Material Choices – serie

Winner of the R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Award sponsored by the Textile Society of AmericaAsia is renowned for the production of fine handwoven cottons and luxurious silks -- important items of trade for centuries. In addition to these celebrated fabrics, however, weavers throughout the region produced cloth from ramie, hemp, pina, and banana fibers (including Philippine abaca and Okinawan ito basho), as well as a number of lesser-known plant fibers. Over the course of the twentieth century, many of these Asian plant fiber weaving traditions became marginalized or hovered on the brink of extinction, given the advent of synthetic fabrics, growing industrialization, and increased international textile trade. As the essays in this book testify, however, they have not vanished altogether. Rather, in recent times weavers have purposefully chosen to pursue various efforts directed at their preservation, revival, or reinvention. In many cases, the production of bast and leaf fiber textiles is now thriving in newly globalized situations.This volume presents eight essays documenting the current state of bast and leaf fiber weaving traditions in Vietnam, Borneo, Korea, Burma, Okinawa, the Philippines, Japan, and Micronesia. The processes that have nurtured or buffeted attempts to preserve or revive the production of these textiles are examined and abundantly illustrated with color photographs.

Lots of toys are made of plastic. But what if a toaster was made out of plastic? Would it actually work? Plastic is in lots of items you use every day. Find out about different types of plastic, what they are used for and if you could really make a toaster from it.

A coat is made from different types of fabric, but could it be made with wood? It seems impossible, but wood has many advantages and is used for everything from building houses to making toys. Learn more about different types of wood and their many uses. Could it really be used to make a coat?

It’s time for bed, and you plop down on your pillow. But would you plop down on your pillow if it was made from glass? Glass is all around you. It’s used to make the windows in your house to decorations on your shelves. Find out about different types of glass, how glass is made and decide if it’s really possible to make a pillow from it.

A window is made from glass, but is that the only option? What if we tried to make a window out of stone? From marble to granite to limestone and onyx, there are many types of stone to pick from. Learn more about different types of stone, how stone is used and if it’s truly possible to make a window using it.

A window is made from glass, but is that the only option? What if we tried to make a window out of stone? From marble to granite to limestone and onyx, there are many types of stone to pick from. Learn more about different types of stone, how stone is used and if it’s truly possible to make a window using it.

Eggs sizzle in your metal frying pan, but could that metal frying pan be made out of paper instead? It sounds crazy, but paper has lots of different properties and is used in many different items. Books, cups, cards, lamp shades and more items are made from paper. Do you think a frying pan could be made with paper? Read on to find out!

Books are made with paper. But what if we tried to make a book with metal? Copper, tin, gold, silver - would any of those materials work to make a book? Find out more about metal, its properties and how it is produced. Then decide if you really could make a book out of metal.