The Light¶
Love, Nostalgia, Resilience, and Gratitude¶
When you begin to address your emotions—naming them, holding them, instead of suppressing them—something shifts.
Things start to feel lighter, airier. The weight lifts from your shoulders, and your true self begins to shine through.
This layer is about transformation and freedom. It’s where you let go and allow softness to guide you.
This part of the project explores:
- Lighter emotional states
- Shedding emotional weight and finding freedom
- Embracing all parts of yourself, turning even your most feared emotions into companions
Design Development¶
For this layer, I wanted to convey the lightness of these emotions through sheer, dynamic fabrics that move with ease and fluidity.
The ghost-like inspiration served as the perfect reference for the mood I was aiming for, soft, ethereal, and quietly powerful.
But how would I incorporate the waves I explored in my Grasshopper Exploration?
I wanted to create a dynamic, fluid feel a continuation of the emotional narrative by using 3D printing.
The wave patterns felt like the perfect metaphor for connection and motion, echoing how emotions rise, fall, and flows through us.
Grasshopper + 3D Printing¶
One of the best decisions I made in this project was to stay open-minded about how I would use the wave patterns I developed in Grasshopper.
In the Heavy layer, the waves became a base for fabric manipulation. But here, I wanted to explore a new territory appliqué, in true couture fashion. And let me tell you it was such a ride!
One thing about me, I don’t really love the finish of 3D printing.
Don’t come after me, but I was genuinely hesitant to use it in this project because of that.
Instead of giving it up completely, I decided to experiment and find a way to make it more visually appealing to me.
The answer? Layers.
I ended up covering the 3D printed pieces with a layer of sheer fabric, and it completely changed the look!
It made the prints feel more expensive, softer, and added depth to the overall design.
It gave that “couture meets tech” effect I was aiming for—and honestly, I loved it!
I envisioned a continuous and seamless pattern traveling around the garment because that’s what lines do, right?
To start, I draped my test swatches on a mannequin to get a real feel for how the shapes interacted with the fabric and the body.
After experimenting with several swatches, I finally found a direction that clicked.
I refined the wave forms in Adobe Illustrator, combining multiple emotional patterns to create a more layered and meaningful result.
Eperimenting with seamless 3D printing patterns¶
To make the continuous line concept work within the limitations of the 3D printer, I had to strategically break the design into segments that could actually fit on the print bed.
That was a puzzle on its own, but totally worth it.
When designing with textiles, always drape your fabric and test your materials. What looks good on paper doesn’t always translate well in real life fabric, appliqué, and 3D prints have weight, structure, and unique drape. Let the design guide you—don’t force it. Trust the process, and let the materials speak.
After that, I imported the SVG file into Rhino and got to work.
To stay organized, I numbered each piece—because trust me, once everything is printed, they all start to look the same.
Labeling helped me keep track of the segments and made the final assembly way less chaotic.
Fabrication Time¶
I used the Bambu Lab A1 with Bambu Lab TPU 95A HF filament. Buckle up—it took a while to print! TPU is flexible but can be tricky, so patience was definitely required.
3D Printing Settings (Bambu Lab A1 – Bambu Studio)¶
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Initial Layer Speed | 30 mm/s |
| Initial Layer Infill | 40 mm/s |
| Outer Wall Speed | 40 mm/s |
| Inner Wall Speed | 40 mm/s |
| Small Perimeters | 50% |
| Sparse Infill | 50 mm/s |
| Internal Solid Infill | 50 mm/s |
| Top Surface | 200 mm/s |
| Overhang Speed | 50 mm/s |
| Bridge Speed | 50 mm/s |
| Gap Infill | 250 mm/s |
| Travel Speed | 700 mm/s |
| Normal Printing Acceleration | 6000 mm/s² |
| Initial Layer Acceleration | 500 mm/s² |
| Outer Wall Acceleration | 5000 mm/s² |
| Inner Wall Acceleration | 0 mm/s² |
| Top Surface Acceleration | 2000 mm/s² |
| Sparse Infill Acceleration | 100% |
| Retraction Length (Filament Settings) | 0.4 mm |
| Z Hop When Retract | Unchecked |
| Retraction Length (Printer Settings) | 0.8 mm |
| Z Hop Upper Boundary | 249 mm |
| Retraction Speed | 30 mm/s |
| Deretraction Speed | 30 mm/s |
| Travel Distance Threshold | 1 mm |
| Retract When Change Layer | Checked |
| Wipe While Retracting | Checked |
| Wipe Distance | 2 mm |
Garment Construction¶
Sewing Pattern¶
I created a cape using a very straightforward pattern.
To add complexity and depth, I layered two different fabrics, allowing them to interact and enhance the overall look of the garment.
I layered different tones of tulle fabric to create depth, giving the piece a sense of weightlessness and complexity at the same time.
Hand Sewing The Appliques¶
I draped and pinned all the 3D Pieces together, this process took all the time in the world. becuase all of it was hand sewn with an invisible thread and man, my back still hurts!
but you know what? if I learnt anything from textile academy is to learn how to smartly, incorporate technology with craftsmenship, did it hurt? sure? I am happy and proud about it? of course!
Yeah, here we are The Light, in all of its glory!
I genuinely love this garment. It feels truly ethereal, delicate, and emotionally rich.
Every detail resonates deeply, and honestly, I adore everything about it.
