Grade Level: 6-8

Subject: Social Studies/Art

There is a reason that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin looks especially well-dressed these days. The Republican National Committee has reportedly spent about $150,000 on the vice presidential nominee's wardrobe over the past couple of months. Although the RNC says the clothing will be donated to charity following the election, the huge expense has raised a few eyebrows for many Americans worried about their own shrinking pocketbooks and content with wearing last year's fashions.

Regardless of the cost of the shirt on your back or the shoes on your feet, clothing is generally a need that all humans share. Some form of clothing has been worn by humans for millennia. We can only guess that our ancestors likely wore what was readily available, such as animal skins or simple coverings woven from local plants. Over the generations, our need for better-suited coverings spurred human ingenuity. Eventually, humans spun fibers using animal fur or cotton to create yarn. Yarn was woven into durable cloth, which was sewn together into fitted garments that a person could easily reuse for months or longer. A person might even have different garments for different purposes (for example, a thick, wool coat for cold, rainy weather and a light, airy shirt for the summer's heat).

Over the years, clothing has become decorative as well as functional. Cloth can be used for other purposes, too. Purses, blankets, rugs, tablecloths, and other kinds of items can be made using fabric.

During this week's lesson, you will cut away to the basics of how textiles are made and for what purpose. You will also travel to the United Kingdom to explore how the Industrial Revolution was driven by the textile industry.

Common Threads

Your first stop is at the Textile Museum. Enter the exhibit Common Threads: Unraveling the World of Textiles. Watch the introduction, and then click to unravel the story of the Overtunic from Guatemala. As you explore the garment, click underlined terms to read the definition. For a more complete glossary, you can also open and print an introduction to Textile Terms (PDF).

Learn more about the overtunic's Function, including its decoration and special use. In the garment's Artistry, why is using a backstrap loom helpful? What is the difference between a plain weave and a supplementary weft? Also, discover how the textile maker may be influenced in her fabric's Design by neighbors as well as outside factors.

What do the fibers used tell about the maker's Environment? Lastly, what does the garment say about the Identity of the garment's maker and wearer? To the right of the Identity menu button, click the circle to browse the gallery of Related Garments.

Now, move on to another part of the world. Unravel the story about the Raincloak from Bhutan. As you did for the Guatemalan garment, explore the raincloak's Function. What exactly is yathra and what makes it ideal for this purpose? What is a twill weave? How does the frame loom used here compare to the loom used in Guatemala? What influences Bhutanese artisans?

What are the typical elements in this garment's Design? What motifs might a weaver use and why? What do weavers have to think about when considering design placement? What does the raincloak illustrate about this culture's Environment and Identity? Be sure to browse through the region's Related Textiles gallery before leaving the exhibit.

List five favorite garments you own. For each item, write a short paragraph answering the following questions: From what type of materials is it made? What purpose does it serve? Do you know where it was made? What characteristics do you especially like about it?

The Textile Revolution

For many years, Europe and the rest of the world produced clothing similar to the examples you explored from Guatemala and Bhutan. Cloth and clothing was created by hand in homes. Your next stop at the Science Museum in the United Kingdom will show you how this scene changed rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the museum's exhibit Making the Modern World, discover the history of Textiles: From domestic to factory production. Read the introduction about how the conversion of textile manufacturing from small homes to factories represents a powerful illustration of the Industrial Revolution. At the bottom of the introduction page, launch the Rich Media Scene showing how Spinning Yarn was automated. At the bottom of this page and other pages within this exhibit, feel free to browse through any of the related materials provided.

Close the scene, and then step into the next section, which explains more about the importance of The Industrial Revolution. As you read through the page, launch the two scenes showing A fashion revolution and The trade web. As you continue, you will see how the rapidly shifting textile industry affected Changes in everyday life. Domestic manufacture changed dramatically because of Innovations in the textile industry, such as Richard Arkwright's waterframe.

During Domestic production, textile makers could manage their work time any way they pleased. This is evident in the diary entries of weaver Cornelius Ashworth. Complete the activity, responding to The domestic production lifestyle. Contrast this to Factory production. Launch the scene showing conditions at Belper North Mill. Read the mill's rules, and then complete the activity, reflecting on The factory worker's lifestyle.

Now, compare the Contemporary illustrations: Domestic production and Contemporary illustrations: Factory production. Complete the Factories and power activity.

Also, take a look at the Evidence of buildings: Domestic production, including the large-scale Piece Hall in Halifax. Compare and contrast that with the Evidence of buildings: Factory production.

Working in childhood was likely something done in domestic production to some extent, but factory production brought a horrific side to the term "child labor." Read the written evidence provided by factory worker Samuel Coulson, and then complete the activity Examining evidence of child labor.

Finish up your tour of textile industrialization with the Conclusion and review the scene Cottonopolis: A Wonder of the Age.

By yourself or with a partner, brainstorm two lists: characteristics of how people lived, worked, engineered buildings and machinery, and how they dressed when textiles were made through domestic manufacturing. Your second list should include the characteristics when textiles moved to factory production. Discuss your lists with classmates.

Newspaper Activities

Start your own fashion review magazine of sorts by pulling three to five photos from current or archived issues of The Sacramento Bee. Each photo should clearly show, preferably in color, how a person is dressed. Try to pick photos in which people are dressed more distinctly than simply wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Cut out the person's figure so that your model stands or sits alone, with little background. Think carefully about what exactly the person is wearing. From what types of fiber was each item made? What colors of dye were used? Is a pattern printed on it? In reviewing any decorative features, what may have influenced the artistic design choices? What purpose may each garment serve? Write up a review of the model's outfit, telling a story as you answer these and similar questions that relate to this lesson.