By Lauren Michel,
May 17th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers)
The Body on Display Symposium: The body on display from renaissance to enlightenment.
An interdisciplinary early-career symposium supported by the Society for the Social History of Medicine, the Royal Historical Society, the Centre for Seventeenth-Century Studies at Durham University, and Durham University Graduate School.
St. Chad’s College, Durham University, 6 -7 July 2010
The key note speaker is Peter Mitchell. The title of his key note address is ” ‘Shall I the Hearts un-equall sides explain …? Or, shall I rip the Stomachs hollowness …?’ The anatomical speaking picture, representation and the literary associations of anatomy in the early seventeenth century.”
Session titles include: Deviant Bodies; Dead Bodies; The Body Illustrated; Bodily Surfaces; Masculinity on Display; The Beautiful Body; and Public Bodies, Bodies and the Public.
Registration is only £20 and includes refreshments including a light lunch on both days.
Bed and Breakfast accommodation is available on Monday 5 July, and Tuesday 6 July at £28.50 per night if required.
Visit the symposium web site for a registration form and further information.
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By Monica Sklar,
May 14th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Uncategorized)
Kat and I have been looking into the concept of clothing producers and retailers aligning themselves with social causes and charities. (This post is written by both of us). This is becoming an increasingly common notion, from large to small companies. The past ten years have seen an increase in “sustainable” or “responsible” fashion design and production. Examples such as Target and KMart donating a percentage of profits per store to their communities, and companies like Product RED, Edun and Urban Zen all tout eco-friendly, empowering products that raise awareness about social issues. Plus, there has been a huge push toward used/recycled, and vintage clothes as a “green” fashion option.
I was recently contacted by clothing company TheMittenState to discuss their socially minded endeavors. I have a true passion for Detroit-area anything, including working to understand and do my tiny part to help the plight of the challenged city. This includes both it’s standard of living, and, it’s fashion scene. So, when Will from TheMittenState got in touch, I thought I should for sure take a look at what is up with this new company.
In this era of responsibility being a part of nearly everyone’s stated mission (whether it’s legit or hype), what sets TheMittenState apart?
I asked Kat to chat with Will about his company. Below is what they discussed:
Will – Well, relatively speaking, TheMittenState.com is a much more local project; whereas companies like Product RED and Edun are tackling issues on a global scale, our parameters are defined within the cities and towns of Michigan. Which isn’t to say that our goals are less important, it’s just that we prefer and enjoy the level of intimacy that goes along with working within our own community. Both myself and my business partner grew up in the Mitten State, and so when we returned to open up shop here, there was a level of familiarity and support that’s more tangible. For example, when you buy a product that benefits The Global Fund (which is a fantastic project), you obviously feel a deeper connection to their cause. But there’s a gap, so to speak, between you buying a RED iPod in Detroit and the donation being made thousands of miles away in Africa. You don’t necessarily get to see the results; it can become a bit abstract. What we love, and one of the factors that drives us forward, is being able to interact with our customers and to give them the opportunity to check out the local charities that are tied to our products.
Kat – What are the benefits of connecting fashion production with the local community?
Will – For us, the connection between our product and the local community is crucial to our success. For people who aren’t from Michigan, or who perhaps aren’t familiar with it, The Mitten State refers to the shape of the larger of the two peninsulas that make up the state. Michiganders know it because we all use our hands as maps. If someone is from say, Bad Axe, they use their left hand to point to a spot on the thumb of the right hand. Or if you’re from the U.P., you use your right hand to point to say, Marquette on your left hand (U.P. = left hand, Lower Peninsula = right hand). It’s a ubiquitous symbol around here. And so people are drawn in. Obviously, if you’re not from Michigan, you’ll have little to no interest in what we’re doing, and we’re OK with that. When we launched TheMittenState.com we knew who we wanted to reach, and we felt compelled to give back to the local community. A portion of every sale benefits a local charity.
Kat – TheMittenState really emphasizes its work with the Conducive Learning Center and other charities represented by your T-shirt “slogans”. Do you think mainstream fashion designers are aware of impeding issues in their communities (locally or globally)? If not, what steps can they take to achieve a symbiotic relationship?
Will - As far as creating a symbiotic relationship with communities, I think a good first step is to identify something relevant to your company. If you sell pencils, choose something having to do with forest renewal. Since TMS is a Michigan themed company, we look at charities that have a strong tie to the state of Michigan. The Conductive Learning Center, for instance, is the only program in North America of its type. And it’s right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We like to collaborate with these kinds of charitable associations.
