Talking Textiles

Gr 7 Up—This British-made series covers textile production from the cultivation of the raw materials through the social and economic issues related to cloth manufacturing. The videos feature colorful images and lively music to hold the attention of viewers. The pace of the narration is rapid, but the programs can be stopped at any of the scattered PowerPoint summaries so students can take notes or ask questions. Natural Fibers gives a comprehensive overview of animal, plant and mineral based fiber sources and end products, stressing their best uses based on structural strength, non-flammability, and withstanding multiple washes. The information presented in the "Yarn Production" chapter of Environmental, Social, and Economic Issues in Textiles is covered again in Yarn Construction and Specialist Yarns. The Environmental video also has an agenda: buy only "Fair Trade Organic Cotton" or an alternative environmentally low-impact fiber/fabric such as hemp, ramie, or polyester. The negative environmental impact of mass-produced cotton is convincingly presented. Yarn Construction includes enlightening interviews with a yarn and knit designer and others. Since these films are fairly brief, they do not include more expansive definitions of terms and the clarity that would have resulted from using additional live-action video footage to demonstrate the transition from raw to usable fibers.—Meredith Toumayan, Pescosolido Library, The Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA