Links to Textile history and culture online

Art and Craft organisations . . . Beads . . . Braids Tassels and Kumihimo . . . Buttons . . . Conservation . . . Costume . . . Crazy Quilting and Quilting  . . . Design . . .  Directories, ezines and resource sites   . . . Fabric Dyeing, Painting and Treatment . . . Embroidery . . . History and Culture of Textiles . . . Museums and Galleries. . . Lace and Tatting

From textile trivia to academic articles on the History and Culture of Textiles

A 17th-century Raised-work Box an article about stumpwork provided by the Embroiderers Guild UK

A Tale of Two Samplers By Dorrit Gutterson Ever wonder where Whitman's Chocolates got their package design? An article about the Whitman's Sampler box and stitches used.

A Quick Run Through History, Part I by Chottie Alderson is a hop skip and a jump through the history of embroidery provided by the American Needlepoint Guild.

Allhallows Museum Honiton Lace Web Site: provides illustrated articles on Honiton lace.

Antique Chinese & Japanese Textiles by Marla Mallettan illustrated articleprovided by Marla Mallett Textiles and Tribal Oriental Rugs

Asian Art a site that covers Asian art exhibitions, articles, associations etc

Bakelite: A Revolutionary Early Plastic an interesting article for those interested in the history of buttons and the use of this material. The article briefly covers the invention and history of Bakelite. Written by Lloyd Fadem and Stephen Z. Fadem, M.D.

Bayeux Tapestry: Part 1 This famous embroidery narrates the events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This site has described the events that are illustrated. Did you know that 623 humans, 55 canines, 202 equines, 41 ships, 49 trees, approximately 2000 Latin words and over 500 mythical and non mythical creatures appear in the tapestry? Worked in 8 colours of yarn. Interesting historical notes about The Bayeux Tapestry appear on the site which unfortunately is slow to load.

Beyond the Fringe: Shawls of Paisley Design: by Meg Andrews an informative illustrated article.

Brief Social History of Navajo Weaving an article by Bruce Bernstein, former director, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe

Chronology of Textiles and Fiber Art in New Mexico 700 AD-1998

Collecting Chinese Sleeve Bands by Meg Andrews a brief informative illustrated article which for those who are interested in embroidery has a detail of Pekinese stitch, often confused with Peking knot and another slant on the story of the Forbidden Knot.

Colour Museum archive: Turkey Red an article on the dye colour turkey red provided by the Society of Dyers and Colourists in the UK

Coptic Textiles: Collection from the Department of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences. These textiles have survived because they were preserved in the dry desert tombs of Egypt.This data base is worth poking around in if you are interested in textiles from various regions of the world and their history.

Corsets From Lord & Taylor Catalogue, a reprint of an 1881article

Dead Sea textiles an article on textiles found in the Qumran Cave

Dutch Samplers by Lucy Lyons Willis provided by La Chateline Designs

Embroidery and Applique in India: An illustrated article

Embroidery in the Netherlands Articles and information on Dutch textiles and related subjects. Article on Dutch samplers and the meanings of motifs. Information on design principles motifs and the like.

Fabric History: Natural fibers a chart indicating the history of natural fibers used in textiles provided by Fabric Link.

Fabric of their lives: Beauty, tragedy captured in Hmong needlework A brief article by Carol Guensburg.

Favorite Sampler Verses:A collection of verses found on historical samplers provided by Examplar's Stitching

Founders Of The Arts & Crafts Movement 1870 - 1900: A collection of articles on interior design by William Morris and his contemporaries, including information about the early years of the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Giant Thangkas of Tsurphu Monastery by Terris Temple and Leslie Nguyen an informative article about the giant silk applique banners to found in Tibet.

Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment An extensive article on the tubular beads [hair pipes] which are seen in the breastplates worn by Plains Indian men. By John C. Ewers Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology.

Historical Wampum by Catherine F. Smith. A brief article on white shell beads used for decoration and barter by the original inhabitants of Long Island and New England.

History of an Ancient Symbol an article on the swastika symbol used for thousands of years by Dottie Indyke.

History of Cotton Mills and the Industrial Revolution by Narvell Strickland

History, Cultural Values of Beads provided by Paula Giese for the Native American Indian resources web site.

Homage to Nature- Landscape Kimonos of Itchiku Kubota is a brief article links lead you to images. Provided by the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Housewife or Hussif? an illustrated article provided by the British Quilt History List

Ikat weaving in India:An illustrated article

Indian Trade Blankets a brief article by Bob Kapoun

Japanese Kimono Design Techniques by Marla Mallett an illustrated article on the embroidery, fabric manipulation and dyeing techniques used in Japanese Kimonos.Article provided by

Marla Mallett Textiles and Tribal Oriental Rugs

Kimono: Hypertext: A History of the Kimono

Kosode with Kamo Shrine Horse race Design: An illustrated article from the Kyoto National Museum

Macedonia Folk Embroidery: images of Macedonian textiles. Details of embroidery techniques used means this a very instructive site for embroidery enthusiasts.

Men in the Fiber Arts: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution: article by Rita Vainius provided by The Caron Collection

Maya Textiles: Visions of Identity, an exhibition held at the Marsil Museum in1997. This site combines Maya weavings, photography and text to reconsider the presentation of cultures in the museum environment. Curatored by Barbara Layne and Karen Michelsen.

Metaphor, Rythm and Vision in San Beadwork: An illustrated article which is part of Barbara L. Palmer's MA Thesis. The San live in the desert regions of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. and make ostrich eggshell beads.

Needlework Samplers the new home of Simply Samplers by created by Rosemary Powell who has been on the web since April 1996. This site houses information on the history and design of samplers, the meaning of sampler symbols and pointers to other resources.

Old Nova Scotian Quilts is a brief article on these quilts links at the bottom of the article lead you to images you can magnify more than once to see how they are made. This exhibit includes a Crazy quilt. Provided by the
Canadian Museum of Civilization

Original Pearly Kings and Queens of London: This site provides information about the history of the Pearly Kings and Queens, their role today in charity work, and a Glossary of Cockney rhyming slang

Pamela Simon Vintage Fabrics Home Page: A dealer in vintage American textiles 30's, 40's and 50's with a retro section. The site illustrates some interesting textiles which because the nature of the stock changes.

Passion for Potholders an illustrated article by Mary Sally Smith on vintage potholders provided by Country Collectables magazine:

Rationing: a brief article on World War II rationing provided by Nettleworth primary school. Due to clothing rationing women were encouraged to go through their wardrobe and recycle clothing by recutting garments.

Rosary workshop - a history of the rosary - Journalling the Bead. A chronology of the connection between beads and prayer.

Seventeenth Century Stumpwork by Anne Rhodes

Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Coifs by Drea Leed andKarenHarris: An illustrated article

'SLIPS' Late 16th/Early 17th Century (Elizabethan/Stuart) Embroidery an illustrated article by Meg Andrews of Victoriana.com

Southern Decorative Needlework by Heather Palmer: an article about embroidery and needle work and the role it played in the lives of Nineteenth-century women in the southern states of America.

Stumpwork and related Needlework Historical pieces and Samplers supplied by antique dealers Stephen and Carol Huber

Textiles as Art an article on collecting textiles by Mary Hunt Kahlenberg former curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Textiles from the Index of American Design: Image of sampler and brief article provided by the National Gallery of Art USA

Traditional Arts - Embroidery: Features images of traditional Ukrainian embroidery.

Traditional Chinese Culture in Taiwan: Embroidery Illustrated article

Victoriana Library: Sampler Collection, English (C.1879-82) Embroidered by Elizabeth E.

Jacobs Article and images of a collection of eight 19th C. samplers worked by a school girl

Victorian Jet Works: About Jet an article that defines jet by Alec Mackenzie. Inludes links to a Victorian Workshop  discovered in Whitby

Viking Embroidery An article which describes a stich somewhat like a Vandyke stitch that is worked in wire. Bibliography provided.

Visual and Historical Perspective on "Purses"and "Evening Bags? The Ever Adaptable Fashion Accessory: An illustrated article by Rita Vainius provided by the online ezine The Caron Collection:

What is Heishi?: an article by Pamela Michaelis explains that Heishi are hand-made tiny beads made of any natural material such as shell and then explains how they are made and how to identify hand made heishi.

William Morris and his Circle: articles and images derived from the Ransom Centre exhibition.

William Morris in the Cotswold: Places of interest in the Cotswold area related to William Morris and the arts and craft movement. Illustrations of Stained glass work.

