|
Contact for further information about in school fibre art programs:
Sandra Clarke, Maker + Teacher 416-993-9718 [email protected] |
|
Dialogue with students:
Who made the shirt you’re wearing? Generations ago, the answer to that question was easy. You, someone in your family, or community would have made your shirt from bought fabric.
Who made the thread or yarn that make up the fabric of the shirt you’re wearing? Decades, even hundreds or thousands of years ago, the answer to that question would also be you, or family or community member.
Nowadays, people from all over the world make your fabric and clothing. But in the past, you, your family or community would have been responsible for making your clothing and fabric to make clothing.
Currently, we use all sorts of materials to make fabric. If you look at the tags on your clothing, you might see that the fabric is made of rayon, polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, or latex. These are synthetic fabrics. Synthetic fabric made using chemicals instead of natural fibres. In the past people did not have synthetic fabric and used natural fibres. Examples of nature fibres are; cotton from cotton plants, silk from silkworms, linen from flax plants, and wool from sheep, goats, alpacas, or angora rabbits. In our modern times we use both synthetic and natural fibres to make fabric.
This workshop takes student on a journey through time to the past where they can create their own sheep’s wool yarn by hand spinning with a traditional drop spindle. Students starts with clean raw Ontario sheep’s wool fleece, then comb and card the wool to create finer wool to hand spin with a drop spindle. Upon completion of their hand spun yarn, they will make a weaving loom and craft their own fabric swatch. Students can keep their handmade fabric and / or make a second fabric for a class tapestry.
Student fabric swatch and loom creates a 15cm X 15 cm square.
Tapestry Dimensions for a 20 student classroom is 60cm X 75cm
(four 15cm X 15cm across. five 15cm X 15cm down)
Materials supplied to students:
Curriculum: Social Studies / Science / Art / Language / History / Geography
Grade Specific Focus
Grade 3: Communities in Canada, 1780–1850
Grade 4: Early Societies, 3000 BCE–1500 CE
Grade 5: First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada
Grade 6: Communities in Canada, Past and Present
Who made the shirt you’re wearing? Generations ago, the answer to that question was easy. You, someone in your family, or community would have made your shirt from bought fabric.
Who made the thread or yarn that make up the fabric of the shirt you’re wearing? Decades, even hundreds or thousands of years ago, the answer to that question would also be you, or family or community member.
Nowadays, people from all over the world make your fabric and clothing. But in the past, you, your family or community would have been responsible for making your clothing and fabric to make clothing.
Currently, we use all sorts of materials to make fabric. If you look at the tags on your clothing, you might see that the fabric is made of rayon, polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, or latex. These are synthetic fabrics. Synthetic fabric made using chemicals instead of natural fibres. In the past people did not have synthetic fabric and used natural fibres. Examples of nature fibres are; cotton from cotton plants, silk from silkworms, linen from flax plants, and wool from sheep, goats, alpacas, or angora rabbits. In our modern times we use both synthetic and natural fibres to make fabric.
This workshop takes student on a journey through time to the past where they can create their own sheep’s wool yarn by hand spinning with a traditional drop spindle. Students starts with clean raw Ontario sheep’s wool fleece, then comb and card the wool to create finer wool to hand spin with a drop spindle. Upon completion of their hand spun yarn, they will make a weaving loom and craft their own fabric swatch. Students can keep their handmade fabric and / or make a second fabric for a class tapestry.
Student fabric swatch and loom creates a 15cm X 15 cm square.
Tapestry Dimensions for a 20 student classroom is 60cm X 75cm
(four 15cm X 15cm across. five 15cm X 15cm down)
Materials supplied to students:
- Use of a drop spindle
- Use of combing and carding tools
- Clean raw Ontario sheep’s wool
- Weaving loom making supplies
- Extra yarn and thread made of a variety of synthetic and natural fibres for students to complete their 15cm X 15cm woven fabric swatch for the classroom tapestry. (Extra yarn can be used in weaving in case the student does not have enough hand spun wool.)
Curriculum: Social Studies / Science / Art / Language / History / Geography
Grade Specific Focus
Grade 3: Communities in Canada, 1780–1850
Grade 4: Early Societies, 3000 BCE–1500 CE
Grade 5: First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada
Grade 6: Communities in Canada, Past and Present