Kat – What are the biggest challenges when it comes to “function” versus “fashion”?
Will – I think in our specific case, we’re always trying to strike a balance between what we think a vintage shirt should be and what people will actually wear. We picked the shirts we use based on their softness, but also on their cut. They’re more forgiving than say, American Apparel shirts, which are probably more of a vintage cut but can be terribly unflattering if you’re not super lean and stringy. We sell to such a varied demographic, from teenagers to grandmothers, really, that we’re forced to constantly look at and evaluate what type of shirt we should be offering. I think the next step in the not too distant future is to get a private label going.
Kat – What’s next for TheMittenState? Do you plan on collaborating with any companies outside of Michigan?
Will – We’re in an expansion phase- we’re currently working on building our product line and the TMS brand. There’s an update of the online store set to launch in the coming weeks. It’ll introduce stickers, coffee mugs, and something we’re really excited about: custom orders. A customer will be able to visit us online and order a shirt with the exact location that they’re from. There’s something like 3,000 cities and towns in Michigan… Our goal is to cover all of them and tie-in relevant charities to the sales. We’re always looking to collaborate with organizations and people who may not come to mind right away within the context of our business. Just recently, we were contacted by a NYC director who just finished filming a documentary. Since the content is relevant to Detroit, he thought our shirts might present an interesting cross-promotion.
As mentioned above, TheMittenState is not the only community-conscious fashion company out there. You can check out those above, and if you want to read more about this contemporary concept there have been more than a a slew of academic and popular pieces recently written. Here are a handful and please go ahead in your comments and suggest others that would be interesting for WT readers.
Marie Claire featured a spread in their December 2009 issue on fashion designers and companies who have established charitable foundations or regularly contribute to causes like global poverty.
Charity retail: past, present and future by Elizabeth Parsons in the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
Environmentalism and consumers’ clothing disposal patterns: An exploratory study by Soyeon Shim in the Clothing and Textile Research Journal
Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: Organisation and performance by Marisa P. de Britoa, Valentina Carboneb, and Corinne Meunier Blanquartd in International Journal of Production Economics
Developing considerate design: Meeting individual fashion and clothing needs within a framework of sustainability by Sandy Black, Claudia M. Eckert, and Philip Delamore in Proceedings of the MCPC 2007 World Conference on Mass Customization and Personalization
1 Comment
By Lucy Collins,
May 13th, 2010 at 9:57 am
(Academic Research & Related, Uncategorized)
Last week I attended a lecture at FIT, a conversation with Rodarte — or rather, the designing duo of sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy – in which they discussed their design process and inspirations. They are an extraordinarily down-to-earth pair who seem to use their intuitions about beauty, rather than a focus on making money, to earn almost every accolade in the industry. In addition, they are adored by all manner of celebrity starlet and engage in collaborations ranging from their hugely popular Target line to most recently designing ballet costumes for the upcoming film “Black Swan.”
But rather than write extensively about Rodarte (as I’ve actually done such elsewhere on WT), I wanted to touch a little on one theme that really struck me while listening to Kate and Laura’s conversation with Valerie Steele.
It seemed that over and over again the Mulleavy sisters referenced instances of decay and death as inspiration for their garments. Sitting in the audience, I really began to question my own conceptions of fashion as I tried to square the physical objects which identify Rodarte — garments which I deem exceptionally beautiful — with the reality that the creators of these garments are often inspired and intrigued by some of the darkest, most macabre moments of life.
It really got me pondering: is fashion perhaps most basically about death? Or some kind of dance with, or mockery or, the inevitability of decay?
The unbridled recent surge of plastic surgery (see Heidi Montag) paired with the enormous focus on the question of retouching reveals that somewhere in the human being is the desire to mold the self into something unabashedly artificial. Even the shift in actual fashion design towards the metallic, the futuristic, and the shape-shifting illustrates an interest in creating almost artificial bodies, molding nature into something entirely “other.” But why then, as we move towards a version of our selves that isn’t even bound by physical limitations, are we still so fascinated by death in fashion?
In Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project he draws special attention to fashion and death. Because of the inherent materialism of fashion (from a Marxist reading), fashion is always in a sense condemned to death, just as the body upon which it is worn will die. The fashioned version of humanity, which is then so anti-nature, explicitly evokes ideas of death. Just as the memento mori still life paintings complete with skulls sought to remind the viewers of their own mortality, maybe beneath the glitz and glamour of fashionable clothing is a lurking skeleton. Layers and layers of false youth will not hide the inevitable aging underneath.
