10. Textile Scaffold¶
Research¶
For this week, I was really excited to start because Textile Scaffold is very close to my own approach. I love combining techniques and materials to discover new ones. Since my background mixes product design and textile design, blending these practices feels like a real strength for exploring new fabrication processes.
In my work with wool, I already use many different molding techniques. I create various fabric or plastic molds that I fill with wool and place in my washing machine to felt the fibers and form wool bricks.
I also carve foam molds into which I needle-felt the wool, allowing me to create a counter-shape using the needle-felting technique. With a single foam mold, I can obtain different opacity effects depending on the density of wool I integrate into the surface.
All these explorations are part of the material-tech language I’ve been building over time with my family’s wool.
References & Inspiration¶
I would like to recommend four very inspiring projects that I truly admire. First, the glass lamps produced at the CIRVA in Marseille by Normal Studio. For this series, they experimented with blowing glass into textile molds, an approach where the constraint of heat becomes a driving force for creative exploration. The work of Wendy Andreu has inspired me for many years, I even had the chance to intern in her studio in 2018. Her process involves wrapping cotton rope around notched metal structures (laser-cut and assembled), then coating the material with latex. Once dry, it forms a solid shape without any cutting or sewing. The studio CoPain, which merges bread and design, strongly inspires me through their use of food material and the playful, unconventional shapes they create. Finally, Emma Bruschi is a fascinating designer and craftswoman, particularly for her work with straw and her research into historical everyday objects once found in rural French households. Here, I highlight an example: a butter mold, an iconic object of rural French gastronomy that has largely fallen out of use today.
As for books, I recommend “Materiology”. Inside, you’ll find the entire process of material manufacturing, from raw matter to final finishes. Everything is clearly explained through diagrams, and it also includes different industrial molding processes.
Tools¶
- CNC
- Molds, foam block, lin textiles...
- Precision scale
- Hot plate or stove
- Saucepans
Wool Process¶
For this week, I wanted to continue developing my fabrication processes while blending them with my gelatin-based research from the BioFabricating Materials week.
I first prepared my foam block, which this time I scored into a grid so I could needle-felt my wool into it in a woven/caning-like pattern. Once removed from the foam, the material naturally gained a kind of volume and puffiness that I wanted to preserve while adding more strength to it, without losing the airy quality of the fiber.
To achieve this, I decided to return to my gelatin spray technique so that the material could hold its shape and gain a subtle shape-memory effect, something I was eager to explore further.
Gelatin Recipes¶
- 80 mL water
- 16 g powdered gelatin
- 2.5 g glycerin
- Essential oil (tea tree, mint, or lavender)
- Optional: food coloring, natural pigments, coffee grounds, eggshells, seeds
- Scale
- Saucepan
- Spoon or spatula
- Stove or hot plate
- Embroidery hoops with plastic sheets (or any mold)
- Prepare your mold: place the plastic sheet between the embroidery hoop frames, add decorative elements if desired.
- Weigh all ingredients into a saucepan.
- Heat gently (60–80°C), stirring slowly to prevent bubbles.
- When syrupy, remove from heat and add a few drops of essential oil.
- Pour mixture into prepared hoop and mix in optional additives.
- Let dry flat for 1–2 hours depending on thickness.
- Remove plastic, reassemble hoops, and hang to dry both sides evenly.
- Full drying may take a few days.
- Do not immerse in water.
- Make sure it is fully dry before handling.
- Do not heat above 60 °C.
- Biodegradable, can be remelted and reshaped.
Gelatin Spray¶
Once our gelatin recipe is ready, the liquid needs to be transferred into a glass spray bottle to protect the container from heat. I recommend using a funnel to make this step easier. Once filled, the spray will be very hot, so it’s necessary to wrap the bottle in a cloth to handle it safely.
For this sample, I chose to use a drying rack as the structure to shape my wool surface. I decided to create a “wave” movement to introduce volume and dynamic forms that would not have been possible without using gelatin. Once the wool is positioned, I sprayed the entire surface with my gelatin solution. For this sample, I applied a total of 50 mL of gelatin over the piece.
