Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Survival Routines
The final part of the project was to study survival routines. Several choices were given - eating, drinking, sleeping, etc. And also there were several units of measure in which you could keep track of your habits.
Over the course of 4 days I monitored my sleep habits, where I was at the time, when I was sleeping and whether it was intentional or not. I also measured my eating habits based on my nutritional intake of calories. All 4 days were very average for me so I do not believe I have any spiked results, if anything my calorie intake might be slightly lower than it should to account for cone cups of soft drinks while at my job.
I took a graphic representation approach to map my behaviors, using circles to show a 24 hour period and the average activity within. Color theory played a small role in determining the key for the sleep habit chart - showing planned and unplanned and the extent of time I spent sleeping.
The chart on the left describes my sleeping habits and the chart on the right describes my average caloric intake every hour over a 24 hour period.
Over the course of 4 days I monitored my sleep habits, where I was at the time, when I was sleeping and whether it was intentional or not. I also measured my eating habits based on my nutritional intake of calories. All 4 days were very average for me so I do not believe I have any spiked results, if anything my calorie intake might be slightly lower than it should to account for cone cups of soft drinks while at my job.
I took a graphic representation approach to map my behaviors, using circles to show a 24 hour period and the average activity within. Color theory played a small role in determining the key for the sleep habit chart - showing planned and unplanned and the extent of time I spent sleeping.
The chart on the left describes my sleeping habits and the chart on the right describes my average caloric intake every hour over a 24 hour period.
Advertising
Another part of the assignment encompassed creating an advertisement for the finished product. I chose a catchy and witty take that didn't play on the visual image of a tie attached to someones face. I took humor and facts along with a bit of color theory for contrast and put them into a humerus yet enlightening ad - one that speaks of the tie as a sophisticated and fashionable piece of everyday protection.
Final. Finally.
For my final tie several alterations were made, obviously most aimed at bringing the presentation quality up. However some of the functional changes included adding two metal strips from surgical masks to the bottom of the tie. This allows the mask to utilize its natural shape more and create a lock-tight fit to the users face.
Another change was the elastic. These pieces were too bulky in the original and actually sat uncomfortably behind the ear. The new elastic is round and softer and thinner. This also allows the elastic to be concealed within the tie easier than before.
The third major change was for bulk reasons. Extending the filter fabric to cover the entire back of the tie made the knot unusually large and at times uncomfortable to wear around the neck. Since the tail of the tie holds no purpose in filtration I changed the backing to a lightweight and thin cotton black fabric. Now the tail has less body and becomes more ergonomic when worn around the neck.
As for aesthetic looks the zipper is now actually sewn into the inseam instead of glued under the fabric. The elastic strips have been carefully sewn into the filter fabric and even drawn through corresponding holes on the mesh to alleviate any stitching being evident on the outside of the tie. The tie is still hand stitched on the back of the tie so it seems as if there are no stitches existing.
In real world application there would be some sort of adhesive used that could easily release when pulled on to hold the elastic pieces in the body of the tie. But for the fact that its functionality will be heavily demonstrated I have decided to leave them loose and just use the tie itself to hold them inside.
I chose the color of the tie because red is a business staple for ties and it is also a striking and bold color for fashion appeal. Below are some pictures and descriptions of the finished piece.
The finished Plague tie Facing front
Finished Plague Tie facing back (elastic strips are barely visible, 4 white dots. Notice the zipper)
A close up of the tie unzipped and the elastic drawn out.
A view of the tie in action on me, notice the form fit across the nose and cheekbones. The zipper closes the gap across the bottom of my chin
The tie opened after being taken off my face. Notice the metal strips still held in position causing the bump at the tip of the tie.
Another change was the elastic. These pieces were too bulky in the original and actually sat uncomfortably behind the ear. The new elastic is round and softer and thinner. This also allows the elastic to be concealed within the tie easier than before.
The third major change was for bulk reasons. Extending the filter fabric to cover the entire back of the tie made the knot unusually large and at times uncomfortable to wear around the neck. Since the tail of the tie holds no purpose in filtration I changed the backing to a lightweight and thin cotton black fabric. Now the tail has less body and becomes more ergonomic when worn around the neck.
