The Heavy¶

Loss, Shame, and Grief¶

In this part of the garment, we explore those complex and weighty emotions.

Humans are like onions—cool, right?
We have many folds, layers, and buried depths. We hide emotions deep within, but we also shed them over time.

This layer dives into:
- Heavy emotions
- The burdens and accumulation of buried memories
- Confusion and internal tension

Design Development¶

I explored many ways to convey the idea of heaviness.
Could I have done a 3D-printed dress? Sure.
But where's the challenge in that?
I’m obsessed with fabric manipulation—textures, complexity, depth. This project was the perfect outlet for that passion.

Multilayered garments always speak louder.
And yes, people can feel when a garment carries layers of concepts, emotion, and experimentation.

So, I leaned into: - Ruffling - Waves - Line complexity
All techniques that felt heavy to the eye and to the heart.

Grasshopper + Fabric Manipulation¶

I began by generating emotional wave patterns using Grasshopper.
(You can check my Grasshopper Exploration to better understand how I did that.)

The output? Beautiful flowing lines that were technically 2D.
So how do you make that 3D in a textile?

In haute couture fashion, you'd turn to: - Beading - Embroidery
- Quilting
- Appliqué

But for this?
I wanted to experiment with ruffles they naturally carry volume and a sense of emotional weight.
They move. They pile. They fall.
Just like us.

Fabric Manipulation Prototype¶

Step 1:
Laser engraved muslin fabric with the wave-inspired pattern.

Step 2:
Cut spirals of fabric to create a ruffled texture and movement—this gives the “heavy” feel both visually and physically.

Step 3:
Sew the ruffles along the engraved lines to build volume, dimension, and emotion into the textile itself.

Silhouette¶

Now that the concept and textures are defined, it’s time to explore the silhouettes.

For this part, I wanted something that feels suffocating something visually heavy on the shoulders.
A shape that makes you feel a little uneasy, as if it's dragging you down.

I focused my research on armor-like silhouettes—they carry weight, they feel condensed, and they symbolize both clutter and pressure.
Perfect for expressing the emotional weight of loss, grief, and shame.

Pattern Making Prototype¶

Well… this part was a rollercoaster, lol!
Me and my tailor (aka my savior) dove headfirst into developing an armor-like pattern.

First, I knew I wanted the garment to be free-sized something that could fit anyone, regardless of body shape.
So we removed defined shoulders, aiming for a more abstract and universal silhouette.

After experimenting with several shapes, we finally landed on the cocoon shape:
- It feels armor-like
- Visually heavy
- And most importantly, free-sized

This became our starting point—and honestly, it laid down a strong foundation to build on.

Digitizing the Pattern¶

Next, I wanted to digitize the pattern:
- To keep a copy for myself
- And to add the emotional wave patterns digitally

So I took a picture of the half pattern, tweaked the length a bit, and saved it—ready to be reused or reimagined anytime.

💡 Miniature Pattern Testing:
To avoid wasting fabric during prototyping, I created "Barbie-sized" pattern pieces. It was a clever and resource-saving way to test construction and ruffling techniques before committing to full-scale cuts.

Wave-Inspired Hemline¶

At first, my hemline was a simple curve…
But then I rememberedI’m the girl of multilayered concepts!
So I reworked it to incorporate the wave forms into the pattern itself, giving the garment deeper emotional and conceptual rhythm.

Now we have a dynamic and more developed hemline!

Adding the Waves¶

Once I had the pattern finalized and loved, it was time to add the lines developed in Grasshopper.

I imported the SVG files for each song from my Grasshopper exploration to Adobe Illustrator. these lines will act like a map, guiding where to pin and sew the ruffles on the garment.

This step took a lot of work. I had to refine each line manually, which honestly took my whole existence (yes, really).

I also wanted the wave patterns to be seamless across the seams, so when the garment is sewn together, the lines continue smoothly across the panels—like emotions flowing uninterrupted through the fabric.

After what felt like 15 years of sweat, tears, and grease, I was finally left with the most beautiful outlines ever!
I mean it—seeing the emotion lines fully integrated into the garment was surreal.

⚠️ Heads up:
I was mentally drained (and fasting during Ramadan), so I made a mistake I forgot to mirror the back pattern piece before finalizing. That meant I had to manually fix the orientation during sewing... not fun. So please—mirror your patterns before you start pinning and cutting!

As for the spirals, I created them in various sizes to add visual interest and variation.
To enhance their depth and texture, I also added wave markings—this gave the spirals a more dynamic and layered look when sewn onto the fabric.

Fabrication Time¶

Well yeah, we’re here! It's time to laser cut!

Laser Cutting Settings & Color Coding¶

Color	Function	Power	Speed
Red	Cutting	65	3
Blue	Marking	40	10
Black	Engraving	60	20

⚠️ Warning:
Some of the **spiral lines were too close to each other**, which caused parts of the fabric to accidentally cut through. To avoid this, make sure to:

Space the lines slightly farther apart,
Or reduce the power in those areas.

Also, I used **grey wool fabric**, which made it hard to see the engraved lines—so I increased the power. If you're using a lighter-colored fabric, you may not need to increase the settings.

Watching the laser do its job is honestly mesmerizing like textile magic in real time!

So, I’ll leave you with some clips to enjoy the process as much as I did.

Assembly!¶

As mentioned before, because I chose a darker fabric, it was hard to see the laser-engraved lines. So, I marked over them using tailor’s chalk to make my life a little easier.

Then came the pinning marathon I pinned every ruffle carefully along those emotional, wavy lines.

That was followed by sloooow machine sewing (because those curves were steep and dramatic!).

💡 Note:
I combined hand sewing and machine sewing for this part. Hand sewing gave me more control over the curves, but let’s be real—time is a luxury, so I had to mix it up.

3D Printed Buttons¶

one last minute addition was the 3D printing of the button, I found a ready Shank Button STL on thingverse and printed with PLA on the Bambulab A1.

3D Printing Settings – Generic PLA¶

Category	Setting	Value / Recommendation
Filament	Type	Generic PLA
	Printer	Bambu Lab A1 (or similar)
	Build Plate	Textured PEI Plate
Quality	Layer Height	0.2 mm
	Initial Layer Height	0.28 mm
	Wall Line Count	2
	Top Layers	4
	Bottom Layers	3
Shell	Top Surface Pattern	Monotonic
	Bottom Surface Pattern	Monotonic
	Wall Pattern	Zig-zag
Infill	Density	15–30%
	Pattern	Grid / Gyroid
	Line Distance	Auto
Temperature	Nozzle Temp (Initial)	215°C
	Nozzle Temp (Other Layers)	210–220°C
	Bed Temp	60°C
Speed	Print Speed	200 mm/s
	Wall Speed	100 mm/s
	Top/Bottom Speed	60 mm/s
	Initial Layer Speed	20 mm/s
Cooling	Fan Speed	100%
	Fan on First Layer	Off (optional)

And just like that...
The heavy layer is done!

Honestly? I think it’s my favorite.

The structure. The textures. The contrast between the lightness of the fabric and the heaviness of the emotion It’s my all-time favorite piece so far.