Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers 239

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 20112

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011 3

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 WeekUK, with woolly events scheduled up and down the country. ManyGuilds are already involved, but in this Journal we bring you aspecial invitation from Lesley Prior, Artisan Project Manager of theCampaign for Wool and a member of the Online Guild. Lesleyinvites you to link your Guild’s skills, projects and events to theworldwide campaign highlighting the benefits and versatility ofwool.

Other events this autumn include two exhibitions which soundedso interesting that we found out more about them. The work of SueHiley Harris is well known to many Journal readers and in a featurearticle she describes how she made her Ancestor Bags, which will beshown at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax this autumn. Much lessfamiliar to most of us are the textiles made by the people ofKyrgyzstan. The Collins Gallery in Glasgow is currently hosting anexhibition of Kyrgyz textiles and co-curator Stephanie Bunnexplains some of their techniques for us.

In the previous Journal (238) we introduced two of the newestcrop of textile graduates. In this issue we catch up with one of lastyear’s graduates, Holly Bradley-Gill, to find out how she has madethe transition from student to professional weaver. Have you madea transition in your textile life? Perhaps you started as a knitter butthen learned to spin, and one thing led to another... or perhapswhat was once a hobby has become your business. We alwayswelcome letters from readers so please write and tell us about your‘textile transition’.

In June we received the sad news that Marie Therese Horne, theJournal’s advertising manager, had died suddenly while on holidayin Ireland. Her loss has been a shock to all of us who worked withher and our thoughts are with her family at this time.

Cally Booker, Chairman Journal Editorial Committee

NEWS

4 Notebook33 Guild Highlights35 Association News

FEATURES6 From Student to Professional Weaver:

an interview with Holly Bradley-Gill Jill Davies8 Weaving a Way of Life: Kyrgyz Woven Textiles Stephanie Bunn

14 M o re Meetings with Remarkable Dyers: Java Diane Gaff n e y16 The Bare Bones of the Bags –

Choosing the Ya rns for Ancestor Bags Sue Hiley Harr i s20 The Beginner’s Guide to Secondhand Looms Stacey Harvey-Brown23 P roducing the J o u rn al H i l a ry Miller

Cally BookerClive Rowlands

24 A Secret History of Ta s t e :G a i n s b o rough Silk Mill Diane Serg e a n t

28 The Campaign for Wool and the Artisan C o m m u n i t y

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

REVIEWS36 Exhibitions and Conferences 42 Books

DIARY44 Exhibitions and Courses48 Classified Advertisements49 Guild Secretaries’ Addresses

Contents

Advertising to:email: [email protected] or order via websiteCopy date for Advertising: 1 January for Spring. 1 April for Summer. 1 July for Autumn. 1 October forWinter. Enquiries are welcomed concerning layout andsetting (at modest extra cost), series discounts andcolour advertising. See page 48 for rates and paymentmethods.

Copy dates for submissions other than feature articlesand letters: 15 November for Spring, 15 February forSummer, 15 May for Autumn, 15 August for Winter

Please contact [email protected] fordeadlines for feature articles.

Journal Archive: Claude Delmas, email: [email protected]

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to refuse topublish any advertisement and takes no responsibility forgoods advertised.The copyright belongs to the author. Readers should notethat statements made by contributors are not necessarilyrepresentative of the Committee’s opinions. Whilst everyeffort is made to safeguard slides and photographssubmitted for publication, they are accepted at the risk ofthe author. If the slides/photos are irreplaceable then theauthor should submit copies.

Articles to: Cally Booker, email: [email protected]

Association News and Guild Highlights to: Talitha Clarke, email:[email protected]

Book Reviews to: Dawn Willey, email:[email protected]

Notebook entries to:Mary Hildyard, email: [email protected]

Diary and Exhibition Reviews:email: [email protected]

Guild Subscriptions and Back Issues to:Christina Chisholm, The Glen, Kindeace, By Invergordon, Ross-shire IV18 0LL email: [email protected] or order via website – special rates for Guild bulk orders mailed toone address (minimum order 3).

Direct subscription for 4 issues per calendar year to:Belinda Rose, East Steading, Hirn, Banchory, AB31 5QTemail: [email protected] or order viawebsite.Standard rate for UK £18 (including p&p).Special offer to Guild members and other qualifyingbodies, £16. £22 per calendar year for subscriptions to Europe or by sea mail outside Europe.£27 for airmail outside Europe. Part year issues wouldbe pro-rata.Cheques/postal orders payable to: The Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.

