The Hand of the Maker: The Importance of Understanding Textiles from the “Inside Out”
by
Beverly Gordon
This paper argues that the experience of making a textile is an important component of understanding it, and we must encourage textile researchers to include hands-on experiments as part of their investigation. This is not a universally shared assumption–many who are interested in textiles come from disciplines where the “making” component is undervalued, and it is generally left out of textile history courses. The topic is generally not part of professional dialogue. Drawing on my experience as an educator and researcher, I point out examples of bias against technique-oriented study (e.g., academic practices, assumptions behind Library of Congress subject classifications, library collections policies), and cite instances from the textile literature where the author did not understand the technical explanation for a textile’s appearance. I offer examples of the critical insights that emerged from efforts at reproducing historic textiles or experiencing how they were made.
My examples relate to diverse textile traditions: Southeast Asian woven bags–where a reproduction showed the error in an “authority’s” assertion; hairwork wreaths–where samples indicated that Victorian references to a “clean technique” meant something unique, and what skilled “amateurs” wreath-makers had to be; Shaker “poplar cloth”–where working with the material led to an understanding of the spiritual nature of the Shakers’ weaving; Indian moccasins–where reproductions showed why beadwork was placed where it was; 19th century unisex child’s dresses–where reproductions surprisingly indicated how simple the style was to cut and sew, and what practical items they were.
Beverly Gordon, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Environment, Textiles and Design department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been actively involved with TSA since its inception, serving as Coordinator of the 199 Symposium, as Vice President from 1996-1998, and President from 1998-2000. Her books include Bazaars and Fair Ladies: The History of the American Fundraising Fair; Shaker Textile Arts; and Feltmaking: Traditions, Techniques and Contemporary Explorations; and she has written numerous articles on American needlework and American Indian beadwork. She is now working on a volume entitled The Fiber of Our Lives: Why Textiles Matter.