Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers 239 by Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Journal The

forWeavers, Spinners and Dyers www.thejournalforwsd.org.uk

Summer is coming to an end and it is time to celebrate the harvest. Not the food harvest, but wool! September will bring us Wool Week UK, with woolly events scheduled up and down the country. Many Guilds are already involved, but in this Journal we bring you a special invitation from Lesley Prior, Artisan Project Manager of the Campaign for Wool and a member of the Online Guild. Lesley invites you to link your Guild’s skills, projects and events to the worldwide campaign highlighting the benefits and versatility of wool. Other events this autumn include two exhibitions which sounded so interesting that we found out more about them. The work of Sue Hiley Harris is well known to many Journal readers and in a feature article she describes how she made her Ancestor Bags, which will be shown at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax this autumn. Much less familiar to most of us are the textiles made by the people of Kyrgyzstan. The Collins Gallery in Glasgow is currently hosting an exhibition of Kyrgyz textiles and co-curator Stephanie Bunn explains some of their techniques for us. In the previous Journal (238) we introduced two of the newest crop of textile graduates. In this issue we catch up with one of last year’s graduates, Holly Bradley-Gill, to find out how she has made the transition from student to professional weaver. Have you made a transition in your textile life? Perhaps you started as a knitter but then learned to spin, and one thing led to another... or perhaps what was once a hobby has become your business. We always welcome letters from readers so please write and tell us about your ‘textile transition’. In June we received the sad news that Marie Therese Horne, the Journal’s advertising manager, had died suddenly while on holiday in Ireland. Her loss has been a shock to all of us who worked with her and our thoughts are with her family at this time. Cally Booker, Chairman Journal Editorial Committee

Contents NEWS

4 Notebook 33 Guild Highlights 35 Association News FEATURES

6 From Student to Professional Weaver: an interview with Holly Bradley-Gill Jill Davies 8 Weaving a Way of Life: Kyrgyz Woven Textiles Stephanie Bunn 14 More Meetings with Remarkable Dyers: Java Diane Gaffney 16 The Bare Bones of the Bags – Choosing the Yarns for Ancestor Bags Sue Hiley Harris 20 The Beginner’s Guide to Secondhand Looms Stacey Harvey-Brown 23 Producing the Journ al H i l a ry Miller Cally Booker Clive Rowlands 24 A Secret History of Taste: Gainsborough Silk Mill Diane Sergeant 28 The Campaign for Wool and the Artisan Community 30 Scotch Tension vs Double-drive – the Advantages and Disadvantages Amanda Hannaford 33 Top Tip – Making a smooth knot on a new string drive band Amanda Hannaford REVIEWS

36 Exhibitions and Conferences 42 Books DIARY

44 Exhibitions and Courses 48 Classified Advertisements 49 Guild Secretaries’ Addresses Front cover: Bobbins of silk (see p.24 A Secret History of Taste Gainsborough Silk Mill) Photo: Diane Sargeant Back cover: Fabrics from Holly Bradley-Gill’s womenswear collection Rationed (see p.6, From Student to Professional Weaver: an interview with Holly BradleyGill) Photo: Holly Bradley-Gill

Journal Editorial Committee

Articles to: Cally Booker, email: features@thejournalforwsd.org.uk

Chairman: Cally Booker, East Central Scotland

Association News and Guild Highlights to: Talitha Clarke, email: highlights@thejournalforwsd.org.uk

Treasurer: Clive Rowlands, Online Collator: Kay Balmforth, Devon Weavers Workshop Guild Subscriptions: Christina Chisholm, Online Individual Subscriptions: Belinda Rose, Online Features Editors: Cally Booker, East Central Scotland; Christina Chisholm, Online; Isabella Whitworth, Online; Angela Pawlyn, Oxford Association News, Guild Highlights: Talitha Clarke, Somerset Notebook: Mary Hildyard, Devon Weavers Workshop Book Reviews: Dawn Willey, New Forest Diary & Exhibition Reviews: Norah Ball, Online Guild

Design: Ros Lobb, Stratford-upon-Avon Journal correspondence and postal correspondence to: Cally Booker, 1 Inverlaw Place, Dundee DD3 6HL email: sec@thejournalforwsd.org.uk

Book Reviews to: Dawn Willey, email: bookreviews@thejournalforwsd.org.uk Notebook entries to: Mary Hildyard, email: note@thejournalforwsd.org.uk Diary and Exhibition Reviews: email: diary@thejournalforwsd.org.uk Guild Subscriptions and Back Issues to: Christina Chisholm, The Glen, Kindeace, By Invergordon, Ross-shire IV18 0LL email: subs@thejournalforwsd.org.uk or order via website – special rates for Guild bulk orders mailed to one address (minimum order 3). Direct subscription for 4 issues per calendar year to: Belinda Rose, East Steading, Hirn, Banchory, AB31 5QT email: indivsubs@thejournalforwsd.org.uk or order via website. Standard rate for UK £18 (including p&p). Special offer to Guild members and other qualifying bodies, £16. £22 per calendar year for subscriptions to Europe or by sea mail outside Europe. £27 for airmail outside Europe. Part year issues would be pro-rata. Cheques/postal orders payable to: The Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.

Advertising to: email: ads@thejournalforwsd.org.uk or order via website Copy date for Advertising: 1 January for Spring. 1 April for Summer. 1 July for Autumn. 1 October for Winter. Enquiries are welcomed concerning layout and setting (at modest extra cost), series discounts and colour advertising. See page 48 for rates and payment methods. Copy dates for submissions other than feature articles and letters: 15 November for Spring, 15 February for Summer, 15 May for Autumn, 15 August for Winter Please contact features@thejournalforwsd.org.uk for deadlines for feature articles. Journal Archive: Claude Delmas, email: archive@thejournalforwsd.org.uk

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to refuse to publish any advertisement and takes no responsibility for goods advertised. The copyright belongs to the author. Readers should note that statements made by contributors are not necessarily representative of the Committee’s opinions. Whilst every effort is made to safeguard slides and photographs submitted for publication, they are accepted at the risk of the author. If the slides/photos are irreplaceable then the author should submit copies. The Journal is produced quarterly by the Journal Committee of The Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Registered charity no. 289590. www.wsd.org.uk ISSN 0267-7806 Printed by Henry Ling Ltd, The Dorset Press, Dorchester DT1 1HD

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Notebook Compiled by Mary Hildyard

Two New Websites Website Resource for Weavers A new website is being developed as a resource for weavers. Ideally this website will become a ‘community’ website for all interested parties including independent weavers, UK weave designers, production designers, designer makers, weave students and university educators. The Worshipful Company of Weavers has provided the funding. The project organiser is Philippa Brock of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of The Arts London – Weave Department. Eleanor Pritchard is also involved with site development. The aim of the project is to create a site which can provide general source information. This will include information about commission and production weavers; yarn, loom and weave related equipment suppliers as well as information on available weave courses either at colleges or independent short courses. The site will contain data on events, exhibitions, trade fairs, competitions and juried prizes, plus links to information already on the internet. It will also provide links to advice on activities such as setting up a business. There will be an active ‘blog’ site for specific and immediate information where the editors will be able to upload current items of interest. This might take the form of an invited ‘guest blog’ or it may provide themed information. As this will be a site where information is pooled and shared, Philippa is at present compiling information from various interest groups. The website is likely to go live by the end of the year at the latest. To be added to the mailing list or to provide information contact Philippa at p.brock@csm.arts.ac.uk Source: Philippa Brock

Wool Directory online – connecting SW wool producers to wool users Another new database has been initiated by the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World (CCANW) in collaboration with Claire Crompton founder of the knitting project ‘Give Fleece a Chance’. According to Chris Lewis of CCANW, wool is currently

Above: Helen Jacobs, Emily Cooling, Sue Tucker, Jill Dean and Caroline Marriott finishing off The Abingdon Tapestry. Photo © Diane Wood

enjoying a renaissance among wool users – spinners, weavers, dyers, artists and product makers. Wool is recognised as a sustainable, versatile and locally sourced material. However, there is no easy way for wool users to connect with the producers. The web–based Wool Directory has been created to provide a free and easy to use database. CCANW hopes that it will enable wool producers to market their fleece or yarn to potential buyers and connect with the wool supply chain. For wool users it will provide a connection with the producers and the ability to share information and promote products. The Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World is an educational charity based in Haldon Forest Park near Exeter. Its stated focus is exploring ‘new understandings of our place within Nature through the Arts’. The Wool Directory is the latest in a series of projects which the charity has initiated to raise the profile of wool. Claire Crompton is collaborating with CCANW on the development of the web site. Claire is a Cornwall–based textile designer who has adopted the slogan ’Give Fleece a Chance’ for a knitting project she has devised which uses wool sourced from the south west. Knitters and spinners are making a flock of miniature sheep from as many varieties of local wool as can be found. This project was featured in the summer issue of the Journal 238, p.36 and further information can be found at http://givefleeceachance.com Claire’s research forms the basis of the Wool Directory and she is involved in the setting up and running of the Directory.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

The Wool Directory is free. See www.wooldirectory.org.uk for further information. Source: Chris Lewis of CCANW

The Big Weave The Big Weave is a community tapestry project. The first venture took place in the Reading area in 2009. Tapestries were completed in Abingdon and Dorset in April. A new tapestry started at the Stroud International Textiles Festival in May and the Red Balloon tapestry in Warwickshire in June. The Abingdon Tapestry shows the bridge over the Thames and part of the Town Hall. It was set up by Diane Wood and Caroline Marriott of The Big Weave, with the help of Year 9 pupils at Larkmead School and members of the Oxford Guild were the first to weave on it. Community artists Helen Jacobs and Emily Cooling then took it to the market place, to the library, to John Mason secondary school, a primary school and finally a day centre where it was completed before it was returned to Larkmead School to be taken off the loom. The Dorset Tapestry shows a seascape with sailing boats. It was set up at Westfield Arts College with members of local community groups, including Dorset Guild, the Quangle Wangle Community Choir, Regard and teachers from local schools. The tapestry was then taken to local schools, day centres and Wimborne Market before it was returned to Westfield Arts College. Westfield Arts College organised a tour of the completed tapestry to various venues in Dorset. A photo book of images taken during the project with the

many positive comments from participants was displayed alongside. As an outcome of The Big Weave training, the school continues to enjoy weaving. The Stroud Tapestry is a landscape of hills and valleys. The design is worked in an organic way with hills placed where the unfolding pattern suggests. The tapestry was worked on during workshops for primary school children and by visitors of all ages to The Museum in the Park during Stroud International Textile Festival. Diane Wood wrote about the first Big Weave in the spring Journal 233. The Big Weave is now reaching out to train others to set up their own Big Weave project. The Big Weave artists visit for three days to train local volunteers. The training includes access to equipment and materials, design support, a two day workshop to get the tapestry on the road, loan of a Big Weave loom for four weeks and a final day’s workshop on finishing and hanging. If you are interested in organising, supporting or funding a Big Weave in your area do get in touch. The Big Weave website below has further information or email info@thebigweave.org to discuss how you might achieve a Big Weave with your local community. The Big Weave was in Staffordshire in June working on a tapestry at St Edwards School in Leek with the support of Leek and District Guild. Plans for a Big Weave in Plymouth are under discussion. Source: Diane Wood; www.thebigweave.org

Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers 2012 Applications are now invited from weavers for grants from the Theo Moorman Trust. The Trust makes grants available to enable weavers to develop their craft. This may take the form of resources to enable a weaver to purchase equipment and materials or to take time out to reassess their work or to pursue a specific project. The closing date for applications is 1 March 2012. For further information contact Lisa Harms, 46 Church Road, Abbots Leigh, Bristol BS8 3QU.

to and fro (detail) 2010 250cm x 62cm. Ainsley Hillard. Hand-dyed nylon monofilament warp, viscose weft, acrylic. Photographic images are heat-transferred on to a viscose weft prior to being handwoven through a hand-dyed monofilament warp. Photographer: Toril Blancher

Source: www.theomoormantrust.org.uk

Two Competitions The Longest Thread Competition An international contest to spin the world’s longest thread took place in Tasmania this spring. The contest was part of the Bothwell International Highland SpinIn and Fibre Festival. There are several sections in the contest including Junior Spinners, Spinning by Spinning Wheel and by HandPropelled Spindle. According to the rules of the contest the thread must be spun on a spinning wheel or spindle and plied to 2 ply from 10 grams of raw wool. Top of all World entries in the HandPropelled Spindle section was Flo Kinnear with a thread measuring 218.242 metres. Flo is a member of the East Central Scotland Guild. Top of all English entries in the Spinning Wheel section was Amanda Hannaford with a thread measuring 652.726 metres. This was a double win for England as the thread was spun from Bowmont fleece from Lesley Prior’s herd. Amanda is a member of the Online Guild as well as Somerset and Peter Tavy. This contest was inaugurated in 1986 and the longest thread is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records. According to the rules the thread is presented for measuring as a ball of wool; the weighing and measuring is witnessed by the public and quality is also of importance. The over all winner with the longest thread was spun by Jan Zandbelt of The Netherlands. He won the competition with a plied yarn of 1005.678 metres. Source: www.bothwellspinin.com

International Back to Back Wool Challenge A team of spinners and knitters appeared on Countryfile at the end of May taking part in the

2011 International Back to Back Wool Challenge. The world record of 4 hours 51 minutes 14 seconds was set in Australia in 2004. Rosie Wyatt organised the team on behalf of the Cotswold Sheep Society to celebrate the restoration of a crook barn in Meysey Hampton, Gloucs. She persuaded Lyn Wymer, Carole Thorpe, Sarah Mitchell, Anthea MacDonald (Oxford Guild), Mary Coombe (North Wilts Guild), and Kate Elliot (Cotswold Sheep Society) to take part. A time keeper and adjudicator made sure the strict rules were kept. Blade shearers must be used. The sheep must be native to the country in which the challenge is taking place; the team may include only eight – the shearer and seven others. The handspinners use spinning wheels and the knitters must follow the identical Challenge rules and adult size jumper pattern. Timing started at 9 am when the shearer began. A small amount was spun and plied first, to get the knitters started. The pattern was for a jumper in double knit weight yarn on 4 mm and 3.25 mm needles. Once the knitters had got started on the four pieces, the rest continued to spin and ply. With its long staple, Cotswold fleece was difficult to spin ‘in the grease’. They took it in turns to stop for lunch, so that the knitting could continue with no hold ups – the knitting took the longest. ‘We need to practise speed knitting if we are going to have another go at this!’ remarked one of the team. They also felt that being filmed by Adam Henson and his team may have slowed progress! The many spectators during the day included some from a rival team, who hold the current UK record, and Judy from Canada, who was in a team last year (15 hours!) The team were not able to complete the jumper on

the day so it wasn’t eligible as an official entry. Over the two days, the jumper took a total of 14 hours 23 minutes and 7 seconds – certainly not the fastest, but not the slowest either. In his introduction to the item on Countryfile, Adam Henson reminded viewers that the area of the ‘Cotswolds’ derives its name from sheep – a ‘cott’, or sheep pen, in the ‘wold’, a range of hills in open country. Source: Rosie Wyatt and Lyn Wymer; BBC 1 Countryfile, 29 May 2011

The Five Continents – Woven World The 7th International Triennial of Contemporary Textile Arts opened on 10 June 2011 in Tournai, Belgium and continues until 25 September. Guest artists from the five continents were invited to exhibit in prestigious buildings around the city including the Cathedral and Belfry (both UNESCO World Heritage sites), the Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Tapestry and the Town Hall Crypt. For the third time an international competition has been organised as part of this Triennial and Ainsley Hillard was the winner. Artists were invited to present works on the theme of Continere in the sense of ‘holding together’. According to the organisers, works were to illustrate cohesiveness – reconnecting the disconnected five continents – and would foster ‘exchanges between peoples in spite of their remoteness’. Ainsley Hillard and Sue Hiley Harris were two of 29 artists to be selected from a group of 180 entries from 23 countries. Both textile artists’ works are exhibited in the Halle-aux-Draps at the Grand Place where all of the selected competition works will be presented as one exhibition. Ainsley Hillard’s artwork to and fro 2010 relates to the theme of

the exhibition by encapsulating the notion of ‘holding together’ both in the depicted imagery and the construction of the final textile structure. Hillard draws meaning from the production of cloth, reconsidering the actual process of weaving both conceptually and physically. Source www.triennaletournai.be and www.ainsleyhillard.com

Ayrshire Weavers – the World’s First Co-op In March of this year events took place in the Ayrshire village of Fenwick to recognise it officially as the birthplace of the cooperative movement. According to new research by John Smith and John McFadzean, both of the Fenwick Weavers’ Co-operative, a document exists to prove that over 250 years ago the Fenwick weavers organised themselves as a co–op. The 16 weavers agreed to band together to fix a price for their work and to buy goods in bulk. In addition to helping themselves they agreed to help the people of the parish and eventually they expanded the venture to the whole village. John McFadzean explained in an interview on the Good Morning Scotland programme that the weavers were facing financial ruin working independently. By agreeing to work together they secured their future. ‘But’, he said ‘when you look into the history you can see how it developed after that’. The co–operative movement is now ‘a world–wide financial and economic business model’. As part of the 250th anniversary celebrations guests were invited to the parish church to sign a copy of the Weavers’ Charter. This charter had earlier been signed by Alex Salmond, the First Minister, and by the entire cabinet. Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk and www.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

From Student to Professional Weaver: an Interview with Holly Bradley-Gill Jill Davies, Devon Weavers Workshop

‘Her originality – her development and research – was fabulous and very strong, adaptable and versatile, and her translation from drawing to cloth was very considered. She could go to Paris and work with the top designers – she has a beautiful colour sense and is very hands on’. These are the words spoken by the judges, Sally Taylor and Jacqueline Ednie of Burberry, on their choice of Holly Bradley-Gill for the Texprint: Weave Award 2010. I visited Holly, in her family home in Devon, eight months later to talk to her about her time at college, her experiences since graduating and her future plans. She was about to embark on a three month placement in Italy, working for Marzotto Spa Group at their woollen menswear fabric mill, Guabello. Holly had not considered weaving as an option until she was introduced to it during her time at Central Saint Martins. She had imagined specialising in printed textiles when she enrolled on the Textile Design: Printing, Knitting and Weaving degree course at a college chosen partly because of its links with Chelsea College where Holly did her Arts Foundation course and partly because of her family history. Holly’s grandparents had both studied at Saint Martins, her grandmother going on to design embroidery work for fashion houses and her grandfather being involved in the restoration of the Brighton Pavilion. The course offered the opportunity to explore the three media of print, knitting and weave for the first year-and-a-half and then to choose one in which to specialise. Holly moved to weaving from knitting and found, in comparison, a satisfaction in the stability of the structure. She liked the professional look of the finished product and enjoyed the mathematical aspect of it. Weaving was something new to all the students – everyone was starting from the same place and discovering it together – and this also added to its appeal. Holly’s first tutor, Eleanor Pritchard, acted as a mentor and all the weave tutors were very helpful and always on hand. The technical support was also excellent. Once the students had begun to weave, they worked on projects – initially with Timothy Everest, a menswear tailor. 6

Holly Bradley-Gill at the Texprint First View exhibition in London Photos: Holly Bradley-Gill

Menswear remains a key area for woven fabrics because of men’s suiting. Projects such as this helped students to consider questions such as: Who were they weaving for? Why this style? Why these colours? Throughout the course, students had to present their work at the end of each project. During her time at university Holly received support from a range of individuals and organisations. One holiday she worked as a studio assistant for Wallace and Sewell in their Dorset studio. Each day Harriet Wallace-Jones gave tutorial time to help the students develop their portfolios. Holly also had short placements at Nicole Farhi and Top Shop. In the spring and summer terms of their final year, work began for the degree show. For the first month and a half, students were forbidden to weave and instead had to focus solely on research and design development. Holly’s final project was inspired by fashion from the Second World War and the idea of ‘make do and mend’. She posed the question: ‘Can rationed fashion be of high-end use?’ As with many of her projects, she began by focusing on colour, and developing her personal colour palette, which she feels was instrumental in