Journal Editorial Committee

Chairman: Cally Booker, East Central Scotland

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: [email protected]

Front cover: Bobbins of silk (see p.24 A Secret History of Taste Gainsborough SilkMill) 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 Bradley-Gill) Photo: Holly Bradley-Gill

The Journal is produced quarterly by theJournal Committee of The Association ofGuilds of Weavers, Spinners and DyersRegistered charity no. 289590.www.wsd.org.uk

ISSN 0267-7806 Printed by Henry Ling Ltd, The Dorset Press, Dorchester DT1 1HD

T h eJ o urn a lforWeave rs,S p i n n e rs and Dyersw w w. t h e j o u r n a l fo r w s d . o r g . u k


N o t e b o o kCompiled by Mary Hildyard

Two New WebsitesWebsite Resource forWeaversA new website is beingdeveloped as a resource forweavers. Ideally this website willbecome a ‘community’ websitefor all interested partiesincluding independent weavers,UK weave designers, productiondesigners, designer makers,weave students and universityeducators.

The Worshipful Company ofWeavers has provided thefunding. The project organiser isPhilippa Brock of Central SaintMartins College of Art andDesign, University of The ArtsLondon – Weave Department.Eleanor Pritchard is also involvedwith site development.

The aim of the project is tocreate a site which can providegeneral source information. Thiswill include information aboutcommission and productionweavers; yarn, loom and weaverelated equipment suppliers aswell as information on availableweave courses either at collegesor independent short courses.The site will contain data onevents, exhibitions, trade fairs,competitions and juried prizes,plus links to information alreadyon the internet. It will alsoprovide links to advice onactivities such as setting up abusiness. There will be an active‘blog’ site for specific andimmediate information wherethe editors will be able to uploadcurrent items of interest. Thismight take the form of aninvited ‘guest blog’ or it mayprovide themed information.

As this will be a site whereinformation is pooled andshared, Philippa is at presentcompiling information fromvarious interest groups. Thewebsite is likely to go live by theend of the year at the latest. Tobe added to the mailing list or to provide information contactPhilippa [email protected]

Source: Philippa Brock

Wool Directory online –connecting SW woolproducers to wool usersAnother new database has been initiated by the Centre forContemporary Art and theNatural World (CCANW) incollaboration with ClaireCrompton founder of theknitting project ‘Give Fleece aChance’.

According to Chris Lewis ofCCANW, wool is currently

enjoying a renaissance amongwool users – spinners, weavers,dyers, artists and product makers.Wool is recognised as asustainable, versatile and locallysourced material. However, thereis no easy way for wool users toconnect with the producers. Theweb–based Wool Directory hasbeen created to provide a freeand easy to use database.CCANW hopes that it will enablewool producers to market theirfleece or yarn to potential buyersand connect with the woolsupply chain. For wool users itwill provide a connection withthe producers and the ability toshare information and promoteproducts.

The Centre for ContemporaryArt and the Natural World is aneducational charity based inHaldon Forest Park near Exeter.Its stated focus is exploring ‘newunderstandings of our placewithin Nature through the Arts’.The Wool Directory is the latestin a series of projects which thecharity has initiated to raise theprofile of wool.

Claire Crompton iscollaborating with CCANW onthe development of the web site.Claire is a Cornwall–based textiledesigner who has adopted theslogan ’Give Fleece a Chance’ fora knitting project she has devisedwhich uses wool sourced fromthe south west. Knitters andspinners are making a flock ofminiature sheep from as manyvarieties of local wool as can befound. This project was featuredin the summer issue of theJournal 238, p.36 and furtherinformation can be found athttp://givefleeceachance.comClaire’s research forms the basisof the Wool Directory and she isinvolved in the setting up andrunning of the Directory.

The Wool Directory is free. Seewww.wooldirectory.org.uk forfurther information.

Source: Chris Lewis of CCANW

The Big WeaveThe Big Weave is a communitytapestry project. The firstventure took place in theReading area in 2009. Tapestrieswere completed in Abingdonand Dorset in April. A newtapestry started at the StroudInternational Textiles Festival inMay and the Red Balloontapestry in Warwickshire in June.

