Armor Fabric

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Seth Winner

Deflexion_Vest.jpgSometimes I dream of the day when we all live in modern settings and only need to wear one piece of do-everything clothing. It comes from watching too much Star Trek. I imagine their jumpsuits to be a futuristic textile technology that does everything: Moves with you, keeps you warm, keeps you cold, protects you from impacts, keeps you dry and makes you stronger. It would be like the unified theory of wearable textiles. Continue reading →

Posted in armor, clothing, protection, Textiles | 3 Comments

Louise Bourgeois Textile Drawings

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Seth Winner

Well this is interesting; There is a Louise Bourgeois textile art show in London through December. As usual I’ll have to live vicariously through the Internet, but for you jet setters, or people living in London, here’s something to see at Hauser & Wirth. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, pattern, Textiles | Leave a comment

Brick Carpet Loom

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Seth Winner

When I re-do my driveway, I want this machine and I don’t care if its not cost-effective and won’t even fit in my yard. This is a fantastic toy.

I saw this over at Gizmodo last week and I couldn’t help but to think about the similarities between brick patterning and weave patterning. They share in common the basket weave and herringbone, and in decorative terms share design elements with carpet, however, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term “soldier course” in reference to carpet design.

It also goes back to a thought that I started yesterday that “that roads are non-woven textile ribbons of asphalt”… or in this case, brick.

Posted in Architecture, brick, carpet, Landscape, machines, pattern, pavement | 1 Comment

Textile Landscapes

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Seth Winner

I’m a fan of artwork that is topographical or topological. (topical, not so much) Sometimes I like to think of the Earth’s surface as a slow moving textile. Its the flexible plastic layer that drapes on top of the mantle and core; or something like that. (Hell, I’d argue that roads are non-woven textile ribbons of asphalt on top of that…) Continue reading →

Posted in 3d textile, Architecture, Art, Landscape, Textiles | 2 Comments

Spacesuits are handmade.

Posted on November 18, 2010 by sethwinner

Plaster casts of Apollo Astronaut hands for custom gloves. Houston TX, 1968. (Gizmodo via Fresh Protons)

I’m a sucker for anything NASA, especially anything from the Apollo Program. I have been since I was a kid. After Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, my biggest childhood heroes were Buzz Aldrain and Niel Armstrong. So after I got over the cool high drama light on the image to the left, I realized these are the hands of Spacemen; more so; these are custom Glove forms for Astronauts.

Gloves are notoriously difficult to make and with Space Gloves you can easily Quadruple that difficulty. They are so problematic that NASA created a Glove X-Prize to challenge our American Brains to come up with a more functional Design. Continue reading →

Posted in Customization, Gloves, NASA, Space Suits, Textiles | Leave a comment

Textiles are cool.

Posted on November 16, 2010 by sethwinner

Seriously. Textiles are cool. They enhance and protect our bodies. They encase and decorate the cushioning in our furniture. They soften the blow of our steps on the floor. They insulate windows from light and heat and cold. They can keep you from plummeting to your death and instead let you hang in the air. They can be coerced into the shape of a shelter that can be de-framed to fit on your back. They can be inflated to keep you from smashing to pieces when impacting a planet’s surface. They can be hung from a post to move a boat. They can be impregnated with resin to become a hardened shape. They can stop bullets. They can make you faster and stronger. They can hold you together. They can hold earth together.

Impressive stuff, textiles.

So here it is: I’m starting a blog about the textiles that fascinate and impress me. Its a place to collect links to cool textiles and writings about them. Its my interest, so there will be plenty on technical, structural, athletic, outdoor, architectural, and futuristic textiles. There might be some looks back at textile history, some commentary, and some criticism. Mostly though, I plan to celebrate textiles that are cool and/or used in a cool way.

Stay Tuned.

Posted in Textiles | 2 Comments