Art and Design Commons^™

Piecing In Twill Tapestry Shawls Of Persia And Kashmir, Grace C. Beardsley

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The 19th century witnessed the development of considerable piecework in the manufacture of twill tapestry shawls in both Kashmir and Persia. Modes of construction parallel so closely as to be indistinguishable. This is not surprising considering the centuries-long lively cultural intercourse between the two areas and especially their exchange of designs, weavers and textile technology. In both regions piecework was a response to pressure for faster production, the culmination of a gradual shift from atelier weaving toward a mass market.

Among construction modes, the weaving and subsequent assembly of many rectilinear shapes is to be found especially among long shawls. …

Colonial Ecuadorian Yndias And Their Textiles, Blenda Femenias

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Quito, Ecuador was a well established colonial urban center by the late sixteenth century. Although dominated by the Spanish ruling elite, indigenous people (male yndios, female yndias} and those of both Spanish and Andean ancestry (mestizos, mestizas} were socially and economically active in Quito. Cloth was a major trade item and prestige good, which circulated widely in Quito society and throughout the Andes. In pre-Hispanic times, Quito was not a major cloth-production center, and most fabric was imported from elsewhere in the Andes. During the colonial period, in addition to Andean textiles, European fabrics, as …

Theme And Variations: Creative Improvisation In African Textiles, Peggy S. Gilfoy

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The Euro-American textile patterning vocabulary focusses on compartmentalization and symmetry. We describe textile design schemes as "repeats;" and as with many aspects of our lives, we divide our expressions into neat cubicles. The art historian, Meyer Shapiro, who wrestled with this cultural trait expressed it this way:

"Hardening of the categories causes art disease."

Yet, for many art-producing cultures there is scant division between the working world and the spiritual, the procurement of food and maintenance of order; relating history and group entertainment. Art is life. The function of artistic structure and the tenets of life are often interwoven.

Theme …

Designing Among The Navajo: Ethno Aesthetics In Weaving, Ann Lane Hedlund

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Navajo weaving from northeastern Arizona and contiguous areas if the American Southwest is widely recognized for colors and patterns that range from subtle shades to dynamic brilliance, from soft stripes to bold geometries to fanciful pictorials. The apparent diversity in this native textile art, developed over the past three centuries, has defied any unified description of The Navajo Style. While Navajo blankets and rugs may be superficially categorized and classified, put into chronological sequences and evolutionary schemes, when the textiles are viewed synoptically, the delineation of Navajo aesthetics remains a formidable task.

The search for a Navajo style and sense …

Goddess Imagery In Greek Folk Costume, Linda Welters, Linda Tepfenhart

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The seeds of this research were sown in a textile exhibition entitled "Goddesses and Their Offspring: 19th and 20th Century Eastern European Embroideries" at the Roberson Center for the Arts in Binghamton, N.Y. in 1986. Similarities between the imagery of Eastern European textiles and the embroideries in Greek folk costume prompted this study. It was part of a larger field research project on Boeotian folk costumes sponsored by Earthwatch in the summer of 1988

A "hot topic" of discussion among feminists of all disciplines is the image of the prehistoric goddess and the ensuing implications for all women everywhere. I …

Textiles As Primary Sources In The Study Of "Boundary Art:" Hispanic Textiles Of Northern New Mexico, Suzanne Baizerman

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

INTRODUCTION

Wool, weft-faced textiles from the looms of Northern New Mexican Hispanic weavers (Figs. 1 through 7) are widely represented in museum collections and historical societies. Often, they are confused with Navajo and Mexican blankets and rugs although Hispanic weavings are the products of a unique weaving tradition and are produced within a distinctive cultural context. I view the history of Hispanic weaving in northern New Mexico as an example of "boundary art," that art which is produced by one cultural group for purchase by another. This transaction often requires the services of an intermediary and takes place within a …

Contents- Textiles As Primary Sources- 1988, John E. Vollmer

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Note: This quick copy published volume includes talks prepared by panelists and speakers for the first symposium of the Textile Society of America held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art held September 16-18, 1988. The papers are unedited and have been reproduced as submitted by each author. The speakers were vetted by the 1988 program chair for the Textile Society of America; but the Society takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the submissions printed here.

