Open source textiles

Eric from http://fashion-incubator.com to OpenSourceEcol.

show details Mar 30 (2 days ago)

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Hello; I'm an experienced wikipedist and thought I'd pitch in to your wiki. Looking at the main page, I note entries for things like Bakery and Energy bars, but nothing for textiles. A sustainable village needs to clothe itself, and while textiles are among the oldest technologies, I think that you are going to need to make and operate gins, spinning jennies, power looms, spreading, cutting, and sewing machinery. To make proper clothing, you will also find need for open source CAD to make, store, and customize open source patterns. This stuff is inherently scalable and useful -- the Industrial Revolution was built on this machinery.

Would small scale industrial textile development be a worthwhile contribution to your project, or would I be working at cross-purposes with some principle? Thanks, Eric

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No, you are quite insightful in your comment. The only reason why we didn't include textiles is because clothing is dirt cheap from second hand stores, so it's currently not a block in one's ability to live sustainably. We did consider the topic of clothing. Flax grows well where we are. The processing equipment would be useful down the road - but for now, there are much more pressing technologies that we want to do.

I would like you to start some material at our pages. Just start it, and if you haven't already, read the discussions at

http://blog.opensourceecology.org/?p=582

and preceding posts. I'd like to hear your comments.

Marcin

External links

• Open source textiles
• open source loom
• OpenKnit
• Valentina Project Open Source PatternMaking software
• OpenFit
• sodaCAD is an enterprise level 2-D vector based drafting program used by fashion designers and manufacturers to create and grade patterns used in the apparel industry.
• Knitic