- Prepare your Gelatin
- Place your wool in the desired shape
- Spray the entire surface
Result¶
Once dry, I can remove the wool from the drying rack to reveal the final result.
A small tips¶
When the gelatin cools and hardens, you can microwave it to return it to a liquid state. At the end, the spray bottle should always be cleaned with hot water to prevent the nozzle from clogging.
Wool and Gelatin¶
Next, I continued working with the gelatin-and-wool mixture. I used my foam molding technique to shape a surface and coat the back with gelatin. The front retains the fluffy texture of the wool, while the back becomes glossy. Thanks to the gelatin, the wool returns to its original shape as soon as it is twisted.
I also wanted to revisit the idea of the wool spring, but this time using leftover wool felt selvedges instead of a braid. By adding gelatin, I wanted to see if it would increase the resistance of this non-woven structure. With a larger piece, I created a tube, applying the gelatin only to the outside so the inside would remain natural. Once dry, the wool becomes fixed in a tubular shape, and, as usual, returns to its original form when bent or compressed.
I wanted to experiment with a pleating technique using a folded piece of wool. With clips, I held the folds in place and applied gelatin only to the sides. Once dry, the gelatin fixed the pleats, creating an accordion-like structure.
And finally, I repeated a test using the same foam block from the beginning to add wool fibers again, this time with a smaller graphic pattern, which I then stretched into a U-shape. As before, I applied the gelatin spray, using 25 ml this time. Once dry, the weight of the gelatin caused the shape to shift, and the final form ended up looking more like a triangle, which is also quite interesting.
Result¶
Textile Molds and Bread¶
For the second process, I wanted to experiment with textile molds, but I was looking for a material that could expand like glass inside and that was biodegradable. I thought that bread could be an interesting material since, after resting and then baking, the dough naturally rises. I first looked for materials that could withstand the heat of an oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
| Fabric | Durability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linen | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The best: used in bakeries |
| 100% Cotton | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Does not burn at 180°C, may brown slightly |
| Hemp | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Also excellent |
| Baker's cloth ("couche") | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Designed for this purpose |
| Fabric | Hazard |
|---|---|
| Polyester | Melts, releases toxic fumes |
| Poly-cotton | High risk of melting |
| Nylon | Melts |
| Acrylic | Highly flammable |
| Wool (pure) | May brown / smell → not recommended in oven |
I decided to work with linen since we had some at Green Fabric, using cotton thread for the stitching. I chose to make molds with pleats, smocking, openings and I also made braids using flax fiber. Each mold has a “pillow” opening/closure so that the dough won’t escape while it rises in the oven.
I made my first bread dough. I must admit I wasn’t very confident with kneading the dough, but I did my best.
Bread Recipe 🥖¶
Ingredients :
- 500 g flour (T55 or T65)
- 320 g water (64% hydration — ideal for holding shapes)
- 10 g salt
- 5 g dry yeast OR 12 g fresh yeast
Steps :
- Mix flour + water → autolyse for 20 minutes (produces a smoother dough, allowing for finer details).
- Add salt + yeast → knead for 5 minutes.
- Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- Place the dough into your textile mold.
- Let it rise again for 30–45 minutes.
- Bake for 25–35 minutes at maximum 180–200°C.
Once prepared, I divided my dough into several portions to distribute them into each mold. I wrapped one of the dough balls with my flax braid, hoping it would leave its mark in the final result. For safety reasons, I lightly misted the textiles with a spray bottle of water.
Once ready, I baked the first batch for 45 minutes.
Result¶
Unfortunately, the results were not successful as my bread dough did not rise at all. I think there might be an issue with my baking skills! Perhaps I should try again with someone who really knows how to make proper bread dough.
CNC¶
For the CNC training, I unfortunately wasn’t able to attend. However, I have already worked with this type of machine in the past. We don’t have free access to the CNC, which is why I think I would only use it for the final project if it’s truly necessary. I’ll let you explore Annabel’s excellent documentation to understand how to use the machine.