Why, yes… yes I did! Weaving QR code.
I’ve seen various versions of Quick Response (QR) Code made by fiber-arts methods – the most common are knitted (both hand-knit and machine-knit) and cross-stitched. To get the reader to pick up the code properly, the grid needs to be fairly square, and the contrast has to be very high. I looked at this, and thought it would be a perfect application for double-faced tablet weaving. I was pretty sure it would work, so I set up a short warp in black and white perle cotton as a proof of concept.
After working a couple of very instructive samples, I decided to put together a band with three coded sections into a small pouch. Those are gift cards for scale. At the simplest version of the QR code, which is 21 grids square, the pattern will hold about 16 to 20 characters; enough for a short phrase, a brief URL, a phone or ID number. This little bag has a woven strap to carry it around my neck, with enough space to hold my ID, a couple of credit cards, and some cash. The pattern is carried on sixty-three tablets, with a border of 3 on either side. The checkered strap is woven with 9 tablets.
The flap lifts up, and the cards go inside – the front of the pouch body has a different code on it. One thing I learned – I should have situated the code further down the bag, where it would not be impacted by the bump of the hem. Any curvature which changes the shape of the coded part can make it challenging for the little machine to read.
This one’s a little bit more square-on, and the reader gets it more easily.
This one in particular amuses me.
If you don’t have a QR reader on your phone, the three pieces say:
The front flap: ˙ʇı ǝʌoʍ ı ‘sǝʎ
The front of the pouch: ɯoɔ˙ʇıdsɯɹoʍ˙ʍʍʍ
The back of the pouch: ˙ʞɔɐq ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ
Thank you very much for your writings about “peace silk”. I am a vegetarian for moral reasons and have been curious about this so called “non-violent” silk. I work in a cold environment and my employer keeps telling me to get silk thermals, which goes against what I deeply believe in. Aside from mosquitoes and ticks, I could be compared to the Jains. So I was excited at the idea of getting to purchase this alternative silk so I could be warm at work. But after reading about it I will definitely have to deal with the cold. I appreciate this so much not only because I would have been unknowingly using a fabric that I am clearly against, but because you made the effort to spread the truth. And I would much rather be a bit chilly while standing behind what I believe in, than be a warm hippocrate. So again,thank you very much.
Hello Mike, I wove the QR Code bag. It was fun. used 5/2 cotton. My husbands ipod read my phone number correctly. The bag is big enough for my Kindle. Thanks for the instructions in Handwoven.
How cool! I’d love to see a photo.
cool!