The Abingdon Tapestry showsthe bridge over the Thames andpart of the Town Hall. It was setup by Diane Wood and CarolineMarriott of The Big Weave, withthe help of Year 9 pupils atLarkmead School and membersof the Oxford Guild were thefirst to weave on it. Communityartists Helen Jacobs and EmilyCooling then took it to themarket place, to the library, toJohn Mason secondary school, aprimary school and finally a daycentre where it was completedbefore it was returned toLarkmead School to be taken offthe loom.

The Dorset Tapestry shows aseascape with sailing boats. Itwas set up at Westfield ArtsCollege with members of localcommunity groups, includingDorset Guild, the QuangleWangle Community Choir,Regard and teachers from localschools. The tapestry was thentaken to local schools, daycentres and Wimborne Marketbefore it was returned toWestfield Arts College. WestfieldArts College organised a tour ofthe completed tapestry tovarious venues in Dorset. Aphoto book of images takenduring the project with the

many positive comments fromparticipants was displayedalongside. As an outcome ofThe Big Weave training, theschool continues to enjoyweaving.

The Stroud Tapestry is alandscape of hills and valleys.The design is worked in anorganic way with hills placedwhere the unfolding patternsuggests. The tapestry wasworked on during workshops forprimary school children and byvisitors of all ages to TheMuseum in the Park duringStroud International TextileFestival.

Diane Wood wrote about thefirst Big Weave in the springJournal 233.

The Big Weave is nowreaching out to train others toset up their own Big Weaveproject. The Big Weave artistsvisit for three days to train localvolunteers. The training includesaccess to equipment andmaterials, design support, a twoday workshop to get thetapestry on the road, loan of aBig Weave loom for four weeksand a final day’s workshop onfinishing and hanging. If youare interested in organising,supporting or funding a BigWeave in your area do get intouch. The Big Weave websitebelow has further informationor email [email protected] discuss how you mightachieve a Big Weave with yourlocal community.

The Big Weave was inStaffordshire in June working ona tapestry at St Edwards Schoolin Leek with the support ofLeek and District Guild. Plans fora Big Weave in Plymouth areunder discussion.

Source: Diane Wood; www.thebigweave.org

Above: Helen Jacobs, Emily Cooling,Sue Tucker, Jill Dean and CarolineMarriott finishing off The AbingdonTapestry.Photo © Diane Wood


Theo Moorman Trust forWeavers 2012Applications are now invitedfrom weavers for grants from theTheo Moorman Trust. The Trustmakes grants available to enableweavers to develop their craft.This may take the form ofresources to enable a weaver topurchase equipment andmaterials or to take time out toreassess their work or to pursue aspecific project. The closing datefor applications is 1 March 2012.For further information contactLisa Harms, 46 Church Road,Abbots Leigh, Bristol BS8 3QU.

Source: www.theomoormantrust.org.uk

Two CompetitionsThe Longest ThreadCompetitionAn international contest to spinthe world’s longest thread tookplace in Tasmania this spring. Thecontest was part of the BothwellInternational Highland SpinIn andFibre Festival. There are severalsections in the contest includingJunior Spinners, Spinning bySpinning Wheel and by Hand-Propelled Spindle. According tothe rules of the contest the threadmust be spun on a spinning wheelor spindle and plied to 2 ply from10 grams of raw wool. Top of allWorld entries in the Hand-Propelled Spindle section was FloKinnear with a thread measuring218.242 metres. Flo is a memberof the East Central Scotland Guild.

Top of all English entries in theSpinning Wheel section wasAmanda Hannaford with a threadmeasuring 652.726 metres. Thiswas a double win for England asthe thread was spun fromBowmont fleece from LesleyPrior’s herd. Amanda is a memberof the Online Guild as well asSomerset and Peter Tavy.

This contest was inaugurated in1986 and the longest thread isrecognised by the Guinness Bookof Records. According to the rulesthe thread is presented formeasuring as a ball of wool; theweighing and measuring iswitnessed by the public andquality is also of importance.

The over all winner with thelongest thread was spun by JanZandbelt of The Netherlands. Hewon the competition with a pliedyarn of 1005.678 metres.

