Weaving Tradition, Processes, and Design
These explorations acquaint students with the world of textiles
and weaving traditions including weaving vocabulary and
processes and the artistry and designs found in
various weaving cultures across the world.
 Sheep to Shawl: Beginning Weaving
 Textile Traditions: Carpet Hunt
 Rugs & Carpets: Flowers Underfoot
 The Silk Road: A 7,000 mile trek
FROM SHEEP TO SHAWL: Beginning weaving
Materials: Post-it-notes, Samples of woven fabric, Samples of yarn – different thicknesses,
textures, colors, etc, cardboard for Weaving Documentation Book (See Resources), white
paper 8 1/2 x 17 for KWL Weaving Concertina Small, writing tool
Resources: Weaving Sequence cards
Books:
Beskow, E. (1989). Pelle’s New Suit. New York: Harper & Brothers.
dePaola, T. (1974). Charlie needs a new cloak. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
dePaola, T. (1984). Mary had a little lamb. New York: Holiday House.
Dixon, A. (1990). Wool. Ada, Oklahoma: Garrett Educational Corporation
LOOK AND WONDER
 Use a Post-it-Note to write down what you already know about the Art of Weaving.
 LOOK at samples of woven fabric and yarns and conduct two tests (Dixon,
1990, p. 4-7) to discover if the material is wool. Look at labels to discover
the woolmark symbol. This woolmark symbol, used all over the world, can
only be used if something is made from pure new wool.
 WONDER about what resources people need to weave? Where does wool
come from? Are these animals found everywhere in the world?
Would
all people have access to these? What else are you wondering about weaving?
GATHER AND EXPLORE
 GATHER IDEAS: Read about the steps in weaving process.
 EXPLORE the various fibers or yarns for weaving, How might they feel or look
different in a weaving? Predict if they would give a different texture to the final
weaving?
 Use Weaving cards to sequence the weaving process
 POSE QUESTIONS: Which fibers would you like to use in a weaving?
What art elements and principles are important in weaving?
What surprises you about weaving?
COMPOSE AND CRAFT
 COMPOSE a Weaving Somersault book or other Documentation Book format to
house your weaving center work – add a Button and Yarn for closure
 CRAFT a four-page KWL Weaving Concertina (see below) to enter your discoveries
about weaving:
1.
What do you
already know about weaving? Enter items from post-it-note.
2.
Identify and write
out the sequence of steps from Sheep to Shawl.
3.
Copy important
vocabulary weaving words from the Textile Museum website.
4.
What did you learn
about people, resources, and the weaving process?
What do I know
about Weaving?
Weaving
Weaving
Vocabulary
Weaving Sequence
From Sheep to Shawl
1…..
2….
I learned this
about Weaving!
A small weaving book with vocabulary, the weaving sequence, and your learning.
PRODUCE AND REFLECT
 REFLECT upon what you learned at this center about weaving. Don’t forget to add it
to your KWL Weaving Concertina.
 SHARE – Design an interesting weaving cover for your KWL Weaving Concertina.
Place or glue your KWL Weaving Concertina in your Weaving Documentation Book
that will house all of your weaving work and reflections.
TEXTILE TRADITIONS: A Carpet Hunt
Materials: Handout from “Carpet Hunt”, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, 4 x 6 index
cards (blank side)
Books:
D’Adamo. F. (2001) Iqbal. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
Bodkin, O. (retold) (19998). The Crane Wife. San Diego: Voyager Books, Harcourt, Inc.
Spilsbury, L. (2009). Stories in Art: Tapestries and textiles. New York: The Rosen
Publishing Group, Inc.
LOOK AND WONDER
LOOK – View the short Pottery Barn video on making rugs.
http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/rugs-windows/see-rugs-made/?cm_type=lnav
Then go on a Carpet Hunt by viewing the Metropolitan Museum of Art Explore and
Learn website http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/flowers/flowers/index.htm
WONDER about the designs, colors and images found in the Carpets. Which designs
would you like to include in a weaving?
GATHER AND EXPLORE
GATHER – Look at the handout with the different images found in textile designs. Cut
out the various designs following the instructions on the handout, Carpet Hunt.
