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Textile Design & Fiber Arts Studios

Safety policies for Textile Design & Fiber Arts Program studios

General rules

The Textile Design/Fiber Arts Program welcomes students from all disciplines into the TD/FA studios, providing they are currently enrolled in Textile Design/Fiber Arts courses. Only those students will be authorized to work in the TD/FA studios and Textile Media Computer Lab.

Students must follow established procedures for equipment use and studio maintenance outlined in each course syllabus. Faculty will outline rules for these procedures at the beginning of each semester.

It is required that each student purchase his or her own personal protective equipment, apron or smock, and rubberized gloves.

All students will be required to read and discuss the UMass/CVPA Health and Safety Manual prepared specifically for the TD/FA studios, and after so doing each student will sign the Safety Manual Consent Form. (see Appendices, “Downloads”)

Fire and emergency telephone numbers

A list of Fire and Emergency telephone numbers and procedures is posted on the wall near the TD/FA studio telephones, and should be consulted in the event of any mishap. Telephones are located in the Surface Design Print studio (262), and in the Graduate studio, in the Textile Media Lab (230), and Dye Kitchen. (see Appendices, “Downloads”)

All accidents, large or small must be reported immediately to faculty and/or the Guard on duty (x8905) at the entrance to the Star Store. (The guard will report the accident to the campus police and to the building coordinator, Jessica Fernandes Gomes.)

Location of fire extinguishers

  1. One fire extinguisher is on the wall in the hallway directly across from the Textile Media Lab (230)
  2. A second fire extinguisher is in the hallway near the second floor stairway and the Fibers Resource room across from the Senior Studio (264)
  3. A third fire extinguisher is on the wall outside of the Dye Kitchen across from Studio (254) near Fibers Graduate Studio (256)

Location of first aid kids

First aid kits are mounted on wall in the Dye Kitchen (257) and in the Fibers Classroom (256A). Faculty members are responsible for keeping it replenished. Call the Health Office at the main campus, ex. 8982 or 8983, for information or assistance regarding First
Aid. Should symptoms of a health problem or work related illness appear and persist, report the matter to your instructor and go to the Health Office for an exam.

I. Surface design studios

Note: All students using the surface design studio must be familiar with wastewater guidelines.

General surface design studio regulations

  1. For safety’s sake, it is advised that you do not work in the studios alone.
  2. Clean up after yourself. Discard wastes, clean and put away all personal and studio equipment and materials used each day.
  3. Use noxious chemicals and dyes only under a hood; personal protective equipment, gloves, protective glasses, apron and/or smock required.
  4. Shoes are to be worn at all times.
  5. Allow shortest possible open time for containers of dry chemicals and dye powder. Replace covers carefully. Transfer contents of containers which can no longer be properly sealed. Ensure proper disposal of empty containers (see Appendices)
  6. Always wear personal protective equipment in designated areas.
  7. Clean up spills immediately. Never allow dye spills to dry.
  8. Clean and rinse sinks after use. Keep sinks clean.
  9. Turn off and UNPLUG all electrical equipment when not in use.
  10. Never eat, or drink, or smoke in the studio.
  11. In case of emergencies, be aware that the shut off valve for sprinkler system is located in stairwell near Fibers resource kitchen.
  12. Emergency eyewash and shower station is located near the indigo sink in the Dye Kitchen.
  13. Empty containers of dye powder or other chemicals must be discarded by the Safety Office. Store container in a plastic bag; notify a faculty member, textile technician, or the Safety Office (x 8242), to arrange pick-up of containers.

Dye kithchen (257)

  1. Handle dye powders under hood in dye lab only. Exhaust fan has 2 speeds. For use with dye powder, use the fan in its usual phase (red light on wall at the off position), and wear personal protective equipment.
  2. When using noxious chemicals (such as bleach) turn fan to higher speed by turning fan’s red light on, and wear personal protective equipment. Gloves, smock, and personal protective equipment required.
  3. Follow all instructions provided on the safe handling and disposal of dye powders.
  4. Store personal dye pastes in jars labeled with your name. Do not use studio containers for this purpose. Uncovered containers of dye paste left in the studio will be disposed of immediately.
  5. Use washing machine and dryer for student work, drop cloths, towels, aprons and smocks only.
  6. To prevent clogging of washing machine, use only a small amount of pre-measured detergent.
  7. Remove lint from dryer after each use.
  8. Any dyed or printed fabrics going into the dryer must first be fully processed, including boiling if necessary to remove wax or indigo residue.
  9. Supplies stored in the fridge must be in clean, covered containers, labeled with your name, date and contents. Unlabeled containers will be discarded on a weekly basis.
  10. Step-by-step operating instructions for the steam cabinet are posted on the wall near the steamer. To avoid steaming mishaps, these directions must be followed carefully. Do not use steamer until you have been trained.
  11. Sink located in hood should be used for work with bleaches, lye (cloqué), and rinsing of loose particulate matter (devoré).
  12. Wear goggles, gloves and apron when using spray sink to rinse emulsion remover, abrader and degreaser, haze remover, and thiox. If using power sprayer, wear ear protection.
  13. Turn on ventilation when using stove. Turn off stove completely when done.

Coating and exposing room (260 and 261)

  1. Photo-chemicals are the only chemicals allowed in these rooms. Use of photo-chemicals is not allowed in any other TD/FA studio room.
  2. Wear gloves when applying photo-emulsion.
  3. Clean glass on vacuum table with water and paper towels or newspaper after each use. Turn off warning light when finished.
  4. Instructions for exposing table use are posted on the wall next to the table. Follow them precisely or you may damage the table and hurt your eyes.

