The E-darning Sampler

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Lee Jones

This picture illustrates the E-darning sampler. The sampler has six patches 1 warp, 2 werft, 3 tidy, stretch, power, and touch.

ABSTRACT

Extending the life of our clothes is the most effective intervention of all current sustainable textile practices. Taking this into consideration, this paper explores how we can upcycle and repair our clothes with e-textiles, and how to share these techniques with other makers and crafters. To do so the author interviewed 4 visible mending educators about their teaching practices and personal experiences with mending. These interviews were then used to inform the design of the E-Darning Sampler for the TEI 2021 swatchbook, which includes examples of different e-textile darning patterns and functionalities made with darning looms. This paper contributes insights on how to design educational samples for encouraging sustainable making practices.

left: Mending tools: a darning loom for flat surfaces, a weft pick, a darning mushroom for curved surfacesright: sampler with (top row) steps 1. Warp, 2. Weft, 3. Tidy, and (bottom row) stretch, power, and touch darned components — Darning tools: darning loom, weft pick, and darning mushroom

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

This image visualises the darning process: (A) Preparing darning loom on fabric, (B) Warp, (C) Switching warp hooks brings opposing threads to the top for easy threading, (D) Weft, (E) Take fabric off loom, (F) Tidy and knot threads on the back. — **Darning Process:** (A) Preparing darning loom on fabric, (B) Warp, (C) Switching warp hooks brings opposing threads to the top for easy threading, (D) Weft, (E) Take fabric off loom, (F) Tidy and knot threads on the back

How each component was built (left to right): Stretch sensor was made with variable resistive thread, Power pocketis two layers with traces going in opposing. directions, touch is two capactive touch areas made with conductive thread — **How each component was built (left to right):** Stretch sensor was made with variable resistive thread, Power pocketis two layers with traces going in opposing directions, touch is two capactive touch areas made with conductive thread

Interacting with the components: (A) stretching fabric makes the thread less resistive resulting in a brighter light,(B) placing a 3V battery in the power pocket will turn an item on, such as an LED, (C) touching different capacitive touch areas turns on different colour lights using a circuit playground microcontroller. — **Interacting with the components:** (A) stretching fabric makes the thread less resistive resulting in a brighter light,(B) placing a 3V battery in the power pocket will turn an item on, such as an LED, (C) touching different capacitive touch areas turns on different colour lights using a circuit playground microcontroller

LINK(S)

cil.csit.carleton.ca

LeeJones.ca

VIDEO

JURY STATEMENT

The use of darning tools and techniques is novel and delightful. It opens up a new landscape of design and craft possibilities.

This swatch was awarded the INNOVATION AWARD due to it’s beautifully crafted swatches drawing our attention to pressing issues of sustainability in textiles and fashion.