Special Topics: New Textiles
MIT's Media Arts and Sciences program offers this project-based course on the future of textile design, pairing traditional crafts with new fabrication technology. Students work with fibers ranging from wool and cotton to metal yarns, fusible plastics, and resins, and learn techniques including felting, laser cutting, CNC knitting, digital printing, and CNC embroidery. Topics covered include textile-based electronics, algorithmic pattern design, and composite materials. The course is structured around weekly hands-on assignments that build toward a final project, giving students repeated practice with fabrication tools alongside conceptual work in pattern and material design. Course materials are shared through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, with a warning that some activities involve equipment requiring safety training and supervision. No certificate is offered, but the syllabus and assignment structure are available for self-study.