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

giving her work a handmade appearance – an ultimate aim and a desired feature of her work. Holly found the degree show a challenge – both in displaying her work to good effect and in having to sell herself. The degree show was followed quite quickly by exhibiting at New Designers, where each college buys space and their graduating students pay for a stand within that space to show their work. Holly felt it had been a worthwhile experience and gave her more practice at setting up and presenting her work, which was to prove useful as her year progressed. Graduates from other colleges generally had products to sell, whereas students at Central Saint Martins had been encouraged to make fabric. Holly had welcomed this emphasis as it meant that they had more time for design and developing complexity within their weave designs, without the pressure of having to make a product. She felt that this often meant there was a higher technical quality to their weaving in comparison. Holly’s name had been put forward to Texprint by her college, for consideration to exhibit at their show and for their prestigious Weave Award. Texprint is an organisation which selects, mentors and promotes newly graduated textile designers, providing a bridge between

college and the commercial world. Holly was at home in Devon when she received the phone call to say that she had been selected to exhibit at the Texprint First View exhibition in London the following week. She was surprised and thrilled to be chosen for the Weave prize, having seen the standard of work in the competition. The sponsors of Texprint, representatives from the big stores and from the Royal College of Art, all attended the private view. Many exhibitors sold work or were invited for interview. For Holly, the experience felt like a recognition, a pat on the back after all the hard work. Although she hadn’t doubted her work, she now had a clear message that other people liked it too. She also enjoyed the experience of meeting a cross-section of graduates who were equally passionate about their work. Six weeks later, all 24 exhibitors were given the opportunity to show their work at Premier Vision, a trade fair in Paris. They had to produce new work for this show, so Holly went back to college for the summer. Her source material for her new designs was World War II medals. This developed from her earlier work, and she started once again with the colours – this time of the medal silks. During this time in London, she visited Burberry who judged her Texprint prize, and also dined at the Clothworkers’ Company who sponsored the prize. Both the Clothworkers’ Company and the Worshipful Company of Weavers have shown an interest in supporting Holly and other young weavers; for example, by helping to find work placements. They see this as the beginning of a supportive relationship. In Paris, Texprint provided accommodation and expenses, help with setting up and a French translator. They had also organised workshops on pricing and copyright prior to the event. Premier Vision is an enormous trade fair and exhibitors come from all over the world. Holly reported that this was a very supportive way of gaining this – normally very costly – experience. There was a reception where Holly and the other prize winners were presented with their cheques. Once again there were opportunities to network and the

Silk fabric using a block threading, from Holly’s womenswear collection Rationed

Silk fabric with supplementary wool warp, from Holly’s Honour collection based on World War II medals

graduates sold their work: Holly sold designs to an American company. In October, as one of the six prize winners funded by Texprint, Holly exhibited at Interstoff Asia Essential, another trade fair, this time in Hong Kong. Whilst their work was quite unlike that of other exhibitors, Holly felt it had been a fantastic opportunity to see the market and appreciate how different it was to Paris. After that whirlwind of high profile events, Holly found that setting up a placement in industry, or finding work, was a struggle, partly because she was particular about the sort of placement or job she wanted and what she wanted to get from it. She had sent out hundreds of CVs and had very little response which was disheartening, but said, ‘when you’re passionate about what you’re doing, you can’t give up. It’s important to be proactive so that companies are aware of you.’ Her current placement in Italy came out of the blue, from a company she had approached several months earlier. Holly’s long term plans are to set up her own business/brand. She sees herself in the future as a designer, weaving

initial samples and getting her work manufactured in mills in this country. She hopes to use wool from the South West. When she returns from Italy, she plans to set up a studio in a converted outbuilding at her parents’ home. Holly has completed a business course with the Prince’s Trust and she hopes to receive further support and mentoring from them. Her tutors and the technicians from Central Saint Martins continue to provide support and advice. Holly describes her work as having subtlety. She uses a select colour palette (dyeing her yarns herself) which creates what has been described as ‘an ombré sophistication’. It has a handwoven but stylish look, hanging and draping well. When asked about influences Holly says she likes the geometric repetition of the work of designer Enid Marx and, with respect to fashion, the colours and fabric choices of Marni, and the simple, elegant, often understated designs of Chloé. See Holly‘s website at www.hollybradleygill.com Her prize-winning work is also featured on the Texprint website at: www.texprint.org.uk

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Weaving a way of life: Kyrgyz Woven Textiles Stephanie Bunn

Map © Stuart Booker

We often associate the nomadic textile traditions of Central Asia with felt – the non-woven textile par-excellence of this region – used for floor and tent coverings and, in the past, for clothing bags and animal trappings. However, most of the formerly nomadic peoples of Central Asia also have a rich weaving heritage, especially Turkic speakers such as Kyrgyz,* Kazakhs, Turkmen and Uzbeks. Before the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the second half of the nineteenth century and the introduction of industrially woven fabrics, weaving among all these formerly nomadic groups was done by hand at home for use in the family tent. The wool used came from animals reared locally; sheep, camel and goats. Kyrgyz weaving was used for tent bands, woven sedge-screen tent linings, and pile carpets. It was also used for items of clothing, especially camel hair coats. Most other woven cloth, such as imported silks from Uzbekistan, was bought in bazaars. Given that Kyrgyz people were largely nomadic until the Stalinist period in the 1930s, their weaving has resulted in a set of equipment which is, in general, easy to set up and dismantle. Bo’o – bands

Above all, Kyrgyz tent architecture needs a diversity of bands, bo’o. The Kyrgyz tent, the boz üy, is a frame-trellised tent which is literally held together and prevented from spreading wide under its own weight by a woven tension band which extends around its girth, attached on the door frame at each side. The absolute necessity for strength in this band cannot be understated, as it is there to prevent the whole tent pushing out wider under the weight of its roof poles. Smaller bands, each with their own name, attach the poles together, link the roof poles to the walls, tie the felt covers to the tent and act as pole spacers. These woven tent bands act like sinews to a skeleton for the Kyrgyz wooden tent frame, and they are many and varied.

Above: Detail of patterned chiy

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

* pronounced ‘Kur-ghuz’

Ormok (termé ground loom) from the front

One of the most characteristic northern Kyrgyz band weaving techniques is termé, a warp-faced weave created on a simple ground loom, ormok. ‘Kyrgyz weavers are all mathematicians,’ said Bermet, who showed me how to do termé several years ago. The whole loom is set out on the ground, held in place with a stake, and the heddle is suspended by a tripod. The warp threads are strongly coloured and dominating, while the weft is thinner and neutral. The loom can be rolled up and put away at anytime. Not being naturally systematic, I found that trying to make the rhythmic pattern of termé was the kind of experience which made

Kyrgyz woven tent band and cords attaching roof poles

me want to weep, although time improved matters. Being warpfaced, like reps, the patterns inevitably make longitudinal stripes – not only simple lines, but rams’ horns and running dog patterns – and several colours may be incorporated. Back and front are both evenly woven and patterned. In southern Kyrgyzstan, a different kind of band weaving called kazhary is made. This creates a band of fabric with a distinct front and back, where the back is much looser and has longer floats. Both termé and kazhary can be woven narrow (10 cm), or up to 50 cm wide, when the fabric may also be made into artifacts such as saddle bags, kurzhun.

Bands made using termé and kazhary in the boz üy Photos: Stephanie Bunn and Laura Hamilton

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Above: Close-up of chiy with occasional red and blue stripes. The dark brown lines constitute the warp, which is woven at intervals in a continuous figure of eight line to add strength. Above and detail below: Kyrgyz weaver Kulbar making plain ak chiy. The photo shows the way the weave is built up from the top, extending down.

Chiy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; woven sedge screens

A uniquely Central Asian woven piece of tent furniture is the chiy. This is a sedge screen, woven on a warp-weighted loom using wild sedge stems, also called chiy, from the steppe. The loom frame is made from two forked stakes set in the ground on to which a third horizontal stake is attached at a comfortable working height. The warp cords, usually made from handspun brown sheepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wool, jun, are tensioned by suspended stones which act as weights (see left). Individual chiy are usually wrapped in different colour strands of wool fleece before weaving them in one by one to build up a pattern. They are added in at the top, by the horizontal bar on the loom, and are woven in by lifting each set of warp cords in turn over the individually wrapped chiy, crossing in the same direction so that they appear to be twined together. The warp threads run vertically during weaving, but when chiy are in use as tent screens they are set on their sides so that the warp appears horizontal (see above and below). Patterns created through this method can be very simple, or extremely complex. Some chiy have virtually no woollen-covered chiy stems, just occasional stripes wrapped in red or blue fleece.Others have very complex designs, and may even have tiny textured gaps created by leaving spaces in the wrapping. Below: Complex chiy design. The central motif is outlined in a contrasting colour.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

As the tent is erected, the chyrmagan eshik chiy can be seen extending from the top of the door entrance to the roof ring of the tent.

Most motifs are outlined in a second colour to emphasize the line of the pattern, and this usually adds a sense of ‘zing’ to the overall effect. This is similar to the Kyrgyz approach to colour-use in their felt shyrdak rugs, where motifs are always outlined in a contrasting thread. Much of the skill in weaving chiy lies in accurately wrapping the chiy so that it corresponds to the developing overall pattern which builds up as it is woven in. Done successfully, such chiy appear as richly decorated as quilted Kyrgyz felt shyrdaks or pile woven carpets, gilam, and draw on a similar repertoire of motifs, although the patterns are usually geometrical. There are three different ways in which chiy may be used in the boz üy. Very impressive is the chyrmagan kanat chiy which entirely encircles the outer trellis wall of the tent. This is usually overlain by a felt wall cover and can be seen only from the inside through the lattice. However, in hot weather, the outer felt covers can be removed so that air can circulate through the woven walls by convection, keeping the inside cool. The beautiful designs on the chiy are then seen from the outside too, and, in contrast to the usual subtle appearance of the muted, felt covered tent, reveal its interior to be rich and vibrant. Such decoration transforms an ordinary tent to a

Kazakh guest tent with felt walls removed to reveal chiy around the outside of the frame.

guest one, or konok üy, reflecting the skill of the homemaker and the prosperity of the owner (see photo above right). A second use for woven chiy, only seen from the tent interior, covers the upper part of the tent’s felt door, extending from the top of the door entrance to where the door felt meets the roof ring of the tent (see above left). This is known as the chyrmagan eshik chiy. Thirdly, there is the ashkana chiy which acts as a screen on the woman’s side of the tent, and demarcates the kitchen area. These chiy are often given the most intricate, beautiful designs, perhaps because they are most visible, and also not too large, so that such intricacy is not on too grand a scale. The ashkana chiy is attached to a post in the tent, linking it to the roof poles and enabling it to stand up (see below right). Undecorated chiy are also used for fulling felt, making use of their ridged surfaces to create the friction needed in feltmaking. In Kyrgyz feltmaking, wool is laid out on a plain, undecorated ak chiy. This is then rolled up, adding hot water, and the bundle is rolled up and down the mountains, steppe or street for about two hours. People also used to weave decorated chiy into smaller cylindrical storage containers (see below left) or hanging tent shelves.

Left: Decorated chiy made into a storage container hanging from the tent trellis. The wall chiy can be seen behind the trellis, and a termé woven tent band extends around the trellis.

Right: Ashkana chiy with embroidery at top edge.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

A weaver working at a dukon, a horizontal ground loom for weaving gilam

Gilam â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pile woven carpets

Pile woven Kyrgyz chavadan gilam, made as storage bags

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Pile rug weaving was, and is, mainly practised in Southern Kyrgyzstan, around Osh, Batken, Jalalabad and in smaller towns such as Kyzyl Kiya. This is a region which has long been seminomadic, so rugs were used in tents and houses. In the nomadic tent, such woven rugs, gilam, were spread out in the place of honour, the tĂśr. They would be placed on top of felts or fur, and for this kind of use were quite small, about 1.5 x 3 metres. Since the early twentieth century, rug-making has been one of the few Kyrgyz domestic textile arts which was also made for the market. The late great anthropologist of Kyrgyz textiles, Klavdiya Antipina, suggests that as more people became settled following Russian colonisation of the region from the late nineteenth century onwards, and as close proximity to the associated developing commercial markets of Fergana Valley gave more exposure to trade, rug production among Kyrgyz women became a trade, for sale especially to Uzbeks and Tajiks at this time. She suggests that much larger rugs, up to 6 metres long, were made to sell in the bazaar for the houses. People also used gilam for feasts and funerals in this region, even laying them on paths that linked different tents. They could also be made for tent doors, the faces of clothes bags (chavadan), suspended tent shelves, small everyday bags (bashtyk), and were used to cover luggage on migration. The Kyrgyz rug loom is called dukon, which literally means work-bench. It is a very simple form of horizontal broad-beam loom and is set horizontally on the ground. It can either be a frame, or made from four posts set into the ground, with two horizontal beams across the front and back end of the loom to tension the warp. Rugs are usually made from wool, and in the past, camel hair, along with goat hair, was prized for its durability for the warp. The warp thread was, and may well still be, spun by hand. It is the diameter of the warp thread which defines the quality of the carpet, and in contrast to Turkmen rugs, Kyrgyz warps are quite coarse. The weft is spun more loosely so it is usually softer. The pile is also critical for the quality of the carpet, and is made from the longest wool strands, which are spun but not plied.

Contemporary Kyrgyz gilam for sale at Kyzyl Kiya bazaar

Several women take part in the weaving, sitting on the ground in front of the loom. There is always a lead weaver, who is recognised as experienced and skilled. People will invite her to direct the proceedings and she will often travel from quite far away. She decides who sits where, allocating the more difficult areas of design to the better weavers, and the edges to less experienced women. A flat weave strip about 7 – 10 cm wide is woven first and then the pile is begun. The knots are asymmetrically tied around and between two warps, and then cut. After each row of knots, the weft is passed and then beaten by a heavy square wooden beater known as a tokmok. Every two to three rows, the pile is trimmed with scissors to about 6–8mm. Kyrgyz knot density is about 80 – 90,000 knots per square metre. Red was by far the predominant colour of more traditional Kyrgyz pile rugs in the past, with blue, brown and cream also used. The effect is very much of a two-colour rug, and again, similarly to felt patterning, positive and negative imagery is often used. Today pink is also used in conjunction with red to create additional brightness. Patterns are very diverse, and reflect the multiple influences of the cross regional market exposure, from the Silk Road trade to the present time. Some pattern forms are classically

Turkic, with predominant rams’ horn patterns set on a central diamond, while very recent forms include floral motifs.

Weaving today On recent visits to Kyrgyzstan I have come across carpet weaving still being carried out in the south, while woven bands and chiy are only made on occasions for yurt orders by a few groups of dedicated craftspeople across the region. Those people who do weave are still highly skilled and are developing new skills and uses for their work. Small chiy and bags made from termé are sold to tourists. There is a new weaving group which has been set up in the north using imported looms and local wool to make woven scarves and clothing. The craft situation is at quite a critical stage of development, but expertise is still valued and we can only hope it will be sustained. An exhibition of Kyrgyz textiles, researched by Stephanie Bunn and Laura Hamilton, will be on display at the Collins Gallery, Glasgow, 20 August to 24 September (see Diary p. 44). Four makers will be in residence for a week to conduct workshops in chiy weaving, felting and shyrdak. Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

More Meetings with Remarkable Dyers: Java Diane Gaffney

Diane’s ‘snapshot’ series describes some of her experiences buying textiles and garments to exhibit and sell. Journal 236 contained her article on her trip to Turkey and 237 described experiences in Thailand. This time Diane takes us to Java. We are in lush tropical hills to the south of Jogyakarta in central Java and I have been invited to an indigo plantation – something which would have been a very familiar sight a century ago but is now a rarity. This area is very special as it is the true heartland of Javanese culture. Just a few miles from here is the village of Giriloyo where we have been visiting a women’s batik co-operative. On the way we passed stalls selling bags of fine wood shavings called secang which makes a bright orange medicinal tea. I recognise it as sappanwood – a very useful natural dye. I have been coming to Java since 1983 and have met many good friends through

my interest in textiles, particularly batik. I am beginning to get to know the women of the co-op. They still make very fine hand-drawn batik in the way that their mothers and grandmothers did, under the patronage of the Sultan of Jogyakarta. The Palace commissions extremely fine textiles to be used in traditional rituals and ceremonies. In between times, the women make batik for sale. Most of this area, including the women’s homes and workshop, was flattened by an earthquake in 2005. The Batik Guild raised money to help them rebuild, and I have spent a day batiking alongside these amazing craftswomen. Not far away are the ancient burial grounds of the Sultans of Central Java. You can visit on certain days, but before being admitted you must be properly dressed. My friend Susi Kelik and I are taken aside by a couple of stout ladies and wrapped in vegetable-dyed batik sarongs and kemben,

old fashioned breast cloths. Now we may enter the cool, dark tombs where a guardian intones ancient Javanese texts by candlelight. As a devout Muslim, Susi is happy to change back into her long sleeved top, trousers and headscarf on leaving the grounds, although I feel the traditional garments are much more comfortable in this heat. Now I have been invited to the indigo field by Hani Winotosatro, the heir to a famous batik business which was set up by her great-great grandparents. Her father advised President Sukarno on the revival of batik back in the 1950s. She runs a clean and airy ‘factory’ where you can watch traditional batik being made and have a laugh with the workers in the shop. Jim and I spent many hours here with our children in our early days getting to grips with the process and watching ‘our’ batik being made from start to finish.

Below: Batiking on natural dyed silk Photos: Diane Gaffney

Plants growing in the indigo fields

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Things may seem to stay the same, but that is an illusion. Batik is often made on silk nowadays for one thing and, for another, natural dyeing is making a tentative reappearance. I was surprised to find that Hani is now reviving the use of the old dyes and she is growing dyestuffs on her land as her grandparents once did. Java provided huge amounts of top grade indigo in the nineteenth century, but with the arrival of synthetic indigo in the 1890s this quickly changed and indigo plantations were replaced with sugar cane. In the highly conservative central Javanese sultanates, indigo, soga (a dye made from various woods which produce pale golden yellows to deep rich browns) and mengkudu (a mulberry root which produces reds) were used right up to the 1960s. But even here batik producers finally succumbed to the quicker and easier synthetic dyes. Hani is now relearning the skills and knowledge of her ancestors. Fortunately, much of this is still within living memory and she does not have to undertake years of experimentation and painstaking chemical analysis as Harald BĂśhmer had to do in Turkey. In this series of short snapshots, I have described just a few of the experiences I have had on my travels. Natural dyeing is enjoying a revival in many more parts of the world than those mentioned in my series, not least, of course, here in the UK. The reasons for this revival are many, but include a concern for the environment and a belated recognition of the damage done by chemical dyes, and a wish to preserve traditional skills and knowledge. All of these reasons are very important but if natural dyeing is to become more than just a labour of love it needs to find a market of appreciative and educated buyers. This is where I can be useful in promoting the cause of these beautiful textiles with their lovely natural colours and the fascinating people who continue to make them.

Above: Mengkudu is made from the roots of a mulberry tree (Morinda citrifolia). The roots can be selectively dug up without harming the tree Photos: Diane Gaffney

Below: Women looking at some waxed cloths and deciding on what dyes to use. They traditionally use indigo and soga.

