Larva vest¶
ABOUT THIS GARMENT¶
This vest is inspired by the first stage of the beetle life cycle, the larva. I wanted to capture the flexibility and movement that characterize these creatures, and I thought the connection to soft robotics would be an interesting way to approach the design.
My idea is to create an inflatable piece, but in a way that's different from what we're used to. While traditional puffer vests gain volume through synthetic padding, mine incorporates a simple electronic system with an air pump to inflate certain details of the vest, allowing it to take on a dynamic and transformable shape.
I chose to use low-density textiles that can be sublimated before sewing, resulting in a lightweight garment with a high-quality finish. Additionally, for the inflatable elements, I use the technique of inflatable vinyls, which I explored during Soft Robots Week.
DESIGN¶
Patterns¶
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I decided to use SolidWorks for the pattern design, as my idea is to cut them with a laser to achieve greater precision and avoid the fabric fraying before sewing.
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I started with the design of the vest front, considering the measurements of a person who wears a size large in Mexico. I used the same base to trace the lines for the back piece, which will have slight adjustments to ensure a curved shape.
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When the pieces are symmetrical, the "symmetry" tool is very useful to draw only half of the piece and mirror the lines. This way, you can visualize the full proportion of the vest, but in this case, half-drawings are sufficient.
NOTE: If for some reason the laser cutter's dimensions are limiting, the pattern can be modified to cut the fabric folded in half, especially if both sides are symmetrical.
- I did copy-paste the drawing onto the same workspace sheet to have a reference for the shape that needed to be maintained when removing all the guide lines.
NOTE: This process must be done carefully, as SOLIDWORKS generates reference points in the drawing that may be altered if any element is deliberately deleted.
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The garment's construction requires an extra 1 cm on the edges to prevent the proportions from shrinking when sewing along the edges. So, using the "Equidistant relations" tool, I selected the entire trace and applied a 1 cm distance. This way, I obtained the cutting lines for the laser cutter.
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An important aspect for cutting this design is to keep the centerline without the offset and remove it before exporting the drawing, because, when folding the fabric in half, there is no need for the laser to trace that path on the fabric.
Color & Texture¶
Sublimate¶
LASER CUT¶
VINYL PIECE¶
Pattern¶
