DIY Fiber to Fabric: Engaging Activities for High School Teachers & Homeschooling Parents

Introduction:

Welcome to our DIY activity blog post designed specifically for high school teachers and homeschooling parents! In this edition, we will explore the fascinating world of animal fiber and how it transforms into fabric. Through two engaging activities, we will provide hands-on experiences that will not only educate but also entertain students. Let's dive into the world of fiber to fabric!

Activity 1: Game on Wool Processing

Materials Required:

Large poster board or cardboard
Sticky notes or index cards
Game pieces (optional)

Instructions:

Create a score board on a large poster board or cardboard. Divide it into sections representing different stages of wool processing: shearing, scouring & dying, grading & sorting, carding & combing, and spinning..
Assign each stage a point value. For example, shearing could be worth 10 points, and each subsequent stage could be worth 20 points.
Allow participants to take turns picking a sheep and placing it on the appropriate stage on the score board.
Bonus points can be awarded for completing a full stage. For instance, if a participant completes the shearing stage, they receive an additional 10 points.
Continue the game with different wool samples and keep track of each participant’s score.

Life cycle of silk worm:-

Silk :- It is a natural fibre produced by silkworms. The cultivation of silk worms is called “sericulture”.

Proteins in Silk fibre:

The fibre in a cocoon is made of two proteins.
a. Fibroin b. Serecin

Fibroin gives strength to fibre.
Serecin is a water soluble protective gum which becomes solid when touches air.

The fibre is made inside the silkworms head. It comes out in liquid form through a tube like structure called spinneret located on the lower lip of larva.
They help in spinning the silk as it comes out.

A caterpillar spins about 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) of filament within 2-3 days

Activity 2: Silk Extraction Model

Materials Required:

Foam pieces (rectangular and circular shapes)
Thick straw
Cup with lid
Three pieces of silk cocoons
String or yarn
Scissors
Glue (optional)

Procedure:

Begin by explaining the process of silk extraction, including degumming, brushing, and spinning.
Using foam pieces, create a model to simulate the silk extraction process. The rectangular foam can represent the degumming stage, the circular foam can represent the brushing stage, and the thick straw can act as a spinning device.
Attach the silk cocoons to strings or yarn, ensuring they are securely fastened.
Demonstrate how the cocoons are placed into the cup with a lid, simulating the degumming process.
Next, guide the participants through brushing the cocoon strings gently with the circular foam.
Finally, show how the cocoon silk can be spun around the thick straw, imitating the spinning stage.
Encourage participants to handle the materials and explore the process themselves, providing explanations along the way.

Let's start with the first step of silk extraction:

DEGUMMING: The Cocoons are boiled in soap solution. The soap solution and heat dissolves the Sericin protein and loosens the silk fibres from the Cocoon. This is known as the Degumming process.
Dip the cocoon in the water for 15 to 20 minutes and observe the cocoon getting dissolved.

2) BRUSHING: To get the maximum length of the fibre from a silk cocoon we need to find the last tip of the fibre on the outer shell. This process of searching the cocoon to find the outside end of the filament is called Brushing
After the degumming is done search for the tip of the silk fibre & Pass it through the hole in the cap of the container. This hole is called eyelet

3) SPINNING: The end point of the silk fibre of the cocoons are tied to the spinning wheel. Then the silk thread is spun on the wheel. One cocoon contains approximately 1,000 yards of silk filament. The silk at this stage is known as raw silk.

Now tie the end of the silk thread passed through the lid to one of the rods in the spinning wheel.

Start spinning the wheel slowly to spin the thread onto the wheel.

Step by Step Instruction video on Fibre to Fabric

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