Biography Diane and Jim Gaffney have been buying and selling handmade textiles since 1984. They run their shop â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Textile Tradersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Shropshire, and www.textiletechniques.co.uk They give talks to groups around the country. Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

The Bare Bones of the Bags Choosing the Yarns for Ancestor Bags Sue Hiley Harris, London Guild

Top right: Yarn shelves in Sue’s studio Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Above: Australian Aboriginal string bag, similar to one in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, given to Sue by her mother. Photograph © David Moore

Right: Dilly (one of seven) 2006, 40 x 8 x 8cm (including handle). Paper yarn, indigo and earth pigments handwoven and constructed Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Spinners and weavers have fibres and yarns, usually far more than they can spin or weave in their lifetime, filling their studio shelves or stashed away in cupboards. I am no different and consider it essential to have a variety of likely yarns and fibres available to choose from and experiment with when I am starting a new project. I usually work with yarns in their natural state or dye them myself although, lately, bright colours have found their way onto my shelves as I think about working with stainless steel and flashes of bright enamelled copper wire. Predominantly, my shelves hold yarns and fibres that will give structure to my work – linen, hemp, ramie, paper, nylon monofilament and wire. Choosing the right yarn and sett can be the most challenging stage in any project – and it is the most crucial. Sample, sample and sample – the fibre, the yarns, the colours, the sett, the finish – and discover what is most appropriate. There is nothing more disheartening than being well into a long project and feeling you have not made the best choice. Sometimes the material is dictated as, for example, using handspun flax for a piece to be exhibited in a linen festival. Or the project might be inspired by a particular yarn or fibre. At other times the idea and the vision for the finished work come first and there is a need for experiments and sampling to get the right feel and look to convey that vision. It is very frustrating when you find the perfect yarn or fibre on your shelves only to discover you don’t have sufficient quantity and it is no longer available. I am happiest when the sampling is done, the choices are made, sufficient yarn or fibre is in stock and I can settle down to the long hours of making. At the beginning of 2009 I was looking at my yarn shelves to find the materials to use for the final part of an ongoing project that related to the Aboriginal string bags that my mother regularly sent to me from Australia. I wanted to make a connection between Australia, where I was born and brought up, and Wales, where I have lived for thirty years and feel very much at home. During 2003, in Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum, I discovered a string bag very similar in shape and structure to one in my collection. It was in a case devoted to the ‘treatment of the dead’ and carried a label saying that it was used for ‘carrying the bones of dead relatives’. It was the starting point for a project that culminated in my exhibition Ancestor Bags. Most of the Australian Aboriginal string bags in my collection are made in the traditional way from cabbage palm prepared by removing the fibres from the palm and spinning by hand on the thigh. A group of fibres, separated into two parts, is held in the left hand in a ‘v’ shape. The fibres are spun by rolling the right hand down the thigh putting twist into the two separate groups of fibres. When sufficient twist has been added, the pressure of the right hand is released allowing the fibres in the two groups to twist back on themselves forming a single yarn. The right hand is rolled quickly back up the thigh adding extra twist to form a firm two-ply yarn. Extra fibres can be added as needed and the yarn can continue to increase in length without a join. Traditionally, earth pigments rubbed into the surface provided colour. Today, the women are skilled dyers and, before spinning, dye the fibres with natural materials to provide a range of colours. Initially, I did not know where the project would lead but began experimenting making my own symbolic bag forms. The first were seven small pieces, Dilly I – VII1, woven with paper

yarn and coloured with indigo and earth pigment. I dipped the finished bags into a mixture of our local red earth, casein2 and water. The paper yarn provided good structure and earth trapped between the warp and wefts gave additional colour and an organic quality to the weaving. This led onto a larger, indigodyed paper yarn sculpture, Bagform. Invited to exhibit in the exhibition Lin Sacré as part of a festival of linen in Québec in 2007, I made the first bag forms that directly related to the idea of ancestors and bags. Ancestral Bag 1913 (see right), Ancestral Bag 1874 and Ancestral Bag 1918 represented my mother, my mother’s mother and my mother’s sister respectively. As it was a linen festival, the fibre was dictated. But linen on its own would not provide the firmness I needed for these substantial works, so I again turned to our local red earth. I mixed it with wallpaper paste and used it to moisten, colour and stiffen the flax fibres as I spun them. It was a messy procedure that required a complete clean and oil of the spinning wheel after each spinning session and I would not recommend it. In 2009 I wanted to make 30 works, each representing one of my direct ancestors over four generations and each with characteristics of my ancestors woven into them. Rather than the cylindrical shapes of my Ancestral Bags, I decided to use two warps that intersect, a technique that I had previously used in various ways. The first warp, joined into a continuous loop, would represent the bag and the second intersecting warp would represent the life passing through it. This warp would contain coded information such as the age of the person, the country of birth and death, and the number and sex of their children. These would give each work an individual and distinctive shape dictated by the life of that particular ancestor. For the first warp and weft to form the continuous loop, I wanted to use a yarn that would give me the structure I needed and also show something of the character of the Australian string bags without using the traditional materials. After some trials I discarded the idea of handspinning coarse hemp fibres I had in my store and found some hand-tied twisted ramie I had purchased from Habu Textiles. The yarn is made by hand in a small village in China by stripping the outside from the ramie stalk and splitting it into approximately one metre lengths. These lengths are joined together and twisted into a two-ply yarn that varies considerably in colour, thickness and amount of twist. The yarn provided the perfect character and structure for the warp and for the main weft and, fortunately, I was able to purchase a sufficient quantity for all thirty pieces.

Right: Ancestral Bag 1913 (detail) 2007, 200 x 10 x 18cm. Handspun linen & paper coloured with earth pigments and gesso. Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Below: Spinning the flax using a mixture of red earth and wallpaper paste to moisten the fibres. Photograph © David Moore

Below left: Hand-tied Chinese ramie Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Right: Dyeing handspun wool with eucalyptus leaves Photograph © David Moore

Left: Weaving eucalyptusdyed bands and triangles to represent Australian-born offspring. The triangles with hatched ends represent living offspring. Photograph © David Moore

Above: Bobbins of handspun wool dyed blue with woad and green with woad over-dyed with weld. Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Below: Weaving blue and green bands and triangles to represent British born offspring. Photograph © David Moore

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

For the second weft, which would show such characteristics as age and country of birth and origin, it seemed obvious to choose wool. Each work was to represent one of my direct ancestors over four generations. Ten of these ancestors had emigrated from Britain to Australia during the nineteenth century. As these ancestors of mine were on their long sea journeys to Australia, ships were sailing in the opposite direction with precious cargoes of Australian merino fleece in their holds. For each square representing a decade in the life of an ancestor, I decided to use two triangles of white yarn to represent the genes from both parents. The only wool I had in store was some fine merino tops for felting, and when handspun, this lacked character and substance. I sought out suitable white fleeces in Wales and asked my sisters to send white fleece from Australia. I combed the fleeces and spun them using a worsted method to reduce fluffiness and kept them as singles. Within the white woollen loops, representing the decades when children were born, I wove coloured bands or triangles; a thin band for a child who died, a small triangle for a person who died young and a larger triangle for a person who lived longer. I have always used natural dyes. To colour the bands and triangles, I used blue from woad for males and green from woad over-dyed with weld for females born in Britain. For the Australian-born children I used eucalyptus leaves sent from Australia, differentiating the males from the females by using copper or alum mordants. A dusting with an Australian yellow ochre on the white wool, representing the time an ancestor lived in Australia, as well as the eucalyptus-dyed bands and triangles evoked the colours of the Australian landscape. On the other hand, the cool blues and greens of woad and weld are evocative of the British countryside. During the six months I took to make these works I continued, with the help of my family, to search out the details I needed. The research was immensely rewarding and I pieced together many fascinating stories from facts and bits of

Left: Detail of Ancestor Bags at MOMA Wales, 2009, showing two of the 30 works Photograph © David Moore

Right: Ancestor Bag representing Thomas Hiley 1876 – 1904 (detail) Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

information handed down through the generations. I had been aware, in the early 1980s when I studied handloom weaving in Bradford, that I had Yorkshire ancestors. It was amazing to discover, during my research, that in Bradford in the nineteenth century my great-great-grandfather Daniel Hiley and his sons were mechanics and his daughters were worsted spinners, drawers, comb-setters and weavers. Their genes had found their way down the generations to me. Since completing the work and showing it at MOMA Wales, Machynlleth, in the autumn of 2009, I have continued the family research and found more exciting connections. Daniel Hiley’s father, Thomas, was a carpet weaver in Halifax. It is most likely that he worked in Crossley Carpets at Dean Clough Mills during its height in the mid-nineteenth century. It is particularly poignant that Ancestor Bags, representing thirty of my ancestors, will be shown this autumn at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax. 1 Dilly Bags. Australian Aboriginal women make twined pandanus baskets as well as looped or knotted string bags. Conical shaped twined bags, usually relatively small and strung over the head or shoulders, were termed dilly bags by the missionaries in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. Australia’s Living Heritage: Arts of the Dreaming by Jennifer Isaacs. Published by Landsdowne, Sydney 1984. ISBN 0 7018 1497 7 2 Casein. A phosoprotein, precipitated from milk by the action of rennin, forming the basis of cheese: used in the manufacture of plastics and adhesives (Collins English Dictionary). A potter suggested I use casein as a binder and he gave me some to use.

Sue Hiley Harris worked with silk for more than 25 years and now uses a variety of materials to weave three-dimensional sculptures. Over the past decade Sue has worked towards a body of work that connects her sense of belonging in Wales, where she has lived since 1981, to her upbringing in Australia. Visit www.suehileyharris.co.uk Details of her exhibition Ancestor Bags at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax and the associated lecture and workshops can be found in Diary (page 44). Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

The Beginner’s Guide to Secondhand Looms Stacey Harvey-Brown, Online Guild

Side plan showing the main parts of a typical floor loom

You’re excited. You’ve tried out weaving out and you enjoy it. You just need to get that secondhand loom you’ve seen and you’ll be making your own fabrics! The trouble is, there are quite a few looms to choose from, and you’re not sure what you should be looking for. In Journal 235 we looked at the different kinds of looms that are available. This article will now help you answer the following six questions: • How do I know whether a loom is a good one or not? • How do I know if I will be comfortable with the loom? • What can I do if the loom is too big or small for my physical build? • What equipment should come with my loom? • What extra equipment do I need to get weaving? • How much should I pay for my loom?

A ratchet and pawl holding the cloth beam secure Photographs © Stacey Harvey-Brown Diagrams © Stuart Booker

How do I know whether a loom is a good one or not?

It is best to buy only after seeing the loom in person. The Loom Exchange is an online site which posts images which can be accessed for a preliminary inspection, but I would be very wary of buying without seeing the loom itself. When you look at the loom, follow this checklist: 1. Check there is no woodworm infestation in any part of the loom. 2. Check to see that the breast and back beams are ‘true’, and not warped. 3. See whether the loom has any diagonal shifting when you push the loom frame from front left to back right and front right to back left. If there is a frame wobble, this may not be disastrous – a simple brace might be sufficient – but it needs to have a sturdy frame, critical if you want to weave rugs. Also, are all the angles between horizontal and vertical loom sections right angles, in whichever direction they run? 4. Check the pawls on the warp beam and cloth beam. A pawl is a lever which locks into a toothed cog, or ratchet. These are used to keep the warp tension secure and for ease of adjustment to the warp tension. They should release and catch easily and cleanly. If they are metal and a little rusty, some lubricant spray should free them up. There shouldn’t be any teeth 20

missing from the cogs. Check that both beams run smoothly when the brake is released and hold fast when the brake is on. 5. Check that each of the shafts moves up and down smoothly. A little sanding and rubbing with candlewax* in the castle grooves will ease gentle sticking with wood frames, but if the shafts bind (in other words, catch on each other), do not buy unless you have an engineering bent or know someone who does. If the shaft frame is wood, check that the wood is straight and not warped.

*Some people prefer to use silicone spray, but woodworkers would gasp with horror. Silicone spray can cause the wood to swell, whereas candlewax won’t, but you do need to rub over the waxed area with a dry soft cloth to buff it up a little.

6. Check the connections between the treadles or levers and the shafts. If the strings are frayed, they can easily be replaced, but it is good to know in advance, rather than when you have a warp on the loom and you are just starting to weave.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

7. Check the heddles. If they are metal and a little rusty, see if the rust begins to come off when you rub one between your fingers. If the rust is just on the surface, then a sample warp of greasy wool will quite often clean them off for you. I have used Shetland wool for this before, and it worked a treat. However, if you’re not sure whether your wool is ‘greasy’ enough, you can use a scouring pad or a toothbrush and granular paste for removing grime, and brush the rust off. 8. Check the state of the reed. If the reed is rusty, see whether it is just surface rust as in 7. If it is, the same greasy wool warp will help clean the reed. New reeds can be bought, but are fairly expensive. 9. Check that the beater is straight and not warped, and that it moves forwards and back easily, with both swords (the vertical frame of the beater) touching the breast beam or the castle frame simultaneously. If they are not, the loom may be out of true, or the beater may be warped. If the beater is warped, you will

Right: Both swords are touching the castle frame and the beater is true

never achieve weaving that is even, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy. Some overhung beaters have rubber ropes that pull them back towards the shafts when you are not beating. Check that they have not perished. If they have, you can replace them although the beater usually works fine without them. How do I know if I will be comfortable with the loom?

The beater (right) is out of true

Below: Details showing a clean reed and a rusty reed

If the loom is assembled when you go to see it, you need to try sitting at it with a chair that you propose to use. Your arms should be roughly around hip to tummy height when you are in position to throw the shuttle. If you are buying a table loom, check the comfort level in your arms, shoulders and back when using the levers. Side levers can create tension in these areas, but may suit your build. If it is not assembled, ensure that you measure the final height of the breast beam from the floor, and have someone measure you from floor to elbow, sitting on the chair you propose to use. If the heights match or are only slightly different then you have the choice of changing your seating. You may need different seating/ standing/perching arrangements depending on the task. For instance, you may find it easier to thread using a lower (or higher) stool or to lift the shafts as you thread. What can I do if the loom is too big or small for my physical build?

Generally I would advise you to wait until the right one comes along, but I know that sometimes, if you are very tall or very short, that is almost impossible. Remember, a loom is a tool, and if you are very tall, you can raise the loom on bricks or a platform. If you are very short, you can take some length off the legs of the loom, except when the main strength of the frame is braced at the very bottom of the loom. In that case, go for a table loom, or a floor loom with the bracing further up the legs so you can shorten it. What equipment should come with my loom?

Obviously, you will need to check carefully to see what is provided with your loom. If the seller is a weaver, they will more than likely include the raddle, one or two reeds, spare heddles, warp sticks (which are long Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

pieces of thin wood which separate the layers of your warp), shuttles, pirns (if the shuttles are boat or roller) and cross sticks (see right). Many weavers also include yarn and books, but you may have to pay separately for these if they are offered.

What extra equipment do I need to get weaving?

In order to get weaving on your new loom, the basic equipment you need is a warping frame (or board), a pair of cross sticks (smooth wooden laths with a small hole at each end), a raddle, some stick shuttles, enough heddles on your shafts for your first project (about 50 – 100 per shaft), some warp sticks or heavy weight paper to separate out the layers of your warp, a threading hook, a reed hook, a tape measure, a ruler, a notebook, and some yarn for warp and weft. If you have roller or boat shuttles, you will also require a bobbin winder to wind your pirns.

E F

You will need a warping frame (A), cross (or lease) sticks (B), shuttles (C) with pirns (D), a raddle (E) and heavy weight paper (F) for separating the layers of the warp

How much should I pay for my loom?

This is the key question once you know all the above information! Prices vary depending on the type of loom and its condition. A table loom is usually cheaper to buy than a floor loom. The more shafts a loom has, the more you can expect to pay. If the loom has two warp beams and a double back beam so you can put two warps on at the same time, you can expect to pay quite a bit more. Sometimes a weaver who is retiring or ‘downsizing’ may be less worried about getting a high price than about finding a good home for their cherished loom, so a low price tag is not necessarily an indicator of poor quality. The best recommendation is to do your research: if you have a computer and internet connection, do an online search for loom manufacturers and look at new looms, visit your nearest loom supplier, or view the online pages of stockists and shops. Then look online at The Loom Exchange1 and also look in the ads in the Journal. Ask around at your local Guild (details on p. 49) or post an email or visit the Virtual Market if you are a member of the Online Guild. If you are not online, then the Journal and your local Guild will help. You will get a fair idea of the sort of thing that is available at the time you are looking, and the variety in prices. You should find something near your price bracket which will suit you just fine! 22

Below: More weaving equipment, including a reed hook (G) and a threading hook (H)

If you have a weaving friend you can ask to go with you, you will have the benefit of their experience in weaving to draw on, but if not, you will still have the information you need to buy your very first loom. Happy Weaving!

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Notes 1 The Loom Exchange can be found at www.theloomexchange.co.uk Stacey’s website is at www.theloomroom.co.uk

Producing the Journal Hilary Miller, Clive Rowlands, Cally Booker

In the summer Journal 238 Dawn Willey described her experience of joining the Journal Editorial Committee and shared the work she does as Book Reviews Editor. We have asked some more of our committee members to provide an insight into their roles over the next few issues. Would you like to join us? Vacancies currently exist for a Secretary and Weaving Features Editor. We are also looking for a new Treasurer to join us as soon as possible. These roles are all described below. Hilary Miller, who retired from the committee at the AGM in April, describes her role as Secretary to the JEC. As the JEC Secretary my role has been to facilitate the work of the committee, supporting the Chairman and the other officers and members. In practice, the day to day job of the Secretary is focused on the cycle of JEC meetings: there are four meetings a year, so that there is one meeting per issue of the Journal. I book the venue, agree the agenda with the Chairman, co-ordinate reports (from the Treasurer and others) and make everything available to the committee members. I then take minutes at the meetings, write them up and circulate the final version. I also maintain the records, such as the contact details of all the committee members. In addition, I deal with letters that are sent to the Journal. Some are for publication and others are general enquiries. Most enquiries now come via the Journal website, so they can easily be forwarded to the relevant committee member for a response or, if it is an unusual query, I can ask JEC members for their ideas. As do all the committee members, I participate by proof reading each issue of the Journal and I have the opportunity to contribute to ideas for future content and the future direction of the Journal. There is great satisfaction in seeing all our efforts brought together every time a new issue is published, and in having been part of that process. Cally Booker shares her experience of editing feature articles. For the last three years my job on the committee has been to edit feature articles which are

about – or mainly about – weaving. One of the exciting things I have learned through working on the Journal is how hard it is to draw boundaries between our three disciplines. Many people practise more than one craft and often the most interesting topics draw on a range of skills and techniques. Nonetheless, we work hard to make sure that each discipline is represented in every issue and aim for a balanced coverage over the course of the year. Sometimes people write articles and send them to me on their own initiative, but often I need to seek out an author to contribute on a particular topic. Once I have a first draft of a feature and some images to illustrate it, I circulate it to the rest of the committee for their feedback. I collate all the comments, requests for clarification and suggestions for development and organise a response to the author. This is all done by email so my Journal inbox is a very busy place. There might be quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing before we have everything sorted out, which includes sourcing images of suitable print quality. High resolution images can be difficult to send by email, so the author will often make up a CD of photographs and post it to me. Occasionally I have to turn down a feature article which has been offered to me, perhaps because the topic is too close to something we have recently covered or because it is too far outside our weaving, spinning and dyeing remit. That is a painful job, because I hate to discourage anyone from contributing: on the contrary, the more articles we receive, the happier we are. Our quarterly copy deadline is sacrosanct! As everyone on the Journal is a volunteer, we need to be respectful of each others’ time and not keep anybody waiting. I compile all the text, the images, the captions and any copyright information required and put it all on a CD and into the post. It is exciting to see how all these components come together in the finished Journal, and my favourite part of the job is posting a complimentary copy out to each author to thank them for their hard work. Finally, our Treasurer, Clive Rowlands, describes the work he does to keep the Journal’s financial records in order.

The Treasurer’s principal role is to record income, to control and record expenditure and to report regularly to the committee. Most of the income is received in advance as annual subscription or prepaid advertising so the records need to identify those involved individually, together with the amounts owed to them at any given time. This requires close teamwork between the relevant committee members with prompt and accurate exchange of information. We now use a dedicated Sage accounting program (with the help of spreadsheets) to achieve this. It is user-friendly and effective. Typically, I will receive details of money paid into the bank by others and enter the details into the program. Where a new subscriber/advertiser is involved, a new record is created. I receive details of all Journals despatched and record these as a sale to the individual record so that the money owed to that customer reduces by each sale. This way, we know exactly who we owe money to. Prepaid advertising is recorded in the same way, but the sale in this case is the value of the advert on publication. The main expenditure consists of printing costs, design costs and the quarterly despatch costs so I will verify these invoices before putting them through the

system and then pay them promptly. Our quarterly meeting expenses are a more modest expenditure and are dealt with in the same way. At the bottom end of our expenditure there are expense claims by committee members for postage etc. There is clear guidance on what is allowed so this also is a simple exercise. The Sage program offers a snapshot of the financial position at any given time so I can respond to committee enquiries promptly and accurately. Each month, I receive bank statements which I reconcile with the accounts’ records, correcting any errors discovered, and at the end of the year the Sage program produces all the documents required for audit. The Treasurer’s role is crucial to keeping the Journal going and we would like to organise a handover period before Clive retires from the committee in 2012. If you would like to know more about it, or about either of the other roles described here, please contact Cally Booker (telephone 01382 202280, email chair@thejournalforwsd.org.uk) or Christina Chisholm (telephone 01862 842336, email subs@thejournalforwsd.org.uk).

Marie Therese Horne Marie loved all things textile and was self-taught in several different disciplines including weaving, crochet, sewing, spinning and knitting. While living with her husband Bill and their young family in Saudi Arabia, she decided that weaving would be a beneficial indoor daytime activity. Her skills were finely honed during this period. She established a Saudi Weavers’ Guild with her fellow weavers and they enjoyed regular workshops. In 1989 Marie was in the first cohort of weavers to pass the Certificate of Achievement. She took pleasure in passing on the skills she had gained and was a patient, willing and encouraging teacher with an unfailing sense

of humour. She was an active member of the Bradford Guild and spent much time at Guild meetings assisting fellow weavers. She had an enthusiasm for world peoples, their handcrafts and social history. A weaver for over forty years, she was particularly inspired by the textiles of the ancient world: one of her passions was sprang, a complex but fascinating technique used by many ancient cultures. Marie joined the Journal Editorial Committee in 2010, took on the role of advertising manager and quickly became a valued member of the team. She died suddenly while on holiday in Ireland on 20 June 2011.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

A Secret History of Taste: Gainsborough Silk Mill Diane Sargeant In Journal 238, articles by Ann Hecht and Jane Deane highlighted some of the problems of producing silk in the UK. However, there has been a flourishing industry weaving imported silk over the years. In Journal 227, Stephen Bryer wrote about the work of Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire. Sudbury in Suffolk continues to be an important silk weaving centre. In this article Diane Sargeant writes about one of the working mills in the town. An important recent commission was the refurbishment of the Goring Hotel in London (see p.26), including the Royal Suite, where Kate Middleton and her family stayed the night before the Royal Wedding. The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company in Suffolk is key to an unbroken, local legacy of silk and weaving that caters for rock stars and royalty. Sudbury in Suffolk is the picturesque birthplace of painter Thomas Gainsborough. It is the silk weaving capital of Britain. The majority of the town's wealth was generated by a weaving and silk industry stretching back to the Middle Ages, to days long before power looms or even Jacquard looms, when weaving was highly labour intensive and required rivers for dyeing and for transporting yarn. The factory the company has occupied since 1924 is now in a sprawling business park. The modest low-rise shed houses looms dating back to the 1920s alongside much larger, modern computerised models. Here the sound of nearby trains is overwhelmed by the deafening clackety-clackety of the looms. One half of the factory is given over to the quieter business of preparing the yarns â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mostly fine silks, worsteds, cottons and linens, in hundreds of colours prepared in the adjacent dyeing sheds: then comes the painstaking task of marshalling the threads to create the warps and the bobbins, which will provide the weft (see below and p.25, right). At one end of the factory hang ranks of the unique pattern cards which allow the Jacquard looms to generate metre upon metre of intricately patterned textile. Where the looms are pounding away, individual weavers stand by, ready to intervene when a thread breaks or a bobbin runs out, barely interrupting the rhythm. And out from the mouths of these remorseless machines, between every bite of the harness and shuttle, slowly emerge the minor miracles of cloth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shimmering, fluid, exquisitely decorative, legible products of a refined civilisation, as fine textiles have always been. However, it is in the back rooms that you begin to appreciate the legend. Here rolls and rolls of gorgeous fabrics are piled and neatly labelled. The range of colours is dazzling. The fabrics and Left: Skein winding

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Above: A luscious, deep purple damask

Below: A lime green, geometric fabric made for a precise Swiss client Photos: Diane Sargeant

furnishings for the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice sit alongside the black metallic costume material for the de Niro film, Stardust. A luscious deep purple damask (see left) is ranged alongside a lime green geometric fabric (below left) made for a precise Swiss client. A Napoleonic stripe has had one familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heraldic owl inserted, while a Russian commission has stipulated real gold thread. In the archive room, hand-written ledgers reveal the great names who have commissioned or bought fabrics and furnishings here: William Morris, Henry Ford, Cunard Line, SS Titanic, the National Gallery, Kenwood House, Buckingham Palace, the Sultan of Brunei, while a code sends you to the shelves to find the matching sample. Preserved here is a complete genealogy of English taste, traced in over 5,000 squares of woven fabric, from the magisterial traditionalism of the Edwardians, through the Modernist influence of the 1920s and 1930s to postwar utility textiles, full of charm and ingenuity, and the bright colours and bold contrasts of the 1960s and later. There has always been an emphasis on natural fibres at the mill. All yarns are bought in through agents in the UK, with silk originating in China and cotton in the USA. Grade A silk is purchased in its raw state (in gum) on cone. Before it is dyed the gum is removed. Organzine* is normally used for the warp. The most common size is 60/66 d(denier) which is three threads, *Organzine is silk which has been twisted to make it strong enough for the warp. Tram is only lightly twisted and is less strong. In both cases a single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;threadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is made by reeling the silk from seven or eight cocoons. Below: Bobbins of silk

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Hattersley Jacquard Pressure Harness loom from around 1900

An example of the silk walling at the Goring Hotel London Photo ÂŠThe Goring Hotel

but single or double (20/22 d and 40/44 d) is also used. Tram silk, also purchased raw in gum, is used for wefts, mainly at 200/200 d (10 threads) but sometimes at seven threads. In addition 60/2 nm and 210/2 nm spun silk is used. Cotton is purchased in various sizes, but 60/2 nm and 70/2 nm (mercerized as this gives a nice sheen) is mainly used for the warp. All yarn has to be made into hanks as the facilities in the dye house and factory are geared up for hank/skeins only. Recently the company has been experimenting with some synthetic yarns for weft supplied by students, such as light reflective yarns, paper, bamboo and even old cassette tape. On average 70% of the fabrics contain an element of silk and the other 30% are a mix of cotton, wool and viscose. The factory is home to a total of 19 looms, mainly Hattersley Jacquard looms (see above), although there are two dobby looms which are used for plain weaves and plaids and three electronic looms, used for new designs (see p.27). The warp counts for a fifty inch (127cm) width vary amongst these looms from as low as 2490 (45 epi/18 epc) to a staggering 28,800 ends (576 epi/ 227 epc), to produce the richest, finest silk damask. The lowest warp count is used mainly for wool and thicker cottons. The skilled workers can only operate one or, at most, two looms at the same time, making up to 15 metres of fabric a day. The Jacquard looms are themselves direct descendants of nineteenth century manual Jacquard looms and like them offer a greater operating versatility. The weavers control the tension of the threads manually, unlike warps in modern high-speed looms which are kept automatically in a state of constant tautness. It is this ability to vary tension, akin only to the control of hand 26

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

weaving which makes the handle, or feel, of Gainsboroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabric so individual. Control of quality is available to the weaver with every motion of the loom. At the final stage the finished fabric is subjected to an inch by inch hand examination before being dispatched to customers. The company prides itself on its ability to produce some of the finest silks in the world. The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company Ltd was founded in 1903 by Reginald Metford Warner, a Quaker. His father, Metford Warner was proprietor of Jeffries and Co., a leading London-based wallpaper manufacturer, whose collaborators included Morris and Walter Crane. Reginald was determined, however, to become a weaver and was apprenticed at 13 years old to the English Silk Weaving Company, a successful Ipswich handloom-weaving operation. There was a concentration of weaving skills in the region, as at the end of the eighteenth century almost the entire Spitalfields silk-weaving community had decamped there. When the company was founded ten years later, Warner persuaded his father to buy two handlooms and set him up in Sudbury on his own, specializing in historical replicas. Very soon he had 50 looms operating from cottages all over the town, before moving to the current purpose-built mill in 1924, surrounded then by allotments for his workers. Warner owed his initial success as much to being designer and historian as entrepreneur. He was passionate about weaving and amassed a substantial collection of woven silks from all over Europe, reaching back over 200 years. These formed the bedrock of the wonderful archive, a constant source of inspiration in terms of colour, yarn, design and technique.

Damask weaving on an electronic Jacquard loom

By 1907 the company’s reputation had won it a visit from Princess Alexandra and in 1912 Gainsborough was commissioned to provide the wall damasks for Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House (now on display at Windsor Castle). Soon they were making wall fabrics for galleries and museums, grand private houses and luxurious steamers. Wherever a sumptuous damask or multi-coloured brocade was needed, or an historic fabric had to be replaced or a one-off commission exactly realised, Gainsborough was the reliable source. Only in 1980 was this quiet dedication to excellence rewarded with the Royal Warrant. Since then two entire looms have been dedicated to royal commissions. These can handle up to 20,000 threads in the warp. Run at lower speeds and tensions than most looms, they produce the hangings and furnishing fabrics for Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Sandringham, Windsor, Clarence House and Balmoral. Almost every upholstered or wall-fabricked nook of the establishment, from 10 Downing Street to our embassies across the world, has been dressed by Gainsborough. Then in the 1990s, a new austerity and a minimalist aesthetic took the wind entirely out of the company’s sails. No one was buying the curtains, let alone wall fabrics and the luxurious, painstakingly accomplished furniture coverings Gainsborough were skilled at producing fell out of favour. There was still a steady stream of Royal Commissions, but new bespoke projects and the reliable market in traditional damasks and brocades fell away. Skills sustained proudly over generations suddenly looked redundant. The long heritage of expertise was in danger of dying out through lack of

interest. It was at this point that the company was bought out from the remaining Warners by the management. Neil Thomas, now Senior Director, has worked for the company since the late 1980s. From a retail background, he has become passionate about weaving and sees that the way forward for the company is to concentrate on the very high-quality, bespoke end of the market: ‘We are weavers, not just historical manufacturers. We can make anything people need. There are only two other places left in Europe where you can commission weaving of this standard – and they are more expensive’. He is aware also that its traditional client base is dying out and that the company needs to attract a younger, more fashion and design orientated audience. The future looks impressive. Bespoke projects combining old and new in equal measure are lined up. Gainsborough has recently been involved with the restoration of fabrics in the reception room of the Savoy using fabrics woven in the same way as ones previously used in Gordon Ramsay’s new hotel, the York & Albany. A ten-suite John Nash Building dating from the 1820s has recently been adorned with Gainsborough silks. The Mill has also provided cloth for vestments designed by a Central St Martins graduate to commemorate the 300th anniversary of St Paul’s Cathedral. Gainsborough rarely advertise; word of mouth recommendations ensure their looms are kept in motion and their designers kept busy finding beautiful, innovative solutions to intricate weaving problems. The Mill is not open to the public, but information is available on the website www.gainsborough.co.uk Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

The Campaign for Wool and the Artisan Community Lesley Prior’s Bowmont sheep

What is the Campaign for Wool?

The Campaign for Wool was initiated in October 2008 by His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, who had observed that the wool industry was facing enormous and unprecedented challenges. The price of wool had plummeted to the point where farmers were being paid less for their fleeces than the cost of shearing. Sheep numbers were declining across the world and farmers were losing confidence in the future of the wool industry. Synthetic fibres provided stiff competition in areas where wool had traditionally ruled – fashion, carpets and insulation. HRH The Prince of Wales realised that without a thriving wool industry and with further decline in the sheep population, the physical appearance of our landscape could change forever. Were we to enter an era when the wool trade, which has thrived and prospered since the Middle Ages, would be sidelined by man-made fibres with all their environmental implications? These were the issues which drove HRH The Prince of Wales to convene a meeting at Clarence House including sheep experts, wool traders, fashion designers, carpet manufacturers and many other interested parties. From this initial meeting the Campaign for Wool grew, with all sectors working together to promote and champion wool, helping to reinvigorate the global wool industry.

important sheep producing nations of the world. It includes leaders from the fashion industry, the decorating and design industry, the wool carpets industry and the world of insulation and building. Funding comes from the organisations that provide representatives to sit on the main CfW committee. The Chairman of the Campaign for Wool is John Thorley OBE, a former Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association. He also chairs the Prince of Wales’ Campaign to popularise mutton and several other countryside institutions. The Vice Chairman is Nicholas Coleridge CBE, the magazine publisher and author, who is Managing Director of the Condé Nast magazine group in London and former Chairman of the British Fashion Council.

What has the Campaign achieved so far? The Campaign’s first Wool Week was in October 2010. Consumerfacing and retail-driven, it signed up 70 fashion brands, half a dozen national department stores and almost 1,000 carpet retailers to participate in the Campaign. For a week, special window displays were devoted to wool merchandise across the country, including Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, Liberty, House of Fraser,

Who is involved in the Campaign for Wool? The Campaign is international and aims to embrace all wool users from the very largest companies to specialist artisans. The key members are representatives of the International Wool Textile Organisation, the British Wool Marketing Board, Australian Wool Innovation and other key industry figures from the UK, New Zealand, Norway and other

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Debenhams, John Lewis and numerous others. The dozen top tailors of Savile Row held a high profile sheep fair in the middle of their specially-turfed street.1 Selfridges paraded yellow sheep along Oxford Street. The London Design Centre built installations in support of the Campaign and dozens of designer showrooms displayed the Campaign’s logos and swing tags. The Society of British Interior Designers worked with the Campaign to present a prize for sustainable use of wool, awarded in 2010 to Starbucks and its design team. Tens of thousands of posters and swing tags were distributed across the country. An extensive PR campaign across fashion, style and interior magazines secured mentions in over 200 publications, as well as national newspapers. The Campaign for Wool has been involved in events across the country from Bradford to Wales and been consistently supported in its endeavours by its Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales.

Is it working? Since the Campaign was officially launched by HRH The Prince of Wales in February 2010, it has devised numerous initiatives to raise the profile of wool. In PR terms, favourable coverage of wool in national

Detail of handspun and handwoven shawl made from Bowmont with Mulberry silk inlay by Anne Lander, Wiltshire Guild Photos: Lesley Prior

newspapers, magazines and on radio and TV has been boosted significantly and there are indications that consumers are responding with a greater respect of and demand for wool. In recent months the price of raw wool has increased and sheep farmers will receive higher prices for their 2011 clip. There is a growing confidence about the future of the whole industry. The Campaign still has miles to go, but there is a definite momentum.

What are the future plans? The Campaign has a full and diverse programme of events for the next year and onwards. Wool Week in the UK this year runs from Monday 5 September to Sunday 11 September, with events throughout the nation, including ’Love Wool’ organised by the Wool Marketing Board to encourage knitters across Britain to get involved. A major exhibition of wool, titled ‘Wool Modern’, takes place in London for much of September at La Galleria on Pall Mall. This exhibition will showcase the best of design in wool in fashion, carpets and insulation including work by many of the world’s top fashion designers and carpets by some of the great manufacturers. Other wool events during September span London Fashion Week and Decorex. In October the northern hemisphere will host International Wool Week – a promotion set to encourage understanding of natural wool fibre and its amazing versatility. Cities involved are Tokyo, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Oslo, New York City and Madrid. The Campaign will continue to work with its retail partners, but of special interest to Journal readers it also wants to work much more closely with the artisan community across the whole country and indeed internationally – the spinners, weavers, knitters and others who have always been great local champions of the fibre. To further this, the Campaign has recently appointed Lesley Prior to the CfW Committee as Artisan Project Manager. She will be ensuring the voice of the artisan is heard in the decision making process and also acting as a go-between and bridge between different sectors of the industry ‘I see my role very much as a hub, a lynch pin if you like, through which people can connect and do new and

exciting things with this wonderful fibre’. Lesley, a member of the Online Guild, is a spinner, weaver and knitter, but she is also a farmer, producing superfine Merino wool from her Bowmont sheep and is very keen to make other farmers realise that wool is worth growing: ‘UK farmers in particular are seeing wool as a nuisance and a waste product. We have to work to turn that around and give our growers a sense of pride in what their sheep produce’. Lesley’s role began formally in June before which she had already linked a professional handweaver with a bespoke tailoring student from The London College of Fashion,

provided the CEO of a commercial weaving company with samples of rare breed British wool that are suitable for a specialist type of rug, linked an organisation looking for specialist wool cycling sportswear to a British manufacturer and had begun working with the UK Hand Knitting Association to widen their good work even further through their Craft Club network. ‘I am privileged to be part of an incredibly talented, imaginative and skilled international community of artisan wool users and growers. By channelling some of our energy and passion through the Campaign for Wool we really can make a difference and help

it achieve its aims. I would ask anyone with an idea, a need or a problem to contact me and let’s see if together we can do something about it. Get in touch and get in the loop.’ 1 See Journal 237, Spring 2011 – Savile Row Field Day

Contact email: lesley@devonfinefibres.co.uk or 01398 351173 (evenings please) Editor’s Note: The Journal will be celebrating British Wool in the autumn 2012 issue. We invite readers to send details of projects incorporating spinning, weaving or dyeing

where they have exploited the unique characteristics of the fleeces of particular British sheep in an interesting and effective way. Have you been involved in projects to link wool producers directly with end users to their mutual benefit? Is your Guild undertaking a group project using British wool? We’d love to hear from you all! Contact features@thejournalforwsd.org.uk Visit the Campaign for Wool website www.campaignforwool.org where you can also publicise details of your own events showcasing the versatility and diversity of wool.

Advert

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Scotch Tension vs Double-drive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Advantages and Disadvantages Amanda Hannaford, Online, Peter Tavy and Somerset Guilds

For any good discussion of the difference between drive systems on treadle wheels we need to start by explaining the differences. The chart below gives the details of how the two main drive systems operate. There are several other slight variations; if you have one of these other systems, then by studying the information in the chart and comparing it to your setup, you should be able to work out how your wheel operates.

Double-Drive

Scotch Tension

Drive-Band

Long band looped to go around drive wheel twice.

Shorter band goes around drive wheel once.

Flyer Drive

One loop of drive-band goes around one of the grooves in the flyer whorl.

Drive-band goes around one of the grooves in the flyer whorl.

Bobbin Drive/Brake

The second loop of the driveband goes around the groove in the end of the bobbin.

A separate braking band goes around the groove in the end of the bobbin.

Method of operation

While the bobbin and flyer are tied together by the yarn being threaded around the flyer hook and out through the orifice, and the spinner holds it back, both travel around at the same speed. When the spinner releases tension to let the yarn wind on, the driving bands come into full operation (slight slippage occurs the rest of the time) and as the grooves are two different diameters the drive-band will speed up the smaller (usually the bobbin) and the bobbin will pull the yarn in.

As with double-drive, when threaded up the flyer and bobbin go around together. Here when the spinner releases tension, the flyer carries on at its usual speed, the brake-band takes effect on the bobbin groove; it slows the bobbin down and the flyer winds the yarn around the bobbin.

Either a sliding or tilting motherof-all which tensions both loops of the band simultaneously.

Either a sliding or tilting mother-ofall which tensions the drive-band between the wheel and the flyer groove. A second adjustment controls the tension on the brakeband separately.

Tension adjustment

Comparing the Systems Double-drive

Before we go any further, I need to point out that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m referring to a well built wheel where the maker has thoroughly understood the way the wheel should work. A good double-drive is a wonderful tool, but unfortunately they are not all made equal! In its favour a double-drive gives a nice firm wind-on for evenly filled bobbins, needs little if any tension adjustment while filling the bobbin and is a dream to ply on. Another plus point: most double-drive wheels can be modified to work in Scotch tension mode too. Disadvantages 30

include having too strong a take-up tension (even at its lowest possible setting) to cope with very fine, lightly twisted or otherwise delicate yarns; also they are not ideally suited to spinning woollen longdraw (unless converted to Scotch tension) for the same reason. Scotch tension

This is a much more forgiving system and most wheels can be coaxed into working adequately with a bobbin brake. A Scotch tension wheel should be adjustable enough to cope with even the finest or most delicate yarns and is my system of preference for woollen longdraw, where you need to have the take-up just strong

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

enough to wind the yarn smoothly onto the bobbin, but not so fierce that the yarn creeps onto the bobbin before you have finished drafting and twisting. Another slight plus point is that you can set the tension on the drive-band for easy and comfortable treadling and then forget about it. On the other hand, you will need to adjust the brake tension slightly and continually as the bobbin fills, and on most wheels you can experience slight problems with a very full bobbin (especially when plying) because, as the bobbin fills and becomes heavier, it becomes more difficult for the brake-band to slow it down quickly enough for the flyer to wind the yarn on smoothly.

Bobbin loop

Flyer loop

Drive band

Brake band

Double-drive

Scotch Tension

Sliding tension – the Mother-of-all is fixed to a sliding block which moves towards or away from the wheel by means of a metal or wooden screw through the wheel’s bed. As you turn the handle to move the block away from the wheel the drive-band is stretched tighter between the drive wheel and flyer.

