TRADITIONAL TEXTILES: TIES THAT BIND

An adaptable unit plan suitable for grades 2-12

Unit Plan Overview:

Students create a collaborative “quilt” representative of themselves as individuals with

stories to tell. Lessons highlight the importance of storytelling in art by utilizing traditional
fiber arts as cultural exemplars, including Hmong Applique, Armenian rugs, Hawaiian
modern quilting, pioneer rag rugs. By learning examples from traditional storytellers
through the lens of fiber art, students understand the importance of their own stories
and how, through individual responses to a visual medium, they can share essential
components of their heritage with those around them. The collaborative aspect of this
unit plan is designed to encourage students’ empathic abilities as they learn to
celebrate the unique experiences of their peers as well as the cultural exemplars, and
find common ground in sharing their identifying stories with each other as they build a
cohesive and polished final product.

This unit plan is designed as a general structure that enables educators to modify based
on age, skill level, and various constraints such as time or material limitations. Supporting
images and exhibit can be found at
https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traditionaltextiles

Utah Core Standards:

Visual Arts:

o 2.V.CR. 1, 2, 5; 2.V.P 1, 3, ; 2.V.R. 3; 2.V.CO 1, 2;

o 3.V.CR. 1-5; 3.V.R. 1-3; 3.V.CO. 1-2;
o 4.V.CR.1-4; 4.V.R. 1-4; 4.V.CO. 1-2
o 5.V.CR. 1; 5.V.R. 1-2; 5.V.CO. 2;
o 6.V.CR. 1, 2, 3, 6; 6.V.P.2; 6.V.R. 1-5; 6.V.CO. 1-2
o 7-8.V.CR. 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11; 7-8V.P.3; 7-8 2, 4, 5; 7-8. V.CO. 2,4;
o L1.V.CR. 2,6; l1.V.R. 1-3; L1.V.CO. 1-2
o L2.V.CR. 2,3,4,6; l2.V.P. 1-3; L2.V.R. 2; L2.V.CO. 2;
o L3.V.CR. 1, 2, 3, 5; L3.V.P. 1,2; L3.V.R. 1,2,3; L3.V.CO. 1-2
Goals & Objectives:

The learner will….

• Gain an understanding of the ways traditional fiber works are used to express
cultural meaning and tell individual stories
• Gain an increased awareness of cultural similarities and differences through
the lens of traditional folk art
• Develop an appreciation for traditional textile work and craft in both
utilitarian and aesthetic forms
• Develop an increased social awareness and understanding of similarities and
differences within their peer groups
• Utilize cooperation, compromise, and communication skills to create a group
product that is cohesive and suitable to the fiber-works theme
• Create a product using interpretations of fiber-works that can then be used in
a larger, cohesive product

Concepts:

• All cultures express ideas and beliefs through art

• Craftsmanship and utilitarian art are powerful ways to share stories and
maintain traditions throughout time
• Many cultures use textile and fiber works both as a part of life and an
expression of ideas
• Textile art can have both aesthetic and utilitarian uses
• Many cultures use fiber works to pass down history, beliefs, ideas, and values
through many generations
• The mediums and techniques that fiber artists use are often passed down
through many generations, and thus are altered or changed as artists express
their individuality.
• Fiber arts and traditional textiles simultaneously express connectedness and
individuality as they evolve through time

Cultural Exemplars:

HAWAIIAN QUILTING:
Moani Revoir, Kailielehiwa's Orchid, 2019
HMONG APPLIQUE:
 Hmong Flowercloth with elephant footprint design, stairs, and seeds, Chue
Thao, 2018
Hmong Tiger Legend Storycloth, Pai Vang, 1985
RAG RUGS:
Twined Rag Rug, Deeanna Price, 2019
Twined Rag Rug, Grace Afton Durfee, 2008
ARMENIAN CARPETS:
Armenian Heritage Sampler, Diane Moffat, 2015

Supplementary cultural exemplars are also provided in the “Sample Introductory lesson
plan” provided below.
Scope and Sequencing:

