Hands-on Experience with Silk Threads Associate Professor Kyunghee

Pyun, PhD

I have been teaching the Art of the Silk Road: Cross-Cultural Encounters (HA 383) for more than a decade. However, I had never touched a silk thread! I often cite historical documents addressing the delicate nature of silk thread— thinner than hair and twisted to give more shine and reflection to the finished product. I am familiar with the Seol Won Foundation, a contemporary craft organization founded by Dr. Young Yang Chung, who has written books on Asian embroidery history and techniques. Dr. Chung is now in her eighties and delegates the duty of teaching the public to her best students. Ms. Erin Byunn agreed to give a workshop to FIT students and faculty. She had previously given a public workshop in conjunction with an exhibition at George Washington University’s Textile Museum. The exhibition, called Korean Fashion: From Royal Court to Runway, was on display from August to December 2022.

to create a 2-inch circular brooch with a butterfly pattern. In two hours, a few students were able to complete this task. This was impressive, because the silk threads were so thin, it seemed that fifty stitches were needed just to fill a small butterfly wing!

Ms. Byunn helped us correct some of our sloppier stitches and showed us how to fix our mistakes.

Professor Patrice George of Textile Development and Marketing; Professor Su Ku of Fashion Design; Professor Hilary Davidson, Chair of the MA program in Fashion and Textile Studies; Patricia Mears, Tamsen Young and Zoe Taylor of the Museum at FIT, and librarian Miyo Sandlin also attended the workshop. So did our department’s visual resources curator, Molly Schoen. It was a fabulous opportunity of experiential learning. Students

Ms. Byunn came with pouches of embroidery supplies. My students in the Presidential Scholars Program, who are currently enrolled in the Silk Road course, came to participate. Some had previously taken an embroidery class at FIT; they showed proficient application of their satin stitches. Ms. Byunn brought twisted silk threads for us and black silk cloth. The project was contemplated on how long it would take to complete a sixfeet tall banner of a complicated Buddhist iconography in silk embroidery, many hours indeed!