LivingLoom: Clothing With Live Plants

This project follows the Engineering Design Process. Confirm with your teacher if this is acceptable for your project, and review the steps before you begin.

Testing Chia Seeds

Test your chia seeds to make sure they do not have any trouble sprouting before you continue the rest of the project.

1. Put a pinch of chia seeds in a shallow container.
2. Spray the seeds with tap water.
3. Place a paper towel over the seeds to help them retain moisture. 
4. Spray some 5% calcium chloride on top of the paper towel.
5. Cover the container slightly.
6. Place the container in direct sunlight and wait for the seeds to sprout before you continue the project. They should sprout in 3-5 days.

Preparing Solution

1. In the food processor, add 150 g of distilled water, 5 g of glycerin, and 2.5 g of sunflower oil (Figure 1).

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 1. Mixing in the food processor.

2. Measure 4 g of sodium alginate in a weigh boat.
3. In 1 g increments, slowly add the 4 g of sodium alginate into the food processor, mixing well in between each addition and scraping down the sides of the processor.
4. Once all the sodium alginate has been added, ensure the mixture is smooth and homogenous in consistency. Transfer the solution to your large container. 
5. Optional, but recommended to remove additional bacteria from the solution: sterilize the solution by placing it in the oven at 140°F for 15 minutes to improve the germination rate. 
6. Place the solution in a vacuum chamber for about 30 minutes to degas any air bubbles to avoid breakage during spinning (Figure 2). Alternatively, if you do not have a vacuum chamber, let the solution sit covered in the refrigerator overnight so bubbles can rise and burst naturally. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 2. Solution in the vacuum chamber.

Note: the following steps need to be conducted 30 minutes before the wet spinning process. If you are not planning to start your wet spinning yet, pause here and place your solution in the refrigerator. 

7. Gently and evenly mix 16 g of chia seeds into the solution (Figure 3).
8. Place the solution in a vacuum chamber for about 30 minutes to degas any air bubbles created from the previous step.
   1. Alternatively, place the container inside a heavy-duty zip-lock bag. Seal almost fully, then suck out the air through a straw before sealing tight. This slightly reduces pressure and helps remove larger trapped bubbles.  
9. Your solution is now ready to use. Continue to the next section. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 3. Mixing chia seeds into the solution.

Wet Spinning

1. Prepare a 10% calcium chloride bath with distilled water for coagulation.
   1. Weigh 10 g of calcium chloride.
   2. Add water until the total volume is 100 mL to make a 10% weight/volume solution.
   3. Stir until the calcium chloride is fully dissolved.
2. Transfer the chia seed solution into a syringe, then hold the syringe upright (tip facing up) to gently expel any trapped air from the tip. Attach the nozzle by twisting it clockwise until it is secure.
3. Manually extrude the solution into the stirred calcium chloride bath. Hold the syringe at a slight angle (30°) and extrude the solution in a gentle circular motion to ensure even formation in the bath (Figure 4).

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 4. Manual extrusion of chia seeds solution into calcium chloride solution.

4. Once extruded, wash the strands in distilled water to remove any residue from the previous bath.
5. Line dry the yarn overnight (Figure 5). The stretched length of the yarn when dried also affects the seed density.

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 5. Line drying the yarn.

6. Dried yarns can be wound on bobbins with large diameters to avoid twisted yarns for textile integration.
7. Prepare more 10% calcium chloride solution and pour it into a spray bottle. Spraying this solution onto surfaces and containers will help thicken any remaining residue, making it easier to clean your supplies and workspace.

Textile Integration

The following textile integration steps outline different methods for embedding Seed-Integrated Hydrogel Yarns into fabric structures to balance water absorption, seed exposure, and material strength. Each approach–weaving or embroidery- offers a unique way to integrate the hydrogel yarns depending on the intended function and fabrication technique. Together, these methods illustrate how traditional textile processes can be adapted to support bio-integrated materials, merging craft-based techniques with experimental material research.

Here are our recommendations on when to use which approach for your project. Students should choose between these methods based on their fabrication tools, desired interaction with the plant growth (visible vs. embedded), and structural goals (durability vs. flexibility):

• Embroidery: best if you want to attach hydrogel yarns onto an existing textile surface, allowing easy control of moisture and visibility of seed growth without disrupting the original fabric’s structure.
• Weaving: integrates the hydrogel yarns directly into the weave, creating a more unified material with greater strength and stability but less flexibility.

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 7. Textile integration using a digital jacquard loom.

Embroidery

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab / Cornell University

Figure 8. Embroidery example.

Here, we use Couching Stitch as an example to provide instructions on how to use the substrate lining technique for textile integration. If you need help with embroidering, watch this video or read this page about how to embroider a couching stich.