Surface design print studio (262)

  1. Print tables: always use a drop cloth and/or plastic to protect print table surface. No cutting on print tables. No sharp or heavy objects should be placed on print tables. Always replace plastic covers after use. Do not sit on print tables.
  2. Do not leave work on print table overnight unless absolutely necessary. If so, leave a note with your name, date, etc.; otherwise your work will be removed.
  3. Wash drop cloths and plastic promptly after use.
  4. Masonite table covers: cut fabric here with scissors only. Do not use knives, dyes or adhesives on these covers. Use rotary cutters or cut mats on plastic mat-cutting board only.
  5. Never leave iron unattended when plugged in. Unplug when not in use. Empty water from iron when done.
  6. Never leave a fan running unattended.

Textile classroom (256A)

  1. Wood or Formica Design Tables: cut fabric here with scissors only. Do not use knives, dyes or adhesives on this table. Clean paint from tables immediately after use.
  2. User rotary cutters or cut mats on plastic mat-cutting board only.
  3. Wash paint, graphite or ink off table at end of each work session.
  4. Sweep up the tables and floors after every use.
  5. Put sewing machines away after each use.

Papermaking studio (266)

See Paper Club Studio Guidelines.

Batik room (252)

  1. Use hot wax in Batik room only. Never leave hot wax unattended. Never allow wax to smoke. Have baking soda available and if wax should ignite throw baking soda on it. Do not use water to douse flames.
  2. Turn on ventilation when hot wax is in use. Place the wax on the table between yourself and the duct so that fumes are drawn away from you without passing your airway.
  3. Cover wax pans with lids when not in use.
  4. Use only the “BATIK” iron to remove wax from fabric. To minimize wax-fume pollution of the air, turn on ventilation and use paper towels or newspapers on both sides of fabric when ironing out wax.

Sewing machine rules

  1. Do not use any sewing equipment that you are unfamiliar with.
  2. Never adjust sewing machine tensioning levers unless you have been trained to do so. Ask faculty or textile technician for help in getting the best stitch on each machine. Remember, weight and size of bobbin thread and top thread always need to be exactly matched.
  3. Do not attempt to re-thread an unthreaded machine without consulting the specific threading diagram for each machine.
  4. Report any malfunctioning equipment to faculty or textile technician immediately.
  5. Clean up all fabric scraps and thread clippings in sewing area after you are finished.

II. Weaving studios

General weaving studios considerations

  1. Vacuum or sweep around your assigned loom before and after each project. Accumulation of dust, lint, and yarn waste can pose respiratory problems and fire hazards. Dust, vacuum and wipe-down all parts of your loom before setup.
  2. Reshelve all yarns that you use in the designing, warping, and weaving process - including cones, skeins and spools used at the design tables, warping board areas, bobbin winder areas, and at your assigned loom.
  3. Pick up yarns from floor area of yarn storeroom whenever possible. Yarns that are left on the floor pose a safety hazard.
  4. Never apply dye to yarns on the looms or in the weaving studio. Use dyes ONLY in the surface design print studio or dye kitchen, according to procedures outlined in class.
  5. Turn off and unplug all electrical equipment after use, including computers, loom lights, radios, and fans.
  6. No food or drink allowed at looms.
  7. Move warping boards away from looms after you complete the warping procedure.
  8. Return raddles, lease sticks, steel rods to their storage locations after use.
  9. All shuttles, bobbins and threading hooks will be signed out to you at the beginning of semester, or project. All must be returned before end of semester grading. Students are responsible for replacing or paying for lost or broken tools.
  10. Loom benches are personal tool and book storage spaces. Never remove articles or tools from another student’s bench.

Posture and back strain

  1. To reduce back strain, maintain proper seating height for each weaving procedure. Make sure you sit upright with your shoulders parallel to the harnesses while weaving and threading.
  2. Put weight on both feet simultaneously when threading, and alternately for balance when treadling.
  3. When weaving, pull the beater at its exact center and with alternate arms to reduce uneven back strain. Knees should drop slightly below hips so that the energy necessary for treadling can be transmitted from the hips and not the back.
  4. Every hour of weaving, get up and stretch or move around to reduce strain

III. Textile computer design media lab

General media lab considerations

  1. No food or drink is allowed in the Media Lab.
  2. After completing your work each session, save your design/document to proper folder and to your own storage disk, then shut down the computer. Computers are not meant for design/document storage. Transfer all of your work to your own storage disk at the end of each work session.
  3. Never use the printer without authorization. PAPERMAKING STUDIO (266) attempt to refill paper or ink cartridges in the printer. Only the technician, work-study student and faculty are authorized to refill the printer.
  4. All computer malfunctions must be reported immediately to the computer technician or faculty. Students must never attempt to repair or adjust the computer equipment; this will constitute a breach of our software maintenance agreements.
  5. Only the technician is authorized to manipulate the software and hardware.
  6. Documents left on the desktop or in folders will be “trashed” weekly.

Avoiding muscle fatigue and eye strain

  1. Change your seated position, stand up and stretch whenever you start to feel tired. Frequent short breaks are helpful in avoiding muscle and eyestrain.
  2. Use a light touch when typing or using a mouse, and keep your hands and fingers relaxed.
  3. Occasionally focus your eyes on a distant object. Remember to blink often while working to avoid eyestrain.
  4.  Adjust the height of your chair so your thighs are horizontal to the floor with your feet flat on the floor. The back of the chair should support your lower back.
  5. Top of the screen should be at, or slightly below eye level.
  6. Relax your shoulders. Upper arm and forearm should form a right angle, with your wrists and hands in roughly a straight line when using a keyboard for a long period of time.

CVPA safety manual consent form - Textiles (PDF)