Tilting tension – the Mother-of-all is angled into or away from the wheel by turning the tension screw. As the angle is increased between the Mother-of-all and the wheel’s bed or frame, the tension on the drive-band is increased. Photos: Derek Hannaford

Tension screw Tension screw

Sliding block

Mother-of-all

Gap showing angle of tilt

Adjustment handle

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Top Tip – Making a smooth knot on a new string drive-band

4. Split the string down to reveal the plies and feather them out by cutting each one a little shorter than the last

1. Tie a reef knot 5. Either over-sew the ends with a needle and fine thread (shown with dark thread for clarity)

2. Lay the knot on a wooden board and hit it a few times with a wooden mallet (turn the knot between blows and pull on the ends to tighten it)

3. The knot should have almost disappeared. Now cut both ends to about 2.5 - 3 cm

Photos: Derek Hannaford

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

6. Or rub the ends over a bar of beeswax and roll the join between finger and thumb to warm the wax and stick the ends down

7. A neat virtually unnoticeable join that doesn’t cause a jolt when it passes over the pulleys

There is a third, fairly widely used system – the bobbin lead/flyer brake often referred to as Irish tension. This is the exact opposite of the Scotch tension, the bobbin is driven and the flyer has the brake; wheels that use this system generally have large bobbins and are designed for bulky yarns where the ferocious pull is an advantage for filling a large heavy bobbin. If using a bulky flyer with this system, the brakeband is often not needed at all, as the heavy flyer will most likely stop of its own accord the minute you ease off the tension on the yarn. If you have a Scotch tension system and have difficulty filling bobbins when plying it may be worth trying out Irish tension – it is only available to you if your bobbin groove lines up with your drive wheel. It won’t hurt to include here brief instructions for setting up a wheel in either of the two main systems. Firstly oil all moving parts (unless you have sealed bearings and have been told by the manufacturer never to oil them). I use clean engine oil, or neatsfoot oil from the saddlers if there are no leather bearings involved (being a saddlers’ oil, it is intended to soften leather, so can spoil leather bearings by causing them to go floppy and out of shape over time). Whatever you use, you want a thickish oil that stays where you put it and doesn’t disappear too quickly. Next check your drive-band, make sure it is not worn or frayed and that the knot is not too big to pass over the drive whorl/s without being noticed. If you have a large ugly knot, re-tie it as a reef knot (see Top Tip left), feather out the ends and either whip with a fine thread or hold them down with a bit of beeswax. If you are tying a new band, make sure your tension adjuster is set to its middle position and then you will be able to tighten or loosen the band if you don’t get it tied at exactly the right tension first time. An alternative driveband material is nylon blind cord, which can be welded together by holding the ends over a naked flame (not to be confused with the stretchy bands that are used in special circumstances where the drive wheel has a series of stepped grooves). Now make sure there is no yarn threaded up on the flyer, and loosen the tension knob/s so that when you treadle nothing moves. Keep treadling and adjust the

drive-band tension until the flyer goes around smoothly with no slippage (it shouldn’t stop and start or make loud hissing noises). On a double-drive wheel thread up the bobbin and flyer, treadle again and check that the flyer is still running smoothly; the extra friction from the slippage in the bobbin groove while you are holding on to the yarn may cause the flyer to slip again too, if so just increase the tension in very small increments until everything is running smoothly again. On a Scotch tension wheel thread up the bobbin and flyer and put just enough tension on the brake-band to allow the yarn to wind on smoothly. If after this adjustment the flyer starts to slip again, increase the tension on the drive-band slightly to compensate. Either wheel is now set up with the lightest possible working

tension and if kept well oiled should be effortless to treadle. One final note – if you have a doubledrive wheel that you would like to set up temporarily in Scotch tension mode to try it out, you first need to put both loops of your drive-band over the flyer pulley, then you can use the weighted system described by Peter Teal1 to brake the bobbin. Basically you use a fine cord or fishing line as a brake-band in the usual way, but instead of fixing one end to your wheel by screwing in a metal hook and using a spring or rubber band for tension, you hang it over the bobbin groove and attach small weights. Peter suggests a range of metal washers in his article. As you need to increase the tension you add more weight. If you have a traditional styled wheel with a mother-of-all, you may be able to find somewhere to tie the other end of your

brake-band so that you don’t have to make any holes in your woodwork for fixings. You can swap between drive systems as and when you like, but you need to be aware that when spinning Z the bobbin pulls the yarn on in an anti-clockwise direction, while the flyer winds it on clockwise, so if you change drive systems half way through a bobbin you will get a hiccup in the windon! Amanda teaches beginner and advanced spinning classes and over the years has had to set up and make slight modifications to many types of spinning wheel to get them running smoothly before the lessons can begin. Details of the classes can be found on www.mandacrafts.co.uk and Amanda can be contacted at amanda@mandacrafts.co.uk

Footnote 1

See Spin-Off Winter 2007, Interweave Press.

Guild Highlights Compiled by Talitha Clarke

Art Yarns Workshop When I looked at the Online Guild’s workshop programme for 2011 my attention was immediately drawn to the Art Yarns Workshop that was scheduled for April. I’ve had a book about spinning art yarns for some time, but somehow couldn’t get started. I know that Helen Melvin is a very enthusiastic and motivating tutor, so I joined. We started by carding ‘wild batts’ with all sorts of colours and fibres, sometimes with a picture as inspiration source. We spun thick singles, full of texture; quite a challenge for some of us who usually spin fine and even yarns! We had discussions about how the yarns could be objects of art themselves, but also how to make them stable enough to be able to use them in knitting and weaving. The yarns with the pom-poms and silk strips really stand out. It was a slow process and a bit fiddly using an ordinary flyer, but with some care the add-ins could pass through the orifice! We continued by making coils and stacks (highly textured knot yarns) from thick and thin singles, and finally tried core spinning using fabric strips and carded mohair ‘clouds’.

Sometimes I felt in need of a third hand, but with some persistence and encouragement I could produce the yarn. It was inspiring to see pictures of other people’s yarns. At the end of the month I was thrilled with my own collection. I’ve learnt new spinning techniques and enjoyed playing with colour and texture. The wonderful thing about the Online Guild is that you can do the workshop later. It will still be available in the archives and the tutor will probably be around to answer questions. But personally I love to share the enthusiasm and inspiration (with people all over the world) when it’s running! Marja Heuvelman, Online Guild

This is the season when many Guilds go out and about to demonstrate their skills in public. The Craven Guild and the Bradford Guild both participate in the annual Masham Sheep Fair which is coming up at the end of September.

Masham Sheep Fair Masham is a small town in North Yorkshire at the lower end of Wensleydale. Its main claim to fame is that it has two breweries, but it is also known for its Sheep

Fair held every year on the last weekend of September. The sheep fair has a history going back to the middle ages, but the modern fair was revived in 1986 as a one-off charity event and it has now become a well established annual event. During the Sheep Fair weekend there is a small fairground and some market stalls at one end of the market place, but the other end is occupied by numerous temporary sheep pens. Around 500 sheep are shown over the two days and it is a wonderful place to see a variety of breeds, especially our local Wensleydale, Teeswater and Masham sheep which all have wonderful curly fleeces and at times bear a distinct resemblance to Dougal from the Magic Roundabout. The town hall is the site of a craft fair, which usually includes at least a couple of stalls with spinning and weaving supplies. There are a number of competitions for spinners, weavers and feltmakers with small monetary prizes and rosettes: entries would be welcome from spinners around the country. Craven Guild were invited to demonstrate their crafts at the first revived fair and have

Art yarn workshop – finished yarns Photo: Marja Heuvelman

continued every year, but in recent years this has been shared with members of Bradford Guild. We have the use of the schoolroom which is on the edge of the market square, where we set up exhibits and sales tables and have a lovely day demonstrating and chatting with visitors, some of whom we hope may wish to take up the crafts. If you are looking for fleeces, the Rare Breeds Trust always has a tent with lots of interesting fleeces both entered into competitions and for sale. A real highlight is the sheep racing. In the field next to the church there is a strip of land fenced off. Three or four sheep of varying sizes and breed have coloured ribbons tied round their necks and are released at one end. Somebody runs in front of them rattling a bucket of feed and everybody bets on which sheep will reach the winning post first. Great fun is had by all and the money is for charity. Edna Barker, Bradford Guild

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

In last winter’s Journal (236) Wiltshire Guild reported on the opening of their new Textile Studios in Steeple Ashton. As if that were not excitement enough, in February this year they welcomed a very special guest.

The Duchess of Cornwall visits Wiltshire Guild The Guild Committee had for some time been pondering over asking Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall if she would be interested to have a look around our new Studios. The Duchess is Patron of the charitable trust which my husband chairs, so he made initial enquiries with Clarence House on our behalf telling them of our new venture. Just before Christmas, with great surprise and delight, I received a telephone call from Clarence House advising that the Duchess, having read my husband’s initial letter, would very much like to visit the Guild and to have a look around its new Studios. A ‘recce’ was arranged a week later, just a couple of days after our Guild Christmas Party and thanks must go to all who rushed around at that time to get things looking spick and span for the day of the ‘recce’ visit. The Committee agreed that I should organise a draft programme to be discussed with the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire’s Secretary, Jean Potter. Between us, Jean and I tweaked a first draft into a second and a second into a third as each was forwarded to Clarence House for its input. It was quite a task to get everything completed in time for the visit on 7 February 2011. A handmade plaque was designed. Made of felt and depicting the Cornish flag, it was finished and ready for the visit. It now has pride of place on the wall in our Studio, alongside some rather nice photographs which were taken on the day. The big day dawned with the most appalling weather raging outside, but this did not dull the excitement as the press and Guild members arrived. The Duchess arrived a few minutes ahead of her programme to be met by the Lord Lieutenant, John Bush; the High Sheriff of Wiltshire, Dame Elizabeth Neville and Guild Chairman, Lesley Greaves. The Royal party started their walkabout in Studio Three, discussing with members the particular activity in which they were engaged. HRH was invited

Above: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall with Jackie Pohnert just before having a try at weaving Photo: Ron Pybus

Above: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall with Veronica Burden spinning Photo: Ron Pybus

Right: The completed silk bag. It was finished by Jackie Pohnert and Judith Kennerdale Photo: Valerie Laverick

to try her hand at weaving, which she did with apparent enjoyment. The Duchess then moved on to Studio Four where I was introduced to her and in turn I introduced everyone present. She was then invited to have a go at spinning. She showed a great sense of humour when she broke the thread, which she herself had earlier predicted. Moving on, she studied a member spinning flax, and was shown samples of natural dyeing that had been prepared a few days earlier by our ‘natural dye club’. Lesley then escorted her to the main building to meet a group of members knitting and crocheting, before moving upstairs to the spinning group who were assembled in Studio Two. HRH was shown baskets of British wool and the awards won by Trish Gray and her Shetland sheep. She was then invited to the main reception in Studio

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

One where she was offered tea and cake. The Duchess was introduced to Ken Rogers, author and honorary member of the Guild, and then to other Guild members. To bring a truly memorable visit to a close Lesley thanked HRH for coming and invited her to unveil the plaque to celebrate her visit. Auli Part presented the Duchess with a lovely inklewoven, linen bookmark which she had designed and made as a memento of her visit to the Wiltshire Guild, an item we had been advised earlier that HRH would be very pleased to accept as she is a keen reader. Her Royal Highness then thanked the Guild for inviting her, stating that she had enjoyed her visit and that she would tell her husband all about us, as what we were doing fitted so well with his Wool Project and the promotion of British wool. Since the visit, the silk bag on

which the Duchess had woven a few picks, has been finished off (see above), and has been sent to Her Royal Highness at Clarence House. A film of the visit ‘Duchess of Cornwall in Steeple Ashton’ is available to view on YouTube. Valerie Laverick, Wiltshire Guild

The Tawe Guild turned 30 this year and the chairman set members a challenge to incorporate sweetpeas and pearls, the symbols of a 30th anniversary celebration, into a handmade item. What challenge is your Guild setting its members? Please send your Guild newsletter to Talitha Clarke, 5 Owen Street, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 8JY or email: highlights@thejournalforwsd. org.uk

Association News Compiled by Talitha Clarke

From the Chair

Postscript

This short message is just by way of a brief hello from me as the new Chair of the Association. First, may I thank Peter Penneck, the outgoing Chair, for his hard work and dedication to the Association over many years and fulfilling many roles. I wish Peter a very happy retirement from the running of the Association with much more time to devote to the craft activities that he loves and has done so much to support. Thank you also to all the other outgoing members – Trudi Thompson as Vice Chair, Joy Macmillan as Vice President and Jo Onions for her work in preparing the online successor to the Guild guidelines previously issued on CD. A warm welcome goes to Talitha Clarke from Somerset Guild, who was newly elected to the GPC at the AGM and who succeeds me in compiling Association News and Guild Highlights. I am delighted and honoured to take on the important role of Chair, and I hope that the Association can continue to deliver the quality events that we have enjoyed in the recent past, such as summer schools, conferences and exhibitions, to say nothing of the wonderful Journal you are reading right now. My time on the GPC so far has given me some insight into the advance planning and the not inconsiderable amount of volunteer effort that is necessary to make these activities a success. Equally, there is a tremendous buzz to be had from contributing to a success, and I know the whole team on the GPC, JEC and Guilds working on our behalf will be striving to deliver the very best for you that we can. The point of having a national association such as ours is to do things for the common good of all our Guilds, their members and prospective members on a scale that would be very difficult for an individual Guild, especially smaller ones. I hope that we can continue to achieve more as a whole than from the sum of our parts. We do still have a number of vacancies on the GPC, and if you would like to find out more – without committing yourself – about whether you can contribute in some way, do please let anyone on the GPC know. I shall be around at the end of Summer School or just drop me an email to Chair@wsd.org.uk

I have just heard the extremely sad news of the sudden and unexpected death of Marie Therese Horne, currently serving as Advertising Manager for the Journal. I had only known Marie for about a year but found her a lovely person – hard-working, organised and very easy to get on with. On behalf of the Association, I should like to express our sincere condolences to her family and friends – I know that she will be deeply missed as a friend and colleague by everyone on the Journal Editorial Committee.

Brenda Gibson

2012 Exhibition The 2012 exhibition will be held between 14 and 29 July at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester PO18 0EU. The museum has worked alongside Steve Kennett and Angela Colbridge to hold the exhibition for two weeks either side of the Rare Breeds Show. This will not only show the public the various breeds, particularly sheep, but will also illustrate what can ultimately be produced. Also we will be able to reach a much wider audience, showing them our many crafts and skills. Steve and Angela are keen to give advance notice of the exhibition and what they have in mind, so that individuals and groups are given plenty of time to create potential entries. The exhibition will comprise two parts, selected work and non-selected work. These are briefly described below. Selected work There will be no set theme. While entries will again be by photograph, we will be asking for a small sample piece of the work or materials to be attached to the photograph. We feel this will help the selection process for everyone, but also means we shall have a ‘feeling piece’ to go alongside the work for visitors to handle. Group entries will be accepted, so if a team, large or small, is working on a tapestry, for example, or a spinner, a weaver or knitter are working together, then their entries will be welcome, too. Non-selected work Guild members will be able to submit work that fits within a six-inch ring. Everything submitted will be hung together, in a special section for everyone’s enjoyment. It can be spun,

woven, dyed, knitted, crotcheted, felted or in any combination of these and perhaps in conjunction with other techniques. Timetable and entry forms will be released next year. In the meantime the museum website is www.wealddown.co.uk Angela Colbridge – angela.colbridge@tiscali.co.uk Steve Kennett – steve@profact.co.uk Exhibition Organisers

Conference 2012 York and District Guild are pleased to invite Guild members from all over the country to the next Conference in 2012. It will be held at the University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD from Friday 30 March until Sunday 1 April. The AGM will take place on Saturday 31 March. The Conference title is Outside the Circle. Why that title you may wonder? Well for a start most of York & District’s members live outside the circle of York City walls, many having round trips to Guild meetings of over 100 miles, but also we have chosen our speakers because their work is outside the normal circle of work produced by Guild members. We are hoping that they will encourage us all to widen our horizons and look beyond what we usually produce and by continuing with the good practice of our traditional skills bring hand produced textiles of all shapes and sizes well into the twenty first century. York University is a self contained campus site with rather a nice lake that we can sit beside if the weather is suitable. It is easily reached by road or

rail; a bus from the railway station will drop you off opposite Vanburgh College where the Conference will be held and where we will be accommodated in en-suite single rooms. Please see the advertisement for contact details and application forms. Dot Seddon

Heritage Crafts Association The Heritage Crafts Association has held two events this year, the Spring Conference 19 March and a skills forum 11 May. Dot Seddon attended both and spoke about the conference at the AGWSD AGM in April. The Heritage Crafts Association was established in 2009 by a group of craftspeople concerned about the loss of their craft skills. They believe that their association will support the knowledge and techniques that have been passed down through generations and that these skills are an important part of our country’s cultural heritage. The aim is to bring all crafts together, from rake makers to bespoke tailors. The President is HRH The Prince of Wales and there are four patrons; Sir Mark Jones KBE, Director of the V&A; Alex Langlands, archaeologist and TV presenter; Roy Brigden, Keeper of the Museum of Rural Life and Professor Ted Collins, Emeritus Professor at the University of Reading, rural and agricultural historian. At the Spring Conference it was stressed that the HCA are striving to gain more respect, acceptance and understanding

The Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers www.wsd.org.uk

Registered Charity No 289590

President: Sheila Smith, Life President: Paddy Bakker Vice Presidents: Dot Seddon, Joy Macmillan, Hilary Turner

Please address Association correspondence to acting Secretary: Sarah Williams, 74 Norfolk Road, Sheffield, S2 2SY email: secretary@wsd.org.uk General Purposes Committee Chairman: Brenda Gibson, London, 20 Airedale Road, London SW12 8SF

Hon. Treasurer: Jenifer Midgley, London 86 St Margaret’s Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 2LP

Steve Kennett, East Sussex Angela Colbridge, Durham Stuart Groom, Derbyshire Irene Taylder, East Sussex Talitha Clarke, Somerset Rosie Dearling, Lincolnshire

Aims

•

To encourage and maintain integrity and excellence of craftsmanship.

•

To encourage a sense of beauty of material, texture, colour and design.

•

To foster these aims for individuals through the Certificate of Achievement.

•

To promote opportunities for exchange of information through lectures, library facilities, conferences, and exhibitions, both locally and nationally.

•

To further co-operation between member Guilds and liaise with other guilds and societies with like aims.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Exhibition and Conference Reviews Compiled by Norah Ball of the craft sector in this country and to influence the education system to enable a more accessible, practical and hands-on method of learning and teaching skills. The skills forum was held at the Chelsea College of Art and Design and the main aim was to gather many varied craftspeople together and discuss issues and needs connected to craft skills training and how they could be addressed. Over 100 delegates attended all with varied skills, feltmakers and charcoal burners among them. It was reported back to the Association that the suggestion that was highlighted the most was that practical craft skills should be taught in schools from an early age and that these should continue into secondary school. It was hoped that through this children and parents would gain a respect and understanding of what it means to make something with your own hands. Guilds and individuals can become ‘friends’ of the HCA, £24 for Guilds and £12 for individuals. To find out more about this association go to www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

Summer School As this is being written this year’s Summer School is not far off, yet by the time this is read it will have ended! A lot of hard work has gone into the organisation of this and it is hoped that all attendees have enjoyed themselves and relished the time and skills that they have learnt. There will be a full report of Summer School 2011, with illustrations, in the next issue of the Journal. Please remember that attendees of Summer School are able to apply for a Bursary. If you would like further information about the Bursary your Guild secretary will have the details and criteria.