Source: www.bothwellspinin.com

International Back to BackWool ChallengeA team of spinners and knittersappeared on Countryfile at theend of May taking part in the

2011 International Back to BackWool Challenge. The world recordof 4 hours 51 minutes 14 secondswas set in Australia in 2004.Rosie Wyatt organised the teamon behalf of the Cotswold SheepSociety to celebrate therestoration of a crook barn inMeysey Hampton, Gloucs. Shepersuaded Lyn Wymer, CaroleThorpe, Sarah Mitchell, AntheaMacDonald (Oxford Guild), MaryCoombe (North Wilts Guild), andKate Elliot (Cotswold SheepSociety) to take part.

A time keeper and adjudicatormade sure the strict rules werekept. Blade shearers must beused. The sheep must be native tothe country in which thechallenge is taking place; theteam may include only eight – the shearer and seven others. Thehandspinners use spinning wheelsand the knitters must follow theidentical Challenge rules andadult size jumper pattern.

Timing started at 9 am whenthe shearer began. A smallamount was spun and plied first,to get the knitters started. Thepattern was for a jumper indouble knit weight yarn on 4 mm and 3.25 mm needles. Oncethe knitters had got started onthe four pieces, the restcontinued to spin and ply. With itslong staple, Cotswold fleece wasdifficult to spin ‘in the grease’.They took it in turns to stop forlunch, so that the knitting couldcontinue with no hold ups – theknitting took the longest. ‘Weneed to practise speed knitting ifwe are going to have another goat this!’ remarked one of theteam. They also felt that beingfilmed by Adam Henson and histeam may have slowed progress!

The many spectators during theday included some from a rivalteam, who hold the current UKrecord, and Judy from Canada,who was in a team last year (15 hours!) The team were notable to complete the jumper on

the day so it wasn’t eligible as anofficial entry. Over the two days,the jumper took a total of 14hours 23 minutes and 7 seconds –certainly not the fastest, but notthe slowest either.

In his introduction to the itemon Countryfile, Adam Hensonreminded viewers that the area ofthe ‘Cotswolds’ derives its namefrom sheep – a ‘cott’, or sheeppen, in the ‘wold’, a range of hillsin open country.

Source: Rosie Wyatt and Lyn Wymer; BBC 1Countryfile, 29 May 2011

The Five Continents –Woven WorldThe 7th International Triennial of Contemporary Textile Artsopened on 10 June 2011 inTournai, Belgium and continuesuntil 25 September. Guest artistsfrom the five continents wereinvited to exhibit in prestigiousbuildings around the cityincluding the Cathedral andBelfry (both UNESCO WorldHeritage sites), the Museum ofFine Art, the Museum of Tapestryand the Town Hall Crypt.

For the third time aninternational competition hasbeen organised as part of thisTriennial and Ainsley Hillard wasthe winner. Artists were invited topresent works on the theme ofContinere in the sense of ‘holdingtogether’. According to theorganisers, works were toillustrate cohesiveness –reconnecting the disconnectedfive continents – and would foster‘exchanges between peoples inspite of their remoteness’.

Ainsley Hillard and Sue HileyHarris were two of 29 artists to beselected from a group of 180entries from 23 countries. Bothtextile artists’ works are exhibitedin the Halle-aux-Draps at theGrand Place where all of theselected competition works willbe presented as one exhibition.

Ainsley Hillard’s artwork to andfro 2010 relates to the theme of

the exhibition by encapsulatingthe notion of ‘holding together’both in the depicted imagery andthe construction of the finaltextile structure. Hillard drawsmeaning from the production ofcloth, reconsidering the actualprocess of weaving bothconceptually and physically.

Source www.triennaletournai.be and www.ainsleyhillard.com

Ayrshire Weavers – the World’s First Co-opIn March of this year events tookplace in the Ayrshire village ofFenwick to recognise it officiallyas the birthplace of the co-operative movement. Accordingto new research by John Smithand John McFadzean, both of theFenwick Weavers’ Co-operative,a document exists to prove thatover 250 years ago the Fenwickweavers organised themselves asa co–op. The 16 weavers agreedto band together to fix a price fortheir work and to buy goods inbulk. In addition to helpingthemselves they agreed to helpthe people of the parish andeventually they expanded theventure to the whole village.

John McFadzean explained inan interview on the GoodMorning Scotland programmethat the weavers were facingfinancial ruin workingindependently. By agreeing towork together they secured theirfuture. ‘But’, he said ‘when youlook into the history you can seehow it developed after that’. Theco–operative movement is now ‘a world–wide financial andeconomic business model’.

