Fiber Analysis in Forensics: A Creative and Hands-On Activity for Teaching Weave Patterns
If we’re being completely honest, I used to find teaching fiber evidence in forensics to be dry and uneventful. Over the years, I have really had to dig deep to find meaningful activities that engage my students in this topic. It’s taken 15 years, but I finally have a fiber evidence unit that I enjoy to teach. More importantly, my students find the topic to be engaging and interesting. One of the activities that makes this topic more engaging is this weave patterns activity that was inspired by Handwoven Magazine. This article goes into great detail about different weave patterns and how using paper can be used to showcase these patterns.
After an introduction lesson about types of fibers and weave patterns, I have my students use paper strips to create their own weave pattern. Each student is assigned a specific pattern and must use paper to create either a basket weave, plain weave, twill, or satin representation. We piece them together, resulting in a beautiful classroom quilt- a visual and tactile representation of the differences between the weaves.
Materials Needed:
Step-by-Step Guide:
Introduction to Weave Patterns: Start by teaching your students about the four basic weave patterns. You can grab my fiber evidence lessons HERE.
Creating the Paper Textiles: Have your students cut strips of paper into uniform widths. I recommend using this weave pattern template that I have created.
Assembling the Classroom Quilt: Once each student has finished their paper textile, they can tape their creation to the wall, bulletin board, or another large surface to create a “classroom quilt.” Arrange the pieces side by side, so that the patterns are clearly visible to the whole class.
Discussion and Analysis: After the quilt is complete, have a class discussion about the different patterns. Ask students to point out the distinguishing features of each weave.
Linking to Thread Count: This activity provides a natural segue into a deeper exploration of thread count—the number of threads per unit of fabric area (usually per inch). Ask students to measure the thread count of their paper textiles, which could be done by counting the number of paper strips in a certain length.
More Fibers Resources:
This activity is great, but I have an entire Fiber Analysis Lesson Plan Bundle that includes even more! Your students will love the Fiber Burn Analysis Lab!
You’ll also love this Fibers WebQuest! This assignment is the perfect print-and-go resource.
I hope you find these fiber resources to be helpful in generating some ideas for making fiber evidence a bit more engaging for your forensics students. Until next time….
Published: January 16, 2023 at 12:38 pm
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