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Carol James

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Carol has been exploring low-tech textile methods since the 1980s. She has developed pattern-writing methods for the techniques of fingerweaving and sprang. She has mapped out patterns for a number of historic pieces, and has successfully used these patterns to make replicas of these pieces. A very patient instructor, she has taught students across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. She is the author of Fingerweaving Untangled and Sprang Unsprung

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Laura Filloy Nadal

Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia

Lise Bender Jørgensen

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

University of Gdansk

Glennda S Marsh-Letts

University Of Sydney

Alistair F Dickey

University of Liverpool

Uploads

Papers by Carol James

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona... more In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona. Among the objects was an elaborate sprang shirt, later given to the Arizona State Museum where it remains to this date. The cotton yarn in the shirt was subjected to Carbon Dating and assigned a probable origin date of the 12 th century. In order to better understand the shirt, a replica was made in early 2015. Diverse technical challenges included hand spinning an appropriate cotton yarn, mapping the pattern, accurately copying the irregularities, and creating the neckline. The project yielded surprising insights.

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt: Producer Knowledge and Exchange through Experimental Reconstruction

Re-creating Military Sashes: Reviving the Sprang Technique

Textile expertise in the first century of the Common Era in Egypt: Replication of a child's cap from the tombs of Antinoopolis

The invention of twill tapestry points to Central Asia: Archaeological record of multiple textile techniques used to make the woollen outfit of a ca. 3000-year-old horse rider from Turfan, China

Archaeological Research in Asia, 2022

Wagner, Mayke &amp; Hallgren-Brekenkamp, Moa &amp; Xu, Dongliang &amp; Kang, Xiaojing... more Wagner, Mayke &amp; Hallgren-Brekenkamp, Moa &amp; Xu, Dongliang &amp; Kang, Xiaojing &amp; Wertmann, Patrick &amp; James, Carol &amp; Elkina, Irina &amp; Hosner, Dominic &amp; Leipe, Christian &amp; Tarasov, Pavel. (2022). The invention of twill tapestry points to Central Asia: Archaeological record of multiple textile techniques used to make the woollen outfit of a ca. 3000-year-old horse rider from Turfan, China. Archaeological Research in Asia. 29. 100344. 10.1016/j.ara.2021.100344. Ancient knowledge of the textile arts production and weaving techniques belong to the world&#39;s intangible cultural heritage and shape the appearance of most people worldwide when used for clothing. However, their ancient roots can be seldom studied because archaeological textiles and looms on which they were produced decay in most environments without trace. This article presents technical details of fabric and finishing techniques of eight wool garments of a horseman buried ca. 1200–1000 BCE at Yanghai, located in the Turfan oasis in Northwest China. They show an unprecedented diversity and a free combination of three weaving techniques and one type of weft twining supplemented by at least three different braiding methods to finish and fasten the clothes. All techniques were validated by reproduction. The most complex piece of the costume, the man&#39;s trousers, known as one of the oldest preserved to date, was made with four different textile techniques on one device, two of them are new discoveries and termed “Yanghai dovetailed twill tapestry” and “Yanghai weft twining”. The studied textiles are local products showing advancements of wool technologies developed in the southern (tapestry) and northern (twill) parts of West Asia, which were transferred and further refined by wool-workers via as yet unknown areas in central and northern Eurasia. A specific inclined T-hook pattern zone at the trousers&#39; knees finds close correspondence with patterns on ritual bronze vessels of the late Shang dynasty in the Chinese Central Plains, ca. 1300–1100 BCE, and on pottery of the Andronovo-Federovo archaeological complex in southwest Siberia and Central Asia, ca. 1800–1000 BCE. Since the appearance of this pattern in Northwest and Central China coincides with the arrival of domesticated horses and associated technologies, the horse breeders likely were the mediators. The stepped pyramid or merlon pattern might refer to architectural features of Eastern Iran and the middle Bronze Age Oxus civilisation. To verify the possible connections, however, is subject to future studies.

Recycling Sprang

In this talk I would like to explore some of the evidence of sprang in history, how sprang travel... more In this talk I would like to explore some of the evidence of sprang in history, how sprang travelled from place to place and some of the ways it was modified as it travelled. I will then suggest that sprang could be an exciting technique for the 21st century. First let me explain how this technique works. Sprang is a braiding technique. The worker winds one continuous thread around and around a frame. The worker then manipulates the threads at one end, and a mirror-image structure magically appears at the other end of the frame. Structures that lend themselves to this technique include interlinking, interlacing, and intertwining. For more on sprang, please consult Peter Collingwood’s Sprang, Plaiting on Stretched Threads,1 or Carol James’ Sprang Unsprung

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

Zea Books, 2017

In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona... more In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona. Among the objects was an elaborate sprang shirt, later given to the Arizona State Museum where it remains to this date. The cotton yarn in the shirt was subjected to Carbon Dating and assigned a probable origin date of the 12 th century. In order to better understand the shirt, a replica was made in early 2015. Diverse technical challenges included hand spinning an appropriate cotton yarn, mapping the pattern, accurately copying the irregularities, and creating the neckline. The project yielded surprising insights.