William Morris Society A website is devoted to William Morris (1834-96)

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Museums, Galleries, Collections and exhibitions

Allhallows Museum Honiton Lace Web Site: provides illustrated articles on Honiton lace (Devon, UK)

American Textile History Museum, Information about past and current exhibits, the museum etc.(USA)

Armley Mills Industrial Museum Exhibits with an emphasis on textile history and engine and locomotive manufacture including water wheels, a steam engine and the great spinning 'mules'. Armley Mills used to be the largest woolen mill in the country. (Leeds UK)

Anthropology Department at the California Academy of Sciences Collections database. This data base is worth exploring if you are interested in textiles from various regions of the world and their history.(USA)

Asian Art a site that covers Asian art exhibitions, articles, associations etc

Blackwell Museum  has a sampler collection

Canadian Museum of Civilization holds a large textiles collection. No wonder this website has won a number of awards you get lost for hours in it.Beware its a real time sink.(Canada)

Cleaveland Museum of Art (USA)

Clothing and Textiles Hallway Museum, University of Manitoba, Canada

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation:This site has a search function which takes you into many of the nooks and crannies of the site. A large selection of needlework samplers are to be discovered.

Colour Museum Situated in a former wool warehouse this museum focuses on the history and use of color in textiles by the Society of Dyers and Colourists. Even if you can't get there in person their website has a number of educational interactive pieces.(Bradford, UK).

Como Silk Museum, Italy

Cooper-Hewitt, National Museum of Design: holds a large collection of artifacts. Information about the extensive textiles collection held as part of the Smithsonian. (USA)

Deutsches Museum has an exhibit on textile technology.(Germany)

Fiberscene Gallery - online exhibitions of contemporary textiles (USA)

Freer and Sackler galleries is a collection strong in Asian Arts with more than a thousand objects from the collection are now available online. As part of the Smithsonian its well worth a look. (USA)

Galleria delle Tappezzerie  an online gallery of tapestry works preserved in churches, cathedrals and monasteries all over the world.

Heavens' Embroidered Cloths: One Thousand Years of Chinese Textiles, a selection of images from an exhibition of Chinese textiles on display in 1995 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Home Textile Tool Museum, USA

Kyoto National Museum for searches on Japanese textiles

Los Angeles County Museum of Art has much of its collection online use the search function to find textiles of interest.

Louvre (Paris France)

Macclesfield Silk Museum, Once the silk center of England the collections are of interest to anyone who has a passion for textiles. An emphasis on the 19th cent there are 40,000 examples of fabric woven and printed by local manufacturers. In the virtual exhibitions section of the site "The Discovery of silk" is a brief illustrated article on the history of silk.(Cheshire UK)

Maidston Museum and Art Gallery (UK)

Musée des Arts Décoratifs; Musée des Arts de la Mode et du Textile the textile collection houses a collection of roughly 30,000 costumes from the 18th century to the present. The Arts Décoratifs is a huge collection of 220,000 items for those interested in interior design, furniture, objets d'arts, wallpaper, tapestries, ceramics, glassware, and toys. This site provides tourist information about the museum. (France)

Musee McCord English and french versions available. The site is buggy which is very annoying but since the collection holds 16,400 items of dress and accessories its worth being a little patient. (Canada)

Museum of Costume in Bath: This museum and resource centre features some of its collection on line and brief a monthly article about items that are of historical interest.(UK)

Museum of International Folk Art which is part of the Museum of Mexico has articles on folk textiles.

Museum of Textiles  Exclusively devoted to the collection, exhibition and documentation of textiles.(Canada)

National Gallery of Art (USA)

National Museum of American History Part of the Smithsonian which has a large textile collection. It also has a section on computers which is interesting for anyone interested in the history of technology.(USA)

National Museum of Japanese History the web site introduces the museum's permanent and special exhibitions about Japanese history and culture.

Not Your Grandmother's Quilt Anymore at the Kentucky Museum (USA)

Quilters Hall of Fame - honoring outstanding quilters

Quilts Counterpanes and Throws An online exhibit of quilts from the National Museum of American History which is part of the Smithsonian textile collection.(USA)

Ransom Center Online exhibit page

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

Sheelin Irish lace Museum traces the history of Lace-making in Ireland provided a virtual tour and information about the museum

Selections from the Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives Quilt Collection

Structure and Surface: Contemporary Japanese textiles an online exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in collaboration with The Saint Louis Art Museum.(USA)

Victorian and Albert Museum: One of the great decorative arts museums of the world (UK)

When Silk was Gold Central Asian and Chinese Textiles in The Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art Exhibition held in October 1997 (Illustrated article)(USA)

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Disclaimer:

The listing of business or individual's sites here does not imply endorsement by Sharon Boggon. Since the content of listed sites is beyond my control and can be changed without my knowledge, there is no guarantee as to the nature or accuracy of information or content provided. Any transactions are a matter strictly between the buyer and the seller.

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