Guild Highlights There has been a re-shuffle in the committee and Talitha Clarke will now be compiling the Guild Highlights and Association News. Please send your Guild newsletters (hard copy) to Talitha Clarke, 5 Owen Street, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 8JY. If you prefer to send your newsletter via email, you can continue to use the same email address: highlights@the journalforwsd.org.uk

A Quiet Intervention Dawyck Botanic Gardens, Scottish Borders 1 February –1 May 2011 ‘At first glance nature may seem confused but certainly pattern exists’ (anon.). Anna S. King’s exhibition at Dawyck Botanic Gardens, without doubt validated this statement. Anna is an internationally known, Edinburgh-based textile artist and Dawyck, one of the world’s finest arboreta. During the winter of 2009-2010, Anna had collected discarded materials from the plants and trees together with the gardener’s prunings and tidying. She had transformed these waste materials, which most of us would throw away, and an inspired metamorphosis had given them new life and made them into things of beauty. To quote the handout accompanying the exhibition, ‘She creates with a humility which is paradoxically highly skilled but outwardly simple. Guided by her own perceptions she has carried forward these handed-down traditions and reinterpreted those skills into something simple and enigmatic’. Pride of place on one wall was The Nine which comprised nine small tapestries each of which had a panel of hand-twisted threads made from materials including grasses, iris leaves, lime, birch, and hair moss. These threads were as even as conventional threads and so the panels were as precise as all Anna’s conventional weaving. On the other walls were framed pieces using a variety of materials such as seeds, fragments of leaves, twigs, and feathers. Who else would have thought of collecting small red and green acer seeds and arranging each colour into a pattern resulting in an elegant display? Even pressed daisy heads were arranged as a heart entitled I Love Daisies. In addition, there were boxes containing Anna’s signature minute baskets and delightful arrangements of small bunches of twigs and feathers. I loved them all. How does Anna get such original ideas? To help answer this question there were examples of her sketchbooks and letters, and relevant quotations were incorporated on the descriptive labels of individual items. To remind everyone of the scenery outside in the gardens,

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Anna had a wide selection of mounted photographs for sale. After seeing this stimulating exhibition of 24 pieces in the Studio at Dawyck, I will never see garden discards in the same way, and agree with Schiller that ‘When nature conquers, Art must then give way’. Susan Morgan-Jones, Edinburgh Guild

See Diary p.45 for additional dates in Stranraer

Above: Twigs – found garden material (twigs of various species) wrapped with cotton string, linen, silk, metallic and paper threads, pine needles Photos: Shannon Tofts

Below: Terpsichore – cotton warp, wefts of wool, silk, cotton, linen, acrylic and metallic yarns, feature panel of tilia (lime) bast

ISEND 2011 Europe (International Symposium and Exhibition of Natural Dyes) La Rochelle, France 25 – 30 April 2011 There are probably as many views of ISEND 2011 as there were delegates – about 450 I understand. Topics were covered in over 80 papers and varied from scientific investigations of ancient textiles to commercial production of dyes for industry and traditional dyeing techniques, such as the indigo dyeing of the Naga tribes from India. I had attended Colour Congress in the USA in 2002. A different and encouraging theme at ISEND was the number of reports of natural dyeing being revived where it had died out or failed. These included Lanzarote, where cochineal production has resumed and Bangladesh, where the indigo production had languished because of its associations with colonial oppression. Other topics I found really interesting included papers on sustainable dyeing processes using renewable resources and the use of natural dyes and paints by artists with learning disabilities. There were so many presentations that many have blurred in my memory. The talks in the well-lit and comfortable auditorium ran from 9 am to mid afternoon. Each lasted 10 minutes and timekeeping was strictly controlled. The conference was in French and English with a simultaneous

Mapping the Future: Where are you now? Textile Forum South West Conference 26 March 2011 Textile Forum South West is a contemporary ‘textile hub’ for the South West. Around 60 stitchers, felters, weavers and textile artists gathered together at the Taunton Conference Centre for an important networking opportunity. During the day seven speakers gave a series of thought provoking, stimulating lectures, delivering their own interpretation of mapping from an artistic viewpoint. The first speaker was Peter Merrett, a land surveyor, who uses sophisticated GPS satellite technology to make maps. His talk interlaced the political and

translation, although the translator had problems with the technical terms and working with speakers of heavily-accented French. The talks were immediately followed by the workshops/ demonstrations. There were many fabulous trade stalls. Papers in the form of posters were also displayed adjacent to the trade stalls. After the sessions in the main auditorium were over, questions could be asked of the authors. Although the workshops were fascinating, many were extremely frustrating. Often, by the time I limped from the auditorium (and had a loo break) they were thronged. As a 4 feet 10 inches woman I found it difficult to see what was going on. The conference was generally well organised and it was baffling that the workshops were so illmanaged. I found it hugely disappointing that I only once managed to be at the start of a demonstration and follow it through to the end. By midweek I felt that a rift was opening between academics, scientists and commercial producers excited by the prospect of industry-based natural dyeing and standardisation of production, and the concerns and interests of the artisan dyers such as myself. We were perhaps more biased towards the artistic and organic side and discussed our concerns about a loss of individuality in commerciallyproduced natural dyes. This was echoed by speakers later in the week who produced one-off, unique fabrics. There were

similar anxieties about the environmental consequences of growing dyes in areas where food growing might be threatened, or harvesting plants in the wild where this might threaten the species. In the closing hours of the conference there was a general frustration amongst delegates that there should have been a more productive feedback session, and my own hopes of learning more from the workshops were greatly disappointed. I was particularly sad to miss out on the safflower workshop. The conference finished with a wonderful seafood-based gala dinner followed by relaxed and flowing circle dancing which

seemed to manage itself almost organically – appropriately for natural dyers.

economic realities of map making with the beauty of laser and digital aerial imagery. This was an unusual and informative talk, which highlighted an incredible and large resource for finding design inspiration. Dr. Hilary Turner then took the delegates back 400 years in her enthusiastic description of Ralph Sheldon’s Tapestry Maps woven around 1590. These beautiful, detailed woven maps of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire also demonstrated that maps were usually made to show wealth and power. These woven maps increased this influence by the use of pattern, colour and skilled weave artistry. The next three speakers were all hands-on makers:–

Dawn Mason described the experimental stitching journey she was taking with the Stitching and Thinking Group at the University of the West of England. This is a splinter group from the core textile art courses at the University, which encourages research and networking. An exhibition of stitched work by this group was on display, which delightfully augmented her very emotional experiences. Kirsty Hall focused on giving detailed information of how makers could navigate the internet to reach their allimportant audience. Liz Harding took members on her journey into her local landscape showing how she developed and recorded her visual inspiration through stitch and paint on cotton organdie.

This talk was a very personal and gentle piece of map making. Following this, Suze Adams gave a poetic, professional performance of the intimate thoughts and sounds generated while researching her family’s history on the Isle of Mull. By 3.30 pm we delegates had absorbed an enormous amount of material to stimulate and inspire us. Could we take in any more? Fortunately Dail Behennah, the keynote speaker, rose to the occasion. Dail constructs vessels and other forms by pinning or stitching together layers of willow grids. Her work is often inspired by landscape. Her delivery was calm, measured, funny, professional and inspirational. A true climax for a thoroughly stimulating day spent

Gasali Adeyemo (Nigeria) explains Yoruba techniques of adire dyeing. Photo: Isabella Whitworth

Helen Melvin, Online Guild

Editor’s Note: Helen Melvin’s review of ISEND at La Rochelle offers a glimpse of an important international event for natural dyes and dyers. It was attended by many Guild members from the UK and abroad. The Journal is planning to include some of the thoughts and experiences of members who attended practical dyeing workshops or who made useful connections at ISEND. These will appear in future issues of the Journal. The ISEND website is still very much ‘live’ and contains some fascinating video clips. www.isend2011.com

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

amongst enthusiastic textile artists. There was little in this conference directly related to modern weave design though the beauty of the digital imagery shown by Peter Merrett (see right) will certainly influence my personal work in the future and Kirsty Hall has encouraged me to be more savvy with the internet. For more information about Textile Forum South West visit: www.tfsw.org Janet Phillips, Online Guild & London Guild www.janetphillips-weaving.co.uk

Editor’s note: Further digital imagery can be seen at www.merrettsurvey.com or www.lidar.co.uk The website: www.tapestriescalledsheldon.info has links to the Warwickshire tapestry and other images. More information on the map tapestries in general is available through Dr Turner’s publication No Mean Prospect: Ralph Sheldon's Tapestry Maps. Available by direct order through Plotwood Press (2010), plotwood@plotwood.org.uk

Greenland. Aerial Photography merged with aerial laser survey (Lidar) to generate a 3D view of a fjord in Greenland.Contours are overlaid. Source: Merrett Survey Partnership

Northweave: The British Tapestry Group Platform Gallery, Clitheroe 12 March – 23 April 2011 In a bright space once used by passengers on Dales train journeys, the Platform Gallery hosted this accessible exhibition (with associated workshop and

Firemarks by Margaret Crowther Paper yarns, sisal, oil paint and woodstain; woven, looped, knotted, stained. Dimensions: height 1.04 m, width 2.24 m, depth 0.18 m Photo: Janet Clark

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

demonstrations) that took the viewer on another kind of journey – one that revealed a snapshot of contemporary tapestry weaving. The British Tapestry Group, which has a growing national and international membership, promotes the art of tapestry weaving and provides a support

network and exhibiting opportunities for tapestry weavers. It increases awareness of the process and scope of tapestry, brings this work to a wider audience and promotes its development. All these aims were achieved in this exhibition, a regional initiative by 17 of its northern members.

Here were textile artists who demonstrated a variety of experience as well as different approaches to materials, processes and ideas. The works embraced both fine art and craft traditions, with many artists citing influences from inherited traditions as part of the trajectory of their work. For such an eclectic show, the works were often linked conceptually and intellectually rather than formally. Many strongly expressed and coherent pieces celebrated landscape and the natural world, notably Shirley Ross’ Arizona Quartet, a large scale series demonstrating mastery of rhythm, colour and line, and Margaret Crowther’s vibrant 3D pieces (see p.38). These realise, using off loom techniques, the sculptural implications of fibre where concept and material are inextricable, as layered clusters of paper and sisal yarn create a dynamic tension between the stability of the plane and its extension into space. There was a strong element of emotion and playfulness in the diverse approaches to form, structure and material. Joyce Coulton’s use of colour in the brooding Workings packed a powerful punch into a small space, as did the textural quality and restrained palette in Pauline Fullam’s Pearl Moon. Chrissie Morgan’s innovative use of mohair in the weave of Joyce Grenfell diffused her subject, capturing its grainy, filmic quality.

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Alison Carthy’s Fetish series suggested the ways in which material objects convey cultural and historical meaning – the wrapping and knotting reminiscent of ancient Andean quipu, where knots are used as mnemonic devices and codes. In her work, a harmonious dialogue was created between yarn and other found elements, reflecting a respect for the materials irrespective of how they were used. As merits textile art that is the product of a slow and considered craft, the weavings in this exhibition gave up their secrets gradually, repaying close observation and detailed study. That they will circulate beyond the art gallery was suggested by evidence of works on sale and already sold. Gwyneth Hunt, Eden Valley Guild

More information about the British Tapestry Group and the Platform Gallery can be found at the following websites www.thebritishtapestrygroup. co.uk and www.ribblevalley.gov. uk/platformgallery

Workings by Joyce Coulton ‘The subject came about as a result of the sudden collapse of an ancient mineshaft under our house three years ago, and our subsequent experiences.’ 15cm x 12cm, embroidery silk Photo: Joyce Coulton

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Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Lancs & Lakes Guild Spinning Yarns – Weaving Dreams Exhibition at The Green Room, Barton Grange Garden Centre, Preston 1 – 8 May 2011 This excellent exhibition was in a well-lit room with plenty of space for visitors to circulate. A catalogue described the pieces and it was good to see beginners’ work proudly identified. A garden centre location meant that some chance visitors had little or no knowledge about textiles, so it was thoughtful to include informative displays. Demonstrations of spinning and weaving and the presence of cheerful and helpful stewards ensured that visitors could gain a better appreciation of the history and practical application of textile skills. I was pleased to see information about British sheep breeds together with a small display of handspun yarns dyed using natural dyes. Where space allows, I think this is a feature that might usefully be expanded at exhibitions to instruct and inspire others to experiment. Continuing an educational theme, The Kendal Pattern Book, 1769, was the subject of a major project for the Guild’s jubilee year. Rescued from a skip it provides an insight into the life, times and economies of eighteenth century Kendal and its textile industry. Analysis and reproduction of

Above: Handspun and dyed yarn skeins in various fibres Photos: Norah Ball

samples, the manufacture of garments using the cloth and associated history boards were a tribute to Kendal’s woollen history and the talents of this Guild. Subject to funding, the Guild hopes to publish detailed information about the weave structures analysed. With over 100 pieces of work displayed, it is hard to pick out examples to mention. Handspun and dyed yarns were often used and dyed and spun skeins in various fibres took their place proudly among exhibits on the tables.

Beginner Ailsa Shore’s woollen blanket in plain weave was a credit to her. Knitted items included Angela Blowes’ shawl in spindle-spun bamboo and merino tops. In a more unusual technique, at least to me, Maeve Conolly had produced a scarf in Solomon’s knot crochet using handspun rainbow dyed silk tops. The quirky found its place in Sheila Phillips’ contribution I ran out of paper. A ‘painting’ worked in tapestry was displayed with a palette where paint and brushes were the handspun and dyed

Wensleydale wool in which the tapestry was worked. Last, but not least, the Guild’s Recycling Challenge brought forth a wealth of ideas. For example Susan Head used individual warp ends as weft to create ready-fringed cushions and Liz Hampton Yates even found a use for rolled up colour supplements as the weft in her pot stands! Just the sort of inspiration we need for using up all those bits and bobs good craftspeople squirrel away – in case one day they might be needed. Norah Ball, Online Guild

Left: Sheila Phillips’ tapestry weaving I ran out of paper and Painting

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Below: Ailsa Shore’s woollen blanket in plain weave

Typical scene at The World Textile Weekend

Top: Scooter coat – day Above: Scooter coat – night

Photo: Dawn Willey

Photos supplied by Dashing Tweeds

Stroud International Textile Festival Stroud and district, Gloucestershire 30 April – 22 May 2011 Stroud International Textile Festival, presented by Stroud International Textiles (SIT), now in its sixth year, was a ‘celebration of textiles from traditional to contemporary’. This statement by Festival Director Lizzie Walton was reflected in a dazzling variety of events, exhibitions, talks and workshops held in a diverse range of locations in and around Stroud; a town that has its own proud textile heritage. Embracing museums, colleges, textile groups, individual artists, weavers, academics, textile collectors and more, there was something to interest and inspire, stimulate thought and creativity in every textile enthusiast. Each of the Festival components could be the subject of a review in its own right. The Museum in the Park was disability friendly and staff were friendly and helpful. Free parking was available nearby. A modern, airy gallery housed the exhibition Word Play. Sue Hiley Harris’ woven sculptures Crag and Square Ends and a showcase presentation of Jane Edgar’s post war printed and woven textiles were located within the foyer. The museum’s Gallery 2 provided a suitable environment for many of the talks presented during the festival. Weaver Lesley Millar spoke on the subject ‘Transparent Boundaries’. Whilst describing her current exhibition project she highlighted aspects of space; textural and personal, shapes and shadows. She encouraged her audience to be aware of space in their work and life.

The Textile Trail Open Studios weekend enabled the visitor to see a variety of artists at home in their studios. Clear directions in the free commemorative Textile Trail Booklet, containing superb photographs of each participant and their studio, meant they were easy to find. I and many fellow weavers enjoyed our informative peek into Tim Parry Williams’ weaving studio where his four-shaft counterbalance ‘workhorse’ is kept busy. We also saw some fine prototype fabric samples that featured later in his fascinating and thoughtful talk, ‘Developing a Fashion Fabrics Collection’. Illustrated with plentiful images, reels of yarn and fabric samples having exquisite drape and texture, this was the first of a symposium of talks presented the following weekend by members of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen. A World Textile Weekend directed by hand-dyer Polly Lyster at Bisley Village Hall gave an opportunity to see, touch and purchase beautiful and fascinating world textiles, not to mention the opportunity to speak to their enthusiastic and knowledgeable collectors. The Seminar Day of talks drew many weavers. The cumulative effect of the information presented left a lot to reflect on; not only about how it could be applied to your own practice but especially how the the challenge of being a professional handweaver is being met by contemporary practitioners. Each speaker referred to the terror and stimulation of applying their weave skills to fields they had never considered before. Interestingly most of the speakers had not set out to become weavers; it was only when in a weave studio with an array of

yarns before them and a shuttle in their hand, did they become ‘hooked’ as the realisation of the endless possibilities of weave struck them! Dawn Willey, New Forest and Online Guilds with contributions from Jinty Knowling Lentier, Online Guild

In the following review, weaver Stacey Harvey-Brown, Online Guild, shares her impression of the Seminar Day ‘Off the Loom: Woven Explorations and Applications in Art, Science and Industry’. Laura Thomas gathered four weavers to give presentations to an audience of weavers drawn from the fields of design, academia, enthusiast and craft. After her introduction Laura talked about her work, especially the use of acrylic resin for which she is probably best known. Maybe not so well known is her double cloth ‘blanket’ design work for Melin Tregwynt, a well known weaving mill in Wales, and the work that she is doing as Artist in Residence at the Ruthin Craft Centre. Her first invited speaker was Asha Peta Thompson, a bubbly lady with a lovely self-deprecating sense of humour and obvious enjoyment, understanding and imagination in her work. What started out as a Masters project developing multi-sensorial pieces for special educational needs in line with the National Curriculum, has grown in many diverse ways. Asha is co-founder of Intelligent Textiles, a company that has developed soft switching. This revolutionary process involves weaving electronic circuit cables into fabrics to facilitate the operation of electronics and data management systems. The company works closely with several military departments both in the UK and beyond, looking to reduce the burden of weight and

ease of equipment usage for on-the-ground soldiers in the battlefield. Kirsty McDougall told us that she originally came from the Outer Hebrides and tried to move away from her tweed heritage. After leaving university (Duncan of Jordanstone) and taking her MA at the RCA she worked as a Jacquard designer for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Biba, and Jaeger. Now she is the weaving half of Dashing Tweeds, the company that gives a contemporary twist to bespoke men’s tweeds with amazing colour-ways, unusual yarns (including reflective) and a sense of fun. It seems she was destined to come back to tweed to revamp and revolutionise it! Kirsty was followed by Melissa French one of the Puff & Flock collective created by members of Central St Martin’s Textiles Future MA programme. Melissa first talked about her intriguing MA project exploring the partial upholstering of outdoor furniture using cotton warps with silver, iron and copper wefts, then about the creation and development of Puff & Flock. The final speaker was Ptolemy Mann. Ptolemy is well known for her ikat-woven pieces with their jewel colour fields. Recently she has been working on a series of Monoliths, but arriving hotfoot from Collect she talked mainly about the colour consultancy work she does with architects and how that is closely related to her weaving. It was clear from the very professional appearance of all the design work that Ptolemy is an expert in putting her ideas across and she speaks the language of the architects, which is the only way that such strides are made in public works. A fascinating day with much food for thought for the audience and speakers alike.

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Book Reviews Compiled by Dawn Willey

Colours of the Oasis Central Asian Ikats Sumru Belger Krody The Textile Museum Washington DC ISBN 978 0 87405 034 9 £83 A magnificent exhibition is touring the United States; now finished in Washington, it is going to Seattle, then Houston in 2012 – not London, alas. It displays the collection – donated to the Textile Museum – of nineteenth century silk ikat robes collected with uncommon flair by Murad Megalli, who unfortunately died earlier this year in a plane accident. This exhibition publication is much more than a catalogue: a splendid gallery of images almost as arresting as the actual objects. The large square format allows the full-spread robes to fly on the page, with a smaller front view revealing a peep of its Russian lining. Information on Central Asian ikats is still sparse, but sections of this volume investigate history, costume, pattern symbolism, colours and dyes, with also an unusually detailed study of garment construction. There is a fascinating chapter on the Russian printed fabrics which made up the majority of the robes’ linings. Ikat weaving is being revived in Uzbekistan and a couple of research visits by a group of American ethnologists and curators is related in an up-todate article. Of enormous interest to an ikat weaver like myself, it remains, nevertheless, as frustrating as many other accounts. The picturesque photographs of girls weaving velvet ikat, of men and boys tying and untying silk warps give away little of the actual methods of working, while the text too leaves a lot unsaid. But this is not of course a manual for makers.

