Liminality is a thesis show where I recontextualize my past in the present. It consists ofpieces of artwork that call attention to our memories and how they alter and shape us over time, question family portraiture and show how art can be used for self-discovery and as a catharsis. This paper analyzes myself as an artist, my process, my work in the M.F.A. program and, ultimately, my thesis show.

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The purpose of this study was to develop a sewing method which could be used in home sewing to reduce seam puckering and to see how well a group of home sewers could use the method to reduce pucker. The hypothesis tested was that use of the method by home sewers would produce no reduction in the amount of pucker in a lengthwise seam. The sewing method included the following factors: controlling the upper and lower tensions, needle size, stitch length, pinning, holding the fabric plys as they passed through the machine, and pressing. Each subject (home sewer) first sewed seams without using the sewing method, and then used the method to complete more seams. The sets of seams were presented to a panel of judges for comparison, and their responses were statistically analyzed through use of a computer program. Duncan's multiple range test was used to group the results. The analysis indicated that it was possible to reject the hypothesis for nearly all of the subjects. It was observed that subjects who had the greatest amount of sewing experience apparently were able to use the method with more success than those with less experience. It was not possible to ascertain definite differences in the performance patterns of the high school girls who participated in the experiment and the adult women. The method did not show as strong an effect on seams sewn with nylon thread as it did on those sewn with cotton thread. It is possible that the age and condition of some of the sewing machines also affected the amount of pucker in the seam. / M.S.

This research was conducted over the period of three quarters at Virginia Tech. The goal was to develop an instrument that was both valid and reliable for the purpose of exempting qualified, experienced students from the basic apparel construction course and allow them to begin with the advanced course. Resulting classes would be more homogeneous and, therefore, could be more effectively taught. Data on test questions was available from prior administrations of a clothing construction knowledge test. Test items that pertained to current course content and with acceptable difficulty and discrimination indexes were retained for use. The test was developed in three phases. The resulting test would be adaptable for use by other institutions because of the methodology used to develop it. The course behavioral objectives were first examined and assigned a percentage corresponding to the amount of class time devoted to each objective. Individual learning concepts were then analyzed and listed under the objective they each pertained to. Once this categorization was accomplished, the learning concepts were each ranked according to importance and complexity within their respective objectives. This ranking was then used to decide how many test items should pertain to each concept. The exemption test developed through this procedure encompassed all course objectives and assured a representative sample of the course content. The final test was determined to be both valid and reliable. Its adoption as an exemption test was recommended with minor revision. / Master of Science

