allkat24 – Kathryn's Field Study

Week 10 – Self Eval

As the final week of this quarter comes to a close, I have had the opportunity to look over the product of 400 hours of research and feel genuinely proud and inspired by the work I have completed.

To start the week, I compiled and presented 10 slides that covered the materials I studied over the quarter. While, I don’t feel that I was nearly able to cover everything I learned, I think that the presentation went well and it was really rewarding to be able to take a step back to look at everything I’ve done this winter.

Aside from the final presentation, I wrote a conclusion for this segment of study that I feel encapsulates the ideas that have been present for me for this quarter. I hope to continue to expand upon these ideas during my continuation into the SOS program next quarter.

I also wrote my self eval that goes as follows:

“Through SOS:Food and Agriculture, I have successfully completed my first entirely independent research project during my academic career here at Evergreen. Over the course of the quarter, I expanded on my knowledge of agriculture and sustainability and applied it to an analysis of both traditional and industrialized methods of textile production. During these past ten weeks, I completed 400 hours of research and I am incredibly pleased with my ability to stay on task and inspired by the materials I covered. Heading into the quarter, I knew that I had chosen to cover a lot of topics and that it would take a bit of discipline to complete all that I had set out to accomplish but, I am finishing the quarter feeling confident that I was able to do just that. There are some elements of organization that I believe I could improve on (i.e. trying a little harder to stick to the syllabus I wrote for myself), but I believe that I will continue to improve my research model as I finish out my degree.”

As a turn my sights towards next quarter, I have begun looking into getting some space on the organic farm to cultivate flax. I’m hoping to get a hands on understanding of how to turn flax from plant to textile over the course of Spring and Summer quarter, so I have been doing some background research on what that might entail. I also looked into building my own loom – store bought looms are anywhere from $250 – $1000+, so I’m exploring different ways to get a sample fabric without dishing out a lot of money for tools to do so.

I’m looking forward to a couple weeks of rest and relaxation until I jump headfirst back into studying sustainability in textiles. For this next quarter, I’ll be narrowing my focus into mechanized production methods.

Conclusion – Sustainability as Design

I have always known that history plays a role in every aspect of life, but over the past 10 weeks as I have tracked the evolution of textile crafts, I have found the role that history plays in what we wear to be both alarming and inspiring. What I have found out about the link between issues of environmental concern and textile production has not necessarily been a surprise to me. The “narrative” of modern fashion is one that is rooted in status and profitability, so it is not groundbreaking that the results of that are an incredibly negative impact on the earth – and even more immediately on those who exist outside of the Western consciousness, but who are subject to all of the detrimental effects of our material tastes.

I carried out my research hesitant to state any opinions or draw any serious conclusions because I knew how much I had to learn. Now, after ten weeks of in depth research on the subject, I can say that I know without a shadow of a doubt that the current system we have in place for the global fashion industry is not sustainable. The choices that we as a society have made over history have created a textile chain that impacts the air we breath, the soil we grow in, and the water we drink. It negatively impacts people across the world and demands that they be treated as less than human in order to meet the production requirements of our style palette.

This is an issue that has made its way to Western consciousness lately, but only just. Because there are so many steps to the textile chain, large corporations are able to claim that their practices are sustainable without being held accountable for the actions that are taken by the factories that they are outsourcing to. Many times, a company that puts emphasis on environmentally friendly practices will cut corners and pay low wages to overseas workers. Other companies will tout their ethical labor practices but will cut corners by using non-organic cotton, synthetic dyes, etc. Unfortunately, this shows that though, there is more awareness in the textile world, the methods in which companies are going about being profitable still holds to the traditional model of “pulling the wool over the eyes” (literally) of the consumer who genuinely wants to make conscious decisions.

Other than that, there is truly no one sustainable solution to our current issue. Throughout my research, I found that industrialization and cutting corners was used as the one solution to meet market demands and increase profitability. I believe it would be incredibly damaging to try to reverse that with the same methods. Instead, the only method is to employ multiple methods – upcycling, thrifting, natural fibers growing locally, small scale mills, local artisans, big name designers that are transparent with their business practices – all of these have different levels of accessibility and are all better than the current model in some way, shape, or form.

As a small business owner, the only way to be competitive against these practices is to be as transparent as possible – an educated customer base will be a loyal customer base. The old model of fashion and clothing designs a certain look for status elevation and marketability. I believe that the new model should be a design that is the product of the sustainable methods used to create it.