1. Thread a needle with cotton thread.
2. Secure the substrate fabric tautly on an embroidery hoop.
3. Lay the Seed-Integrated Hydrogel Yarn on top of the fabric in the desired pattern (e.g., straight line, curve, or decorative shape). It’s optional to use a pencil or chalk to mark the pattern on the fabric.
4. Anchor the chia fiber by bringing the needle with thread up and through the fabric from the back of the fabric.
5. Cross the needle over the hydrogel yarn and insert it back into the fabric, creating a small stitch over the hydrogel yarn.
6. Move a short distance along the fiber (~2 cm) and repeat the same stitch (steps 4 and 5).
7. Guide the hydrogel yarn in the desired shape or pattern you want by holding it in place while stitching.
8. Once the design is complete and the fiber is secured on the fabric, make the final anchoring stitch and knot the thread on the back of the fabric, trimming any excess thread.

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab / Cornell University

Figure 9. Textile integration: embroidery couching stitch.

Basic Weaving Pattern

This basic weaving pattern requires use of a hand loom. You can watch tutorial videos about how to use the loom here. The Seed-Integrated Hydrogel Yarns can be interlaced into a weave structure. The weave structure can be any pattern that allows for water absorption, such as plain, twill, satin, or waffle. See Table 1 for examples of interlacing a satin weave for the hydrogel yarn with different weave structures of the regular yarns.

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Table 1. Example weave patterns.

Satin	Twill	Plain
Image Credit: Science Buddies	Image Credit: Science Buddies	Image Credit: Science Buddies

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 10. Weaving.

Advanced Weaving Pattern

This advanced weaving pattern requires the use of a floor loom or digital jacquard loom. You can watch a tutorial about how to use a digital jacquard loom here.

Here we use a waffle weave as an example, with a top layer tacking the Seed-Integrated Hydrogel Yarns. This pattern is used in the user study and the sandal application (Figure 11). The magenta color represents the hydrogel yarn as weft. To add a third layer at the bottom to integrate the tubing for watering, an additional warp-floating layer could be added. The magenta color represents the hydrogel yarn as weft and the cyan color represents the tubing as weft. 

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Table 2. Advanced weaving patterns.

Waffle weave	Waffle weave with tubing
Image Credit: Science Buddies	Image Credit: Science Buddies

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 11. Hybrid layering.

Maintaining and Growing the Chia Seeds

Once you have completed the textile integration steps, you will need to maintain and grow the chia seeds (Figure 12). 

1. Place the seed-integrated textiles in opaque, shallow containers to block sunlight while ensuring airflow to prevent mold. You can use microgreen sprouting trays or any shallow tray covered with any material that blocks light (ex: panda film, aluminum foil). 
2. Water daily to maintain adequate moisture.
3. After 3-5 days, remove the material cover to expose the textiles to direct sunlight.
   1. If the plant-integrated textiles are worn during the day, they will require more frequent watering due to increased evaporation in open environments.
   2. This phase lasts for 5 to 14 days for chia seeds.
4. Optional: the plant-integrated textiles can be potted in soil to allow the plants to continue growing into their adult stage. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 12. Chia seeds growing.

Example Applications

After making and integrating the seed-infused hydrogel yarns, the final step is to see what you can create with them! We explored this through five sample applications inspired by user feedback and rapid prototyping: touch-sensitive hairbands, self-caring hats, indoor garden throw pillows, outdoor activity sandals, and woven bags. These examples show how LivingLoom textiles can be playful, interactive, and sustainable, letting humans and plants grow together in everyday objects.

1. Touch-sensing hairband to "feel" the plants (Figure 13). The hairband is woven with seed-integrated yarns and thin conductive threads. As the chia seeds grow, the sprouts become slightly conductive, letting them act as gentle touch sensors. These sensors connect to a small microcontroller and vibration motor, so when the wearer touches the sprouts, they feel a soft vibration, making the plants feel like an extension of their own skin. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 13. Touch-sensitive hairband.

2. Self-caring hat (Figure 14). We made a waffle-weave hatband that helps the wearer care for the chia seeds growing on it. The top layer holds the seed-integrated yarns, while the bottom layer contains a thin tube with tiny holes that release water. Connected to a small peristaltic pump, this built-in irrigation system automatically waters the sprouts throughout the day, making it ideal for sunny outdoor use without manual watering.

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 14. Self-caring hat.

3. Indoor garden throw pillow (Figure 15). This example shows how seed-integrated hydrogel yarns can be used in upholstery by blending two home decor elements, throw pillows and houseplants, into one design. Using a substrate lining technique, we couched the yarns onto a pre-made pillowcase, attaching them only on the top surface so the chia sprouts will not be squished when someone leans against the pillow. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 15. Throw pillow.

4. Outdoor activity encouraging sandals (Figure 16). This application uses a hybrid layering approach to integrate seed-integrated hydrogel yarns. We wove the seeds into the top layer using a double-weave structure, while the bottom waffle-weave layer supports the roots and helps retain moisture. The woven piece can be attached directly to jelly sandals, which can handle the moisture needed for sprouting. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 16. Outdoor activity encouraging sandals.

5. Rattan woven bag (Figure 17). This application uses structural interlacing to add seed-integrated hydrogel yarns into a pre-made rattan bag using basketry techniques. The rattan’s open weave allows good airflow and space for roots to grow, but since it does not retain moisture, the sprouts need frequent watering, or a water-retaining insert can be added. 

Image Credit: Hybrid Body Lab

Figure 17. Rattan woven bag.