As for aesthetic looks the zipper is now actually sewn into the inseam instead of glued under the fabric. The elastic strips have been carefully sewn into the filter fabric and even drawn through corresponding holes on the mesh to alleviate any stitching being evident on the outside of the tie. The tie is still hand stitched on the back of the tie so it seems as if there are no stitches existing.
In real world application there would be some sort of adhesive used that could easily release when pulled on to hold the elastic pieces in the body of the tie. But for the fact that its functionality will be heavily demonstrated I have decided to leave them loose and just use the tie itself to hold them inside.
I chose the color of the tie because red is a business staple for ties and it is also a striking and bold color for fashion appeal. Below are some pictures and descriptions of the finished piece.
The finished Plague tie Facing front
Finished Plague Tie facing back (elastic strips are barely visible, 4 white dots. Notice the zipper)
A close up of the tie unzipped and the elastic drawn out.
A view of the tie in action on me, notice the form fit across the nose and cheekbones. The zipper closes the gap across the bottom of my chin
The tie opened after being taken off my face. Notice the metal strips still held in position causing the bump at the tip of the tie.Thursday, February 11, 2010
Learning to Fly... err.. Sew
The prototype process is difficult for me. Fabric is not a medium I am proficient in. It has definitely been a learning process to move from scissors to a rotary cutter and from clogging a sewing bobbin every 5 minutes to not having any problems. So needless to say I have gotten better at sewing over the course of this project.
The tie pattern I purchased for this project was extremely helpful although it had to be modified to accommodate the changes and still resemble a normal necktie. One of the largest changes was that the interlining was no longer an adhesive piece run through the middle, it becomes a complete backing for the tie so when it unfolds the whole area can perform as a filter. The next change was the addition of a 9 inch zipper the bottom back of the tie where the two halves meet. The 3/8 inch seam allowance given for the overlap of the pieces becomes the seam allowance to sew the front and back together. Given that this was the first model the zipper was glued in place to see if the functionality was in tact for its position.
Two elastic straps were meant to circumvent the head above and below the ears but this idea gave way to straps that snugged in behind the ears. This allowed for a tighter fit and also less elastic material to conceal within the tie. these were sewn directly onto the back (leaving stitch marks on front). I also stitched part of the cover piece that wraps to the back down to prevent any unwanted bunching. The tail of the tie is made in the same way except for the lack of an elastic piece and zipper. Once both ends are trimmed and turned right side out to conceal the seams the pieces are then sewn together and again trimmed up.
The entire tie is then quickly pressed to give it shape and folded to resemble its final shape. Starting at the tail it is then hand stitched up the zipper. A finished prototype, what a beautiful thing.
The tie pattern I purchased for this project was extremely helpful although it had to be modified to accommodate the changes and still resemble a normal necktie. One of the largest changes was that the interlining was no longer an adhesive piece run through the middle, it becomes a complete backing for the tie so when it unfolds the whole area can perform as a filter. The next change was the addition of a 9 inch zipper the bottom back of the tie where the two halves meet. The 3/8 inch seam allowance given for the overlap of the pieces becomes the seam allowance to sew the front and back together. Given that this was the first model the zipper was glued in place to see if the functionality was in tact for its position.
Two elastic straps were meant to circumvent the head above and below the ears but this idea gave way to straps that snugged in behind the ears. This allowed for a tighter fit and also less elastic material to conceal within the tie. these were sewn directly onto the back (leaving stitch marks on front). I also stitched part of the cover piece that wraps to the back down to prevent any unwanted bunching. The tail of the tie is made in the same way except for the lack of an elastic piece and zipper. Once both ends are trimmed and turned right side out to conceal the seams the pieces are then sewn together and again trimmed up.
The entire tie is then quickly pressed to give it shape and folded to resemble its final shape. Starting at the tail it is then hand stitched up the zipper. A finished prototype, what a beautiful thing.
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