeoning interest in lighting up costumes is reflected in the increasing number of instructional resources on the matter, such as Kamui Cosplay's Book of Cosplay Lights. Not only does this increase the cosplays' "wow" factor, but it is also sometimes more accurate to the character, and it gives cosplayers a chance to practice using electronics and circuitry skills.

Of course this Glow Cloud from the podcast Welcome to Night Vale should be glowing!

The above were examples of cosplayers taking up ideas from the maker movement. Is the reverse happening too? Is the maker movement starting to acknowledge cosplayers as makers? Fortunately, the answer is yes! A few months ago I saw that the Milwaukee Maker Faire was seeking cosplayers as exhibitors and workshop hosts. Maker tech retailer Adafruit regularly posts about cosplay on its blog. Cosplayers can make some really impressive stuff, so I think it's only fair that they're applauded as the makers they truly are. As for me, I couldn't be happier with this convergence of two of my research interests!

Hula Hoop Weaves

Yesterday I found myself in a space filled with fabric scraps and hula hoops. 

Quite the dreamland, if you ask me. 

After work, I trekked up Pittsburgh's historical north side so that I could engage in a craft workshop at City of Asylum. The creative hub, which functions as a safe space for literary writers seeking asylum, hosted an outdoor weaving workshop for crafters of all skill levels. 

As I entered the space, I was happy to find mismatched materials and fabric scraps strewn about. 

"Comfort," I thought. 

Eclectic fabrics - my favorite! 

The delightfully haphazard practice of laying out all materials available seems to percolate in crafting communities, and as such, I have become very familiar with the organized chaos. However, I also noticed a pile of hula hoops in the middle of the space, and I wondered if maybe - just maybe - I had misread the website and this was actually the Weaving Workout, not the Weaving Workshop (we can all imagine the resultant blog post that would have been the product of that special opportunity).

Before I had time to get too worried, the workshop designers from Contemporary Craft began to explain the process of making. All crafters were instructed to pick up several handfuls of fabric scraps and one hula hoop. Luckily, the project was conceptualized through a blend of familiar terms: weaving terms, like warp and weft, and bike terms, such as "spokes on a wheel". We were told that we would be creating small rugs out of the fabric scraps.

In weaving, the warp threads are held tensely in place on the loom, and the weft threads interact with the warp through over-under movement.

The weft threads move over-under-over-under, while the warp threads stay put.

To begin, we put together our DIY warps by first tying long fabric scrap across the hula hoops. The resulting figure resembled a bicycle wheel. It was important to note that the warp needs to have an odd number of threads - or in this case, fabric - because over-under pattern of the weft needs to alternate with each new row. To create an odd number, we tied one extra scrap of fabric to the middle of our "wheel" and attached the other end to the hula hoop.

The workshop designers from Contemporary Craft explain how to create the warp.

Once the warps were crafted, we learned that the fabrics of the warp would be hidden by the colors of the weft. I wish I would have know this from the start. I would not have spent so much time picking out the funkiest scraps for the "spokes". The workshop designers warned us to be weary of how tightly we pulled the fabric pieces of the weft. If pulled too tightly, we may produce loose baskets instead of rugs. Greater tension would lead to a more intensely three-dimensional piece.

As we began to move the weft fabrics over and under the pieces of the warp, I noticed that the crafting space became much quieter. The chatter dimmed and conversations became less linear. Why? I am not sure, but based on my own experiences and prior crafting projects, the movement of the hands-on craft tends to be quite mindful and it can be easy to get swept up in the emergence of unplanned patterns. Though our finished pieces were small, it is possible to make these woven rugs on a much larger scale.

Hannah, the City of Asylum workshop organizer, ties the last piece of her warp.