Fashion is especially interesting because it represents the precise meeting point between the natural — the body — and the artificial. As such, it will always demonstrate the intimate play between the two. Surely we use overt artifice to cover over our fear of death. But we also use fabric and material to announce our own flesh. As the Rodarte designers use the effects of tie-dye and marbling to give fabrics the hauntingly beautiful appearance of rotting or decaying flesh, likewise every garment we use to dress actually highlights our unavoidable embodiment.
4 Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
May 12th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(History of Dress, Uncategorized)
*
In the 1920s, “Businesswomen” were advised to pay careful attention to the difference between social and working dress. According to Vogue:
“We must stoutly protest that the sport, garden party or reception dress is out of place in the shop or office. Short sleeves do not look well for such wear, ever. Elbow-length is permissible, but the really short sleeve is bad form and the sleeveless street gown is unspeakably vulgar.” [1]
Muted colors and simple fabrics were also advised. Generally, businesswear walked a line between formal social attire and at home “work” wear, combining simplicity and functionality with chicness.
Accounting Office, Brooklyn, NY, 1925. (Early Office Museum)
Where dresses were appropriate, they resembled women’s morning or house-dresses. In the early 1920s, these work dresses had waist yoke’s and raglan sleeves. Overskirts created an apron effect and pockets were a must for practicality. Similarly ¾ length sleeves were useful. These dresses were made of serge, tricotine, or gabardine. Though satin was sometimes used, trimming was kept to a minimum, so as not to appear “fussy”.[2]
Comptometer Bureau, Armour & Co., Chicago, 1926. Armour & Co. was a meat business. (Early Office Museum)
The 1920s saw the rise in the popularity of the suit, consisting of a dress and matching jacket, or of the more familiar three-piece variety (with a skirt, blouse and jacket). Throughout the decade, the skirts of the ensembles were slender and had knife or inverted pleats (Laubner 1996).
During the first few years of the 1920s, wool suits were the most popular and consisted of a calf-length tunic-like dress or skirt worn with a thigh-length unfitted jacket. Decoration on these early suits usually included Chelsea and notched collars and a number of belts, crisscrossing over the jacket (Laubner 1996).
Between 1923 and 1924, hem lengths dropped all the way to the ankles and hip length boxy suit jackets followed the general trend towards a lowered waistline (Laubner 1996). Also during this time, Coco Chanel introduced her most well known suit. It consisted of a collarless, square-cut jacket trimmed in contrasting braid, paired with a matching straight skirt. The quilted silk lining of the jacket was meant to match the blouse. Chanel’s signature suit also contained a chain inside the hem of the jacket for weight (Laubner 1996).
1929 Suit by Coco Chanel, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Costume Institute (1984.154.1a–c)
From 1925 until the end of the decade, both single and double breasted square suit jackets were the norm, although jackets that met at the center front, held together by a toggle were also popular. Jackets were paired with straight cut, knee-length skirts (Laubner 1996).
In general, cardigan suits of knitted jersey were a staple in women’s closets (Mendes & De La Haye 1999). Typically, suits of the 1920s were made in subdued colors such as navy, tan, brown, and black. White pin stripes were frequently seen as well. Trimming was minimal, though in the latter half of the decade, fur pieces sometimes adorned shoulders for added glitz (Laubner 1996).
[1] Watson, Linda. 20th Century Fashion. Buffalo: Firefly, 2004. 44.
[2] “Of Interest to women,” Washington Post, Jan 12, 1920; pg. 8.
*Image courtesy of Elizabeth Ewing
Additional Images available at The Early Office Museum.
3 Comments
By Tove Hermanson,
May 11th, 2010 at 10:27 am
(History of Dress, Videos)
After reading the recent NYTimes article highlighting Eddie Feibusch’s zipper business in New York’s Lower East Side, I was reminded of — what else? — the history of the not-so-humble zipper. This now-ubiquitous device that fastens and unfastens our pants, dresses, and bags, is a relatively recent invention, as far as the history of fashion goes, and also had more trouble taking off than you might imagine.