This study was an historical garment study that investigated the similarities and differences between variables for thread characteristics, such as thread configuration, degree of twist, direction of twist, color, and color match grades of sewing thread used in assembling American women's dresses and suits during the time period between 1880 and 1909. Items were selected using a convenience sampling from the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, in Washington, DC, and The Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia. A total of 417 observations were collected from 39 garments. Noninvasive procedures were used to examine late nineteenth and early twentieth century garments and record sewing thread characteristics from multiple designated locations. Research objectives of the study included: 1) documentation of thread characteristics for machine-sewn seams, 2) documentation of thread characteristics for handsewn seams or stitchings, and 3) documentation of dominant thread characteristics by five year periods. Frequency distributions and frequency distribution tables were completed. The results of this study revealed widespread use of one basic type of sewing thread for the total sample during the time period 1880-1909. Characteristics of threads used in handsewn and machine-sewn seams or stitchings were 3/2-cord thread with high degree of twist and S direction of twist. It appeared that aesthetic concerns for color differences and matching contrasts of thread with the fashion fabric did not always coincide with use of threads with high strength. Data analyses revealed recurring patterns. Results found for year to year observations were consistent with results found within the five year group increments. Dominant thread characteristics found within the group observations for chain stitch thread characteristics were also present in the lockstitch group observations and machine-sewn group observations. Patterns noted in observations for handsewn seams or stitchings were also similar to those found in machine-sewn seams. Noninvasive methods were used for collection of data during the study. Methods used included naked-eye visual observations and hand-held microscope observations for recording seam, stitch, and thread characteristics. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:19:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joanice Maria Barreto.pdf: 814434 bytes, checksum: a106fc861500dc77875626564c0f8817 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-11-19 / The central research question is related to the activities of the seamstresses, sewing women in Divinópolis, MG, whose work is considered a domestic order, a natural aptitude and subject to lower wages. However, by sewing, women ensure the maintenance of home and family, break down stigma in relation to paid work and their role in society. One of the main objectives would be to show that sewing women who are in clothing industries or subcontracting for sewing services, play an important role in the process of economic development of the town, one of the poles of clothing production in the country. To write this dissertation were analyzed published reports in newspapers from the town and nearby region. Apart from written sources, there were made twelve interviews with a group of seamstresses who work in the clothing industry and others who worked in their homes, the professionals who work with subcontracting for sewing services. The collapse of the steel industry in the town and region in 1960 was one of the factors that contributed to women taking over leadership of the economy, trying to reverse the disastrous situation. Considering the situation of many unemployed men, women become visible in the job market through the sewing know-how that was successfully passed from generation to generation. The conquest of women barely changes its position inside and outside their homes. Besides there is a sexual division of labor unfairly and unequally, which still claims that women are responsible for almost all tasks and household chores / A questão central da pesquisa se relaciona às atividades das costureiras em Divinópolis, MG, cujo trabalho é considerado de ordem doméstica, uma aptidão natural e está sujeito a remunerações inferiores. No entanto, através da costura, as mulheres garantem a manutenção da casa e da família, rompem estigmas em relação ao trabalho assalariado e ao papel delas na sociedade. Um dos principais objetivos seria mostrar que as mulheres costureiras, que estão nas indústrias de confecções ou facções, desempenham um papel importante no processo de desenvolvimento econômico da cidade, um dos polos de confecção do país. Para escrever esta dissertação foram analisados jornais e relatórios publicados na cidade e região. Além das fontes escritas, foram realizadas, doze entrevistas com um grupo de costureiras, que trabalham na indústria de confecção e outras que trabalhavam em suas casas, nas chamadas facções. A quebra do setor siderúrgico na cidade e região nos anos de 1960 foi um dos fatores que colaborou para que as mulheres assumissem a liderança da economia, tentando reverter a situação desastrosa. Com os homens desempregados, as mulheres se tornam visíveis no mercado de emprego através do saber fazer que foi passado de gerações a gerações com êxito através da costura. A conquista das mulheres pouco modifica a sua posição dentro e fora das suas casas. Além de ocorrer uma divisão sexual do trabalho de forma injusta e desigual, ainda cabe às mulheres a responsabilidade quase exclusiva, das tarefas e atividades domésticas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:52:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joanice Maria Barreto.pdf: 814434 bytes, checksum: a106fc861500dc77875626564c0f8817 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-11-19 / The central research question is related to the activities of the seamstresses, sewing women in Divinópolis, MG, whose work is considered a domestic order, a natural aptitude and subject to lower wages. However, by sewing, women ensure the maintenance of home and family, break down stigma in relation to paid work and their role in society. One of the main objectives would be to show that sewing women who are in clothing industries or subcontracting for sewing services, play an important role in the process of economic development of the town, one of the poles of clothing production in the country. To write this dissertation were analyzed published reports in newspapers from the town and nearby region. Apart from written sources, there were made twelve interviews with a group of seamstresses who work in the clothing industry and others who worked in their homes, the professionals who work with subcontracting for sewing services. The collapse of the steel industry in the town and region in 1960 was one of the factors that contributed to women taking over leadership of the economy, trying to reverse the disastrous situation. Considering the situation of many unemployed men, women become visible in the job market through the sewing know-how that was successfully passed from generation to generation. The conquest of women barely changes its position inside and outside their homes. Besides there is a sexual division of labor unfairly and unequally, which still claims that women are responsible for almost all tasks and household chores / A questão central da pesquisa se relaciona às atividades das costureiras em Divinópolis, MG, cujo trabalho é considerado de ordem doméstica, uma aptidão natural e está sujeito a remunerações inferiores. No entanto, através da costura, as mulheres garantem a manutenção da casa e da família, rompem estigmas em relação ao trabalho assalariado e ao papel delas na sociedade. Um dos principais objetivos seria mostrar que as mulheres costureiras, que estão nas indústrias de confecções ou facções, desempenham um papel importante no processo de desenvolvimento econômico da cidade, um dos polos de confecção do país. Para escrever esta dissertação foram analisados jornais e relatórios publicados na cidade e região. Além das fontes escritas, foram realizadas, doze entrevistas com um grupo de costureiras, que trabalham na indústria de confecção e outras que trabalhavam em suas casas, nas chamadas facções. A quebra do setor siderúrgico na cidade e região nos anos de 1960 foi um dos fatores que colaborou para que as mulheres assumissem a liderança da economia, tentando reverter a situação desastrosa. Com os homens desempregados, as mulheres se tornam visíveis no mercado de emprego através do saber fazer que foi passado de gerações a gerações com êxito através da costura. A conquista das mulheres pouco modifica a sua posição dentro e fora das suas casas. Além de ocorrer uma divisão sexual do trabalho de forma injusta e desigual, ainda cabe às mulheres a responsabilidade quase exclusiva, das tarefas e atividades domésticas

The sewing operation is an integral component of both Geometric Function Theory and Conformal Field Theory and in this thesis we explore the interplay between the two fields. We will first generalize Huang's Geometric Sewing Equation to the quasi-symmetric case. That is, given specific maps g(z) and f^{-1}(z), we show the existence of the sewing maps F_{1}(z) and F_{2}(z). Second, we display an algebraic procedure using convergent matrix operations showing that the coefficients of the Conformal Welding Theorem maps F(z) and G(z) are dependent on the coefficients of the map phi(z). We do this for both the analytic and quasi-symmetric cases, and it is done using a special block/vector decomposition of a matrix representation called the power matrix. Lastly, we provide a partial result: given specific maps g(z) and f^{-1}(z) with analytic extensions, as well as a particular analytic map phi(z), it is possible to provide a method of determining the coefficients of the complementary maps.

The sewing operation is an integral component of both Geometric Function Theory and Conformal Field Theory and in this thesis we explore the interplay between the two fields. We will first generalize Huang's Geometric Sewing Equation to the quasi-symmetric case. That is, given specific maps g(z) and f^{-1}(z), we show the existence of the sewing maps F_{1}(z) and F_{2}(z). Second, we display an algebraic procedure using convergent matrix operations showing that the coefficients of the Conformal Welding Theorem maps F(z) and G(z) are dependent on the coefficients of the map phi(z). We do this for both the analytic and quasi-symmetric cases, and it is done using a special block/vector decomposition of a matrix representation called the power matrix. Lastly, we provide a partial result: given specific maps g(z) and f^{-1}(z) with analytic extensions, as well as a particular analytic map phi(z), it is possible to provide a method of determining the coefficients of the complementary maps.