What I made:
Hungry Border Collie
Class Exercise:
Build a circuit on the breadboard
How I came up with the idea to make a Border Collie:
I like an idol named Yaxuan Song, and he has a Border Collie named Mouse. That dog is especially cute, and I’ve always wanted to have a Border Collie too.
[Song and his dog, from Weibo]
Materials:
3 LEDs; 3V coin battery; non-woven fabric; conductive fabric; cotton thread; conductive thread; cotton.
Layout Plan:
- The effect I want to achieve:
I used a total of three blue LEDs for the dog’s eyes and nose. (As for why I chose blue: 1) Other colors like yellow, green, or red for the eyes seemed too frightening; 2) Blue is the support color for that idol. )When a bone is placed in the dog’s mouth, the circuit will be activated, and the LEDs will light up.
- Pattern Demo:
- Circuit Diagram:
I have chosen to connect three LEDs in parallel so that they can receive enough electrical power to light up. Adopting a series connection would result in insufficient power for each, causing them to be unable to light up due to the low amount of current received.
- Connection scheme：
The dog is composed of a total of five layers of fabric:
Layer 1: black fur around the ears and eyes + 2 LEDs for the eyes.
Layer 2 (front): white face + 1 LED for the nose.
Layer 2 (back): two conductive threads connected in parallel to the LEDs.
Layer 3: an insulating layer to prevent interference between the back of the second layer and the front of the fourth layer (two conductive threads passing through).
Layer 4: coin battery placed in the middle of the dog’s head + two pieces of conductive fabric.
Layer 5: black fur around the ears and eyes.
There is also an additional product, the crucial bone:
Its front side is non-woven fabric, and the back side is conductive fabric. When it touches and connects the two pieces of conductive fabric in layer 4, the entire circuit should be activated, and the three LEDs should light up simultaneously.
Working Process:
- Fabric Preparation:
I started by cutting out large pieces of non-woven fabric that I needed. The process went smoothly, but unfortunately, I forgot to take photos.
- Sewing Practice:
Since I had no prior experience with sewing, I watched tutorial materials and consulted friends who were skilled in sewing to learn. Although I ultimately used the simplest stitching technique, I felt that this style suited the dog the best. I used a single-strand conductive thread for the electrical components. The entire dog’s five layers were sewn together with four-strand cotton thread.
[Our friend Ting is teaching Maggie and me.]
- Simple Test:
Before formally starting the production, I connected the materials I needed into a circuit to check the feasibility of this approach.
- Bone Making:
I had a total of two bones. The first one had electrical tape on the back. For the second one, I sewed conductive fabric onto non-woven fabric. Initially, I thought the first bone was cuter, but after completing the final product, I felt that the second one matched better with the overall style of the dog.
[The bone I finally used]
- 1st Try:
Following the specific operations outlined in the layout plan, I embarked on the production and sewing process.
I first secured the coin battery to the fourth layer of fabric. I passed a conductive thread through the positive pole, connecting it to the left-side conductive fabric. Starting from the LED designated as the nose, I threaded it through the fabric, tying a fabric thread on each leg. I repeated this process for the other two LEDs. The conductive thread connected to the positive pole passed through the insulating fabric and was sewn onto the right-side conductive fabric. The conductive thread connected to the negative pole passed through the insulating fabric and got connected to the negative pole.
Before fully securing them by sewing onto the right-side conductive fabric/negative pole, I tested whether the LEDs would light up (placing the threads on them without sewing). They all lit up!
I was thrilled, thinking I could finish quickly.
However, after completing the sewing, I noticed that the lights were sometimes on and sometimes off. I tested with a multimeter and found that it sometimes showed no issues, but other times, it indicated no current passing through. Initially, I thought it might be a problem with the wire I sewed onto the right-side conductive fabric, but it was fine. I then suspected that when I used conductive threads to connect the LEDs, the two threads might have touched, causing a short circuit, but that wasn’t the case either. Later, I thought I might have damaged the LEDs. My friend, La Amelia from Interlab, suggested I check if the coin battery was the issue. The multimeter showed that it was fine. As I continued my investigation, ruling out the possibility of a logical error in my circuit, and with the threads already loosened, the lights went from intermittent to not lighting up at all, and I mistakenly cut one strand of conductive thread.
In the end, I thought it could be one or a combination of the following reasons:
- LEDs were damaged;
- Conductive thread tied to the legs of the LED wasn’t tight enough, leading to poor contact;
- Conductive threads suffered damage during the inspection, preventing the flow of current.
So, I decided to dismantle the threads and start over.
- 2nd Try:
With a clear understanding of the logic, steps, potential issues, and a commitment to making it more refined since I was redoing it, this time I tightly tied each thread on the legs of the LEDs and secured them with super glue (as I felt nail polish might not provide a tight enough hold). I also firmly sewed the conductive fabric onto the fourth layer of fabric. Just like the first attempt, before sewing the conductive threads to the right-side conductive fabric (thread1)/ negative pole (thread2) to secure them, I tested whether the LEDs would light up. Finally, the lights came on again! I sewed them in place. I inserted the bone into the dog’s mouth. In the early hours of the morning, the IMA studio was lit with a faint blue light. I succeeded! And the connection was very stable!
