Eileen Fisher Essay

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy." [P.1], says eleven-year-old Ellen. Thus the young narrator begins her life-story, in the process painting an extraordinary self-portrait. “Ellen Foster” is a powerful story of a young girl growing up in a burdensome world. As one reads this work presented by Kaye Gibbons, a chill runs down their back. Ellen, the main character is faced with a hard life dealing with endless losses, with the deaths of both her parents and her grandmother being included. Why would one get a chill you wonder? This individual has thoughts and feelings that many have never experienced and cannot express. Ellen is merely a child no older then the age of ten but if not knowing this fact,

Guatemala is home to a centuries-old weaving tradition through which indigenous women assert a sense of “belongingness” to family and community. The women and their families are descendants of the ancient Maya Indians, and the tools of their trade are cotton yarn, the backstrap loom, and time-proven patterns and techniques. Each village and region is identifiable for its own weaving design and colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter and traditional clothes are still preferred by most. Some believe that the different patterns existed before the Spaniards arrived. Others believe they were brought from Europe. It is known that the conquistadors used the clothing to label people and control the populations. The traditional technique was to wrap the threads on a warping board, and then mount them on back-strap loom where a panel was woven. Panels were decorated with brocade designs depending on the textile tradition of the weaver’s community as well as her personal taste and skills. Finally, the woven panels were sewn together to make a garment (Guatemalan Culture).

The first art piece consists of a beautiful curtain fragment of coptic textile from the late Roman and early Byzantine 4th century. Woven textiles were commonly incorporated in Byzantine clothing tapestries, furniture coverings and curtains. The most expensive textiles were made of silk. Inexpensive textiles like the curtain fragment were made of linen and wool. Although dyed textiles were rare, they were colored with plant based dyes like saffron or minerals (Carrol, pg.57). The majority of textiles were created by the horizontal two-beam loom later to be replaced by the vertical loom and domed spindle whorl.

Aztec clothing usually were made out of cotton or ayate fiber. Women weaved the fibers into the clothing. This was taught to young girls.The Aztecs used the beautiful dyes

The woolen bedcovers were made of a woolen or glazed worsted fabric dyed in neutral colors as a top layer, with the filling was a soft layer of carded wool; the layers were held together

The material is produced by a chemical reaction with solvent and solutes. The production of this material is expensive as it is not easy to do. However it is not easy to produce Kevlar as this source states “However, the fabric is expensive, difficult to manufacture because of its tight weave construction” (Hosur). The following image shows the chemical

The ranking women in the Tonga society would make something called barkcloth. Barkcloth is a soft, thick and textured fabric that is made by the bark of a Mulberry tree.

To make the cloth the mill girls would put cotton on their spinning wheel to make thread. Then they would put the thread on a bobbin which the doffers (bobbin girls) brought to the weavers. Then the thread gets weaved into finished cloth which would then be

woolen yarn (Buckley 12). A layer of white cotton string is wrapped around the yarn (Honig

Walking along the aisles of a local home improvement store or even farm, many would not think or even be aware of twine’s vast history in shaping the world around us. However, to a historian much is known about this commodity and its relation to the henequen-wheat complex as well as its effects on sustainability, economics, and society in both North America and Mexico as described in Sterling Evan’s novel, Bound in Twine. Not only did the henequen-wheat complex itself play a significant role in influencing many aspects within the two regions, but it had numerous benefits and disadvantages that ultimately changed the history and lives of many affected by its development, particularly those in Yucatan.

A sisal rug is made from the fibers of Agave sisalana, a species of Agave. Initially used by the Aztecs and the Mayans to form paper and fabrics, this plant is now widely cultivated for its fiber, which is noted for its durability, strength, resistance to deterioration by saltwater, and affinity for certain dyes. Aside from carpets and rugs, sisal fiber is also used in making specialty papers, mattresses, ropes, handicrafts, and spa products.

This material was first imported from India. It was outrageously popular during the 1600’s. During this period, chintz was a favorite for bedrooms. It was used for curtains, bedspreads, and floor cloths. This was also made into loose-fitting slip covers in the Colonial Era in America.

the seeds of a Brazilian shrub to make the beverage. As time goes by, Coca

Wool is a textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain different creatures that include Goats, Muskox, Rabbits, and different sorts of fleece from Camelid.

Written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “All Fur” is essentially a tale about a young woman’s efforts to escape her incestuous father. Of the many seemingly impossible tasks the girl demands her father to accomplish, obtaining a cloak made from a thousand animal furs appears to be the most unlikely. However, the king is able to present his daughter with this cloak, thereby creating the motif of disguise. Originally a means for escaping her wicked father, the fur cloak becomes a means for All Fur to escape her identity, effectively representing a chosen buffer between herself and the sexual desires of men. This hideous, repulsive disguise ironically leads All Fur to achieving the attractive state of being free from the patriarchy.