Article
Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum: Victorian Dress at the V&a

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the fashions worn by the various social classes during the Victorian era. Includes information on popular styles and textiles, along with a collection of images.
Interactive
University of Manchester

Children's University of Manchester: Talking Textiles: Pattern and Textiles

For Students 3rd - 5th
Interactive explanation of a key design principle-pattern-with a built-in design-your-own pattern application for displaying designs on clothing or furniture.
Interactive
University of Manchester

Children's University of Manchester: Talking Textiles: How Do Textiles Talk?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Interactive series of graphics, with samples of the Bayeux Tapestry and an adire cloth from Nigeria Explains how to look closely at the imagery, color, and patterns of textiles to undercover their hidden meanings and symbolic content.
Article
Other

Fabric for Bachelors or How to Shop for Work Clothes

For Students 9th - 10th
Really fun series of articles about how to pick good quality clothing that will last through the years. Provides tips on selecting fibers, caring for clothes, and proper fit.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Gifts and Blessings: The Textile Arts of Madagascar

For Students 3rd - 8th
To the people of Madagascar woven cloth is more than just something nice to wear. Come explore the topic of textiles and their importance to these African people.
eBook
Cornell University

Cornell University: Art, Design, and Visual Thinking

For Students 9th - 10th
Use the left-hand toolbar of this site to investigate an online textbook for the language of design. It provides visual examples and explanations of line, form, color, color psychology, texture, balance, proportion and many more...
Article
University of Manchester

Children's University of Manchester: Talking Textiles: Adire Textiles

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Illustrated, interactive explanation of how adire textiles, a Nigerian cultural tradition, are designed, created, and interpreted.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of African Art: Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about African kente cloth, including how it is made, when to wear it, and how to wear it. Accompanying interactive lets you can design your own kente.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

The Fabric of Moroccan Life Urban Textiles and Costumes

For Students 3rd - 8th
For hundreds of years, Moroccan women have composed fine embroideries and rugs using intricate designs that have been passed down through generations. View these exquisite textiles with large detailed images.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Spinning Yarns, Telling Tales About Textiles

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A great resource for introducing different types of textiles and weavings to your students. A good amount of background information is included as well as a few simple learning activities.
Website
University of Iowa

Streaming Videos of Burkina Faso and Ghana

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Dozens of streaming videos to view based on African art and culture. View examples of how masks are used in festivals and ceremonies, how pottery is formed and fired, art that is created for everyday living, weaving on a loom, funeral...
Interactive
University of Manchester

Children's University of Manchester: Talking Textiles: How Are Textiles Made?

For Students 2nd - 4th
Interactive exploration of textiles and cloth derived from plants, animals, and petrochemicals.
Interactive
University of Manchester

Children's University of Manchester: Talking Textiles: World Costume

For Students 2nd - 4th
Interactive resource for exploring what traditional forms of dress reveal about the culture and location of the people who wear them and the climate where they live.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Paracas Textile

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the most extraordinary masterpieces of the pre-Columbian Americas is a nearly 2,000-year-old cloth from the South Coast of Peru. View detailed pictures and read the backstory of this textile in this essay.
Handout
Other

Alien Travel Guide: History of Weaving

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site from the Alien Travel Guide contains an outline to information on the history of weaving. The outline is in link form for easy navigation and it contains wonderful basic information.
Website
Other

Lecture Notes: Textile Factories Come to the u.s.

For Students 9th - 10th
Clemson University provides a historical overview of the wave of textile factories, including Slater and Lowell, that cropped up in the northeast. Hyperlinks to additional information.
Website
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Eighteenth Century European Dress

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore fashion from the 1700's with the slideshow. Includes a discussion of popular styles, textiles and silhouettes.
Article
Victoria and Albert Museum

Victorian & Albert Museum: Introduction to 18th Century Fashion

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the trends that came to define men's and women's fashion in the 1700's. Includes images and a discussion of popular fabrics and women's hairstyles.
eBook
Cornell University

Cornell University: Hearth/home Economics Education

For Students 9th - 10th
Housed at the Mann Library, this resource contains a comprehensive set of books and journals in the field of Home Economics, many available online. Each subject area in the field has a descriptive essay plus a bibliography related to...
Lesson Plan
Other

Multicultural Literature for Children: Abuela's Weave

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This lesson plan is perfect in an ESL classroom. "Abuela's Weave" is the story of a young girl from Guatemala and the beautiful tapestry she creates. Includes prereading questions, vocabulary, and activities to integrate into other...
Interactive
Cornell University

Cornell University: 3 D Body Scanner

For Students 9th - 10th
Body scanning is a new technology that is shifting the focus of apparel production from "Cookie-cutter," to "One-of-a-kind." This site gives information about the technology, visualizations of a body scan, scenarios of the production...
Website
Other

Fabrics: Fabric Information and Facts: Wool

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents information about the production of wool, the various types of wool, and a glossary of wool fabrics and weaves.
Website
Other

Manalagi Group: Weaving in Indonesia

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Manalagi Inc. contains information on the weaving in Indonesia with focus on the backstrap loom. Pictures are provided and the text is somewhat in-depth, making this a great site to check out on the subject.
Website
Other

Artisans in Focus: The Art of Weaving

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Artisans in Focus contains wonderful information on the art of weaving. The site is outlined in link form for easy navigation and it contains information on subjects such as: preparing the yarn, dying the yarn, natural...