I wrapped cotton around the LEDs to make the glow less intimidating and glaring, then sewed the periphery of the five layers of fabric together. The dog was finally complete!
Finished Product:
Further Application: (Just for Kidding:)
Initially, I found the blue light quite bright and not very pleasing to the eyes. But later, I suddenly thought that the brightness was also quite nice. At the beginning, I mentioned that one of the reasons I used blue LEDs was because the support color of the male idol I like, who owns a Border Collie, is blue. During the idol’s concerts, fans hold up reflective support fans and light boards to cheer for him. The colors of these fans and lights usually match the support color. The eyes of this dog are so bright; perhaps it can be attached to a support fan. Give it a bone, and it can emit a dazzling blue light.
Reading Reflections:
- What is fashion for you? and why are you interested in fashion?
For me, fashion is about being cool and comfortable. It’s not just about clothing but, more importantly, about my style, values, and identity—what I find cool and what I want to pursue.
To be frank, the reason I took this interactive fashion class was quite simple: to learn to create interesting and beautiful clothes. It’s like, after taking this class, I might have the ability to make clothes and get the chance to intern in fashion studios. Months ago, I accidentally discovered a fashion studio in Shanghai that was hiring. They provided beautiful clothes for the concerts of the idol I admire. At that time, the clothes on the stage under the spotlight deeply attracted me. They matched the performance well and looked very fancy (which might sound superficial compared to the artists in our readings).
Regarding fashion in general, 1) We can express our own style by choosing what makes us feel cool, comfortable, or fashionable through buying, matching, and making things ourselves. 2) I don’t exactly know what fashion is. It seems to lack a specific standard for evaluation. In my heart, the question “What is fashion?” is quite similar to questions like “What is art?” or “What is an artist?” Fashion is dynamic and may not always look nice and cute. Many argue that certain “fashion” brand items are ugly, but they are still considered fashionable. Or are they really fashionable? This ambiguity might be a reason why I’m interested in it—because I don’t really know what it is.
- What kinds of things do your clothing say about you and your values?
When my friends and I go shopping, sometimes they walk into a clothing store and say, “Oh, it’s Luna’s style.” Usually, those clothes are fluffy and colorful in light, energetic colors. I didn’t even realize I had so many clothes in that style until they pointed it out. In the previous semester, I particularly liked wearing Crocs with holes in the summer and flat canvas shoes or fuzzy slippers in the winter when going to school. My friends often say that this is my style: wearing slippers to school.
Initially, I felt happy when they said it was Luna’s style, and indeed, to some extent, these clothes reflect who I am. For example, I do like light-colored and colorful clothes (perhaps related to my love for cute stuffed animals), and I do like wearing Crocs and flat canvas shoes—easy and convenient shoes that allow me to quickly catch the shuttle bus to school.
However, over time, I grew tired of my friends and parents saying this. I feel that, yes, this is one aspect of me, but these clothes can be yours too. Yes, this is one side of me, but I can also wear different styles of clothes, not just be limited to what others call “Luna’s style.” My bag has many cute plush toys because I love them, and seeing them warms my heart. I have a variety of clothing that shows I am a diverse person. Even though I am quite short, I often wear flat shoes because comfort is a priority, and wearing high heels won’t actually make me taller. During finals week, I might wear similar clothes for several days because, when I’m busy, I don’t want to think about what to wear—maybe this can also be considered my style. Also, every time someone says I don’t suit a certain type of clothing, I take it to heart and carefully consider it. Given the chance, I might buy it and try it out. Maybe this also proves that I am a rebellious person, lol.
The clothing I wear is more about me than how I look in others’ eyes. The clothing I wear is about me, but I’m not only about the clothes I wear. That’s the value my clothing conveys about me.
- What are your main learnings and takeaways from the readings?
1) Fashion is a lot like programming. It has basic underlying code that needs to be followed to make the whole code run, but people can still produce different results through different combinations. It is changeable, with no specific rules or meanings.
2) Fashion has a significant connection to the era, social environment, and occasion people find themselves in. The same piece of clothing might be considered fashionable in one era’s environment but may no longer be considered fashionable when the era, occasion, or group changes.
3) Fashion requires innovation. It needs to be new, rarely seen, yet not entirely without an audience.
4) Fashion is about aesthetics, but not solely about aesthetics. It often involves representing and critiquing culture and ideologies through the clothing presented, sometimes more important than whether it is aesthetically pleasing.
In conclusion, fashion is a versatile and not-so-clear language. It is used to showcase aesthetics but is not limited to aesthetics alone. The key to fashion being fashion lies in constantly innovating through deep experimentation to express cultural and ideological viewpoints or critiques in various contexts.
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