Textile Technology from 1700 to 1860 or from Hand to Water Power: The Textile Industry in Britain and America
August 2nd - 4th 2024
Limited to 25 Students
A combination of hands-on activities and lecture portions, this seminar explores the question: “How did the shift in technology between hand and power change who was weaving and what was being woven?” The tools of the trade for domestic, as well as industrial, textile production will be explored. The workshop will include textile tool examination and close examination of fabrics produced by hand and industrial power. The hands-on portion will include spinning and weaving equipment of the period. The workshop will end with an opportunity to visit Thistle Hill Weavers.
Instructors
Susan Rabbit Goody
She runs a small custom and commission textile mill reproducing historic textiles. Her work in the field of historic textiles has been a multi decade adventure. Her areas of concentration are the transition between hand and powered textile technology, and the place of hand produced textiles in the material culture of the 17th through 19th centuries. Coverlets, carpets, and everyday textiles in rural America are her areas of identification and dating expertise.