Elias Howe (inventor of the sewing machine) patented an “automatic, continuous clothing closure” in 1851, and Whitcomb Judson and Lewis Walker marketed the “Clasp Locker” in 1893, which was presented but largely ignored at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair:
Whitcomb Judson's clasp locker, a hook-and-eye zipper created to replace shoe laces
It wasn’t until Gideon Sundback increased the number of teeth per inch, joined and separated them with a slider, and built a machine to manufacture continuous chains of the “separable fastener” (patented in 1917), that the zip started to take off. One of its first big customers was the US Army which applied time-saving separable fasteners to the clothing and gear of the troops of World War I. This was not, however, widely adopted by the general public.
It was next incorporated into B. F. Goodrich’s 1925 rubber “Zipper Boots” (named for the “zip” sound they made), but it still struggled with mass marketing. In the 1930s a sales campaign suggested that buttons were hard for children to manage and the zipper made it easier for them to dress themselves. Using modern-day infomercial creativity, the zipper industry alerted people to problems they didn’t know they had — namely “gaposis,” gaping holes between ill-fitting buttons and clasps that exposed drafts and prying eyes to the body underneath. The solution? Spray on hair! — I mean, zippers! Exciting yes, but reliable? Not entirely. A certain amount of trial and excruciating error was enough to dissuade tailors from suggesting their clients adopt the zip (think There’s Something About Mary bathroom scene).
A well-appointed proponent of the zipper assisted its limping acceptance. The Duke of Windsor (1894 – 1972), in addition to abdicating this throne in favor of marrying the trollop — I mean divorcée — Mrs. Wallis Simpson, made a(nother) scandal by advertising his adoption of trouser flies. Known for his daring but impeccable fashion taste (mixing patterns, cuffing pants, etc.), his vocal adoption of the zip fly did much for the device. (For more on the Duke’s influence on fashion see this article.) I like the following picture of him because, though I imagine he is not actually lifting his jacket for us to inspect his fly, I like to pretend he is:
Most fashion designers only began to see the myriad of possibilities after after the zipper beat the button in the amusing “Battle of the Fly” in 1937 (I imagine an Iron Chef-like competition, though I could be wrong); Esquire magazine concluded the “new” zippered fly would end “the possibility of unintentional and embarrassing disarray,” tapping into that somewhat imagined “gaposis” crisis of the ’20s. Conservative tailors who disdained zipper flies as vulgar but who couldn’t argue with its ultimate popularity created a fold of cloth to conceal the zipper, which is, of course, the standard in flies today.
But to backtrack just a titch, the biggest breakthrough came when Hoboken zipper factories amped up the erotic associations of the zipper, capitalizing on the alluring promise of “a quick and effortless disrobing.” It was the very vulgar, potentially lewd quality of the zipper that tailors resisted but that the public loved. Synchronized dance musical director extraordinaire Busby Berkeley (1895 – 1976) tapped into the suggestive and tantalizingly promiscuous possibilities of the zipper by featuring one made of women (it didn’t hurt that they were all scantily clothed and splashing about in water). Here is “By a Waterfall” from Footlight Parade (1933) (fast forward to 3:35 – 4:18):
A whole seduction is played out with the zipper: a triangular pubis is formed by the bodies, which dissolves into the neat formation of a closed, modest zipper which a lone swimmer (the seducer) voyeuristically observes (like watching a woman dress). The zip is then ripped open by this peeping Tom who somewhat violently breaks the links. An attempt to stave off the sexual advance and reclaim self-decency is made by immediately re-zipping the zipper, and the vignette is concluded ambiguously with an underwater shot of an orgiastic flurry of confused legs and feet and not-unhappy faces. I realize this might seem like a bit of stretch in this day and age of explicit sexual scenes, but the erotic message was not lost on 1930′s audiences. I love that Busby B.!
Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) was the first couturier to feature zippers as a style element. She first used brightly colored zippers on sportswear in 1930, and her 1935 collection of evening dresses were dripping in colored, oversized, decorative and nonfunctional zippers. While other designers were using zippers simply as a fastener (and trying to hide them), Schiaparelli was using them to create visual interest in garments (and maybe a little scandal too). This dress has a prominently displayed front-of-torso zipper closure that is functional and artistic, and gives the witty, Surrealist suggestion that the dress is being worn backwards:
Schiaparelli's Fall/Winter 1939 collection, worn by Millicent Rogers
Since Elsa, other designers have used the zipper as adornment. The corset onesie Jean-Paul Gaultier designed for Madonna’s 1990 “Blond Ambition” tour had a zipper running from breasts to crotch, merging the fetish aspects of pre-20th century underwear with that of modern-day ease of disrobing:
And Victoria Beckham’s fledgling fashion line often features deliberately visible zippers. Below Ms. Beckham and Jennifer Lopez are modeling former Posh Spice’s own line, with modest hemlines but body hugging silhouettes and partially un-zipped full-length zippers, hinting at impropriety without actually showing a lot of flesh:
While visible zippers lend an air of daring sexual prowess and vulnerability, so do invisible zippers that allow modern women to don boots that have 15 inches of prominent but superficial decorative lacings that fetishize the corset lacing while utilizing the practicality of the zipper:
Fluevog Sugar boots with invisible inner zippers
After the initial slow adoption of the gadget, the zipper has even infiltrated our civilian vocabulary now: to “unzip” is literally to open, but also to reveal a truth, as the zipper reveals the body underneath. The hilaaaarious 1995 documentary about manic designer Isaac Mizrahi is aptly called “Unzipped,” playfully using the clasp’s undoing action to imply that the normally hidden, backstage part of the design process will be exposed. (Is it ever!)
Finally, though the zipper has come so very far from its humble origin and initial ineffectual marketing, to now being the current standard in clasps more than the exception, there remains an un-solvable problem. Easy and quick as the zipper is to close, it is equally easy to forget:
Brad Pitt
Recommended Reading:
2 Comments
By Lucy Collins,
May 11th, 2010 at 10:18 am
(Uncategorized)
(1. Assistant Professor, Fashion Marketing (Business), CUNY, York College, Brooklyn
QUALIFICATIONS
Ph. D. degree in area(s) of expertise, or equivalent as noted below. Also required are the ability to teach successfully, interest in productive scholarship or creative achievement, and ability to cooperate with others for the good of the institution.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Earned doctorate in a related field required; MFA in Fashion, Fashion Design Technology or Fashion Marketing may be considered; evidence of excellence in teaching and/or professional experience; strong academic and professional references; effective communicative skills; published or publishable scholarly work; and serious commitment to quality research.
Apply here.
(2. Collections Manager, Emily P. Reynolds Historic Costume Collection, North Dakota State University
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Collection Manager works closely with the collection curator, faculty, students, and the community. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining records of the collection (donor records, photographs, evaluations, conditions, and locations of objects) based on standard museum procedure; working with the curator and academic assistant to maintain collection databases, website, and collection storage in order to facilitate use of the collection; taking the lead in developing and installing exhibits and in delivering programs with objects; demonstrating continuous effort to improve operations, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively to provide professional service to constituents.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in apparel and textiles, costume history, museum studies, or discipline related to the field (art, anthropology, history). Evidence of knowledge of clothing and textiles as related to museum collections; Evidence of knowledge of guidelines and standards for handling museum objects; Evidence of knowledge and skills in museum registration methods; Evidence of organizational skills with attention to detail; Ability to work independently, creatively, and collaboratively, and prioritize multiple tasks; Skilled in use of word processing and spreadsheet management Able to lift 50 pounds; Demonstrated excellence in writing, editing, and verbal communication skills
Apply here.
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By Kat,
May 10th, 2010 at 10:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers, Uncategorized)
CALL FOR PAPERS
Tattoos and Tattooing
Mid-Atlantic Popular / American Culture Association
October 28, 2010
Alexandria, VA.
Do you tattoo? Are tattoos body art? Rebellion? Personal expression? Clanship? Decadence? Reminiscence? Invitation to look? Disguise? This session invites discussion of tattoos, their meanings, their creation, their role/s in our lives. Share your knowledge, tattoos, and techniques.
We welcome proposals from all disciplines exploring tattoos and tattooing within historic and contemporary popular culture. Topics may include, but are not limited to – tattoos in body and gender politics; tattoos in literature and film; tattoos in fine art; and techniques in tattooing. We are particularly interested in projects that examine the role of popular visual culture on the refining and redefining of the contemporary tattoo aesthetic.
Please submit a 250-word abstract and a curriculum vitae to nschon@gmail.com.
Abstract deadline: June 15th, 2010
For questions, please contact Nick Schonberger (nschon@gmail.com).
For conference details click here.
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By Lauren Michel,
May 10th, 2010 at 5:03 am
(Exhibitions, History of Dress)
I used to dream of some day collecting enough antique clothing and textiles to fill a small museum. If a person wanted to do so, this Wednesday’s Augusta Auctions sale would be the place to go to acquire that inventory. In case you have not heard, Augusta Auctions is having an enormous Fashion and Textile Sale in Sturbridge, Massachusetts during Brimfield Antique Week this Wednesday.