Copyright remains with each author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or …

The Mexican Jaspe (Ikat) Rebozo: Comments On Its History, Significance And Prevalence, Virginia Davis

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The rebozo is a multi-function shawl worn by women in Mexico, 6 to 12 feet long and 24 to 34 inches wide. Approximately three-quarters of the length is woven; the remainder is fringe, most often elaborately worked: usually by half hitch or overhand knotting or by finger weaving. Place and identity are communicated by the yam, the color and design of the weaving, the style and technique of fringe finishing, and by the manner in which the rebozo is worn. My particular interest is the ikat rebozo. The Spanish for ikat is jaspe. Jaspe,(ikat), a system of resist dyeing a …

Creating A Protocol For Reconstructing Weaving Technologies: Early Compound Non-Silk Fabrics Found In Egypt, M. M. El-Homossani

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Introduction

The examination of weft-faced compound non-silk fabrics found in Egypt (ca. 3rd - 7th century A.D.), in the Royal Ontario Museum collections, revealed many structural differences and similarities. Single, double and ply yarns with apparent variation in size and set density were observed. Some have their twist in "S" direction, others in "Z" direction, with diverse amount of twist. Wool yarns make up the majority of the constructions, but in many cases wool yarns alternate with cotton and sometimes linen yarns. Tabby and 1/2 twill weaves are employed as binding weaves, while the compound weave structures comprise 1:1 and …

Work-In-Progress, Lynn Felsher

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

INTRODUCTION

This slide presentation and brief introduction represent work-in-progress, originally undertaken for an exhibition that was to have been held at the Fashion Institute of Technology.¹

The textiles in question were either designed for the textile firm of F. Schumacher & Company or imported and sold under the company's name. The slides, reproduced from a number of periodicals and company manuals, were shown in the hope that they would be recognized by the other conferees.

HISTORY²

The company was founded by Frederick Schumacher, who came to the United States from France in 1883 to establish an office for …

"Little Trifles": Understanding Victorian Fancywork, Beverly Gordon

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

As professionals working in museum and academic settings, many of you have probably found yourselves feeling at times like "poor cousins" -- textiles simply do not garner the same prestige as other types of artifacts and art forms. I now find myself in a situation where I feel like an even poorer cousin: although I am involved with textiles of all kinds, I find myself particularly fascinated or compelled by a type of textile-related artifact that is rarely considered seriously, even by textile historians. I am speaking of fancywork, specifically of small items such as tidies, wallpockets, sewing cases, flowerpot …

Traditional Textiles In Cultural Contexts International Research And Video Documentation, Louise W. Mackie, Lotus Stack, Frieda Sorber

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

As the manufacture and use of traditional hand-made textiles in their cultural contexts decreases around the world, we are trying to preserve some of the information for posterity through publication and video documentation. The work is urgent. The comparatively few age-old traditions that still survive have become the equivalent of endangered species.

Although the size and scope of each documentation project will vary according to what survives, three collaborative results are sought based on research and fieldwork. Each fulfills a distinct educational purpose and informs specific audiences, both scholars and the general public. Each will also increase the understanding of …

Cognitive Textiles Cloths: The Indigenous Classification Of Batak, Sandra A. Niessen

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

INTRODUCTION

Since completing a doctorate in anthropology on textiles produced by the Batak of North Sumatra (Niessen 1985), I have been supported by various post-doctoral scholarships (1) to produce an inventory of these same textiles. I am pleased to have this rare opportunity to tell you, a learned society of textile scholars, how I have gone about this task, my motives, goals, and methodology. I particularly would welcome feedback from you on what I see to be the theoretical underpinnings and implications of the project.

The inception of this project dates from a day in 1980 when I visited one …

The Cornett Family Quilts, Laurel Elizabeth Wilson

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

ABSTRACT

The Cornett farm was settled in 1844 when northwestern Missouri was still frontier. The farm, its buildings and contents were donated to the University of Missouri in 1981. The house, built in 1884, contained three generations' of belongings. Among them were 41 quilts made by various members of Cornett family between 1855 and 1940.

This collection gives researchers valuable insights into the way people lived and how resources were utilized. Among the oldest quilts is one made entirely from handwoven homespun which was also home dyed. The fabrics were previously articles of clothing. A transitional quilt utilizes homespun fabrics …