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Rewool with university

Learning paths

ReWool - Creative workshop exploring new working methods in the transformation of wool from raw material to finished product -hands-on workshop to discover old and new methods of wool processing.

Path Target Duration Skills
Discovery 14-16 students 2 days workshops Biofabrication, Wool

Introduction and context

The workshop aims to bring back to the forefront for younger generations, wool and simple (DIY) methods and equipment that can be used to process wool at home/in your workshop.

The Rewool workshop was organized in the first phase of shemakes thanks to a partnership with the "George Enescu" University of Arts and the "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University. This workshop was an opportunity to join students from art and technical universities and to create awareness and awareness around wool processes and their territorial reality in Romania.

The workshop is designed to take place over 8 hours, which can either be split over two days or combined into one day and is aimed at young female students (aged 18-25) currently attending textile faculties (fashion design, textile design, product design).

We recommend a maximum of 16 participants, who will be divided into a minimum of 3 teams. Keep in mind what activities you have prepared, what materials and tools you need and it will be easy to figure out the number of teams.

The activity aims first of all to bring back into the spotlight a fibre that was used intensively even by our parents' generation: in the manufacture of clothing, carpets, decorative objects and in the thermal insulation of traditional houses.

The activity aims at introducing participants to forgotten processes of transforming wool and using it in the manufacture of clothing, carpets, decorative objects and in the thermal insulation of traditional houses. The purpose of the learning activity is to stimulate the creativity of the students and engage them in discovering new uses for textile materials that are considered waste.

Learning Outcomes

  • Spin raw wool
  • Manual weave
  • Digital programmed weave
  • Felting wool on different types of materials (denim, thick cotton cloth)
  • Valorize organic waste
  • Raise awareness about the problem of unused wool being thrown away
  • Working in mixed groups (arts and technical)

Target audience and context of use
Young students studying in textile faculties and their teachers who are interested in sustainable materials and exploring working methods not found in more conventional curricula.

Organise a formal collaboration (Partnership Agreement) between your laboratory and the universities whose students you plan to involve in this workshop. This type of collaboration and documents should be established within 3 weeks at least before the event. The partnership documents need at least a week for approval and official signatures.

Tips: We recommend that you create a registration form, (such as google forms) and a graphic communication to publish the event through your channels and the partner Universities. You can also organise a closed event (COVID safety), where the participants will be chosen directly by their professors. Regardless of the type of promotion, be it online or physical, ideally, the online event page/posters should be published/posted on the notice board at least one month in advance.

  • Number of participants (14-16)
  • Number of facilitators (2 + 1 person responsible for taking photos)

Preparation and materials

Work through the content and references of this document and prepare the detailed schedule (allocate a specific number of hours/minutes to each item for ease of time tracking) of the event and then assign the facilitators.

Depending on the number of people attending, set an appropriate number of facilitators (at least 2 for a group of 14-16 people) and assign a third person to take care of video and photo documentation of the event.

Establish what tools and materials you will need and make a list of everything (logistics, fabrics,equipment) and allocate enough time before the event starts, to put everything in place.

This activity is recommended to be held in a spacious room with wide tables on which to lay out pieces of fabrics, the equipment and tools used in the different wool processing phases, mini loom, mini spinning machine etc.

Equipment, Tools and Materials

  • Projector,Laptop,
  • Consent forms (data, video/image and withdrawal)
  • Attendance list
  • Portable Speaker
  • Snacks, coffee and water. (think as zero waste as possible)
  • Mini loom (​​recomended Loom,but other smaller ones can be used: Lauren Loom DXF File, Laser cut Mini Frame Loom)
  • Mini Spinning machine
  • Felting soaps
  • Felting sponge
  • Bubble wrap if you choose to do wet felting (1m wide, 2 m length)
  • A large tray with 5cm high edges for wet felting
  • Base for felting (at least 4)
  • Device for felting (at least 4)
  • Mesh for wet felting (1,5m - 2m)
  • Felting needles (as many as possible, different thickness/sizes, as they tend to break easily)
  • Scissors (at least 10).
  • Wool (raw & dyed)
  • Different types and colours of wool threads
  • Cotton yardage - different types of fabric and density/weight
  • Felted wool (various colours)