Tight-fitting clothing in antiquity and the Renaissance

Crafting Textiles, 2022

A unique survival:: A woman’s fifteenth-century headdress from Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt: Producer Knowledge and Exchange through Experimental Reconstruction

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt

Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings

Re-creating Military Sashes: Reviving the Sprang Technique

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

A stunning piece of sprang, the cotton Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt has been in the collection ... more A stunning piece of sprang, the cotton Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt has been in the collection of the Arizona State Museum since the mid1920s. A funerary object, carbon dated to sometime around 1300AD, it is currently stored in special conditions, and is not available to the public. Thanks to a cooperative effort, a replica of the shirt was made in 2015.

Drafts by Carol James

Enigmatic Beauty_Headwear of Lengberg Castle.pdf

by Beatrix Nutz, Rachel Case, and Carol James

In Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol, a perplexing textile fragment made of humble fabric but with exqu... more In Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol, a perplexing textile fragment made of humble fabric but with exquisite detail was found beneath the floorboards among thousands of objects. It is of white linen cloth with a variety of decorative elements in linen thread. These decorative elements include needlelace, loop braids, and most strikingly, sprang. The complex tree of life pattern of the sprang suggests this is a noteworthy garment. It was meant to be seen.
Since the original function of this textile could not be determined with certainty by merely investigating the extant garment, a reconstruction was attempted in order to produce a copy with which wearer trials could be conducted. Thanks to a grant from the Janet Arnold Foundation, new light can now be shed on this mysterious textile, and how it was worn. After frustrating failed attempts, a surprising solution was determined: the textile is headwear.

Note: Parts of this article will go into a chapter of a book (work in progress) on the reconstruction of the garment fragments from Lengberg Castle. Complete with cuts and patterns. Therefore you are welcomed to comment on the article and how helpful (or unhelpful) you find the instructions, cuts and patterns, especially if you want to make such a headdress for yourself.

This article was uploaded on 12 January 2019, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Emperor Maximilian I, who died on 12 January 1519.

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona... more In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona. Among the objects was an elaborate sprang shirt, later given to the Arizona State Museum where it remains to this date. The cotton yarn in the shirt was subjected to Carbon Dating and assigned a probable origin date of the 12 th century. In order to better understand the shirt, a replica was made in early 2015. Diverse technical challenges included hand spinning an appropriate cotton yarn, mapping the pattern, accurately copying the irregularities, and creating the neckline. The project yielded surprising insights.

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt: Producer Knowledge and Exchange through Experimental Reconstruction

Re-creating Military Sashes: Reviving the Sprang Technique

Textile expertise in the first century of the Common Era in Egypt: Replication of a child's cap from the tombs of Antinoopolis

The invention of twill tapestry points to Central Asia: Archaeological record of multiple textile techniques used to make the woollen outfit of a ca. 3000-year-old horse rider from Turfan, China