Lesson One: Introduction

A. Teacher will introduce Textile arts in both visual and verbal presentation,
using their version of an introductory outline
a. Suggested methods include PowerPoint, displaying work from the
Chase Home Museum Collection, OR a small collection of
traditional fiber artworks collected by the educator
B. Using the cultural exemplars provided, students compare and contrast the
various ways in which different cultures express their values, ideas, and
beliefs through textile mediums
C. A supplemental example lesson and compare/contrast sheet is provided
at the end of this unit overview

Lesson Two: Process Oriented Brainstorming

1. Students imagine sentimental fiber works from their own lives on a two-
dimensional surface, brainstorming how textile items personal to
themselves or their families might demonstrate important pieces of their
own history and lives.
a. You might ask students to think about important items of fabric from
their live, such as favorite t-shirts, parents’ shoes, wedding gowns,
family quilts, etc. Explore ideas about how they may convey stories
or family histories with textiles on two dimensional surfaces.
b. Encourage the conceptualization of their ideas onto paper, as
these ideas will be needed for the product-oriented portion of this
unit.
c. This portion of the unit plan is designed to be flexible for educators
based on student skill level, subject being taught, as well as time
and material constraints. There are some brainstorming questions
you may consider for inspiration provided below:

Brainstorming Questions to Consider

• What is one thing I remember my parents/guardians always wearing?
• What is the one item of clothing I always wear that makes me smile?
• Did I have a special blanket growing up?
• Is there an item of clothing that I have that reminds me of a special time in my life?
• Are there any hand-me-downs in my family that are more valued than others?
• Do my parents/guardians/grandparents have any old rags, kerchiefs, tablecloths,
etc.? Do I know the stories of these fabrics?
• Are there items of clothing my guardians keep tucked away to remember a special
time, like a wedding dress?
Lesson Three: Product Oriented Activity

1. Using fabrics generated from personal experiences, students decorate,

re-work, and change patches of fabric into representations of personal
stories, family histories, and/or emblems of heritage. Through their own
visual interpretations, students transfer the knowledge attained from
cultural exemplars into a visual language for their quilt patches.
2. As a class, students sew, tie, or otherwise bind their individual patches
together into one cohesive quilt.

Activity for 2-6 Educators:

Materials Needed:
1. Assorted paper for designing visual stories, cut into squares or
other “patchwork” shapes. Depending on grade level, consider
hole punching the patchworks and attaching strings prior to
student use, in order to create a quilt out of the individual
patches
2. Assorted paints, markers, colored pencils, etc.

o Depending on grade level, teachers may consider creating the quilt

themselves, or encouraging students to design the layout of the quilt
and work together to attach each patchwork in an aesthetically
comprehensive way to create a 2-D paper quilt

Materials Needed (Secondary education example)

1. piece of fabric provided by students
2. Assortment of fabric dye’s, paints, and markers
3. Other materials for altering fabric, ie: glue, scissors, etc
4. Any creative response materials students wish to explore with their
fabric
5. Sewing kits, several spools of thread, needles, yarn, depending on
how students wish to combine the patches
Lesson Four: Critique, Analysis, and Assessment
A. Students answer reflective questions concerning their own artwork.
B. Students evaluate their work as individual artists, and then, as a classroom,
discuss the overall quilt product, engaging with each other about their
stories, comparing and contrasting their unique experiences and ways of
expressing their heritage through this interpretive medium.

Sample Reflection Questions:

How do different cultures use fiber arts to tell their stories?

What do fiber-arts do differently than other art mediums to tell stories?
Why is it important that fiber-arts are both utilitarian and aesthetic forms of art?
How has modern-day living transformed the way we look at the fiber arts?
How do textiles tie us together as humans cross-culturally?

Identify three different ways of weaving:

Identify three different cultures who utilize fiber arts to tell their stories:

What did you learn about your peers histories that you found interesting?
What are some of the things you learned about yourself while making this quilt?
What are some of the things you learned about your family, or where you come
from while making this quilt?

