Eeva-Kaisa Ahlamo
Github
My github repo is here
My homepage is here
Documenting the course works
1
One of the homeworks in the course was to pick a code crafting tool and programme some pattern with it and then realise it to a handicraft. I picked Pa++ern since it felt interesting enough to try out. Our teacher had coded a Processing version of the programme (here is the link) and one other task was to code the initials of our names into the programme and use them to create some patterns. Well, my nickname since I was 7 has been exactly that: my initials, so I thought it a great idea for a handicraft.
First I had to find out how to draw the lines for the letters. I found the character details in the tab "stitches". It took me a while to draw the letters, since the coordination system with this one was different from Processing in general: the starting point was in the middle instead of the upper left corner. But when I got that sorted it was rather easy to create the letters for E, K and A. (If you want to see the whole code after I tweaked it to my needs, it's here.)
In Pa++ern the idea is to use certain characters to turn, twist, rotate, etc. the characters that are them embroidered into the fabric. The commands for this are on the first page in the Processing programme, and I took some time to try them out to see what happens with each of them. Right in the beginning of the code there is the string that controls the output, so I played with it for a while. Pretty soon I accidentally stumbled into a pattern that cought my eye.
I liked it being incomplete, but colourful, round, but edgy at the same time. (And I've been playing with the spectra in other situations for some time now.) Even if I hadn't been testing too many things yet I thought I didn't dare to play with it any further, since I know good ideas can also come in the beginning. :)
So, I decided to make something out of this pattern. First, I needed to embroider it. Luckily, I had everything I needed at hand.
At this stage I didn't yet know what I wanted to make out of it, but after I had embroidered the letters my friend said that it kinda looked like the vinyl records. With the embroidery frame that was true, so I thought I could do something round out of it. Then the idea of a small pouch came to my mind, and that's what I eventually did.
I still need to get some chain to carry the pouch, but other than that it came out rather nice. Suitable party bag in any case. :)
2
Final project: a skirt
As my final project for the course I decided to create a skirt with flowers coded in Processing. The idea was to create a code which would slightly change the form of the flowers with the random-command. Since I wanted to do a jeans skirt I decided the colours of the flowers to be red and gold, they would give a nice contrast for the fabric.
First I made the skirt, because I wanted to see what kind of a pattern the flowers could form on it. I had an old pair of jeans, from which I cut the legs and ripped the seams. I used the fabric from the leg parts to fill the gap in the middle and sewed it all together. (It actually came out nicely, considering I've never done skirt out of jeans before.)
