This course introduces the student to a wide variety of materials and processes involved in the production of both hand and industrially produced textiles. Topics include fiber properties and identification, spinning and yarn construction, natural and synthetic dyeing, traditional textile constructions and new technologies. Both historical and contemporary examples are studied, ranging from textiles in design to fine arts textiles. Class time is divided between lecture and lab work. Lectures are supplemented with readings, workshops and museum visits. Students conduct research on a class related topic of their choice and give presentations about their subject. Each student also prepares spinning and dyeing samples to be presented in an individual archive.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

This course introduces the student to a wide variety of materials and processes involved in the production of both hand and industrially produced textiles. Topics include fiber properties and identification, spinning and yarn construction, natural and synthetic dyeing, traditional textile constructions and new technologies. Both historical and contemporary examples are studied, ranging from textiles in design to fine arts textiles. Class time is divided between lecture and lab work. Lectures are supplemented with readings, workshops and museum visits. Students conduct research on a class related topic of their choice and give presentations about their subject. Each student also prepares spinning and dyeing samples to be presented in an individual archive.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

Students develop their chosen themes through drawing and executing a series of woven samples. The samples explore structures and materials relevant to the chosen subject matter. Students weave fine arts oriented or design projects which evolve from the investigation.

Prerequisite: TEXT 4802 - WEAVING I

Elective

Students work on a specific theme of their choosing and derive designs and concepts from this theme for work in fabric silkscreen. After completing assignments that focus on specific techniques and design problems, students plan and execute a more defined and larger project relying on the experience incorporated during the first part of the course. Fabric construction and dyeing techniques can be integrated into the work.

Prerequisite: TEXT 4803 - FABRIC SILKSCREEN

Elective

This course, a major component in the student's curriculum, is tailored to individual needs. It includes workshops and tutorials intended to strengthen technical skills and design vocabulary in the areas of weaving, knitting and surface design. Additionally, students pursue individual projects under graduate instructors. This semester's emphasis is on enlarging and solidifying the student's background and defining the direction for the work.

This course is a requirement for first-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

Surface Design + CAD in Textiles is an introduction to designing printed textile surfaces, with an emphasis on the integration of hand-made artwork and the meaningful usage of computer design tools. Students will begin with rigorous conceptual development and research before moving on to artwork development, utilizing drawing, painting, or collage to create a rich library of pattern source material. Through the usage of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Ned Graphics, students will learn to develop repeating patterns and engineered designs for printed textiles from original artwork. Emphasis will be placed on retaining the 'hand' while exploring properties of layout, scale, color and concept in the context of designing collections. Students will learn about the history and mechanics of repeat pattern design and how repetition, scale, color, texture, and variety can affect the success of a repeating print. Students will be encouraged to work thoughtfully within the constraint of the repeat. The course schedule will center around the creation of a final project, a small collection of digital prints, with each assignment throughout the semester designed to help students work toward their collection development. The final project will culminate in mill-ready print files of original print designs, mock ups or application sketches, a collection of fabric swatches, as well as an understanding of what it means to develop a “collection” from start to finish. Projects in this course will produce a variety of work aimed at specific areas of the textile industry, namely interiors, fashion, and fine art.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

Surface Design + CAD in Textiles is an introduction to designing printed textile surfaces, with an emphasis on the integration of hand-made artwork and the meaningful usage of computer design tools. Students will begin with rigorous conceptual development and research before moving on to artwork development, utilizing drawing, painting, or collage to create a rich library of pattern source material. Through the usage of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Ned Graphics, students will learn to develop repeating patterns and engineered designs for printed textiles from original artwork. Emphasis will be placed on retaining the 'hand' while exploring properties of layout, scale, color and concept in the context of designing collections. Students will learn about the history and mechanics of repeat pattern design and how repetition, scale, color, texture, and variety can affect the success of a repeating print. Students will be encouraged to work thoughtfully within the constraint of the repeat. The course schedule will center around the creation of a final project, a small collection of digital prints, with each assignment throughout the semester designed to help students work toward their collection development. The final project will culminate in mill-ready print files of original print designs, mock ups or application sketches, a collection of fabric swatches, as well as an understanding of what it means to develop a “collection” from start to finish. Projects in this course will produce a variety of work aimed at specific areas of the textile industry, namely interiors, fashion, and fine art.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

This course investigates pattern in the context of jacquard weaving. Students develop their ideas on paper and execute their designs on the computer, which are used for drafting the structures as well. At least one design from each student is woven on the electronic jacquard loom. Students explore their patterns through color and material experimentation at the loom. During the course, each student develops a small portfolio of jacquard designs. Slides and samples of historical and modern application of the technique are also studied.

