Fibers & Clothing
updated August 19, 2023
Recorded here is my own personal collection of articles, resources, favorite links, teaching ideas, and lesson plans. It encompasses many years, from the very beginning of my experience studying and learning about Waldorf to the present time. People from all around the world visit my site and recommend it to others. Welcome!
This site records my journey. I hope my honesty is encouraging and helps break down some barriers that may prevent people from trying Waldorf methods. Because this is an ongoing site documenting my curriculum planning and ideas, some materials are more Waldorf-y than others. Please feel free to take what you like and leave the rest.
This page has helpful links and LOADS of free resources to help you plan your third grade year. Enjoy!
Mission Statement - Consulting Services - Lending Library
Fibers & Clothing
for Class 3
5-DAY ONLINE COURSE:
Waldorf Main
Lesson Block Planning: Fibers & Clothing
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This course is aimed at homeschoolers who are already familiar with the Waldorf method, but
would appreciate extra feedback and encouragement in planning this block.
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an experienced Waldorf homeschool teacher and consultant as you work through this inspiring, do-able, step by step course.
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Books to Buy
A very handy resource that includes all of the major natural fibers (I only have the final four "exotics"
because I had the luxury of a four week block) is The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917).
This book is still in print, below, but you can also find its contents online for free at Gateway to the Classics.
Use the money you save to purchase the now out-of-print but absolutely wonderful It's Fun to Know Why: Experiments
with Things around Us by Julius Schwartz (1952). This book about the science of everyday materials -- wool, paper, glass, bread, iron, salt, rubber, and more -- has great information about wool to start you off, plus hands on experiments, and is full of
other chapters that you will use in other main lesson blocks in the future!
The Story Book of Science
by Jean Henri Fabre
Although a bit aggravating because it jumps around so much in its topics -- and not always
popular with modern children because of its old fashioned language -- Fabre's book also has many useful chapters. You could read the whole book
as a read aloud, and do fiber projects as you come to the relevant chapters, or choose to read only these sections of the text.
Wool - chapter XV
Flax - chapter XVI
Hemp - chapter XVI
Cotton - chapter XVII
Paper (includes flax, cotton, and hemp) - chapter XVIII
Silk - chapters XXII, XXIII, XXIV
Pinterest - Renee Schwartz
My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for
Fibers & Clothing.
Waldorf Teacher Resources - Michael Seifert
Also be sure to check out his fiber arts "gems" (lesson plans) and "gallery." FREE!
If you are new to Waldorf, you might want to spend more time with wet felting, kntting, or crochet. In general, Wet Felting is introduced in the Kindergarten, Knitting is introduced
in First Grade, Crochet is introduced in Second Grade, and Weaving is introduced this year in Third Grade.
Naturally, you have to choose projects for this block which fit your family.
It is also a fun option to combine Linear Measurement with this block instead of with Housebuilding. In that case,
you can build a loom! Kids Weaving by Sarah Swett has awesome instructions
for building a lightweight portable loom out of PVC pipe!
 
There's information on clothing making (shearing, dyeing, weaving, sewing, etc.) all throughout Farmer Boy so many people just do it as a read aloud at some
point during the third grade year.
 
What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?
by Steve Jenkins
silkmoth
A Beetle is Shy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
boll weevil
My Initial Lesson Planning
DON'T FORGET TO ORDER SILKWORMS!!!
ordered silkworm discovery kit with eggs, heat pack - $62.95 - 01/29
kit with eggs arrived 02/01
Sensory Discovery Jars: Prepare a series of opaque jars, each containing one of these nine beautiful natural fibers (wool, cotton, flax, hemp, silk, angora, cashmere, alpaca, camel). When we introduce a new one, pass it around and
let the children feel it before revealing what the fiber is. Revisit the textures of all nine
at the end of the block.
We are doing this block in February, which starts on a Friday. That next day is the monthly meeting of our local Spinners &
Weavers Guild. So maybe suggest to families that they go to Fort Massac as a family field trip on Feb 2nd.
Field Trip & Special Guest List
Saturday, Feb 2 - Fort Massac State Park field trip - spinners & weavers
from Southern Illinois Spinners and Weavers Guild
Tuesday, Feb 12 - yarn store field trip
Friday, Feb 15 - Anna O'Neil special guest - crochet
from Etsy store MyLittleCrochetables
Thursday, Feb 21 - Lorrie Killion special guest - spinning
Friday, Feb 22 - Dr. Karla Gage special guest - hemp
from SIUC Dept of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems / Dept of Plant Biology
Monday, Feb 25 - IL Master Gardener - planting cotton
Tuesday, Feb 26 - group tour of Roaring Oak Alpaca Ranch
Saturday, Mar 2nd - Fort Massac State Park field trip - spinners & weavers
from Southern Illinois Spinners and Weavers Guild
buy a spindle per child from Lorrie - $8 apiece - $56
Week 1 - Wool
Story:
It's Fun to Know Why by Julius Schwartz ("Wool: Fleece for Man" chapter)
and science experiments:
"Heat Preserver," p.63
"A Blanket of Air," p.64
"Stretch and Spring," p.66
"Pull and Twist," p.68
Story: Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow
 
Story: Mother Holle illus. by Anastasiya Archipova
 
Story:
The Six Swans illus. by Dorothee Duntze
 
Monday
Feel and compare different textures (Romney, Corriedale, Merino, English Leicester, etc.)
I get my wool fiber from A Child's Dream
Look at raw fleece (my sister in law shears their sheep and provides raw fleeces for Waldorf homeschool families - prices vary
based on weight - please contact me for more info)
Washing our wool fleece, talk about lanolin, feel lanolin (Lansinoh)
 
chapter from The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917)
Tuesday
Wet felting (review yurts from Housebuilding block), projects - pebbles, flowers, hats
my kids have already done wet felted eggs, acorns, soaps, and geodes
Wet Felted Flowers (PDF)
Wet Felted Trumpet Flower Tutorial (YouTube video)
Hat Felting Process on a Ball (YouTube video)
Here is how to felt a hat on a ball with Morgan Velasquez in the Jack Rabbit Hollow
for more projects (slippers, vases) I like Simply Felt
 
The Art of Feltmaking has instructions for making felt masks, which could be fun!
 
