Abstract:
This research project on Creative textile design from the development of cannabis fibers has 3 objectives as follows: 1) to study the properties of hemp and experiment on the production of cannabis fibers; 2) to develop cannabis fibers that are suitable for industrial use; 3) to design and create textiles from the developed cannabis fibers. The study area of cannabis materials is Kannakorn Farm at the Rajamangala University of Technology Isan. Waste can be classified into 2 parts: stems and fallen leaves. In this research, an experiment was conducted to extract fibers from stems by using freshly cut stems to experiment with the fiber extraction process. The cannabis stems used in this experiment weighed 62 kilograms (before cleaning). After cleaning, 31 kilograms were obtained, and the total extracted fiber sheets weighed 1.33 kilograms.
This research project tested the combination of cannabis fibers with two types of natural fibers, cotton and wool. The ratio of this combination was 50:50. The suitability was assessed by experts in the community. The combined scores of both groups were summarized. Cannabis fiber mixed with cotton fibers was at the high level (x− = 3.80, SD = 0.43) and cannabis fiber mixed with wool fibers was at the low level (x− = 3.46, SD = 0.58). The woven fabrics were then tested for strength using a Tensile testing machine. From all five pulls, it was found that the vertical or warp fibers of the cannbis fiber mixed with cotton fibers had the highest strength, at 11.34 MPa, with an average of 4.35 MPa. The horizontal or weft fibers of the cannabis fiber mixed with cotton fibers also had the highest strength. The average value is 2.35 MPa. The fabrics are then designed into three product groups: fashion product group, lifestyle product group, and toy/souvenir product group. The product prototypes are given to experts and consumers for evaluation.
The results of product quality evaluation by 10 experts on the topic of Quality in Goods showed that the fashion product group had the highest appropriateness with an average score of (x− = 4.26, SD = 0.71) at a very high level, followed by the lifestyle product group with an average score of (x− = 4.24, SD = 0.67) at a very high level, and the toy/souvenir product group with an average score of (x− = 4.14, SD = 0.74) at a very high level. The questionnaire asking for opinions on the consumer buying decision process with 100 people had the following results: The fashion product group had the highest appropriateness with an average score of (x− = 4.23, SD = 0.71) at a very high level, followed by the lifestyle product group. The mean score at (x− = 4.20 , SD = 0.69 ) was at a high level and the toy/souvenir product group, the mean score at (x− = 4.17 , SD = 0.74) was at a high level.
When comparing the evaluation results by experts and consumers, they have the same opinion that fabrics woven from cannabis fibers are most suitable for producing fashion products because of the beauty and difference in texture and story of the high-value materials even though they are scrap materials. This shows that fashion products are still in demand by consumers, especially the trend of consuming materials that help reduce the amount of waste, which is a sustainable design approach.