Identifying Fabrics: Technique and Terminology

[from a release provided to Museum Anthropology]

Identifying Fabrics: Technique and Terminology
TSA Symposium Workshop

At the Textile Society of America 10th Biennial Symposium
Textile Narratives and Conversations

to be held in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
October 11-14, 2006

Identifying Fabrics: Technique and Terminology is the first workshop to be presented at a TSA Symposium. In this pre-symposium course participants will study fabric samples, paper models, and projected macro photographs to increase their skills in recognizing and describing fabrics. Useful for conservators and curators in cataloguing, this deductive method will also appeal to teachers and collectors who desire a straightforward pragmatic approach for analyzing fabrics. Sandra Sardjorno will lead the morning session focusing on wovens, which will cover simple weave structures, patterning techniques, and compound weave structures. In the afternoon session Desiree Koslin will introduce her unique methodology, a deductive approach that encourages learning through empirical observation. Using checklists and fabric samples, she will guide participants through a pragmatic analysis that complements the study of structure and/or technique. The study examples will provide a start for the participantsí personal swatch books.

Participants are welcome to bring their own samples of fabrics for analysis. Glossaries will be provided (including a visual lexicon), annotated bibliographies and resource listings. Supply list: Magnifying glass (loup or handheld), notebook, writing instruments, surgical needle, small flashlight. Optional but helpful: digital camera with macro lens. The course will take place in the Education and Resource Department at The Textile Museum of Canada on Wednesday, October 11.

Registration: Register for course when you register for the 2006 Symposium in Toronto. You may register either online by visiting

http://textilesociety.org/symposia_2006.htm
or by mailing your registration form.
Tuition: US $150.

Instructors: Desiree Koslin teaches a range of courses on the history and structure of fabrics at the graduate program in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory and Museum Practice at Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. She weaves, writes and conducts research on various aspects of fabrics and dress.

Sandra S. Sardjono is an Assistant Curator of the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She had previously worked as a Textile Conservator at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York.