PINE NEEDLE (THE ART OF WEAVING AND COILING)
EXPLORING PINES
copyright
Post Graduate Degree program in Apparel Design National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar, India Text - Rikita Thakur Photographs - Rikita Thakurz Source mentioned under photographs unless otherwise stated All rights reserved under International Copyright Convention No part of this document may be reperoduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Guide - Ms. Sonal Chauhan Field study - Rikita thakur Editted by - Rikita Thakur Designed by - Rikita Thakur Processed at National Institute of Design Digitally printed at -
DESIGN PROCESS - 1 Material Exploration
Rikita Thakur
Apparel Design National Institute of Design
Acknowledgement 6
I am really grateful because I managed to complete our Design process project within the given time frame. This assignment cannot be completed without the effort and co-operation from our course lead Ms. Sonal Chauhan and for the encouragement in finishing this assignment even from distance through online classes and. Last but not least,I would like to express my gratitude to friends and respondents for the support and willingness to ttend the the workshop.
Design Process Pine Needles Rikita Thakur
Doing this project helped us to undertand and enhance the knowledge regarding building vocabulary of various materials and their properties; to come up with innovative concepts, surfaces/ structures or construction techniques using a combination of materials, that adds another dimension to apparel and other products.
preface
As per the curiculum of Apparel Design and in order to gain the practical knowledge about the behavior of different materials, we were required to work on the materials locally available in our surroundings. The basic motive behind doing this project was to understand the characteristic behaviour of the materials and how they can be transformed from one from to another.
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Content 8
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1. introduction 2. raw material 3) preparation 4) weaving 5) coiling 6) explorations 7) workshop 8) conclusion
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bundant Resources Pine trees are abundant in Himachal Pradesh and perhaps it’s not surprising that the sturdy needles have been used for centuries to make any number of usable and decorative containers. This undertaking goes back centuries where people used the needles to fashion baskets. Fortunately, these coiling techniques have been passed down for posterity, plus modern crafters have added their own ideas into the mix. Pine needle baskets are unique-looking products. There are different trees and different needles and length of needles can vary greatly.
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aw Material
The fragrant pine needle lends itself almost irresistibly to basketwork. It is firm yet supple, and its soft brown shades seem to invite decoration in gayly colored raffia. For the convenience of the weaver, apparently, the needles come in groups of three, with a sheath holding them together at the base. In lighter baskets, two of these groups are used at a time; in heavier, three or four. They are best sewed by brown raffia in a plain chain stitch. Simply sew the coils together, splitting the stitch on the preceding coil. One can pick up pine needles just when they fall from the tree, before they have lost their pliancy and pretty orange color. If you have to send away for them, wrap them overnight in a damp cloth. Do not let them get too damp, however, if you wish your basket to be strong and firm and the shape true.needle baskets are unique-looking products.
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reparing the Needles Place pine needles in an old baking pan, one long enough to accommodate the length of the needles. Cover with boiling water, and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Pour off water and wrap needles in a towel. The next step is to remove the caps from the pine needles. Do this by pulling them off with your fingers, or scraping the shaft of each needle with the dull edge of your scissors or butter knife. Try to leave each needle intact, as a whole needle will fill the gauge faster. Begin with three whole pine needles, tie on 1 1/2 yards of thread, just under the caps of needles. Use a double-overhand knot. (This is simply a “tie your shoe” knot, except you loop the thread on the right through twice). Trim off short thread and caps of pine needles as close to knot as possible. Place pine-needle bundle in circle, always keeping loose needles to the left. At this point, you will be wrapping the thread around the pine needles, so you must keep the thread taut at all times. A clothes pin will help you hold the thread tight as you go around. Once you’ve made the first row, you will be stitching the next row of needles to this first row so the thread will hold itself. Be patient, the first coil is the hardest part; it gets easier as you progress with your piece.
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eaving The needles have a knob (fascicle) on one end. These can be removed or left as it is, depending upon the type ofproduct to be made. One of the techniques explored here is weaving. Generally pine needle mats are made with this technique. Warp consist of strong threads and pine needle are incorporated in the weft with or without a mixture of fabric or threads. Here a small loom is prepared using a wooden frame. Cotton thread is used as warp and held tightly with iron nails on noth the ends.
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Turmeric Dyed Pine Needle
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esign concept Using these woven sample I have tried to give a new dimension to the pine needle as a material and its craft. Here the pine needles have been woven along with the cotton thread. The prototype shows the use of pine needles in room dividers. Dimensions (length, breadth, height, depth, weight, diameter, total area)*:162”(WIDTH) x 75”(HEIGHT) Material(s) Used:Pine needle + Cotton thread + wooden frame.
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oiling
Patience and pine needles are the main ingredients for this natural and versatile craft. Though pine needle basket weaving is a centuries old craft, it is still as inexpensive, natural and unique. With this abundantly available raw material many innovative products can be made. Pine needles are woven, coiled or braided to make products like table mats, coasters, candle-holders, toys, jewelry (rings, bangles, necklaces etc.) and Christmas tree charms.
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xplorations
Pine Needle and Wire Mesh
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Pine Needle and Guard Shell Design Process Pine Needles Rikita Thakur
Embroidery Design Process Pine Needles Rikita Thakur
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orkshop This craft holds a lot of potential and can successfully provide with a financial support to a lot of people residing in remote areas of Himachal Pradesh. Moving forward with the same idea a workshop was conducted in Mahunag village and Khadargali Village of Mandi district supported by the Forest Department of Karsog Division. Around 2030 women from different Gram Panchayat attended the workshop. The basic technique of doing pine needle craft could be easily learned from small products and at the same time provide it with the utmost value because its hand made and sustainable at the same time. The products that we we make ourselves holds more value to it. The idea behind this workshop was not just to train people but also to motivate them and make them aware of its importance. How this material can be converted from waste to wealth.
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Self Help Group Mahunag, Mandi, H.P.
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Pine Needle Rakhi
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Pine Needle Rakhi Design Process Pine Needles Rikita Thakur
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CONCLUSION 44
This project provided with alot of insights on working with different unconventional materials using some traditional and non - traditional methods. Understanding the physical properties of this material helped in new implemetations and coming up with new contemporary concepts. The potential of this material provides us with several ways to bring sustainable material and technique into practice again.
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Rikita Thakur Field woerk Self Help Group, Mahunag, Himachal Pradesh Workshop Pine Needle Craft Chamba http://www.dsource.in/gallery/pine-needle-craft-chamba Selecting and Using Pine Needles for Basket Making https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/Selecting-and-Using-Pine-Needles-for-Basket-Making
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ms. Sonal chauhan Design Process 1
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thankyou
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