As part of the 250th anniversarycelebrations guests were invitedto the parish church to sign a copyof the Weavers’ Charter. Thischarter had earlier been signed byAlex Salmond, the First Minister,and by the entire cabinet.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk andwww.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk

5

to and fro (detail) 2010250cm x 62cm. AinsleyHillard. Hand-dyed nylonmonofilament warp, viscoseweft, acrylic.Photographic images areheat-transferred on to aviscose weft prior to beinghandwoven through ahand-dyed monofilamentwarp.Photographer: Toril Blancher

F rom Student to Professional We a v e r :an Interview with Holly Bradley-GillJill Davies, Devon Weavers Workshop

Menswear remains a key area for wovenfabrics because of men’s suiting. Projectssuch as this helped students to considerquestions such as: Who were they weavingfor? Why this style? Why these colours?Throughout the course, students had topresent their work at the end of eachproject.

During her time at university Hollyreceived support from a range ofindividuals and organisations. Oneholiday she worked as a studio assistantfor Wallace and Sewell in their Dorsetstudio. Each day Harriet Wallace-Jonesgave tutorial time to help the studentsdevelop their portfolios. Holly also hadshort placements at Nicole Farhi and Top Shop.

In the spring and summer terms oftheir final year, work began for the degreeshow. For the first month and a half,students were forbidden to weave andinstead had to focus solely on researchand design development. Holly’s finalproject was inspired by fashion from theSecond World War and the idea of ‘makedo and mend’. She posed the question:‘Can rationed fashion be of high-enduse?’ As with many of her projects, shebegan by focusing on colour, anddeveloping her personal colour palette,which she feels was instrumental in

giving her work a handmade appearance– an ultimate aim and a desired feature ofher work. Holly found the degree show achallenge – both in displaying her work togood effect and in having to sell herself.

The degree show was followed quitequickly by exhibiting at New Designers,where each college buys space and theirgraduating students pay for a standwithin that space to show their work.Holly felt it had been a worthwhileexperience and gave her more practiceat setting up and presenting her work,which was to prove useful as her yearprogressed. Graduates from other collegesgenerally had products to sell, whereasstudents at Central Saint Martins hadbeen encouraged to make fabric. Hollyhad welcomed this emphasis as it meantthat they had more time for design anddeveloping complexity within their weavedesigns, without the pressure of having tomake a product. She felt that this oftenmeant there was a higher technical qualityto their weaving in comparison.

Holly’s name had been put forward toTexprint by her college, for considerationto exhibit at their show and for theirprestigious Weave Award. Texprint is anorganisation which selects, mentors andpromotes newly graduated textiledesigners, providing a bridge between

‘Her originality – her development andresearch – was fabulous and very strong,adaptable and versatile, and her translationfrom drawing to cloth was very considered.She could go to Paris and work with the topdesigners – she has a beautiful colour senseand is very hands on’.These are the words spoken by the judges,Sally Taylor and Jacqueline Ednie ofBurberry, on their choice of HollyBradley-Gill for the Texprint: WeaveAward 2010.

I visited Holly, in her family home inDevon, eight months later to talk to herabout her time at college, her experiencessince graduating and her future plans.She was about to embark on a threemonth placement in Italy, working forMarzotto Spa Group at their woollenmenswear fabric mill, Guabello.

Holly had not considered weaving as an option until she was introduced to itduring her time at Central Saint Martins.She had imagined specialising in printedtextiles when she enrolled on the TextileDesign: Printing, Knitting and Weavingdegree course at a college chosen partlybecause of its links with Chelsea Collegewhere Holly did her Arts Foundationcourse and partly because of her familyhistory. Holly’s grandparents had bothstudied at Saint Martins, hergrandmother going on to designembroidery work for fashion houses andher grandfather being involved in therestoration of the Brighton Pavilion.

The course offered the opportunity toexplore the three media of print, knittingand weave for the first year-and-a-halfand then to choose one in which tospecialise. Holly moved to weaving fromknitting and found, in comparison, asatisfaction in the stability of thestructure. She liked the professional lookof the finished product and enjoyed themathematical aspect of it. Weaving wassomething new to all the students –everyone was starting from the same placeand discovering it together – and this alsoadded to its appeal.

Holly’s first tutor, Eleanor Pritchard,acted as a mentor and all the weave tutorswere very helpful and always on hand.The technical support was also excellent.Once the students had begun to weave,they worked on projects – initially withTimothy Everest, a menswear tailor.


