Navaho carding and spinning

This lovely video features Clara Sherman, a master spinner and weaver from the Navaho Nation, which is located in northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico (I had to look that up!). 

I was unsure how long the Navaho had used sheep for textiles, turns out it's a long time...have a listen to this courtesy of NPR...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127797442

Sheep to Socks in Ireland

This video from Ireland filmed in Kilcar and Carrick in 1978 has it all..bargaining for sheep, shearing, cleaning of the fleece, carding, spinning, and knitting. It is just a feast!

Dressing a Distaff with Wool

I love Lois Swales...she helps me to channel my Grandmothers of old and their fiber skills. This video I watched again today to prepare for a course I am teaching this week...

Fair Trade Textiles from Ethiopia

From Sabahar comes this lovely video on textile creation in Addis Ababa

The ancient art of felt rugs in Iran

Scroll down on the youtube site for translations!

Making Medieval Embroidery

The Victoria and Albert Museum is hosting an great exhibit:

Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery
1 October 2016 – 5 February 2017

to celebrate that, there are a number of videos on youtube.  Here is one, celebrating the skill of the present-day embroiderer

The Secret LIfe of the Sewing Machine

Tim Hunkin was unknown to me until I saw this video. He is, according to Wikipedia, an "engineer, cartoonist, artist and writer" from Suffolk, England. Between 1998 and 1993 he and Rex Garrod aired a series on Channel 4 of the BBC entitled "The Secret Life of Machines." The following fascinating video is entitled "The Secret Life of the Sewing Machine."   It is fascinating, and shows early sewing machine inventors that  predate Howe and Singer.