Step by Step Instructions

STEP BY STEP overview

  • Meet-up (10mn): Everyone present introduces themselves briefly. This is the best time for facilitators to hand out consent forms and attendance lists. Please note that if the event takes place over two days, the forms will have to be signed on each day.
  • Brief (10mn) : Brief presentation of the Agenda and how it will be carried out. Set the atmosphere of a safe space where we are all together to discover and learn from each other.Divide participants into teams. To encourage collaboration between the different faculties represented, set up mixed teams.
  • Presentation(10mn) : Introduce your lab, the shemakes project and your involvement in it.)
  • Wool context (20mn) : An introduction to wool: history, your national context, different types and ways of processing this fibre: traditional and industrial. Stimulate creativity by ending with innovative sources of inspiration. (References below in the document)
  • The tools (15mn): An introduction to the tools the teams will use, followed by a short hands-on training. From this moment you can play some music. Give the teams 5 minutes to decide which tools they want to work with.
  • The making (1h55): Give the participants time to get to know each other, to decide what they want to do with the instruments they have chosen. Invite them to draw inspiration from each other, ask questions, ask for help, take a break whenever they need it and of course where they can have their coffee or snacks.
  • Wrap up (10mn): If the workshop runs for the full 8 hours in one day, don't bother with the following and continue with the next activity. If the venue space allows, participants can leave their creations/work on the work table, from where they will resume their work the next day. If the venue asks you to vacate the space after the workshop, make sure to pack/organise all materials and logistics as well as possible
  • Meet-up (10mn): Give participants a few minutes to settle back into the workshop space, starting the day with a coffee break and relaxed discussion about the previous day.
  • The making (1h50): The creative and making work continues. Inform the participants at the beginning that they have two hours to complete.
  • Presentations (20mn): Each team presents their project: what tools they worked with, what techniques they used, how close the final result is to the original idea/concept.
  • Reflections (1h): Open Q&A, reflection. Don't forget to reserve a few minutes where participants will also complete a feedback form. A template here.
  • Wrap-up (10 mn): Say goodbye to the participants! Collect all materials, created objects and logistics. Leave the space clean!

Safety rules & Tips

  • Advise participants to pay attention to the felting needles, as they can get stuck in them (both with the tip and the lateral parts). In any case, you should have plasters/plasters and rubbing alcohol with you.

Tips to facilitate the activity in context (to-do / not do)

  • Facilitate the creation of mixed teams, encourage collaboration between artistic and technical participants.
  • Give participants the opportunity to freely explore the possibilities of wool processing at each stage.
  • It is important for the wet felting that the water source is close to a work table and that there is a drain on the floor (next to/under the table).
  • Be sure to take all safety measures to protect everyone against COVID (adequate distance, disinfectants, have an extra set of surgical masks in case if someone doesn't)

Estimated cost
The whole activity cost was around 500 Eur. (Included in this cost were the purchased materials listed above, snacks, coffee. Due to the partnership contracts made with the universities, the venue, belonging to one of them, had no rental cost.) Always consider as much as possible to find local providers.

Recommended evaluation

Dimensions assessed: - Profiles
- Activity Feedback
- Learning dimensions
- Empowerment and Future careers
- Voices for gender and tech

For facilitators and partners: Informal discussions and feedback.

For participants: a form available in Romanian and English

References

Links to photos and recorded materials

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Licence and credits

Attribution — ShareAlike CC BY-SA This activity has been designed by Andreea Sofronea and Elvys Sandu from REDU (Iași, Romania) for shemakes.eu. It is based on previous work from Fabricademy -Open Source Hardware - from fibres to fabrics, and further developed with the collaboration of Prof. Dr Cornelia Brustureanu, from the “George Enescu” the University of Arts- Faculty of Fashion Design.

Related and supporting activities/modules
It can be combined with the other topics of Biofabrication and Craft fabrication, and inspiring activities for the wool research project

Last update: October 21, 2022