Asexual Perennial Propagation

Kathryn Allen

3/12/18

SOS Food and Agriculture

Asexual Perennial Propagation

Asexual propagation of perennial plants occurs by either taking a cutting or dividing a plant’s crown. This action creates a clone of the mother plant, allowing the grower to multiply the crop as much as they need to. In order to propagate through a cutting, you need to cut one of the mother plant’s lateral meristem. Then, you cut off the apical bud and cut a straight line two buds down just below a bud. Dip the newly cut piece into willow tea and stick the stem in vermiculite and water. Leave one leaf so that the plant may photosynthesize. In order to propagate through crown division, you quite literally pull off part of the plant at the crown and stick it in dirt.

This form of perennial propagation provides an easy way to get more plants for free. It is particularly useful in cases of rare or expensive breeds and can be helpful if there is one that contains properties that prove to be beneficial to your purposes. This practice creates a very predictable crop which can be extremely useful to crop planning and marketing.

There are, however, some setbacks to this form of propagating. For one, it is a pretty time consuming process when you factor in the high mortality rate. It’s hard to predict just how many plants that your efforts are going to yield because its more difficult to know which ones are going to take.

Raspberries

Katie Allen

2/13/18

SOS Food and Agriculture

Week 6: Raspberries

Because of the different varieties of raspberries, there is a great opportunity for farmers to extend their seasons by choosing to grow more than one. This is best exhibited through “summer bearing” and “fall bearing” varieties. Aside, from simply choosing to grow the different varieties of raspberries, you must also employ different training and pruning strategies in order to ensure that your berry season is as long and productive as possible. This can be achieved by ensuring that summer-bearing plants are pruned in a way that allows for as much yield as possible during the summer and by ensuring that fall-bearing plants are pruned in a way that reserves the plant’s energy for a large late summer/early fall crop.

For crops that fruit during early/late summer, it is best to remove floricanes as soon after harvest as possible. This is because they will not fruit again and will instead block light from the growing primocanes and will sap precious energy from the plant. Primocanes should be cut with a heading cut when they are 4 inches over the desired height in order to stiffen the cane and allow for more support. This causes the auxin in the plant to flow downward and encourage lateral growth (at least I think that’s what happens), which leads to more fruit bearing.

Fall-bearing raspberries can bear fruit in both late spring/early summer and late summer/early fall. Floricanes left in place for a second year will bear fruit at the bottom of the plant during the following season. If you wish to focus the plant’s energy on late summer/early fall production, it is best to focus on the primocanes. Allow them to grow during the summer and then harvest the fruit produced at the top of the plant. After harvest, remove the fruited part of the plant to prevent early summer fruiting. This allows for a larger primocane crop later in the season.

For both varieties, it is helpful to trellis the plants in order to protect from wind damage as well as to make harvest much easier. This is particularly helpful in the case of fall-bearing berries grown for primocane crops as their canes will be less sturdy and more susceptible to wind. For these plants, a temporary trellis is best as they are cut back frequently. This way, the trellis can be removed after fall harvest in order to cut back the planting and allow for new growth for the next season.

Carefully planning the care of these two varieties can extend a raspberries season from early summer to late fall. This is crucial for a market farmer as berries are often a hit at the market and can be a huge source of income. Even more specifically, varieties that are used in jam-making are even more helpful for creating a season that is as long as possible.

Kiwifruit Pruning

Katie Allen

SOS Food and Agriculture

1/30/18

Kiwifruit Pruning

Pruning kiwifruit is essential to consistent production because it helps to create a strong structure that will sustain the plant for years. In the same way that we covered with apple trees last week, kiwifruit need a structure that allows for the sun to reach as much of the plant as possible and for airflow to move through the branches to prevent moisture build up and the risk of fungal diseases. Because the kiwifruit is a vine, pruning is especially important for training the plant to stand in a way that can support as much fruit as possible.

Because it is the end of January, we will be practicing dormant pruning on the kiwifruit on the farm. We do this in order to beat the sap flow which could potentially weaken the vines.

Since most of the fruit on the plant is produced from 1 year-old canes, it is helpful to remove older shoots as they often do not produce much fruit. In order to remove the older wood and keep the 1 year-old cane, make a cut at a 45 degree angle directly after the replacement shoot (the cane closest to the cordon). This should remove shoots from previous growing years and allow for maximum productivity.

It is important to note that male and female vines should be approached differently while pruning. Because we have two females, the majority of our pruning will involve removing 70% of the plants growth in the last year. The goal of this is to just leave the 1 year-old growth that will fruit more productively. It is also important to ensure that none of the shoots are crossing or tangled with one another.

