Human History through Fiber

Study Leaders: Kathy McIntyre-Seltman and Howard Seltman

• Week 1: Prehistory and Process Overviews Wednesday Sept. 10, 2025 1:00 PM
  • Class Notes (pdf without videos)
  • Original (unedited) videos
    • Backstrap loom from Guatemala
    • Rigid heddle loom (start around 7:10)
  • Recommended reading: Women's Work The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth and Society in Early Times by Elizabeth Barber
• Week 2: Plant Fibers (Cotton, Flax, etc.) Wednesday May 17, 2025 1:00 PM
  • Class Notes (pdf without video)
  • Original (unedited) videos
    • How to Make Linen From Flax
  • Recommended reading: Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert
• Week 3: Silk Wednesday Sept 24, 2025 1:00 PM
  • Class Notes (pdf without video)
  • Original (unedited) videos
    • Spinning a cocoon
    • Reeling silk
    • Yunjin Brocade
  • Recommended reading:
    • The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
    • Unravelling the Silk Road by Chris Aslan
• Week 4: Wooly Mammals Wednessday Oct. 4, 2025 1:00 PM
  • Class Notes (pdf without video)
  • Recommended reading:
    • A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard
    • The Field Guide to Fleece by Carol Ekarius and Deborah Robson
• Week 5: Dyeing, Synthetics, and Fiber Art/Hobbies Wednesday Oct. 8, 2025 1:00 PM
  • Class Notes (pdf without video)
  • Recommended reading:
    • The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing by J. N. Liles
    • Wild Color by Jenny Dean

Original dates: May 2024

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E-mail: howard.seltman@gmail.com