Prerequisite: TEXT 4806 - DOBBY WEAVING, TEXT 4826 - CAD IN TEXTILES

Elective

While learning about the technical possibilities of the manually operated knitting machine, students explore color, pattern, materials and structure. Finishing techniques, such as felting and dyeing are introduced. Through weekly assignments, students develop a sample library that serves as a resource for subsequent work. A final project involves planning and sampling for a final garment of the students own design, that is then executed at the end of the course. Consideration of the garment form, its proportion to the body, and the coherence of these elements are integrated into the course.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Texti

While learning about the technical possibilities of the manually operated knitting machine, students explore color, pattern, materials and structure. Finishing techniques, such as felting and dyeing are introduced. Through weekly assignments, students develop a sample library that serves as a resource for subsequent work. A final project involves planning and sampling for a final garment of the students own design, that is then executed at the end of the course. Consideration of the garment form, its proportion to the body, and the coherence of these elements are integrated into the course.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Texti

This elective course is intended for those whose main interest is pattern but who also want to acquire skills to apply this to woven structures. Using both handlooms and dobby looms, students will explore structural possibilities for building patterns in weaving. Material quality, color, and potential end use will be part of the criteria for analyzing work. Exercises in drafting -- both by hand and on the computer -- as a means of understanding woven structures in a three-dimensional way and generating new structures for patterns will be a strong part of this course.

Prerequisite: TEXT 4802 - WEAVING I

Elective

In this second-year course, the emphasis is on clarifying student's specific area of interest, format of the work, its context, and personal concepts. Students will begin to develop a writing style and practice that parallels the richly developed language of their visual work, laying the foundation for their graduate written thesis.

This course is a requirement for second-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This course approaches the development of machine knit fabrics and forms as one process, where aspects of form are developed along-side fabric patterns and structures. Students learn advanced construction techniques and knit structure drafting and shaping, in order to further develop their design processes and ideas for knits. Emphasis is placed on experimentation, careful consideration of materials, and research. Ideas about color, pattern, texture, drape, concept and working large scale are explored. Fully-fashioned garments are the primary three-dimensional forms to which students apply their ideas. Throughout the semester, students bring their experience of garment building and shaping, their range of knitting skills and techniques, and their ability to express ideas in knitting to a higher level of resolution. Hand knitting, embellishment, dyeing, printing, finishing, felting and other processes are encouraged and can be integrated into the fabric design and construction.

Prerequisite: TEXT-4820 and TEXT-4826

Elective

The course continues an established collaborative project between RISD and MIT, focused on the history of and recent advances in textile design and technology. Its goal is to introduce students from each institution to knowledge outside their primary field, and clarify the connections between them. RISD students participating in the class will bring their specific knowledge of woven and knitted fabrics and design fundamentals into group discussions and learn new skills in programming, physical computing and design of advanced fabrics. Participants will have opportunities to contribute to ongoing collaboration between the departments. 

The course trajectory will progress along two lines of inquiry: computation and fabrics. Providing a perspective on the rich heritage of fibers and fabrics on the one hand and the emergence of digital logic, electronic systems, and the role of software on the other. We will explore and develop appreciation for the design and engineering degrees of freedom in fiber and fabric materials as well as in circuits and software. The course is a first of its kind, setting the stage for the future of fabrics as computational environments, new products and new business models.

Elective

This course focuses on issues in the professional textile field, such as the effect of production parameters and end use on design decisions. While helping students become more familiar with the wide ranging market, from the most innovative to the traditional, this course aims at providing an awareness of how one's own work fits into this context. Lecturers include professionals from the field, who advise on the studio work required in this class.

This course is a requirement for second-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This is a required senior-level studio taken in the semester prior to the Degree Project. Emphasis is placed on the development and definition of individual projects within the chosen context—Fine Art or Design—with a rigorous focus on concept development. Students' work may range from installations to two-dimensional pieces and fabric collections, utilizing various techniques and materials, including weaving, printing, knitting, or other improvised construction methods.

Estimated Cost of Materials: varies by individual project.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Senior Textiles Students.