The location is the Host Hotel Ballroom, Route 20, Sturbridge, Mass. The auction starts at 4:00, preceded by the preview from 1:00-4:00. The auction, comprising 257 lots, is expected to end at 6:30, and be followed by a “discovery sale” (see the Augusta Auctions web site for a description of the sale of those 100+ additional lots).
This auction, geared to collectors and the trade, totals nearly 10,000 items grouped in lots, with no minimum bids, no reserves, no internet bidding, no phone bidding, and no absentee bidding.
Up for auction are garments, textiles, and accessories from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection, Chrysler Museum, Columbus Museum, American Heritage Museum, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and “select private estates, including 19th C. World Tour Objects from a Main Line Philadelphia Family.”
Highlights of the sale include:
- 100’s of Victorian & Edwardian Clothing items
- Boxes of handmade & machine made lace
- 19th C. Military Uniforms
- American & European Designer clothing
- Shawls & Clothing from the 20’s & 30’s
- Lingerie, whites & undergarments
- Early Oriental rugs & tapestries
- Paisley & Export Shawls
- 100’s of pairs of 18th – 20th C. Shoes
- Asian & Middle Eastern garments & textiles
- 17th -20th C silk brocades, fabrics & embroideries
- 18th -20th C. Beaded and other bags
- Ecclesiastical textiles & brocade
The auction catalog is now available at Augusta’s web site, plus photos of some of the lots. For detailed information on select items, visit assistant Ginnie Beattie’s blog, Auction Fashionista.
Comments
By Kat,
May 10th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers)
Calling all costume curators, collections managers, registrars and museum enthusiasts: this is a great opportunity if your institution cannot attend this year’s American Association of Museum’s conference in Los Angeles .
Announcing the 2010 AAM Virtual Conference
For the first time, we’re holding a virtual conference and delivering outstanding educational content live from L.A.!
Produced in collaboration with LearningTimes, this is a two-day online conference showcasing nine sessions selected by our Standing Professional Committees that have the broadest appeal and greatest relevance to their constituencies. The sessions cover a wide range of museum issues including: innovative technology that keeps visitors connected, creating experiences for “Millennials,” and the promise and peril of using volunteers to help personalize visitors’ experiences. A stellar cast of subject matter experts will offer broad, multidisciplinary perspectives to museums of all types and sizes.
Registration is offered on a group basis, one registration fee entitles you to 10 access keys. AAM member registration is $199, non-member is $299.
Deadline for registering is 5pm PST May 22. Click here to register.
Curious about the issues or activities to be presented? Check out the preliminary conference program.
You can find more information at the Official AAM website.
Comments
By Lauren Michel,
May 7th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Teaching)
This week, my textiles students learned about stain removal with some practical experiments.
Supply List:
- pre-laundered fabric swatches
- ketchup, chocolate syrup, mustard, and vegetable oil
- powdered laundry detergent, liquid laundry detergent, and club soda
- mason jars, teaspoons and tablespoons, paper plates, and plastic cups
- water (access to a sink is preferred)
These are the instructions I gave the class:
One stain to each fabric swatch: ketchup, chocolate syrup, mustard, or vegetable oil.
One cleansing agent at a time: powdered detergent, liquid detergent, or club soda.
No minimum number of swatches (just do as many as possible in the time allowed).
- Use all three cleansing agents.
- Choose your own stains.
Record the steps of your procedure as you go. You will hand in your notes at the end of class.
- Apply stain to fabric.
- If using liquid or powdered detergent,
- Half tablespoon of liquid or the powdered detergent
- Fill jar 2/3 with water
- Stir with teaspoon
- If using club soda, add club soda only, choose your own quantity and record the amount used in your notes.
- Put the stained fabric in the jar
- Replace lid and shake for one minute
- Rinse fabric in the sink, lay it out on a paper towel to dry. Label it by stain and cleansing agent used.
- Compare results and record your results in your notes.
The results were overwhelmingly in favor of the liquid detergent. The students found the club soda to be the least effective of the three agents used to clean their samples. Next time I do this activity, I plan to:
- use grape juice for staining
- put the oil on colored fabric samples, instead of the white ones we used this week, so the stains will be easier to see
- use cornstarch and liquid dishwashing detergent to remove oil
Have any of you done something similar in a classroom setting? What worked best for you?
4 Comments