Holly Bradley-Gill at theTexprint First View exhibitionin LondonPhotos: Holly Bradley-Gill

initial samples and getting her workmanufactured in mills in this country. Shehopes to use wool from the South West.When she returns from Italy, she plans toset up a studio in a converted outbuildingat her parents’ home. Holly has completeda business course with the Prince’s Trustand she hopes to receive further supportand mentoring from them. Her tutorsand the technicians from Central SaintMartins continue to provide support andadvice.

Holly describes her work as havingsubtlety. She uses a select colour palette(dyeing her yarns herself) which createswhat has been described as ‘an ombrésophistication’. It has a handwoven butstylish look, hanging and draping well.When asked about influences Holly saysshe likes the geometric repetition of thework of designer Enid Marx and, withrespect to fashion, the colours and fabricchoices of Marni, and the simple, elegant,often understated designs of Chloé.

See Holly‘s website at www.hollybradleygill.comHer prize-winning work is also featured on theTexprint website at: www.texprint.org.uk

graduates sold their work: Holly solddesigns to an American company.

In October, as one of the six prizewinners funded by Texprint, Hollyexhibited at Interstoff Asia Essential,another trade fair, this time in HongKong. Whilst their work was quite unlikethat of other exhibitors, Holly felt it hadbeen a fantastic opportunity to see themarket and appreciate how different itwas to Paris.

After that whirlwind of high profileevents, Holly found that setting up aplacement in industry, or finding work,was a struggle, partly because she wasparticular about the sort of placement orjob she wanted and what she wanted toget from it. She had sent out hundreds ofCVs and had very little response whichwas disheartening, but said, ‘when you’repassionate about what you’re doing, youcan’t give up. It’s important to beproactive so that companies are aware ofyou.’ Her current placement in Italy cameout of the blue, from a company she hadapproached several months earlier.

Holly’s long term plans are to set upher own business/brand. She sees herselfin the future as a designer, weaving

college and the commercial world. Hollywas at home in Devon when she receivedthe phone call to say that she had beenselected to exhibit at the Texprint FirstView exhibition in London the followingweek.

She was surprised and thrilled to bechosen for the Weave prize, having seenthe standard of work in the competition.The sponsors of Texprint, representativesfrom the big stores and from the RoyalCollege of Art, all attended the privateview. Many exhibitors sold work or wereinvited for interview. For Holly, theexperience felt like a recognition, a pat onthe back after all the hard work. Althoughshe hadn’t doubted her work, she nowhad a clear message that other peopleliked it too. She also enjoyed theexperience of meeting a cross-section ofgraduates who were equally passionateabout their work.

Six weeks later, all 24 exhibitors weregiven the opportunity to show their workat Premier Vision, a trade fair in Paris.They had to produce new work for thisshow, so Holly went back to college forthe summer. Her source material for hernew designs was World War II medals.This developed from her earlier work, andshe started once again with the colours –this time of the medal silks. During thistime in London, she visited Burberry whojudged her Texprint prize, and also dinedat the Clothworkers’ Company whosponsored the prize. Both theClothworkers’ Company and theWorshipful Company of Weavers haveshown an interest in supporting Hollyand other young weavers; for example, byhelping to find work placements. They seethis as the beginning of a supportiverelationship.

In Paris, Texprint providedaccommodation and expenses, help withsetting up and a French translator. Theyhad also organised workshops on pricingand copyright prior to the event. PremierVision is an enormous trade fair andexhibitors come from all over the world.Holly reported that this was a verysupportive way of gaining this – normallyvery costly – experience. There was areception where Holly and the other prizewinners were presented with theircheques. Once again there wereopportunities to network and the

Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011 7

Silk fabric withsupplementary woolwarp, from Holly’sHonour collection basedon World War II medals

Silk fabric using a blockthreading, from Holly’swomenswear collectionRationed

8 Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

Weaving a way of life: Kyrgyz Woven TextilesStephanie Bunn

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

* pronounced ‘Kur-ghuz’

We often associate the nomadic textile traditions of Central Asiawith felt – the non-woven textile par-excellence of this region –used for floor and tent coverings and, in the past, for clothing bagsand animal trappings. However, most of the formerly nomadicpeoples of Central Asia also have a rich weaving heritage,especially Turkic speakers such as Kyrgyz,* Kazakhs, Turkmenand Uzbeks.

