Year 3 and 4 visited Armley Mills Industrial Museum today! The museum was full of amazing, old machines that get wool from a sheep, ready to weave into fabric.
Each class had a weaving workshop where they carded wool to make it smooth and straight. This was done by hand or in the later years, there were machines for this! Back in Victorian times, children as young as 7 were working on the machines… We decided that we’d much rather be in school learning than doing this!
We then saw a huge old spinning machine that helps to get the wool thin and looking like string or thread. It was very loud. The song, “wind the bobbin up” was explained as the wool is spun around one!
Finally, we had a go at weaving ourselves. There is a weft which goes left to right and a warp that goes top to bottom. The children weaved their fabric in and out to create some beautiful weaves!
We also spent some time outside in the garden getting some fresh air and exploring the other levels to the museum. We saw machines for sewing, projecting and banking. Very impressive!
Help at home by watching this BBC Bitesize video about weaving. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015x4s/bitesize-daily-79-year-olds-art-89-year-olds-3-weaving