Did making this quilt with your peers serve to change your perception of them,
yourself, or the world around you? Why or why not?
Sample Introductory Lesson Presentation

❖ Traditional Textiles: Utilitarian, Aesthetics, and History

➢ Pioneer rag rugs
▪ Introduce Deeanna Price and Grace Afton Durfee’s Rag Rugs
• https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traditionaltextiles/rugs
• Rag rugs have been around almost as long as weaving has been.
Throughout history, using every piece of fabric was a high value in
most households, as fabric was costly to come by before the 19th
century. In Utah, pioneers had even less access to fabric after
crossing the country, and thus rag-rugs became staple pieces in
most pioneer homesteads.
• These rugs can be formed on a loom, such as those that you see
from Deeanna and Grace created.
• Twining is a weaving method that requires the use of a wooden
frame (loom) with nails lining the top and bottom. The nails hold
scraps of fabric pulled tight forming a vertical warp .Other fabric
scraps, the weft, are twisted and woven horizontally through the
warp creating a crocheted or braided effect.
• Rag rugs are useful floor and furniture coverings
• And the fabric used helps to preserve family history and memories in
a single item. Long after family members have gone, the scraps of
their old blue jeans may rest underneath the feet of their great
grand-children.
• More images of various rag rugs can be found in the Chase Home
Collection:
 Crochet Rag Rug by Gladys Warner:
https://utahdcc.secure.force.com/public/apex/ptlartifactdetail
?id=a0n70000001Tu7rAAC&bcn=ArtSearch&bcu=https%3A%2F%2
Futahdcc.secure.force.com%2Fpublic%2Fapex%2FPtlArtSearch%
3FsearchTerm%3Drag
 Ron Bushman Rag Rug:
  https://utahdcc.secure.force.com/public/apex/ptlartifactdetail
?id=a0n70000001Tu5BAAS&bcn=ArtSearch&bcu=https%3A%2F%2
Futahdcc.secure.force.com%2Fpublic%2Fapex%2FPtlArtSearch%
3FsearchTerm%3Drag
 Swedish Rag Rug Making by Anna Brown:
 https://utahdcc.secure.force.com/public/PtlArtifacts?field=artA
pp__Artist__c&value=a0j70000000BlahAAC&heading=Anna%20Br
own
➢ Hmong Applique:
▪ Introduce Chue Thao’s Flower Cloths, and Pai Vang’s Story Cloth,
found here:
• https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traditionaltextiles/hmo
ngtextiles/hmongapplique
▪ Because the Hmong language was not alphabetized until the 1950s,
their history was recorded in other ways.
▪ Hmong women created paj ntaub, or flower cloths, that use
geometric designs to pass stories to their children.
▪ Each design has a meaning related to Hmong history and culture. The
geometric designs are created by cutting and layering fabrics that are
then sewn in a reverse applique technique.
▪ Flower cloths are often embellished with embroidery.
▪ Overtime, Flower Cloths transformed into the primary way of
communicating Hmong Culture and history between and among the
people and over generations.
▪ In the 1960’s, a 15 year long (1959-1975) civil war in Laos between
communists and the Royal Lao government resulted in a mass exodus
of the Hmong people out of Laos. After the communist victory, Hmong
rebels sought to fight the new government with the aid of American
troops who sought to dismantle the communist regime in an effort to
eliminate the chance of a second Vietnam war. During what is now
known as The Secret War Hmong people provided refuge for many
American troops, resulting in the prosecution of Hmong people as
traitors.
▪ To counter the patchy and broken history of the Hmong culture lost
without a written language, Hmong refugees created what are called
 story cloths in order to record and express the rich, devastating, and
expansive history and culture of the Hmong people.
▪ The Hmong incorporated symbols and figures in their cloths which
represented specific events, people, and history in narrative form.
These stories were then passed down from generation to generation,
primarily through the matriline.
▪ So, like The rag rugs we have seen, Hmong story cloths and flower
cloths became a way for generations to speak to each other, and to
keep history alive while serving a purpose within the home.
➢ Armenian Heritage Rugs
▪ Present Diane Moffat Armenian Heritage Sampler Rug, found here:
• https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traditionaltextiles/arm
eniancarpets
▪ Armenian carpet weaving has been practiced since the 5th century in
both homes and commercial enterprises. Political and cultural shifts like
the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) have affected the Armenian
tradition. During that time, the Ottoman Empire systematically killed 1.5
million Armenians. As Armenians fled the danger, they
created diaspora communities around the world, including in Utah.