The catalogue proper is exemplary, with a small image for each item, and detailed analyses of yarns, structures, dimensions, colours, epi and ppi, even type of edge finishing. There is an extensive bibliography on textiles and on Central Asian history, a glossary and an index. The Appendix is of extraordinary interest. Fifteen silk ikat curtain lengths from the collection of 45 owned by the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul are pictured here. They are spectacular. As diplomatic gifts from the Emirate of Bukhara to the Ottoman court, they would naturally have been the very best, whereas collectors have to make do with what has survived. Slightly marred by the lack of conservation, they seem to have been kept folded; these images represent the height of perfection of the technical skill of nineteenth century ikat weavers. Claude Delmas, London Guild

a proper spine – so you can read the title on your bookshelf. The title indicates this is not a beginner’s book. For that, go to Julie’s 2006 book Ply-Split Braiding, an Introduction... or attend a course to learn how to make the tightly plied cords with which you will work. Having learnt that, and the basic method of ply-splitting, you will find inspiration and instruction on every page. The techniques of Ply-Split Darning (PSD), Single Course Oblique Twining (SCOT), Plain Oblique Twining (POT) and my favourite, POT-holes, are all covered. You are shown the effect of multi-coloured cords, of combining thick and thin cords, and making decorative edgings, curves, tubes, loops, all of which stimulate your imagination. There are helpful tips and hints throughout and full instructions for a few projects; this is a book to get your creative juices flowing. Many Guild members do not just weave, spin or dye; we explore other techniques to use in conjunction with our core crafts and using this book will surely lead us on further journeys. Veronica Johnston, London Guild

geographical corridor extending from Moorish Spain to India, China and Indonesia, including the Balkans and the Arab world, and south to West and East Africa. The text for each region is clear and informative about materials and techniques without being didactic, giving the local names of costumes and fabrics. The brief summary of its complex political history is both accessible and memorable. For each section a special mention is made of the present state of textile making as observed by the author: a unique insight, often more optimistic than one might fear. The quality of the layout and the images is superb. The large format shows off colours and details of weave or stitching. The book cover itself, with its spread of Persian tulips, resembles a fabric. The abstract beauty of the textiles, many displayed full page, is enlivened throughout by old photographs and postcards of people from that region wearing local costumes. As a rule, the illustrations are special, unusual, sometimes intriguing, and relate directly to the text. There is much to learn about the people and their fabrics and the book is a delight renewed each time one opens it. Claude Delmas, London Guild

Ply-Split Braiding – Further Techniques Julie Hedges Julie Hedges Books ISBN 13: 978 0 9554187 1 6 £20.00 If I could sum up this book in two words, they would be ‘practical’ and ‘inspirational’. From the moment you pick it up, you see a practical mind at work. The pages are clearly laid out, with excellent diagrams, drawings and charts, and good close-up photographs of details. Gallery pages show complete pieces, worked by Julie and other makers as well as ethnographic examples. The 80 A4 pages are spiral-bound, so they lie neatly flat in use and a clever arrangement of the cover reveals

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Textiles of the Islamic World John Gillow Thames and Hudson ISBN 978 0 500 51527 3 £45 This is a dauntingly vast area to survey for anyone but John Gillow, with his extensive knowledge gained over decades of textile travels and whose ‘pathways criss-cross the world of Islam’, as he writes in his quite personal Foreword. After a general introduction, the book covers, region by region, a wide

Wild Colour – How to Grow, Prepare and use Natural Plant Dyes Jenny Dean Revised Edition 2010 Octopus Publishing ISBN 9 781845 336594 £12.99 I counted the dye books on my shelf and, give or take a few, I have 35, and some are barely glanced at while a few are well thumbed. Jenny Dean's Wild

Colour belongs to this latter category as I regularly turn to it to refresh my memory. When I was a fairly new dyer, the first edition was much used by me, this current edition is a much waited-for reprint. It was as a result of Jenny Dean’s book that I first became fired with the idea of growing a dye garden. Now, some 20 years into natural dyeing, I turn to it maybe not so much for the excellent introduction or the careful explanation of colour modification, but for useful facts such as what weight of sumac leaves to use when mordanting, or exact quantities to use when making copper sulphate modifier. This year I am growing safflower and St John’s wort which are more complex to use so I will refer to the excellent and comprehensive section on growing and using the 71 dye plants covered. Re-reading the opening sections of natural dyes through history and around the world was a pleasure too. This is a book which can take a new dyer through all the basics and go on providing useful information for even experienced dyers. I always recommend it to my students, as in my opinion no artisan dyer should be without it. Helen Melvin, Online Guild

woven or twined fibres. The author initially details the varied components of fabric structures – their material (natural or manmade) and then fibre structure – single, combined, plied etc. This sets the scene for the main study of the book, how fabrics are formed from these components. Starting with the most basic method, felting, the study moves through increasing the number of elements or sets of elements via looping, interlacing, twining and then onto weaving, from the simplest plain weaves through to a full study of compound weaves. A section on embellishments to fabrics, stitches and additional structures, completes this very thorough work. There is an extensive bibliography and an equally detailed index. The clear close-up photographs are a particular strength of this book and enable the reader to easily understand all the structures explained in the text. It is essential reading for textile students’, but also very accessible for amateur weavers who like to understand and explore how warp and weft work together to form distinct fabric characteristics. There is also much of interest to other crafts including basketry, macramé, knitting and crochet. A very worthwhile investment! Christina Chisholm, Online Guild

to experiment with most ideas presented in the book. However, I felt beginners might be fazed without some previous experience. Lacemakers are encouraged to explore creatively a variety of standard grids and special ‘expressive’ grids created to fit, literally, the design’s subject matter. Judicious ‘bending of the rules’ is encouraged. The design process encompasses yarns – not just the fine cottons or linens traditionally used – but practically any kind and colour of thread you can envisage. Although, as the title indicates, this is a book on contemporary lacemaking it contains much to interest non-lacemakers, from design approaches to colour and patterning. Spinners and weavers can learn how to ‘Tex’ their yarns. Dyers will be interested to discover an indigo vat recipe requiring dates. I was delighted that a friend’s scarf using natural coloured fleece had been included, though disappointed that the photo does not show its detail. A resources section contains detailed yarn comparison tables. The yarn suppliers are helpfully included too. Lacemaking spinners and dyers wishing to expand their designing techniques will find the book an invaluable resource. Ann Baseden, Dorset Guild

DVD

From the first few minutes of watching this well-presented DVD it is clear that Deborah Robson, a previous editor of Spin-Off magazine, is both a very knowledgeable rare-breeds enthusiast and an extremely skilled spinner. The information she presents is succinct, well organised and filmed, from the initial explanation of the definition of rare breeds in the UK and North America and discussion of wool preparation equipment to a very thorough but unhurried consideration of 38 different breeds of sheep, principally from the UK. The history and original location of each breed, its fleece characteristics and how it could best be sorted, prepared for spinning and what end purposes the yarn might be most suitable for are covered. Samples of each fleece are discussed prior to demonstrations of the most suitable preparation techniques (mainly using wool combs, for which Deborah confesses a preference, but also carders) and examination of finished yarns and finished projects. Explanations are very clear and encourage you to consider and tryout different methods. A huge amount of relevant information is fitted into the three hour plus running time. Spinners of all standards who are enthusiastic about spinning fleece from different breeds will find much inspiration as well as instruction – it is like attending a really good demonstration which you can watch over and over again. My enthusiasm for experimenting with different fleeces has been greatly rekindled! Christina Chisholm, Online Guild

Please Note The Association Librarian asks that if you are interested in borrowing a particular book, especially one that has been featured in book reviews recently, that you please check its availability before request. The up-to-date library index can be found on the Association of Guilds of WSD, website www.wsd.org

Contemporary Lace for You

The Primary Structures of Fabrics Irene Emery Thames & Hudson ISBN 978 0 500 28802 3 £24.95 This is a substantial and detailed reference work, now available in paperback. First published in 1966, it is already a well established classic in hardback. The contents are arranged in a logical sequence and it is easy to find details of any one aspect of

Jane Atkinson Webfoot Books in association with inTAtex ISBN 978 0 9551512 1 7 £25 This is a ‘feel good’ book in craft terms. It certainly makes me wish I hadn't handed on my lace pillow and bobbins. Plentiful full-page photographs of Jane Atkinson’s contemporary lace work add to this soft covered book’s beauty. They were taken on location in Dorset by David Bird. The introduction reassures that only a basic knowledge of torchon lacemaking is needed

Handspinning Rare Wools: How to spin them, why we should care Deborah Robson Interweave Press DVD ISBN 9781596684645 $34.95 Video Download Item#: EP2458 $29.95

Please send Book Reviews to: Dawn Willey, email: bookreviews@thejournalfor wsd.org.uk

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Diary Compiled by Norah Ball

• 7 May to 29 August 2011

Celebrations and Made in Yorkshire – York Exhibits from the Quilters Guild collection and the work of Yorkshire based quilters. Venue: The Quilt Museum, St Anthony’s Hall, Peasholme Green, York YO1 PW. Open: Mon to Sat 10am – 4pm. Visit www.quiltmuseum.org.uk or telephone 01904 613242

• 20 May to 22 October 2011

Tommy Nutter: the Rebel on the Row – London A range of suits showing the development of the Nutter style and his contribution to Savile Row and looking at his place within the social context of the 60s to the 90s. Venue: The Fashion and Textiles Museum, 83 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XF. Tues to Sat 11am – 6pm. £7 or £4 concessions. Visit www.ftmlondon.org or telephone 0207 4078664

•

18 June to 4 September 2011

Retrospective exhibition of Jilly Edwards – Denbighshire This exhibition will show the inspiration, development, work and adventures through nearly 40 years of Jilly’s woven tapestry. Venue: Ruthin Craft Centre, Park Road, Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 1BB. Open daily 10am – 5.30pm. Visit www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk or telephone 01824 704774

display to illustrate techniques used in historical pieces created with natural dyes and mordants. Venue: Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh. Open daily 10.30am – 5.30pm. Visit www.eif.co.uk/heirlooms

• 20 to 21 August 2011

FibreFest 2011 – Devon Stalls, exhibits, workshops and talks relating to natural fibres. Venue: Bicton College, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Devon EX9 7BY. Preferential rates for tickets in advance. Visit: www.fibrefest.co.uk info@fibrefest.co.uk or telephone 01884 881234

• 20 August to 24 September 2011

From Quilts to Couture in Kyrgyzstan – Glasgow

Over 2000 amazing images displaying various processes. 4 makers in residence for a week conducting workshops in Shyrdak, Chiy weaving, and felting; they dye their own fleece/yarns. Venue: Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde 22 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XQ. Open Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat 12noon – 4pm

South Cheshire Branch of the Embroiderers Guild. Venue: Public Hall, Cheshire Street, Audlem, CW3 0AH 10am – 4pm. Free parking. Disabled access. Workshops, demonstrations and raffle. Admission £2.50, includes refreshments. For details telephone Carrie 01630 647977 or visit www.miniwebs.com/audlemembroiderersguild/

• 5 to 10 September 2011

Back to Basics – Bedfordshire To coincide with British Wool week, Bedfordshire Guild’s exhibition will show work from participants of their recent ‘Back to Basics’ workshop programme, run for new members, as well as pieces from their more experienced members. Venue: Priory House Heritage Centre, 33 High Street, Dunstable, Beds LU6 3RZ. Open: Mon to Sat 10am – 4pm. Admission free. Visit: www.bedfordshireguildwsd.co. uk/events or telephone 01582 890270

• 22 to 28 September 2011

Origin – London

Crafts Council Annual Exhibition during London Design Week. Open 11am – 7pm daily. Venue: Old Spitalfields Market, Brushfield St, London E1 6EW. Visit www.originuk.org or telephone 0207 7395561

• 24 to 25 September 2011

Masham Sheep Fair – North Yorks

• 3 September to 29 October 2011 The 10th anniversary exhibition by textile group By Design.

• 7 to 29 September 2011

How Times Have Changed

Traditional patchwork made by past and present members of the Traditional Quilt Group. Venue: Great Hall and Bailey Gallery, St Anthony’s Hall, Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PW. For more information telephone 01904 613242, email: info@quiltmuseum.org.uk or visit www.quiltmuseum.org.uk

• 3 September 2011

Work in ceramics by Halima Cassell and textiles by Seiko Kinoshita as part of the shape of things. Part of a national initiative supported by the Arts Council which contends that contemporary craft has a distinctive contribution to make to our understanding of cultural identity and heritage. Venue: Touchstones Rochdale, The Esplanade, Rochdale OL16 1AQ. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 5pm. Admission free. For information telephone 01706 924492 or visit www.link4life.org/touchstones

Exmoor Fleece Fair – Devon

• 4 August to 4 September 2011

British Wool Weekend – Yorkshire

An exhibition celebrating Indian and Javanese textiles (from the Jonathan Hope collection) from the late sixteenth to early twentieth centuries and their continuing influence on contemporary textile artists. Also, new work inspired by India, from Naomi Robertson, Deirdre Nelson and Sarah Sumsion. Demonstrations by a Jamdani weaver and a Kantha embroiderer. Plant materials and botanical books on

A showcase promoting British wool and farming, all aspects of wool production in the UK, related textile products and crafts. Venue: Hall 2, Yorkshire Event Centre, The Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate HG2 8PW. Open Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm. Entrance £8 adults, £7 concessions, £3 children. Reduced prices for advance booking. Contact June Onigbanjo 07790 391142. www.britishwool.net

Venue: across town from Glastonbury High Street to Glastonbury Tor. Events include Annual Sheep Run, grazing and penned animals, sheep dog trials, spinning and weaving demonstrations, sales stalls. Somerset Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers will take raw fleece to a finished shawl at the Town Hall. 9am – 4pm. No charge, donations welcome. Catering available. For details contact Patricia Ackroyd 01458 830971/07951 327754 or Carol.Mellish@btinternet.com

Fleece First: the wider world of wool – Devon

Highlighting quiltmaking in remote areas of Britain.

• 1 November to 23 December ‘11

2011 Heirlooms – Edinburgh

21st Anniversary Exhibition – Audlem

North Cheshire Guild exhibition of work including demonstrations. Venue: Knutsford Heritage Centre, 90A King Street, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6ED. Open daily (except Mondays) 11am – 4pm. Telephone 01565 650506

Quilts from the Isles

Juried exhibition of woven tapestry by UK and international members of the British Tapestry Group. Venue: Stables Gallery, Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham TW1 3DJ. Open: Tues to Sat 1pm – 5.30pm and Sun 2pm – 5.30pm (during July to Sept); Tues to Sat 1pm – 4.30pm and Sun 2pm – 4.30pm (for October). Visit www.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk or email britishtapestry@yahoo.com

Earth I Atmosphere

Glastonbury Wool Festival – Somerset

Strands2 – Cheshire

• 3 September to 23 December ‘11

• 7 July to 23 October 2011

• 9 July to 10 September 2011

• 22 to 25 September 2011

Venue: the small market town of Masham in Wensleydale. 10am to 4pm each day. Free events around town. Sheep, stalls, fleeces, crafts. Small entry fee to craft market. Visit www.mashamsheepfair.com

Three events at the Quilt Museum and Gallery – York

Structured

Woven Threads – London

• 5 September 2011

Venue: Kings Farm Machinery, Exebridge, Dulverton TA22 9BL. 11am – 3pm. A wide variety of local fleeces available, plus trade stands. See the Bowmont sheep that appeared on Savile Row. Farm machinery display. Refreshments available. For more details email lesley.prior@btopenworld.com or telephone 01398 351173

• 3 to 4 September 2011

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

• 6 to 24 September 2011

Wool Modern – London This will showcase the versatility of wool, celebrating its aesthetic, environmental and technical benefits. It will show all forms of application from fashion to technical and intelligent textiles, car interiors, safety needs, crafts and the built environment. There will be woolfocused installations by interior designers, artists and photographers alongside wool archives from fashion designers and one-off designer wool fashion items.Venue: La Galleria, Pall Mall, London. Visit: www.lagalleria.org

• 10 Sept to 5 November 2011

Inspired by Flora – Leek

Multi-disciplinary textile exhibition by Midlands Textile Forum, drawing on botanical inspiration. Venue: Nicholson Institute Gallery, Leek Central Library, Stockwell Street, Leek ST13 6DW. Mon to Sat 10am – 4pm. Free admission. Visit www.midlandstextileforum.com or contact Leek Tourist Information 01538 483741

• 17 Sept to 30 October 2011

Ancestor Bags – Halifax

Sue Hiley Harris’ hanging installation of 30 abstract woven sculptures, partly inspired by aboriginal string bags, each capturing coded characteristics of one of the artist’s British or Australian ancestors. Venue: Bankfield Museum, Ackroyd Park, Boothtown Road, Halifax, Yorkshire HX3 6HG. Tues to Sat 10am – 5pm; Sun 1pm – 4pm. Email bankfield.museum@calderdale.gov.uk or telephone 01422 354823 / 352334 or visit www.calderdale.gov.uk

• 24 Sept to 13 November 2011

Expertise in breeding sheep, processing wool and making textiles is linked inextricably to the history of the South West. Exhibition featuring work of contemporary and local textile makers whose raw material is wool; focusing on how makers select fleece depending on its intended purpose and showing how links between breeders, makers and industry can offer opportunities for the sustainable use of wool. Venue: The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AF. Open daily 10am – 5.30pm. Admission free. There will be associated workshops and events: check www.crafts.org.uk or telephone 01626 832223

• 1 to 2 October 2011

Felting weekend – West Yorkshire

A weekend of felting with native British fibres. An opportunity to make felted 3D items and explore surface decoration and texture. Led by Angela Barrow, there will be approximately 18 varieties of wool tops and some raw fleece to choose from. Venue: Bradley Village Hall, Lidget Road, Bradley BD20 9DS. 10am – 4pm each day. Attend one or both days. Cost £35 per day. Visit www.angelabarrow.co.uk/workshops.p hp for more information and to book.

• 2 October 2011

Textile Society’s Antique Textile Fair – London Venue: Chelsea Old Town Hall, London SW3 5EE. Open 10.30am – 4.30pm. £6 concessions: £4. Telephone 0207 359 7678 or visit www.textilesociety.org.uk

• 15 to 16 October 2011

Diamonds – South Yorkshire 60th Anniversary exhibition of work by members of Hallamshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Venue: Elsecar Art and Craft Fair, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley, S. Yorks S74 8HJ. 10am – 4pm. Free admission. Members will also be demonstrating and selling their work. For more information contact hgwsd@yahoo.co.uk

•

28 to 29 October 2011

Textiles in Sussex – East Sussex East Sussex Guild's biennial event. Exhibition of members’ work; sales; hands-on; trade stands. Venue: Lewes Town Hall, Fisher Street Entrance, Lewes, E Sussex BN7 2QS. Open: Fri 10am –5pm and Sat 10am – 4pm. Admission £2; students and children free. Visit www.esgwsd.org

• 28 to 30 October 2011

Spindle, Shuttle and Dyepot – Devon Exhibition of work by Peter Tavy Weavers Spinners and Dyers Venue: Peter Tavy Village Hall, PL19 9NN. 10am – 4pm daily. Free entry. Raffle and refreshments. Telephone 01822 615526

• 29 Oct to 11 November 2011

Wonderful Weaving! – Newbury

Kennet Valley Guild will exhibit weaving at the National Needlework Archive, including work of recent Bradford graduates. Venue: the Old Chapel, Main Street, New Green Park, Greenham, Newbury RG19 6HW. Open daily, except Mon and Sun 6 Nov, 10am – 4pm. Entry to NNA: £3.50 (includes weaving exhibit). Telephone 01635 38740 or 01684 574057. Visit www.nationalneedleworkarchive. org.uk

• 14 Jan to 4 March 2012

Betty Smithers Exhibition – Newcastle-under-Lyme Venue: Borough Museum and Art Gallery, Brampton Park, Newcastleunder-Lyme

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14 to 29 July 2012

Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers National Exhibition – Sussex

the Woolmark Company for all to see and interact with during the world’s largest weaving trade fair. Venue: Parc d’Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris. 9am – 6.30pm daily. Visit www.premierevision.com/en

LITHUANIA

• 22 to 25 September 2011

The 16th European Textile Network Conference

Venue: Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester PO18 0EU.

Kaunas, Lithuania. To register email etn@etn-net.org or telephone +49 511 817007. ETN, PO Box 5944, D-30059, Hannover, Germany. Visit www.etn-net.org

TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS

• 22 to 30 September 2011

• 3 to 31 October 2011 A Quiet Intervention – Stranraer For inspiration Anna King takes from the garden only that which has been discarded by the trees, plants, selective pruning and tidying. Venue: Logan Botanic Gardens, Port Logan, Stranraer, Dumfries & Galloway, DG9 9ND. Open 10am – 5pm. Admission £5, concessions £4. Visit www.rbge.org.uk or telephone 01776 860231 (see review p.36).