Thursday
Drop spindle lesson
Beginners Spinning Set from A Child's Dream
 
Friday
Start clothing knitting projects according to ability
(scarves, hats, two-needle mittens... and I am going to try to make my first pair of socks!)
 
 
 
 
 
 
This book is great for a older sibling hanging out as part of this block... lots of fun patterns for Halloween costumes (I've made the Mermaid Dress-Up and the Firefighter Hat)
Week 2 - Wool
Week 3 - Cotton, Flax, Hemp, Silk
Story: Thérèse Makes a Tapestry by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs
 
Story: The Emperor's New Clothes illus. by Virginia Lee Burton
 
Story: A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road by Bonnie Christensen
 
Story: Animals Marco Polo Saw: An Adventure on the Silk Road by Sandra Markle
 
Monday - Cotton
Look at cotton boll and seeds, pick a bale of cotton song, story of the boll weevil
we have two versions of Pick a Bale o'Cotton
This is the Way We Wash a Day by Mary Thienes-Schunemann, track 5
101 Toddler Favorites by Music for Little People, volume 3, track 13
The Boll Weevil Song
Cotton special guest (Harrison-Bruce Historical Village or IL Master Gardeners)
Look at resume paper watermark (% cotton), cotton linters for papermaking
China is Growing Cotton on the Dark Side of the Moon!
Plan to plant cotton (here on Earth) in the spring!
chapter from The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917)
Tuesday - Flax
Look at and compare flax fiber, linen warp, linen handkerchief, vintage linen sheet
I get my flax fiber from Etsy store MielkesFiberArts
*NEW* Making Linen Fabric from Flax Seed - Demonstration of How Linen is Made
with Colm Clarke, published to YouTube by MonreaghCentre
*NEW* Educational Kit ($30.00) available from The Hermitage (flaxforsale.com) in Pitman PA
Educational Kit, a complete assortment of flax at every stage of production, including flax seed, green flax straw, water-retted flax straw, plus broken, scutched and combed flax fibers, a mini-strick, tow, spun linen yarn, a swatch of machine-woven linen cloth and a piece of linsey-woolsey tape. Perfect for schools, historic societies and museums.
Another newly discovered resource:
Start weaving project on embroidery hoops
 
 
Look at flax seeds (from Co-op), plan to plant flax in the spring!
Grow Your Own Flax Seeds and Enjoy Flax Flowers Too
Deer Resistant Native Plants
Wildflowers and Shrubs (MO)
I used to use chapter XVI from The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917), but then a Handwork
teacher recommended a wonderful picture book for flax to me, How
a Shirt Grew in the Field
Pela makes biodegradable compostable phone cases using flax shive and Hemp Hurd!
 
Thursday - Hemp
Look at hemp twine
Hemp was one of the oldest fibers to be spun
(10,000 years ago according to the nice folks at Wikipedia)
Hemp will now be grown in Southern Illinois... SIUC is working on this!
SIU rolling out new cannabis research initiative to support evolving markets
chapter from The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917)
XVI - Flax and Hemp
XVIII - Paper
Friday - Silk
Look at silk fiber
Silkworm options - there are LOTS! Check out The Silkworm Shop
full silkworm discovery kits for about $50.00
also... live silkworms in different sizes, silkworm eggs that you can hatch and watch the worms
grow, silkworm food in dry form, silkworm cocooneries for them to build
their cocoons on when they are ready, living silkworm cocoons that you can watch the moths come out of, and hatched silk
cocoons if you don't want moths coming out of them!
chapters from The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre (1917)
The Silk Spinners episode
from David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth
 
Nuno felting special guest - Andi LeBeau from Andrea LeBeau Designs
Week 4 - Angora, Cashmere, Alpaca, Camel
*NEW FIBER*
Just learned that stinging nettle can be processed for fiber! I'm very excited to learn more about this. Here are the links a friend shared with me:
nettlesfortextiles.org.uk
nettlecraft.com
Birte Ford
My blog posts from teaching this topic in February 2019:
- Zoology I, Week 4: Snake, Seal, Human Hand
- Fibers & Clothing Week 1
Wool Experiments, Washing Molly's Raw Wool, Carding & Spinning, Wet Felting
- Photos Part 2
- Fibers & Clothing Week 2
Natural Dyes, Mohair & Cashmere, Yarn Store Field Trip, Silk, Crochet Special Guest
- Fibers & Clothing Week 3
Weaving, Angora, Camel, Spinning Special Guest, Flax & Hemp, Hemp & Indigo Field Trip
- SIU Day!
- Finishing Up Fibers & Clothing
Cotton Special Guest, Alpaca Farm Field Trip
- Tall Tales & U.S. Geography Week 1
Update: As of March 22nd, the silkworm eggs we received from The Silkworm Shop on February 1st have not yet hatched. We received
silkworm eggs from a different source, Coastal Silkworms, on March 19th and
are waiting to see if we have better results.
 
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