Colonial Crafts Workshop
Dyeing and Weaving Yarns in Colonial America
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Like food and shelter, clothing is a basic human requirement, and to a
large extent, the
colonists needed to supply their own needs. Imported cloth
and finished goods were simply too costly for most people's purses.
Therefore, in colonial times, much work revolved around the production of
fibers and cloth.
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Just as people of today prefer to vary their wardrobe with clothing of
different colors, during the Colonial period, people liked to do the same!
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To learn how yarns were dyed, Hastings students were shown various plant
parts from which dyestuffs were
traditionally derived. Many of the same plants can be easily found today.
The fresh green hulls of black walnuts were an important source of a brown
dye, while the strained liquid served as ink. This is why the ink on many
antiquated documents is brown in color. |
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The children shaved bark from twigs
of an apple tree that is growing on the school grounds. They discovered
that
this bark will dye wool yarn a pretty shade of light yellow. Likewise,
onion
skins will dye wool a different yellow. Madder root, safflowers, tea
leaves,
sumac berries and the dried bodies of cochineal bugs were also put to the
test. Here you can see the beautiful colors we obtained.
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Weaving was the final stage in making cloth. After learning about this
ancient craft, Hastings children got to try their hand at weaving
crosswise
"woof" threads with the lengthwise "warp" threads. With a cardboard
hand-loom they created wallhangings, bookmarks, doll
blankets, and more. What was most exciting? Seeing the sense of
satisfaction the children got in completing a beautiful hand-made piece of
fabric. "Colonial Craft Workshop" has proven to be a very special
hands-on learning experience, indeed!
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Last update: 11-2-00/mgl
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