Making the Demob Case

I wanted to make the Demob case to use as the vessel that the other objects are placed in to help give the impression that a soldier has just walked in home from war and put down the case. I like the vintage appearance of the old case as well so I thought it ould be a fun thing to create.

Original Plans

        Initially I was going to make the case from wood and chicken wire, but I opted to make it from cardboard and just fibreglass that using clear resin as I thought the case would look interesting lit up if it was semi-transparent. I used the dimensions I found on the internet to make sure the case was an accurate scale as the other objects were so this being off scale would look odd in a way that I didn’t want it to. Once I had all the pieces I stuck them together using parcel tape and also covering the whole of the outside of each case lid in parcel tape so that when I used the resin the cardboard would stay in the right shape and not get stuck in to it. To fibreglass these I used a multi-purpose resin rather than a clear resin partially because it was only available one and also I was now reconsidering covering the fibreglass in fabric anyway because it would look much more feminine.  It took a lot of resin to do the fibreglass on the lids but dried reasonably quickly, though there was a greenish tint to the fibreglass because  of the resin I used. The edges also came out very rough so I had to file and sand these down to a smother finish. I didn’t enjoy this at all, because it resulted in me have a lot of tiny glass fibres in my skin which was very itchy and uncomfortable. At least I know now that when I so that process of fibreglass to wear gloves and pull my sleeves down so my skin is covered.

The Fibreglass Shells

Once this was done I decided I would definitely upholster the case and try to make it look luxurious which really contrasts the idea of this case because its coming back from war, something not luxurious in the slightest. So to do this I used some satin, purple bed linen and an old bed pillow which was torn apart to get the stuffing from. I glued the satin to the case in a way that made it looked cushioned and then stuffed the filling in this.  The overall look of the interior reminded me of quilting because of the padding, which was something that was done a lot by women in WW2 so I was pleased with this link in the outcome. 

The next thing I did was to cover the outside of the case. I wanted to keep with the Make Do and Mend theme so I collected some old floral skirts from charity shops to use. One that I found I really liked with the colour of it and the satin together and had an air of Cath Kidston about it which made it both more feminine and luxurious. Another theme I am carrying through the whole project is the hand made and hand stitching, so I cut and sewed the corners in a way to deliberately show the stitches. Then I sewed the outer material to the inside one to cover the edges of the fibreglass. 

The next thing to do was to add the eyelets in to the lids so I could thread the ribbon through which would act as a feminine solution to a hinge. This was done by using a drill to make holes prior to fabrication, then forcing the two piece of the eyelets to lock together by hammering them, this also cut through the material. This was relatively easy but I did have an issue with two of the eyelets through the thicker parts of the resin as when I hit them to join the two eyelet pieces together they didn’t meet up properly through the resin so one part got stick inside. This was frustrating as, to me it ruined the look of the case because the fabric already had holes and I could re-do them as the eyelet piece was stuck firmly in the resin and I didn’t want to risk breaking it. So to get around this I trimmed the fabric for a better finish and glued to other piece of the eyelet where it would have been. This worked but to me it’s now not perfect so I still find it a bit annoying even thought it won’t be clearly visible when the ribbon is threaded through.

The material use on the case

All I had left to do at this point was to add details to make the case more realistic. I firstly made the handle, this was simple because all I did was knit a section folded it and sewed it to made a thick knitted handle, which I sewed on to the top lid of the case. This was so the lid would be easily lifted and to me it balanced to look nicely. The next detail added was the lock/clasp section at the front of the case. This was made by crocheting two semi-circles, one was bigger to go on the bottom which I noticed in the reference image I used these were them sewn on to the case as well. 

One of the extra bits of detail I added was the crochet trim around the edges of the lids. I did this because I wanted to look more feminine but also to use it to accent the case and draw attention to both it and its contents. The next section I did is actually more important to the case as it was the straps to hold the lids up when it’s opened. This was a simple solution, I used the excess ribbon from the hinge part and cut that to size, sewed those on a used  white crochet flowers to cover the joins to make it look more finished.

Case With details

I like the appearance of the ribbon and eyelet at the back of the case

Handle and Lock Area

Personally I think the outcome looks good, the size it right and the details and colours compliment each other without being too much. I’m not hugely satisfied with the eyelets still but at least I know the issue in the future so I would sand the thicker bits down so the eyelets fitted through better. All in all I believe this object, which was initially a masculine one from war, had been changed in to something far more feminine and homely using some methods and materials that were from the WW2 era, which is what I set out to achieve. 

Making the Helmet

To make the helmet I used the technique I experimented with earlier with the resin and the knitting. I thought this would be most ideal as the rounded experimental piece already had the look of a small helmet. So firstly I got a piece of crochet that was the right size for the helmet (which was a plastic fancy dress one) I used white and pink colours for it as they are generally seen to be feminine. I tried to replicate the method I used for the experiments by vacuum forming the helmet to get the right shape. This was an issue as the helmet is made from thin plastic and the vacuum former sucked out too much air, which crumpled the helmet. This could have been avoided in part by stopping the moulding sooner, but then the shape may not have taken. I managed to salvage the helmet and it was left which some dents in it, which was actually ok because it made it look more battle worn and authentic.

The next thing I tried was to soaked the crochet in clear resin and then place that over the helmet to take its form. Though to do this I had to first cover the helmet in parcel tape to make sure the resin wouldn’t just stick to the plastic helmet. Once the resin soaked crochet was placed I left it to dry and harden over night. When I retrieved it the resin and crochet had taken the shape of the helmet however the way it had formed was different in appearance to the experiment because the resin just hardened the material rather that took the form itself with the material inside. The result made it look more as though it was a crochet hat that had been made in to a helmet for the war rather that a helmet with that material being changed. Although this was not the original result I had intended, the idea of a more homely, feminine product being made in to a war piece was actually quite interesting as it shows how the idea can work both ways.

