Mola Panel, Panama, 1900-1999, cotton, appliqué and embroidery, 13 x 17 in. Hailee Milton is a student in the School of Human Ecology studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Many textiles serve the purpose of commemorating historical events. For example, the American flag is an important textile whose colors hold important significance. While perhaps less known, […]
Hat, India, 1900-1977, cotton, silk on cotton, silk, 13 x 14 x 13 in. Katie Slavin is a student in the School of Human Ecology, entering her 4th year as a Retailing and Consumer Behavior major. After flipping through the textiles featured in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection online navigator, I was immediately drawn […]
Sleeve, Spain, late 17th/early 18th century, wool on linen, 20 x 17 in. Danielle Philips is entering her final year as a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Retailing and Consumer Behavior. Last semester, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and thought that through this project, I could learn more about the […]
Apparel Fabric, Asia, 1800-1829, metallic thread, silk Ellyn Webb is a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Retailing and Consumer Behavior and completing a Certificate in Textiles. This textile is from the early 1800s in Asia, made of silk and metallic thread. We do not know exactly which country it is from, […]
Dress, United States of America, 1940-1949, silk, 58”x36” Last week’s Textile Tuesday examined the history and provenance of a silk dress in the HLATC collection; this week, a different student examines the same dress from a more personal vantage point. Tess E. Hurley is a student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Textiles and […]
Dress, United States of America, 1940-1949, silk, 58”x36” Corinn Ebelis a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Textiles and Fashion Design. This dress, a gift in honor of Milwaukee’s Pabst family, is a beautiful memoir of custom dressmaking and embroidery. It shows superior craftsmanship of its time, and pride in the industry’s […]
Angelo Testa, Yardage: “Textura Prima Solida,” United States of America, 1939 –1960, screen-printed cotton, 26 x 24 in. Christine Weiss graduated in June from the School of Human Ecology, with a degree in Textiles. Her senior thesis work is included in the current exhibit, Studying History, Designing the Future, at the Promega Art Showcase. This […]
SARMADI DISCUSSES DELTA & LANDS’ END | WI IDEA RIVER TOUR | PROMEGA ART VIDEO Dr. Majid Sarmadi Interviewed on WPR on Lands’ End – Delta Airlines Law Suit Dr. Majid Sarmadi spoke on WPR on the Delta lawsuit against Land’s End. “Consumers want many different properties from our products that they don’t have naturally: […]
Gifts will boost both a fall 2019 gallery exhibit and Covering Wisconsin health efforts.
Mesh purse, metal chain link, United States, early 20th century Shelby Orcutt is a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Textiles and Fashion Design. The artifact that I choose from the collection is a petite mesh bag from the United States dated from the early 20th century. I was so drawn to […]
Hartley Fellowship | Jackson & Commencement | Textile Video |Papp Honored| Expert Robb| Lussier Nomination Hartley Receives H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship Congratulations to HDFS Associate Professor Sigan Hartley, one of 11 UW-Madison faculty who received a 2019 H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship. The award recognizes faculty up to six years past their first promotion to a […]
Dress, North America, 1920-1929, embroidery, tambour work, 40 x 23 in. Allison Gorniakis graduating this week from the Textile and Fashion Design program in the School of Human Ecology. For this week’s Textile Tuesday, graduating senior Allison Gorniak takes a fresh approach to a silk “flapper” dress, using creative writing to imagine the meaning of […]
In Anticipation of Threads 2019 In a few weeks, the Madison Masonic Center will be hosting one of SoHE’s most beloved events Threads: Fashion Show. Threads is a yearly fashion show that showcases Textile and Fashion Design students’ various projects from the school year. Dubbing Helen Louise Allen as the ‘Point of Muse’ for students, […]
Happy Birthday Helen Louise Allen! Professor Allen spent her life teaching, traveling, and collecting the thousands of textiles in her legacy collection—a sample of which can be seen from now until April 14 in both the Design Gallery and Mecklenburg Textile Gallery. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Allen’s initial gift of 4,000 pieces, […]
Oona pattern designed by Maija Isola, Furnishing Fabric, Finland, 1969, 55.25 x 29.5″ By Samuel Anglehart, a fourth-year student in SoHE, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Marimekko is a design house that played an integral role in the world of textiles. Starting in the early 1950s, Marimekko became a household name as they incorporated graphic […]
Members of the Madison Knitting Guild gathered in the Robin’s Nest Cafe on Thursday evening, February 28th, to lead a knit-in, where members of the SoHE community could learn to knit. More than 50 people – students, administrators, colleagues, amateur and expert knitters -came together on a cold night to practice one of the world’s […]
A Collection that Counts: The History, Practice, and Future of Textile Collecting This symposium was held Saturday April 6 2019. “A Collection that counts brings knowledge, a losing of self in the sorting and arranging, a huge enjoyment in showing the collection, and the acquiring of many new friends both in making and showing of […]
Dress, Carolyn Kallenborn, 1994, US, 65×18 in By Jessica Inman, a student in Retailing and Consumer Behavior in the School of Human Ecology. When looking at the Hellen Allen Louise Textile collection online, I was immediately drawn to the dress called ‘Metamorphosis,’ by Carolyn Kallenborn, created in the United States in 1994. I was interested […]
Unknown Yoruba Artist, Masquerade Costume, Nigeria, late 20th century By Richard Lor, a fourth-year student in Design Studies, studying Interior Architecture Traditional clothing and garments have always intrigued me. The traditional clothing of my own Hmong culture has significant meaning attached, and items are worn during specific events. In the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, […]
Embroidered silk kimono, 1930s, Japan, 64×58″ Written by Nghi Tuong, a third year student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Retailing and Consumer Behavior. I chose to write about this Japanese kimono from the 1930s because I have always been attracted to things that are red, so the background color and the beautiful gold […]
Appliqué, embroidery, paint, and weaving, 1900-1949, China, 8x8x7” By Kayla Caldwell, a fourth-year student in Design Studies, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Stitch by stitch the details of the ox’s face, its rider, and the colorful creatures and flowers that adorned its head all began to fall into place. The time and care put into […]
The new Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery provides a space dedicated to year-round, rotating displays of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, making the collection even more accessible to the public. The opening of the gallery on January 27 2019 launched a yearlong anniversary celebration. For 50 years, this nationally-known collection has inspired and informed thousands […]
A Celebration Sampler January 27 – April 14, 2019 Appliqué to Zardozi: A Celebration Sampler, is the first of two major anniversary exhibitions celebrating the breadth and depth of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, and featuring an international selection of textile-making techniques. The exhibition’s subtitle, A Celebration Sampler, references historic hand-embroidered samplers traditionally made by […]
Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture Thursday, November 1, 2018 7 – 8 pm, Room 2235 Nancy Nicholas Hall 1300 Linden Drive, Madison The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is pleased to host Prof. Marina Moskowitz as its 2018 Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecturer. Prof. Marina Moskowitz is the Lynn and Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture, […]