For the male vine, our goal will be to ensure that it produces as many flowers as possible for pollination. Because of this, dormant pruning is much lighter on male kiwifruit and mostly focuses on removing crossing shoots and keeping the plant manageable.

Apple Pruning

1/22/18

SoS Food & Agriculture

Kathryn Allen

Apple Pruning

The pruning of apple trees is necessary not only for aesthetic purpose, but more importantly to maintain the productivity of the plant. Apple trees produce in cycles and often take “breaks” in productivity after exerting excessive amounts of energy in fruit production for the year before. Similarly, tree that yields an abnormally large amount will produce fruit that is of lower quality due to the amount of energy expended by the tree. In this way, pruning lowers the yield of a tree but increases the quality and frequency at which it produces. Because of this, it is important to preserve the tree’s energy in order to maintain a high fruit yield for each growing season.

When deciding whether or not to remove a certain branch, it is important to remember to remove no more than 30% of the tree’s entire mass in one year of pruning. The most important things to look out for are “watersprouts” and “suckers.” These branches make up for little of the tree’s actual mass however, they do waste the tree’s energy for agricultural purposes as they often do not produce any fruit. Watersprouts are branches that grow vertically from older branches or the trunk of the tree. Because of their position and the length of time it takes to develop, it is best to remove as many as possible. Suckers are similar, but instead of growing from the trunk or branches, they grow from the roots of the tree and appear from the ground next to the trunk.

It is also important to get rid of branches that cross over each other or that appear to weak to hold fruit. Keeping in mind an “open bowl shape”, reducing the amount of clutter on a tree maximizes the ability of the sun to make its way through the tree and allows for more air flow.

When making cuts, one should always make sure that there is no allowance for water to pool and create rot. To avoid this, cut the branch at a 45 degree angle to encourage water to slide off rather than sit. This is most important when pruning vertical branches.

Puer Tea Seminar Writing

Kathryn Allen

3/6/18

SOS Food and Ag

Word Count: 956

Puer Tea Seminar Ticket

“According to one study, before the Han arrived, at least 5,000 mu (a unit of of measure of equivalent to 00.67 hectares) of tea lands were cultivated by the indigenous ethnic group. The new Han immigrants gradually acquired rights to the land, sometimes by buying it and sometimes through intermarriage with local Dai aristocrats. By making use of obsolete areas and clearing new areas, they developed their own tea plantations and came to rely on tea as an important part of their economy.” (p. 37)

“Most families in the area who used to make tea in their houses had moved to one of the new tea factories” (p. 73)

In the United States, we often see tea as a ‘blow off’ product – one that you throw in your grocery cart without much thought to the authenticity behind each blend. For the most part, North American culture is unconcerned with the palette associated with tea and is often found mislabeling/disregarding the traditions that go along with the many different varieties of tea from across the globe. As someone who is steeped (pun intended) in said culture, I approached Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic by Jinghong Zhang with little to no knowledge about Chinese geography, culture, and especially none regarding Puer tea. Because of this, nearly every bit of information that I read was new to me. As someone who is often happy to throw a few mint leaves in hot water and call it a tea, it was an incredibly different experience for me to actually consider the quality and authenticity of a very specific tradition. Even still, I was able to draw some incredibly relevant connections to the Puer tea industry of the Yunnan province in China and the work I have been doing during my own independent project.

The most interesting facet of my newfound knowledge about Puer tea was the information that Zhang covered in Chapter 2: Tensions Blooming. In this chapter, she talks about the growing tourism industry associated with Puer tea and the image of the city of Yiwu that has been created by the mass production of this particular kind of tea. Zhang’s main point in this portion of the book is that Puer tea production has undergone industrialization in order to keep up with the global demand for the product and that in some ways this has affected the global perception of Yiwu and the authenticity of the tea itself.