However, as much as I am aware that it is a helmet, to see it on its own without explanation can make it appear as a tea cosy or just a hat so to make the object clearer I wanted to add the details. The main thing I thought was the difference between a hat and a helmet is the chinstrap to keep it on. I made these by knitting two longer and two shorter pieces and sewing them together to make the look like the straps. I then glued them in to place. I also added a crochet emblem to the front of the helmet and some other crochet wheels on the chin straps. This added extra femininity to the helmet and  helps to visually explain the object through the detail.

            

Stiffening Fabric

In an effort to find other ways to harden fabric in the style of WW2 aircraft makers I came across something very interesting in Hobbycraft. Right next to the model aircrafts was a tiny pot of Cellulose Dope, dope was what was used to cover the material on the body of the planes, though in WW2 this was more likely to be butyrate dope. This gave me a chance to experiment with a new substance and see it's effects on the fabric whist keeping in touch with the WW2 roots of the process.

Helmet Test With Dope

I used the helmet as a base and some odd piece I had knitted from thick red wool then brushed the dope on to it with a medium coating. Once this had dried it easily came off of the helmet and was much more firm and stiff than previously, though in comparison to the resin I have used, it was flexible and somewhat unstable. In a way this was a good thing, I wanted to preserve the appearance and texture of the materials but also making them more structural which was kind of achieved. My issue with this is that it wasn't really as strong as I wanted it to be, it had the feeling of nearly breaking or losing shape, neither of which would be very helpful. It was also a cost issue, that tiny pot cost about £4 and about 25% of it was used on that little experimental piece, so hardening a whole suitcase or rifle would be expensive.

Red Piece- Dope, Brown Piece- PVA

I also tested the effect of PVA glue on the fabric in the same way as the Dope. This produced nearly identical results, though the dope may have been a little more solid. To me this concludes that if I wanted to use an alternative method to hardening the fabric than using resin, PVA would be a better option than the Cellulose Dope as it gave near enough the same results for a lot less money and it is much more accessible in large quantities.

Hand Stitching

The thing I noticed most after creating the cigarette pack is the apparent urgency of the stitching. It looks a bit untidy and rapid and I think that represents the urgency and the need to have that object quickly was important to the soldiers. I was originally going to use a sewing machine to do the stitching on most of the objects, but because of the way the hand stitching looks and the fact that it feels more human, (going back to the anthropomorphic base that I started this whole project on) I want to hand sew the objects. 

Housewife Sewing Kit

This also links in with the soldiers during the war because they were issued a "Housewife Sewing Kit" and this was to repair clothing and equipment on the frontline, and clothing repairs were likely to be more of a women's role if they were at home. Sewing and knitting were also used as occupational therapy to soldiers who returned injured, so it would have been a newly required skill, therefore the quality may not be as good, but the inflections would tell more of a story about the person who made the piece. 

Man Knitting as Part of the War Effort

Making the Cigarette Packet

I decided to firstly create the cigarette packet as it seemed the most simple one to start off with and I had a good reference:


The lucky strike brand of cigarettes

http://www.relics.org.uk/productinfo.php?product=573&PHPSESSID=a5032c8e396d3accb670e2bac74980d9

Dimensions:  2.25 X 2.8 INCHES (unsure of depth)

This brand of cigarettes were given to soldiers for free and though being an American brand some British troops smoked them. To make them in a feminine way I used felt, old socks and embroidery. I chose this because looking at the items such as the "Dig for Victory" embroidered poster as well as the make do an mend initiative meant I was using similar techniques to that of what the women in WW2 did, linking the masculine and the feminine.

I think overall this went well, although the stitching is somewhat crude, I like that about it because it adds a human element to it because it was hand sewn. What I also thought was that the stitching looked as though it had a sense of haste and something like the cigarettes would have been what soldiers really wanted, so the urgency in getting and having the product was paramount. This led me in to thinking about the use of hand sewing all the products to get this feeling of haste, because the objects were really needed. I also realised that I can keep some objects that I am creating soft, rather than using resin or PVA etc. on them and they will retain shapes, though I don't think this will work as much on a larger scale where more structural support would be needed.  

Objects I would Like to Create

From looking at the things in the war museum and after the research I have been doing I have got an idea of what objects I want to re-create in a feminine way.

1. Demob suitcase

2. Gas Mask

3. Grenade

4. Helmet

5. Cigarette pack

6. Boots

7. Letter from home

8. Gun

This may turn out to be too many objects to create in the time I have left, but these are what I would like to have done.

I have also been considering the ways that the women made things in this time to give the feminine feel to the objects. The main ones I have found are knitting, crochet and sewing which were all important for the Make do and Mend initiative set up by the Ministry of Information. I also found the plane fabrication interesting and the result from the wool and resin experiment shows that I can make some objects in this way. In the Make Do and Mend book there are also tips on creating decorative patches for reinforcing clothing, this gives me the idea of also using patchwork to create items from old clothes.

Trip to the Imperial War Museum

Yesterday to learn more about the objects from the war I visited the war museum in London. Though the Demob and VE day things they had were limited I found it really useful to get a proper look at all the soldiers gear and weapons and there was a good amount of information about life in Britain and the Home Front.

Here are some pictures:
(quality could be better but my camera broke so this is on a Blackberry)

This visit helped to identify the important objects in the war to the soldiers and also gave me more information on make do and mend and the women's roles in the war. I managed to purchase the Made do and Mend book as well as some replica documents like leaflets and letters that were aim at women during the war. I aim to look to these for inspiration but now I think I have the objects I want to create so it now comes down to creating them.