Base base and base

For the bottom part of the cocoon i want to maintain a circular shape for the bean bag to sit in. When thinking of this and what products look similar I thought of the soft shapes that i used to see at Playzone etc.  I also thought of sofa cushions and how they maintain the shape. This is done using foam (not extremely dense but enough to keep the shape). I will use this foam to fill out the shape in the base but I am prepared to have to add some sort of shape to help maintain the circular shape.

Buttons!

I am very up for the idea of using buttons to close my cocoon chair, the reason for this is that they will always be able to blend into the chair and look part of it using differrent colours etc. At first i wanted to use knitted cotton but after taking a look at materials again I have changed to polyester i still feel buttons could be used. But i have taken a look at the some different buttons and have had a few thoughts.

Firstly i after looking at these different buttons i do like the standard looking button but its not as attractive as other buttons. I like the idea of having a wooden button to go in with the feel of a cocoon . The toggle button (bottom one is toggle) is a good differennce because of its shape its easy to slot through the hole the button goes into which is easier to do for the user when sat in the cocoon. As well as the wood look fitting in its also possibel to get recycled toggle buttons. This can start to tie in with the recycled ployester.

To end this post I am now replacing standard black button with the wooden toggle, if it cant be wooden plastic with some sort of wood pattern on it.

How it actually works

The chair starts as this in its open state. The red is the bean bag. The left part is just fabirc with no spines in it where as the one on the right has 3 spines in it made of polypropylene.

The right side is then  pulled up and as this happens the the fabric unravels and starts to stretch out with the help of the spines.

The right side is now hanging off the fabric which is attached to the base and will just hold in the position using just its weight. The spines mantain shape .

The left side can be attached to the right hanging side using buttons ( to be expanded and drawn on) to do the cocoon up . The fabric on the left side will hold the hood in place if knocked. The left side is also attached to the base. The user  can do the buttons up on the inside. 

more looks at materials... REVISIT

 Again after a chat with my tutor I was told to look into other materials for the cocoon. I do feel like i have not explored more options and should look around and see how it ends up.



I looked at cycle clothing while in Halfords. The material is some sort of plastic which breaths better then most fabrics. But at the same time i did not have a liking to this material .

I also looked at tents and there materials. I am happy to say i will not be using this material, past personal experience has shown me that tents cant rip very easily, flammable and tents do get very hot inside. This makes me certain i will not want this material.

This is a throw blanket from primark so my guess is that its acrylic much like my knitted cardigan. This is a nice feeling material but looking at it closely it does not let light in, even though its nice to touch. I will have it as a possible swap but with out light getting in to the cocoon it will be completely dark.

The last material i found is 100% recycled , lets light in and is nice to touch. It polyester and by being 100% recycled creates more reasons for the cocoon to be purchased. I would like to use this material or consider it against the knitted cotton i chose earlier in the project.

Spines!

After a chat with my tutor he recommended that the spines be made of polypropylene. This is a plastic that can be injection molded. This is the same material the pram spines are made of but one thing i did notice is that it was flexible, lightweight but also not very strong bu this was down to the thickness.

Above I have done some new designs for cross sections and spines i want them to be flat but also to be strong. So I have designed with extra thickness but while still thinking of manufacturing costs.

Its moving further along

Now I am further in the project I have established a few key things. I will list them below. Now that i am at this stage I am near to creating a final image which i will do either on Maya or a final drawing (rendered). Below are the features i have decided on and what is to be sorted still.

Sorted:
Shape and general look,
Bean bag for middle,
Material will be double layed knitted cotton,
The knitted cotton will cover the whole chair including bottom part,
The mechanism for how the spines will work,
Buttons will be used to close the cocoon,
The spined side will hang using and the material will meet it.
The chair has a hole in bottom to save on costs and to stop material ripping,
Mechanism is on the inside of the chair to conceal it 


Things to sort:
Material for spines,
material for inside the botton section to matain shape,

As far as i can think this is whats left to decide on. I will then lead onto final drawings and models 

Fabric research, the bane of my day

 I decided i wanted to use a knitted look and material that made a warm soft and inviting feel to the user. I want some light to be able to get into the cocoon and for the material to be breathable. So a knitted look seemed right as there are tiny gaps between the rows and also this means air can get in easy. So i feel this is a good option to go with.

So I started to look at items of clothing and I myself had a few knitted tops so I looked at what they are made of and how they act when pulled and that.

 This hoodie was made off 100% cotton and felt warm, cosy and inviting. Light can pass through it on single layer and double is less but that is to be expected. It stretchs more with the knitting then against it. ill show this in a drawing. I like the cotton and i feel that with light spines the stretch would not be a problem or as much of one.

The other cardigan on the other hand is made of 100% acrylic. It does not feel as soft or nice as the cotton. It feels weaker when pulled and i just prefer the cotton if i am honest. I think there is a lot more that can be done with the cotton and that there is more chance of making different patterns.

I will use cotton for now as my main material but if i can find something a little stronger i will look into that . The option of double layering the fabric could also be a option.

Stiched up

So while I am ironing out details I need to sort out how the spine will be attached or worked into the main fabric. I have looked at different seams as i think this is the neatest way of building the spines in and also the most cost effective. At this point I am not choosing one but making my self aware of them at this current time.

I have also considered at this time if i go ahead with my knitted material I could thread the spine through but this will come with issues if the spines does not fit or needs to be replaced. I also am aware a seam is stronger.

ironing out details

Primary Pictures of cot

While I was out I got the chance to get some pictures of a hood mechanism on a moses basket. I wanted to use this chance to look at how its constructed and the materials used. The spines and main mechanism is made of plastic through injection moulding same as the meeting point where the elastic is placed. The fabric is a very plasticey material, I am not fully sure but if i was to guess its pvc fabric. This is so the cot can be used outside as well i would imagine. The spine seems to be attached to the fabric using a sealed seam. This looks ok but not entirely neat.

After looking at this I am aware this is a easy mechanism to compy but i want to explore other materials for both fabric and the spines.

Possible materials for the spines i feel are, fiber glass (cheap similar to tent polls), Aluminium alloy (more expensive but way stronger). Injection moulded plastic would be the more mass production friendly route but i want to look at other ways first.

For the fabric I have listed Nylon , Canvas and polythene. Despite my research of tents and other such products I want to look at knitted fabric. My reason for this is to add a more cosy and safe feel to the cocoon and is a more breathable materials. Looking at seems and different ways to put thespines in to the fabric.

Researchhhh the details!

 So while the idea is set and has a general direction i want to look at different ways the chair can work and different ideas for mechanisms. I am looking at hoods and the different ways they close, poppers, buttons and zips. I want to find a way to close the cocoon with out it runing the look and feel of the cocoon. Ill explore all these different ideas so i can work out how the mechanism and construction of the chair will work. The tent looks similar to the hood design i already and i feel the spines and how they would fall is vital.
Ill now go onto exploring different conclusions for my mechanisms and hood design.

Also I really like the knitted look.