When Zhang describes the experience of many people who travel to Yiwu expecting an experience as authentic as the product that they have grown to love it was a very similar tale to that of the global textile industry. A particularly poignant example was that of the film crew that was in Yiwu filming a documentary about the production of the tea. When the crew went to film a scene on the actual processing of the tea, “they were unable to find a family on the old street that was processing tea.” (p. 73) Zhang goes on to say that “most families in the area who used to make tea in their houses had moved to one of the new tea factories, which did not fit the requirements of the film crew.” ( p. 73)

Learning about this aspect of the Puer tea trade was very relevant to what I have learned about traditional textile crafts in the past 8 weeks. The shift of the tea trade from at home processing to factories is incredibly similar to the shift from cottage industries in both India and the British Isles to full scale mills during the industrial revolution. What is particularly interesting to me about that connection is that for both cases, industrialization allowed the product to be more globally distributed – which created the global idea of the place of its origin and thus contributed to the tourism of the region. However, the globalization of each of the products also led to a demand for more which then separates the product from its original mode of creation and leads to the true ‘authenticity’ of the product being called into question.

Furthermore, the industrialization of the two industries also seems to be related to the product’s original inception by indigenous communities and then later its “discovery” by aristocratic populations that move to the area further along. Zhang states that “according to one study, before the Han arrived, at least 5,000 mu (a unit of of measure of equivalent to 00.67 hectares) of tea lands were cultivated by the indigenous ethnic group. The new Han immigrants gradually acquired rights to the land, sometimes by buying it and sometimes through intermarriage with local Dai aristocrats. By making use of obsolete areas and clearing new areas, they developed their own tea plantations and came to rely on tea as an important part of their economy.” (p. 37) This evolution of the product is incredibly similar to all of the traditional garments I have studied. In the cases of tweed, khadi cotton, and Aran wool, they were all originally created by indigenous or “lower class” groups out of necessity for survival. Later down the road, more wealthy individuals from outside groups saw the “cultural potential” in the market and led it forward to industrialization.

Learning about this aspect of the Puer tea industry has only helped to solidify previous suspicions that I had about the extinction of cottage industries and the globalization of the market. In the very way that a narrative is being marketed to a global audience, it seems that the product itself is being separated from that narrative by that exact means.

Week 9

Week 9 was the final stretch of my project and mainly consisted of organizing all of my thoughts and new knowledge into a few comprehensive posts and a final presentation. It was really beneficial to me to be able to track my learning so easily, and I am really happy with my decision to take notes on my bibliography. As I put my thoughts together and reviewed all of the material I have covered over the quarter, I realized that I am really very satisfied with the extent to which I was able to cover such a large area of focus.

Angarakha (Image: indianetzone) — Men’s angarkha – one of the traditional Rajasthani concepts I learned about this week. (source)

I am most pleased with the work I did to complete my notable concepts posts – particularly the elements traditional dress posts and the spinning history overview. I hadn’t really realized how just how much research I had done until I noticed the ease with which I was able to explain these areas of study. So, to me, that shows that I was able to accomplish what I set out to do while drafting my ILC.

I also made sure to continue closing the gap in my knowledge of India textile culture by really narrowing in on the state of Rajasthan. I was able to get the geography of the region down as well as the basic history timeline and textile traditions, so I feel like I am one step closer to having a full understanding on how that region’s particular history and diverse cultures has had an impact on the global fashion industry. I made the choice to approach that particular area of study with the intent to learn what the culture has to contribute to sustainability rather than drawing any big conclusions as to what they are doing right and wrong. This is mainly because I still believe that I need a much wider understanding of India and its history and culture as a whole before really formulating any strong opinions on their current practices – all I can really feel confident doing is looking at my own culture and see how it impacts the industry in their world.

I finished the week by condensing as much information as I could into a 10 slide powerpoint presentation. This actually turned out to be much more challenging than I anticipated. As I mentioned before, I ended up covering a lot more material than I realized as the weeks passed, so suddenly having to describe all of that in 10 minutes was a challenge. But, I was able to successfully put together the most important aspects of my project and am really happy with how I put it together. That presentation can be found here.

Week 10 is going to be mostly tying up loose ends and making my ePortfolio as concise and comprehensible as possible. I’m a bit sad to see this part of my study end, but I’m excited about the new prospects of next quarter.

Elements of Traditional Rajasthani Dress

Like (and even more so) with the colonized British Isles, I will not be able to cover Indian dress in its entirety, and have instead chosen to focus on one particular region. I’ve just to speak about Rajasthan specifically because a great deal of modern day textiles and apparel come out of the state. Similarly, many elements of Rajasthan’s traditional dress have made their way into the global fashion market – with or without credit.

Because of India’s history of occupation and Rajasthan’s particular geographical location, the dress traditions have been subject to a good deal of outside influence. Even so, Rajasthan and its many different people’s has retained its indigenous textiles and beliefs associated with it. Even today with Rajasthan being the home to acres upon acres of cotton fields and garment factories for Western clothing, the Indian state retains a unique cultural identity that both evolves with changing times and retains elements of dress that are important to the society.

