Encoded Cloth From the Future Final – Erica Fu

After spending a lot more time than expected on this project, I grew a new appreciation for any type of textile work. I understood how much time and patience was required for such projects, but the planning and vast understanding of different techniques required to make something neat and as intended is amazing.

I intended to essentially recreate the sketch above with textiles. Since I did not have yellow cloth, I stitched together many smaller pieces cut from around patterns of a blanket and some pieces of turmeric-dyed cloth. Furthermore, I had to do the same for the red cloth even though most of it is covered up now. For the smoke, I incorporated new textures by loosely stitching some thinner fabric to create more dimension. The fire and houses are embroidered on to provide more details and add a different type of movement.

If I were to do this project again, I would be more careful with not wrinkling the fabric at each step. The end result is not as neat as I hoped because I used too much tension when embroidering. Furthermore, I would have cut up the houses individually and stitched them together instead if I planned out the project better. I had a lot of fun making this piece and definitely grew to understand the appreciate the sewing machine more.