▪ Diane Moffat was born in Salt Lake City in 1958. She inherited the
pattern on this rug from her great-grandfather, Zadik Moses Aposhian.
His son, George, and Diane’s Father, George Jr., modified the pattern,
passing along this design to Diane. Diane created this rug to model her
Armenian Heritage. It honors the dedication to tradition and creative
innovation each of these men had. After thirty years weaving with her
father, Diane teaches her grand-daughter, Julia, the art of rug making.

▪ Armenian weaving has been a long-standing tradition among

Armenian families. Like Diane, the Armenian communities use these
rugs to tell their stories and family histories.
▪ The rugs are created in the same way they were thousands of years
before, so each weaver relies on knowledge being passed down
through generations. With each new artist, the patterns are modified
slightly, leaving a character mark of the family member in the pattern.
 Like with rag rugs, these carpets begin to form histories and identities
that can be traced back through the generations.
▪ For a long time after the Soviet Union invaded Armenia in 1920, rug
making was forbidden in the Armenian home, making it even more
precious, as families risked everything to preserve their histories through
this beautiful art-form.
▪ Today, Armenian carpet makers still struggle to preserve the authentic
heritage of their rugs. In the modern world, many of the patterns on
these rugs that date back many millennia have been appropriated, or
linked to other cultures. Families like the Aposhian’s (Diane Moffat’s
family) are vital in the continuation of Armenian stories.
▪ This link provides extremely valuable imagery and resources on
traditional Armenian rug-making:
https://www.armenianrugssociety.org/
▪ Another interesting article can be found here:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/age-old-
tradition-armenian-carpet-making-refuses-be-swept-under-rug-
180969557/
➢ Quilting - Hawaiian Quilting
▪ Introduce Moanikeala Revior’s quilt.
• https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traditionaltextiles/haw
aiianquilting/hawaiianapplique
• Moani moved to Utah from Hawaii as a teenager, where she was
introduced to native Hawaiian quilting by her neighbor. This
neighbor led her to research, read, and take classes about
Hawaiian quilting. Her interest quickly morphed into a deep passion
as she began to finish quilts her family members had left undone.
Over the years, Moani became recognized as one of a few expert
Hawaiian quilters.
• As you can see, this kind of quilting is very different than the pile
carpets we’ve seen from other artists. However, these quilts serve to
tell family histories and share common motifs, just like the pile
carpets do.
• Hawaiian quilts were typically made from two whole cloth quilts,
called Kapa.
  One piece of fabric is cut into a design, such as the central
design you see on Moani’s quilt here. This piece of fabric is then
appliqued upon the other.
➢ Applique means to apply a decorative piece of fabric onto
another to create an image
 Then, the two are quilted together with fine stitching, creating
the contours in the fabric.
 This process is extremely time consuming and requires a great
deal of patience and planning, as do the carpet quilts we’ve
already seen.
• The inspiration for most of the designs in Hawaiian quilts stem from
Hawaiian nature, so many quilts feature images of tropical plants,
animals, vistas, wind, rain, and more.
• Much like the carpets from Armenia, Hawaiian quilts are very
personal for the artists. The women and men who design these
patterns often spend many hours sketching, planning, and
dreaming about their designs. The quilts often become precious
family heirlooms which are then passed down through generations.
 COMPARE AND CONTRAST VENN DIAGRAM

Instructions:

For this activity, choose two of the textile works we have seen and explore the
similarities and differences you notice in these works using the Venn diagram below.

Some things you might want to consider might include:

• how the textile is made • Notable cultural influences in color,

• who the textiles are made by
• How the artist learned the art-form
• Themes of the artwork (imagery or
otherwise)
patterns, and designs
• What the textile is used for
• How the textile is preserved
• How the textile tells a story (through
imagery? Through the material

Characteristics of Characteristics of
_______________________ _______________________