MS212: Care of Textiles
Instructor: Ann Coppinger
Dates: May 5 through 30, 2008
Price: $425
Location:  www.museumclasses.org

Description:
Caring for textiles demands an understanding of how and why textiles deteriorate. This course offers a simplified explanation of the origin and structure of textile fibers as well as the finished textile object; be it either a piece of whole cloth or a finished garment. Care of Textiles teaches students to identify fibers, fabric structures and finishes, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to various fabrics both in storage on exhibit. Topics include preparing textiles for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with textiles, and three dimensional supports.       

Course Outline
1.      Introduction
2.      Textiles and Their Structures
3.      Textile Documentation and Condition Report Writing
4.      Textiles and Their Environment
5.      Handling of Textiles
6.      Treating Textiles
7.      Care of Textiles in Storage
8.      Care of Textiles on Exhibit
9.      Conclusion

Logistics
Participants in Care of Textiles work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Ann Coppinger is available at scheduled times for email support. Care of Textiles includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.

Care of Textiles runs four weeks. Sign up and pay for the course at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html . If you have trouble completing an on-line order, please contact Helen Alten at [log in to unmask] or Eric Swanson at [log in to unmask]

Text Books:
Preserving Textiles: A Guide for the Nonspecialist by Harold Mailand and Dorothy Stites Alig. Available for purchase from Northern States Conservation Center at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html .

Student Comments:
Course was great & worth the time.  I liked how the materials tied in together; the lectures were brief, yet to the point, the powerpoint slides showed images relating to the lectures.

It more than met my expectations.  I never realized there was so much involved in textiles.  Wow, what a lot of information! Thank you for all the time and effort that goes into providing the services of the Northern States Conservation Center.  Your classes, materials, website, publications, etc. are awesome and a real help.  I appreciate all that goes into this.

I enjoyed the weekly chats.  I found them to be very helpful.  I also liked how the course was meant to be a good refresher.  Lastly, I enjoyed the fact that all classmates could post comments/suggestions on the forum for all to see. I enjoyed the class and the chats.  Ann was very helpful in answering any questions I posed during those chats.  Thanks!

Good course and I highly recommend it.

The Instructor:
Ann Coppinger
runs the conservation department and teaches conservation at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has a master’s in museum studies specializing in costume and textile conservation from FIT. She is a former NEA master apprentice at the Textile Conservation Workshop. Ms. Coppinger previously worked for 22 years in fashion in New York City. She has degrees in both fashion design and pattern making from FIT.
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