Labcraft: digital adventures in contemporary craft 26 makers, including 4 in textiles, using computer-aided design and/or manufacture. Free entry. Visit www.labcraft.org.uk/tour

• 29 Sept to 20 November 2011

Venue: Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 4AA. Telephone 01926 742700

Textile 11: Rewind-PlayForward 8th International Biennial, Kaunas, based on the concept of repeated time/retold story. Art and textile exhibitions and workshops. Visit www.biennial.It or email kaunobienale@gmail.com

SWEDEN

• 15 to 17 September 2011

Handweaving Fair

Swedish Weave Council in Boras www.svenskavav.com/index.php

U.S.A

• 15 Oct 2011 to 19 February 2012

Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa

Venue: The Textile Museum 2320 S Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008-4088. Telephone 202-667-0441. www.textilemuseum.org

• 30 Nov 2011 to 21 January 2012 • 3 to 10 October 2011 Venue: The Civic, Barnsley, Yorkshire

International Wool Week

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Events are being planned in venues including the following cities: Madrid, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Munich, Oslo and New York City.

• 5 to 6 November 2011

BELGIUM

Venue: Duchy Square Centre for Creativity, Tavistock Road, Princetown PL20 6QF. Telephone 01822 890828 or email gallery@duchysquare.org

The Five Continents – Woven World

WORKSHOPS, COURSES AND STUDY DAYS

7th International Triennial of Contemporary Textile Arts of Tournai, Belgium. Guest artists exhibit in various venues. See Notebook p.5 for further information.

Bankfield Museum – Halifax

Autumn Textile Fair – Devon

• 3 to 4 December 2011

• 10 June to 25 September 2011

Textile Market – North Wales Beautiful handmade textiles for Christmas gifts. Fibres, yarns, kits and equipment for feltmakers, hand spinners, rag rug makers and embroiderers. Demonstrations on Sunday morning. Venue: Trefriw Woollen Mills, Main Road, Trefriw, Conwy Valley LL27 0NQ. Open 10am – 5pm each day. Also large mill shop and tearoom. Telephone 01492 640462 or visit www.t-w-m.co.uk

• 5 to 10 December 2011

Get Weaving – Devon An exhibition and sale of members’ work by Devon Weavers Workshop. Venue: Birdwood House, 44 High St, Totnes TQ9 5SQ. Open 10am – 5pm. www.devonweaversworkshop.org

DENMARK

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11 June to 3 September 2011

Threads in time: WEAVE 2011 Work of 17 leading Danish weavers (including Jacquard, rugs, pattern, tapestry) displayed throughout this large gallery of contemporary art, to interact with the architecture and visual art. Venue: Kunstetagerne, St.Torv, Hobro, Denmark. Information from sco@olesen.mail.dk

FRANCE

• 20 to 22 September 2011

Premiere Vision – Paris

A wool trend area will be created by

Events run in conjunction with exhibition Ancestor Bags.

• 17 September 2011 at 3pm

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15 October 10am – 4pm and 16 October 10am – 3pm

String and String Bags Two day workshop with Sue Hiley Harris. An exciting opportunity to explore the remarkable materials and structure of Australian Aboriginal string bags. Spin a length of yarn and make both knotted and looped string bags. Sue will also take you on a gallery walk through her remarkable installation Ancestor Bags. No experience needed. Adults £70, concessions £65. Booking essential. Telephone 01422 392756

• 6 October 2011

The Allure of Ancient Textiles – Durham Talk by Sue Foulkes at Durham Guild. Venue: Redwood Lodge, School Lane, Durham City DH1 3DQ. 7.30pm – 9.30pm. Entry: £2. Contact: Mandy Martin, Secretary, email mjmartin@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone 0191 4201204. Visit www.durhamguild.com

• 8 October 2011

All-Wales Event for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers – Powys Trade stands, Guild displays, raffle and sales table. The Speaker will be Laura Thomas. Venue: Minerva Centre, Llanidloes, Powys SY18 6BY. 10.15am – 3.30pm. Entry: £5. For more information: hilary-miller@tiscali.co.uk

• 11 to 16 October 2011

Shetland Wool holiday – Shetland During Shetland Wool Week. Explore the place of wool in the islands' heritage, textile industry and local crofting community. Guided holiday includes knitting masterclasses, demonstrations of wool handling, workshops in handspinning and weaving, and exclusive access to textile artefacts and pieces of fragile heirloom knitting. Hotel accommodation in Lerwick included. Price: £790. Visit www.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk or telephone 01595 693579

• 12 to 15 October 2011

Dyes in History and Archaeology Conference DHA30

Sculptor weaver Sue Hiley Harris will talk about the ideas and inspiration behind her installation and how she arrived at this point in her artistic development. Free event.

Venue: University of Derby Enterprise Centre, 37 Bridge Street, Derby DE1 3LA. Visit www.chriscooksey.demon.co.uk/ dha/dha30.html

• 18 September 10am – 4pm

COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS

Sue Hiley Harris will guide you through making your own string bag while you explore the remarkable materials and structure of Australian Aboriginal string bags, as well as introducing you to her installation Ancestor Bags. No experience needed. £40, concessions £35. Booking essential. Telephone: 01422 392756

Theo Moorman Charitable Trust

String Bags workshop with Sue Hiley Harris

For weavers living and working in the UK. From £500 to £5000.Closing date 1 March 2012 (and every even year). Contact Lisa Harms: email harms01@hotmail.com or telephone 0179732380

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Addresses of Guild Secretaries Revised list of Secretaries, listed according to the location of the Guild meeting place (where given, if not by Guild name). Please inform Sarah Williams of any errors. (Contact details: 74 Norfolk Road, Sheffield S2 2SY. email: GPCSarah@wsd.org.uk) Many Guilds may be contacted by email or have their own websites – see Guild links on the Association website www.wsd.org.uk ENGLAND BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE – Harlington Martina Waters, 126 Wilsden Avenue, Luton LU15HR BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE – Charvil Sue Turnbull, 7 Plover Close, Wokingham RG41 3JD KENNET VALLEY – Shaw, nr Newbury Details to be confirmed BRISTOL AVON – Long Ashton Jenny Daniels, 4 Nore Road, Portishead BS20 7HN WARMLEY TOWER WEAVERS Elizabeth Mueller, 85 Badminton Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 6BU BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKS – Amersham Gillie Russell-Mann, Central Farm, Station Road, Long Marston, Tring, Herts HP23 4QS CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE – Cambridge Anna Crutchley, 8 Canterbury Street, Cambridge CB4 3QF PETERBOROUGH – Peterborough Pauline Smith, 18 Apsley Way, Longthorpe, Peterborough PE3 9NE RAMPTON SPINNERS – Rampton, Cambridge Jean Addison, 2 Gravel End, Coveney, Ely CB6 2DN CHESHIRE ALSAGER – Alsager, South Cheshire Jane White, 31 Whitemore Road, Middlewich CW10 0DY CHESHIRE – Frodsham Ann Christine Youngs, Old Stone Cottage, Hollowmoor Heath, Great Barrow CH3 7LF NORTH CHESHIRE – Croft, Nr. Warrington Ann Ashcroft-Salt, 21 Surridge, High Legh, Knutsford WA16 6PU CORNWALL CORNWALL – Tresillian, nr Truro Margaret Hinch, 18 St. Gluvas Street, Penryn TR10 8BL LISKEARD SPINNERS – Liskeard Sue Hambly, Wringsdown Hill, Yeolmbridge, Launceston PL15 8NH CUMBRIA EDEN VALLEY – Mungrisdale Village Hall Carole Dickens, Appleton Hall, Bridekirk, Cockermouth CA13 0PE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE – Derby Margareta Dawson, 111 The Woodlands, Melbourne DE73 8DQ DEVON DEVON – Pinhoe, Exeter Chris Crisford, Clyst William Cross Farmhouse, Plymtree, Cullompton EX15 2LQ DEVON WEAVERS WORKSHOP – Totnes Ann Holl, High Barn, Torbryan, Newton Abbot TQ12 5UW PETER TAVY – Peter Tavy Sue Hawthorn, Higher Rowes Farm, Horndon, Tavistock PL19 9NQ SOUTH HAMS Jenny Arnold, Westcombe, Old Plymouth Road, Kingsbridge TQ7 1FF DORSET DORSET – Dorchester Angela Corbet, 36 St Catherines, Wimborne BH21 1BG DURHAM DURHAM – Durham Amanda Martin, 42 Hilda Street, Gateshead NE8 1YB ESSEX MIDDLE ESSEX – White Notley, Braintree Shirley Wright, Haydens Ends, Hellmans Cross, Green Street, Gt Canfield, Dunmow CM6 1LA SOUTHEND – Southend Pauline Everett, 48 Albert Road, Benfleet SS7 4DJ WEST ESSEX & EAST HERTS – Harlow Mary Hicks, The Red Lion, Wareside, Hertfordshire SG12 7RJ GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE – Norton Christine May, Harmony Cottage, Leominster Road, Shakesfield, Dymock GL18 2AN HAMPSHIRE EAST HAMPSHIRE COUNTRY PARK Pauline Miles, 15 Bevan Road, Lovedean, Waterlooville PO8 9QH HAMPSHIRE – Shawford, Winchester Sue Bates, 26 Tidworth Road, Ludgershall, Andover SP11 9QD NEW FOREST – Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood Jean Woods, 16 The Martells, Barton on Sea BH25 7BG HEREFORDSHIRE HEREFORDSHIRE – Stretton Sugwas Heather Dutson, High House, Preston on Wye, Hereford HR2 9JU

HERTFORDSHIRE MID-HERTS – Hatfield Sheila M Blackie, 12 Jacks Hill Park, Graveley, Hitchin SG4 7EG NORTH HERTS – Letchworth Brian Bond, 29 Arlesey Road, Stotfold, Hitchin SG5 4HB ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT – Rookley Jan Hayward, 1 Brocks Copse Road, Wootton Bridge, Ryde PO33 4NP KENT KENT – Ashford Lydia Hill, 82 Chenies Close, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5LN MEDWAY – Gillingham Elspeth Darby, 31 Wellington Road, Gillingham ME7 4NN NORTH DOWNS – nr Canterbury Pam Chatfield, Boot House, Minnis Lane, Stelling Minnis, Canterbury CT4 6AS LANCASHIRE BOWLAND – Gisburn Festival Halll Dr Sarah Brearley, 3 East View, Summerseat BL9 5PG FYLDE HEDDLES & TREADLES – Weeton nr Preston Alison Rainford, 86 Black Bull Lane, Fulwood, Preston PR2 3JY LANCS & LAKES – Yealand Village Hall Anna Atkins, Garden House, 2 Loftus Hill, Sedbergh LA10 5RX MID-LANCASHIRE – Darwen Zillah Griffin, 204 Tockholes Road, Darwen BB3 1JY LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE – Botcheston, nr. Leicester Wendy Maw, 10 Park Road, Birstall, Leicester LE4 3AU LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE – Revesby (most meetings) Angela Barker, 3 Julian Bower, Louth LN11 9QN LONDON LONDON – SW7 Jean Derby, 23 Witham Road, Isleworth , Middx TW7 4AJ MERSEYSIDE MERSEYSIDE – Liverpool Chris Holmes, 6 Castlegrange Close, Wirral CH46 3SX NORFOLK DISS – Diss, Norfolk Pam Ross, Southview, Common Road, Shelfanger, Diss 1P22 2DP MID-NORFOLK – North Tuddenham Glenda Jane McCash, 62 Stratford Street, Norwich NR2 3BD NORFOLK COUNTRYSIDE – member’s homes Diane Gilbert, 43 Ormesby Road, Hemsby, Gt. Yarmouth NR29 4LA WORSTEAD – N. Walsham Sarah Butikofer, The Gatehouse, Felbrigg Lodge, Old School Lane, Aylmerton NR11 8RA NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHANTS – Denton, Northampton Jeanette Littler, Stone House, 14 Bedford Road, Denton NN7 1DR LONGDRAW SPINNERS – Stoke Albany Rosalind Willatts, 2 Barlows Lane, Wilbarston LE16 8QB NORTHUMBERLAND TYNEDALE – Stocksfield Carol Hinchcliffe, 6 Martin Street, Stanhope, Weardale, Co. Durham DL13 2UY NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ASHFIELD – Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts Jeanette Haigh, 21 Castle Lane, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6PS NOTTS & DISTRICT – Lambley Angela Baker, 22 Outgang Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse N19 9DJ OXFORDSHIRE COTSWOLD – Hook Norton Rose Kirkcaldie, 13 Sandell Close, Banbury OX16 9LP OXFORD – Stanton St John Jane Markham, Grove Farmhouse, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9US SHROPSHIRE NORTH SHROPSHIRE – Ellesmere Jean Sanders, Avenure House, Balmer, Welshampton, Ellesmere SY12 0PP SHREWSBURY Jean Huff, Plush Hill, All Stretton SY6 6JP SOMERSET FROME TEXTILE WORKSHOP – Frome Jane Lewis, Romneya, St Chads Avenue, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Bath BA3 2HG SOMERSET – Hatch Beauchamp Barbara Spicer, Sunnylea, Fordgate, Bridgwater TA7 0AP STAFFORDSHIRE LEEK & District – Bradnop, Leek Beth Harvey, 9 Beggars Lane, Leek ST13 8DB STAFFORD KNOT SPINNERS – Hyde Lea, Nr Stafford Sharon Hartwell, 7 New Row, Bradley Lane, Hyde Lea ST18 9BH

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS – Cheadle June Hague, Primrose Cottage, Bosley, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 0PU SUFFOLK BURY ST EDMUNDS – Bury St Edmunds Diane Cartwright, 138 London Road, Brandon IP27 0EW LAVENHAM – Lavenham, Suffolk Jean Rogers, Syers Field, Brettenham Road, Hitcham IP7 7NU NORFOLK & SUFFOLK – Beccles Paula Wassenaar, 4 Warman's Close, Bawburgh, Norwich NR9 3JB SURREY EAST SURREY – Headley Betty Newman, Foxhollow, Crampshaw Lane, Ashtead KT21 2UE SURREY BARN WEAVERS – Newdigate, Mrs E. Smale, 21 Highlands Road, Reigate RH2 0LA WEST SURREY – Farnham Joanne Cummins, 7 Randolf Drive, Farnborough GU14 0QQ SUSSEX EAST GRINSTEAD SPINNERS Wendy Scott, Old Well Cottage, Tompsets Bank, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5BG EAST SUSSEX – Lewes Laura Innes, 21 Pipers Field, Ridgefield, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5SD GRAFFHAM – Graffham Jane Brunning, Kelston House, Roundstone Lane, Angmering, Sussex BN16 4AX WEALDEN – Southwater – W Sussex Sue Dawe, 36 Kestrel Close, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5WD WEST SUSSEX – Worthing Coral Jackson, Chinthay, Nightingale Lane, Hambrook, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 8UH WARWICKSHIRE STRATFORD-UPON-AVON – Stratford upon Avon Abigail Wrycroft, The Hall, Paxhall Farms, Upper Radbourne, Southam CV47 1NG WEST MIDLANDS BIRMINGHAM & DISTRICT – Birmingham Rachel Lemon, 107 Rosefield Road, Smethwick B67 6DZ COVENTRY & DISTRICT – Coventry Toni Wilson, 92 Victoria Road, Hartshill, Nuneaton CV10 0LR MIDLAND – Erdington Mary Zielonka, 10 Coppice Close, Sedgley, Dudley DY3 3NP WILTSHIRE NORTH WILTSHIRE – Swindon Una Carlow, Rotherstone House, 4 Rotherstone, Devizes SN10 2BD WILTSHIRE – Steeple Ashton Nova Shaw, 47 St Kilda’s Road, Oldfield Park, Bath, Somerset BA2 3QL WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE – Lower Broad Heath Ginnie Wilkinson, Old Blacksmith Cottage, Alfrick Pound, Worcester WR6 5EZ YORKSHIRE BRADFORD & DISTRICT – Bradford, W. Yorks Alison England, 51 Lidgett Park Road, Leeds LS8 1JN CRAVEN (SKIPTON) – Skipton, W. Yorkshire Sally Stretch, 8 Garden Terrace, Carleton, Skipton BD23 3EB HALLAMSHIRE – Norton, Sheffield Karen Graham, 18 Crabtree Lane, Sheffield S5 7AY YORK & DISTRICT – Murton Rosemary Kitchingman, Beacon Hill Farm, Raw, Whitby YO22 4PP

LOTHIAN EDINBURGH – Craiglockhart Patricia Laing, 74 Hillview Cottages, Ratho, Edinburgh EH28 8RF NORTH AYRSHIRE ARRAN – members homes Gill Butcher, Tigh Na Ranza, 70 Murray Crescent, Lamlash, Isle of Arran KA27 8NS SHETLAND SHETLAND – various Susan Johnson, Chapelside, Reawick ZE2 9NJ

WALES CEREDIGION CEREDIGION – Aberaeron Sue Youell, Blaencarrog Villa, Llanddeiniol, Llanrhystud SY23 5AW CONWY ABERGELE – Abergele, Clwyd Alison Craig, Pen'rallt, Allt y Powls, Llanfair Talhaearn, Abergele LL22 8SP DENBIGHSHIRE CLWYD – Llysfasi Agri. College Anneli Thomas, Graigwen Fach, Wern Ddu, Oswestry SY10 9BN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN – Sully, Vale of Glamorgan Kathy Williams, Upper House Farm, East Aberthaw, Barry CF62 3DD GWYNEDD GWYNEDD – Bangor Hilary Miller, Hafan, Llandegfan, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5PW LLYN – Penygroes Memorial Hall Lynne Shepherd, Ty Rallt, Llithfaen, Pwllheli LL53 6PA MEIRIONNYDD – Llanelltyd Margaret Williams, Linette, Pant Mawr Estate, Harlech LL46 2ST MONMOUTHSHIRE GWENT – Cwmbran Mair Williams, 203 Heathwood Road, Heath, Cardiff CF14 4HQ NEATH/PORT TALBOT/SWANSEA TAWE – Pontardawe Ann Fox, Ffynnon Deilo, Pendoylan, Vale of Glamorgan CF71 7UJ PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE – Narberth Daryl Snelling, Horseshoe Cottage, Bosherston, Pembroke SA71 5DS POWYS BRECKNOCK – Brecon Subud Centre, Powys Anne-Marie Rhys Evans, 8 Maesmawr Close, Talybont on Usk, Brecon LD3 7JG BRECON & RADNOR – Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, Jan Tasker, Cwm Proffwyd, Cwmbach, Builth Wells LD2 3RW CRICKHOWELL Jill Derbyshire, Caecrwn Farmhouse, Battle, Brecon LD3 9RW MONTGOMERYSHIRE – Forden Liz Jones, Glanrhyd Bach, Llanwddyn, Nr. Oswestry SY10 0NH

ISLE OF MAN SCOTLAND BORDERS TWEED – Newtown St Boswells Maggie Magee, The Lodge, Maxpoffle, St Boswells, Melrose, Roxburghshire TD6 0HP DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY – Dumfries Karla Grant, Home Farm Cottage, Dormont, Dalton, Lockerbie DG11 1DJ WIGTOWNSHIRE – Glenluce Loraine Baxter, 3 Blair Way, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, Dumfries DG8 6HX EAST DUMBARTONSHIRE WEST OF SCOTLAND – Milngavie, Glasgow Joan McDowell, 49 Arrowsmith Avenue, Glasgow G13 2QJ FIFE EAST CENTRAL SCOTLAND – Letham, Fife Joyce Fox, Fauldiehill Cottage, Arbirlot, Angus DD11 2PW GRAMPIAN GRAMPIAN – Chapel of Garioch Elaine Morley, East Mathers Farmhouse, St. Cyrus, Montrose, Angus DD10 0DW HIGHLAND HIGHLAND – Dingwall, Ross-shire Fiona Dendy, Sorak, Swordale Road, Evanton, Ross-shire IV16 9UZ

MANX – Patrick, Isle of Man Bernie Balogh, The Haven, Brack-a-Broom Lane, Poortown, Peel IM5 2AN

N. IRELAND ULSTER SPINNERS AND WEAVERS – Folk & Transport Museum Rosemary McCartney, 26 Belfast Road, Holywood, Co. Down BT18 9EL

INTERNATIONAL ONLINE Margaret Parker – parker@aireweave.co.uk

EIRE CORK Tish Canniffe, Clancoolbeg, Bandon, Co. Cork IRISH Details to be confirmed Overseas Affiliated Guilds

FRANCE The Spinners & Weavers of South West France Eve Brigden, Le Cuzoul, 82160 Castanet, France

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011