EXPLORE colors you would like to use in your Carpet. Select a color palette for your
tapestry.
COMPOSE AND CRAFT
COMPOSE – Design a Carpet by combining the images from the Carpet Hunt. Move
them around on the card until you have a pleasing design for you carpet.
CRAFT – use your collage skills to organize your composition and glue the images to an
index card. Add color to enhance the overall rug design.
PRODUCE AND REFLECT
SHARE – Decide how you will showcase your carpet design in your Weaving Book.
REFLECT and write about the artistic choices you made and the process you used to
make your carpet design. Maybe you can use some of these ideas in one of your
weavings?
RUGS AND CARPETS: Flowers Underfoot
Materials: colored pencils, blank index cards, rulers, Rug designs or samples
Website: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Flowers/HTM/res_fs.HTM
http://www.textilemuseum.org/PDFs/TextileTerms.pdf
Books:
LOOK AND WONDER
LOOK – View the Metropolitan Museum of Art Explore
and Learn Flowers Underfoot: Indian carpets of the
Mughal Era
WONDER about the designs, colors and images found in
the Carpet on view. What do you want to remember
from the website?
GATHER AND EXPLORE
GATHER –ideas, images and colors from by viewing the
carpets and resources at the center. Examine the parts
of a rug on the back page of the Textile Terms.
EXPLORE a rug design by looking at the sample of Prayer Rug
and the design elements in an Oriental Carpet.
POSE – Which ideas would you like to use in your rug
design?
COMPOSE AND CRAFT
COMPOSE – Plan an Oriental Rug using a symmetrical
design. Make sure to include all parts found in an
Oriental carpet
CRAFT - Design an Oriental Rug using colored pencils
index cards at the center.
and
PRODUCE AND REFLECT
REFLECT – Write a short description of the artistic
decisions you made for your design.
SHARE – Decide how to share this information on a page
in your Weaving Book. Is there any other information you
want to include? Sketch and label
the parts of an
Oriental rug?
THE SILK ROAD: A 7,000 mile Cultural Trek
Materials: Silk worms, Silk fabric, Silk Road maps, Roving, Felt, Felting needle, styrofoam
Websites:
American Museum of Natural History http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/silkroad/
Silk Road Exhibits: Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA & UPENN Archeology Museum
Books:
Hong, L. T. (1995). The empress and the silkworm. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman &Co.
Johnson, S. A. (1982). Silkworms. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Co.
Major, J. S. (1995). The silk route: 7,000 miles of history. NYC: HarperCollins Publisher
Mortenson, G. and Roth, Susan L. (2009). Listen to the Wind: The story of Dr. Greg and
Three Cups of Tea. NYC: Penguin Group.
LOOK AND WONDER
WONDER - What were the paths, purposes, and perils on the Silk Road? Why was
weaving an essential part of the Silk Road history? How are the economy, geography,
resources, and beliefs reflected in one’s art?
LOOK – People have been making twisted fiber string and weavings for more than
25,000 years. Examine the textiles found along the silk route in Secrets of the Silk Road.
How did they create such beautiful fabrics so long ago? How were they used?
GATHER AND EXPLORE
GATHER – Select various small samples of roving. Do they feel warm in your hands?
EXPLORE – How is this similar and different than the silk fibers in the scarf?
POSE – Find out the Chinese folktale of the amazing silkworm? How is silk made?
COMPOSE AND CRAFT
COMPOSE – Arrange small colors of roving on a piece of felt creating a composition.
CRAFT - Punch the felt to create a design, working with a felting needle on a piece of
styrofoam. Add inlays to make it visually interesting. Are you making the fabric warmer
and more aesthetically pleasing? Add to your weaving book documentation
PRODUCE AND REFLECT
REFLECT - How are the economy, geography, resources, and beliefs are reflected in
one’s art? What is the relationship between Art & Society?
READ the book, Listen to the Wind or Three
Cups of Tea. How can you make a difference in
the world?
SHARE your thoughts with someone else?
Visit Greg Mortenson’s website
http://www.gregmortenson.com/ or Maggie
Doyne’s website http://blinknow.org/ and read
the difference one person can make!