Perhaps the most globally known aspect of Rajasthani dress is the kurta. Traditionally, this long, knee length tunic is worn by men and can often be found made of khadi. This specific garment is not specific to Rajasthan. In fact, it can be found worn all over the west of Asia. There are, however, specific designs and materials that make kurtas specific to the state of Rajasthan. A specific “type” of kurta is the angrakha. The name of this garment is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “body shield.” Once again, this garment is traditionally worn by men. Color is a significant part of these garments and are often dyed using the traditional method of “tie and dye” (the very technique that we in the Western world now associate with the 60’s and 70’s).

Women’s “boho ethnic tunic” for sale on etsy. (source)

Historically, these garments were hand spun, woven, and dyed and worn for occasions of significance. Today, they are produced on a large scale and can be purchased at incredibly low prices. Modern fashion has seen the transformation of kurtas from traditional men’s wear to dress that is most commonly seen on women – this trend has held particular sway over the Western world of fashion. This shift could be a result of Western ideas of masculinity and femininity, with the vibrant patterns and fitting trim of the kurta subscribing more to the later. Now, kurtas, or close reproductions, can be found in just about any fast fashion store.

Women in Rajasthani Clothing — Rajasthani women wearing the odhni. (source)

Another textile that is particularly culturally significant to the populace of Rajasthan is the odhni. This is a singular piece of 10 feet long, 5 feet wide cloth draped around a woman’s head to signify different elements of social status. In the Hindu faith, a garment that is stitched is considered to be impure, so this garment is particularly important for women. Interestingly, during the years of British colonization and efforts of Anglicization, the female population of India were the most adamant about sticking to traditional dress, perhaps due to the extreme difference in construction of what was considered to be acceptable clothing. Because of the emphasis put on unstitched clothing, it is easy to see why spinning and weaving would have become such a refined craft in that region. The intense contrast between the native values of garments constructed to last and not need stitches and the factories that now inhabit the area with the literal purpose of creating garments to fall apart is quite poignant.

473A9322 — A modern take on traditional men’s wear at the Rajasthani Heritage Week. (source)

While fast fashion has most definitely affected the frequency and methods with which traditional clothing is worn in Rajasthan and the rest of India, many Indian designers still turn to khadi as the tried and true way to create garments in India while supporting the working class as well as the country’s culture and customs. Recently, some of the top Indian designers have begun to participate in an event called Rajasthan Heritage Week. This fashion show highlights heritage textiles and fashions while still rolling with the times and encouraging the ever-present growth of modern society in India. Unsurprisingly, khadi continues to be the fabric of choice for the event. As the seasoned designer Hemant Trivedi states, “khadi is a fabric that is redolent of freedom, individuality and of the fact that we are Indians.”

Week 8

My main goal this week was to begin the long process of summarizing my research in a way that can be easily presented while also continuing to add facts that I had missed along the way. To start this, I began writing a notable concept post for spinning. I spent a good 4 hours trying to sift through all the information I had to create a post that was both concise and informative and I am still only about half way through writing the post. When I am finished, I would like to have thoroughly covered spinning traditions in the regions that I have spent the most time researching and would like to be able to compare and contrast how they have evolved either separately or with influence from one another.

I also decided to put together two informative posts on certain aspects of traditional dress in order to better illustrate how tradition has made its way into fast fashion – for better or for worse. I decided to cover dress native to the Aran Islands of Ireland and to Rajasthan, India. I felt that throughout my research in traditionally spun wool, I kept being taken back to the Aran Islands – especially with the connection between native tongue and traditional art. Similarly, Rajasthan is one of the top Indian states in khadi cotton production and is now home to a good deal of Western garment factories, so I thought that it would be relevant to narrow in on just that state’s traditions. While I continue to formulate what I know about both of these textile traditions, I am going to expand on what they have become in the present day, how Western industrialization has affected/commodified those traditions, and how that has impacted the sustainability of said traditions.

Image result for rajasthan map — Rajasthan (source)

I think, for the most part, I have finalized my area of research for this quarter, so I will not be looking into any new topics while finishing of the last two weeks of the quarter and am instead going to limit myself to expanding upon and summarizing what I already know in order to make my ePortfolio and conclusions as concise as possible. For week 9, my goal is to finish writing the spinning history post as well as both textile tradition posts and to at least begin writing a final conclusion that ties together all of my experience and findings.