Archaeological Research in Asia, 2022

Wagner, Mayke &amp; Hallgren-Brekenkamp, Moa &amp; Xu, Dongliang &amp; Kang, Xiaojing... more Wagner, Mayke &amp; Hallgren-Brekenkamp, Moa &amp; Xu, Dongliang &amp; Kang, Xiaojing &amp; Wertmann, Patrick &amp; James, Carol &amp; Elkina, Irina &amp; Hosner, Dominic &amp; Leipe, Christian &amp; Tarasov, Pavel. (2022). The invention of twill tapestry points to Central Asia: Archaeological record of multiple textile techniques used to make the woollen outfit of a ca. 3000-year-old horse rider from Turfan, China. Archaeological Research in Asia. 29. 100344. 10.1016/j.ara.2021.100344. Ancient knowledge of the textile arts production and weaving techniques belong to the world&#39;s intangible cultural heritage and shape the appearance of most people worldwide when used for clothing. However, their ancient roots can be seldom studied because archaeological textiles and looms on which they were produced decay in most environments without trace. This article presents technical details of fabric and finishing techniques of eight wool garments of a horseman buried ca. 1200–1000 BCE at Yanghai, located in the Turfan oasis in Northwest China. They show an unprecedented diversity and a free combination of three weaving techniques and one type of weft twining supplemented by at least three different braiding methods to finish and fasten the clothes. All techniques were validated by reproduction. The most complex piece of the costume, the man&#39;s trousers, known as one of the oldest preserved to date, was made with four different textile techniques on one device, two of them are new discoveries and termed “Yanghai dovetailed twill tapestry” and “Yanghai weft twining”. The studied textiles are local products showing advancements of wool technologies developed in the southern (tapestry) and northern (twill) parts of West Asia, which were transferred and further refined by wool-workers via as yet unknown areas in central and northern Eurasia. A specific inclined T-hook pattern zone at the trousers&#39; knees finds close correspondence with patterns on ritual bronze vessels of the late Shang dynasty in the Chinese Central Plains, ca. 1300–1100 BCE, and on pottery of the Andronovo-Federovo archaeological complex in southwest Siberia and Central Asia, ca. 1800–1000 BCE. Since the appearance of this pattern in Northwest and Central China coincides with the arrival of domesticated horses and associated technologies, the horse breeders likely were the mediators. The stepped pyramid or merlon pattern might refer to architectural features of Eastern Iran and the middle Bronze Age Oxus civilisation. To verify the possible connections, however, is subject to future studies.

Recycling Sprang

In this talk I would like to explore some of the evidence of sprang in history, how sprang travel... more In this talk I would like to explore some of the evidence of sprang in history, how sprang travelled from place to place and some of the ways it was modified as it travelled. I will then suggest that sprang could be an exciting technique for the 21st century. First let me explain how this technique works. Sprang is a braiding technique. The worker winds one continuous thread around and around a frame. The worker then manipulates the threads at one end, and a mirror-image structure magically appears at the other end of the frame. Structures that lend themselves to this technique include interlinking, interlacing, and intertwining. For more on sprang, please consult Peter Collingwood’s Sprang, Plaiting on Stretched Threads,1 or Carol James’ Sprang Unsprung

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

Zea Books, 2017

In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona... more In 1923 a pair of hikers came across a series of objects in a cave near the Salt River in Arizona. Among the objects was an elaborate sprang shirt, later given to the Arizona State Museum where it remains to this date. The cotton yarn in the shirt was subjected to Carbon Dating and assigned a probable origin date of the 12 th century. In order to better understand the shirt, a replica was made in early 2015. Diverse technical challenges included hand spinning an appropriate cotton yarn, mapping the pattern, accurately copying the irregularities, and creating the neckline. The project yielded surprising insights.

Tight-fitting clothing in antiquity and the Renaissance

Crafting Textiles, 2022

A unique survival:: A woman’s fifteenth-century headdress from Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt: Producer Knowledge and Exchange through Experimental Reconstruction

Sprang Bonnets from Late Antique Egypt

Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings

Re-creating Military Sashes: Reviving the Sprang Technique

The Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt Project

A stunning piece of sprang, the cotton Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt has been in the collection ... more A stunning piece of sprang, the cotton Arizona Openwork (Tonto) Shirt has been in the collection of the Arizona State Museum since the mid1920s. A funerary object, carbon dated to sometime around 1300AD, it is currently stored in special conditions, and is not available to the public. Thanks to a cooperative effort, a replica of the shirt was made in 2015.

Enigmatic Beauty_Headwear of Lengberg Castle.pdf

by Beatrix Nutz, Rachel Case, and Carol James

In Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol, a perplexing textile fragment made of humble fabric but with exqu... more In Lengberg Castle, East Tyrol, a perplexing textile fragment made of humble fabric but with exquisite detail was found beneath the floorboards among thousands of objects. It is of white linen cloth with a variety of decorative elements in linen thread. These decorative elements include needlelace, loop braids, and most strikingly, sprang. The complex tree of life pattern of the sprang suggests this is a noteworthy garment. It was meant to be seen.
Since the original function of this textile could not be determined with certainty by merely investigating the extant garment, a reconstruction was attempted in order to produce a copy with which wearer trials could be conducted. Thanks to a grant from the Janet Arnold Foundation, new light can now be shed on this mysterious textile, and how it was worn. After frustrating failed attempts, a surprising solution was determined: the textile is headwear.

Note: Parts of this article will go into a chapter of a book (work in progress) on the reconstruction of the garment fragments from Lengberg Castle. Complete with cuts and patterns. Therefore you are welcomed to comment on the article and how helpful (or unhelpful) you find the instructions, cuts and patterns, especially if you want to make such a headdress for yourself.

This article was uploaded on 12 January 2019, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Emperor Maximilian I, who died on 12 January 1519.