Before the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the second halfof the nineteenth century and the introduction of industriallywoven fabrics, weaving among all these formerly nomadic groupswas done by hand at home for use in the family tent. The woolused came from animals reared locally; sheep, camel and goats.Kyrgyz weaving was used for tent bands, woven sedge-screen tentlinings, and pile carpets. It was also used for items of clothing,especially camel hair coats. Most other woven cloth, such asimported silks from Uzbekistan, was bought in bazaars. Given thatKyrgyz people were largely nomadic until the Stalinist period inthe 1930s, their weaving has resulted in a set of equipment whichis, in general, easy to set up and dismantle.

Above: Detail of patterned chiy

Map © Stuart Booker

9Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 239, Autumn 2011

One of the most characteristic northern Kyrgyz band weavingtechniques is termé, a warp-faced weave created on a simpleground loom, ormok. ‘Kyrgyz weavers are all mathematicians,’ saidBermet, 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 arestrongly coloured and dominating, while the weft is thinner andneutral. The loom can be rolled up and put away at anytime. Notbeing naturally systematic, I found that trying to make therhythmic pattern of termé was the kind of experience which made

me want to weep, although time improved matters. Being warp-faced, 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 bothevenly woven and patterned.

In southern Kyrgyzstan, a different kind of band weaving calledkazhary is made. This creates a band of fabric with a distinct frontand back, where the back is much looser and has longer floats.Both termé and kazhary can be woven narrow (10 cm), or up to50 cm wide, when the fabric may also be made into artifacts suchas saddle bags, kurzhun.

Kyrgyz woven tent band andcords attaching roof poles

Ormok (terméground loom) fromthe front

Bands made usingtermé and kazhary inthe boz üyPhotos: Stephanie Bunnand Laura Hamilton


Chiy – 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 wildsedge stems, also called chiy, from the steppe. The loom frame ismade from two forked stakes set in the ground on to which a thirdhorizontal stake is attached at a comfortable working height. Thewarp cords, usually made from handspun brown sheep’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 apattern. They are added in at the top, by the horizontal bar on theloom, and are woven in by lifting each set of warp cords in turnover the individually wrapped chiy, crossing in the same directionso that they appear to be twined together. The warp threads runvertically during weaving, but when chiy are in use as tent screensthey are set on their sides so that the warp appears horizontal (seeabove and below). Patterns created through this method can bevery simple, or extremely complex. Some chiy have virtually nowoollen-covered chiy stems, just occasional stripes wrapped in redor blue fleece.Others have very complex designs, and may evenhave tiny textured gaps created by leaving spaces in the wrapping.

Above and detail below: Kyrgyzweaver Kulbar making plain ak chiy.The photo shows the way theweave is built up from the top,extending down.

Above: Close-up of chiy with occasionalred and blue stripes. The dark brownlines constitute the warp, which iswoven at intervals in a continuousfigure of eight line to add strength.

Below: Complex chiy design.The central motif is outlined ina contrasting colour.


Kazakh guest tent with felt wallsremoved to reveal chiy around theoutside of the frame.

As the tent is erected, the chyrmaganeshik chiy can be seen extendingfrom the top of the door entrance tothe roof ring of the tent.

Left: Decorated chiymade into a storagecontainer hangingfrom the tent trellis.The wall chiy can beseen behind the trellis,and a termé woventent band extendsaround the trellis.

Right: Ashkana chiywith embroidery at topedge.

Most motifs are outlined in a second colour to emphasize the lineof the pattern, and this usually adds a sense of ‘zing’ to the overalleffect. This is similar to the Kyrgyz approach to colour-use in theirfelt shyrdak rugs, where motifs are always outlined in a contrastingthread. Much of the skill in weaving chiy lies in accuratelywrapping the chiy so that it corresponds to the developing overallpattern which builds up as it is woven in. Done successfully, suchchiy appear as richly decorated as quilted Kyrgyz felt shyrdaks orpile woven carpets, gilam, and draw on a similar repertoire ofmotifs, although the patterns are usually geometrical.

There are three different ways in which chiy may be used in theboz üy. Very impressive is the chyrmagan kanat chiy which entirelyencircles the outer trellis wall of the tent. This is usually overlainby a felt wall cover and can be seen only from the inside throughthe lattice.

However, in hot weather, the outer felt covers can be removed sothat air can circulate through the woven walls by convection,keeping the inside cool. The beautiful designs on the chiy are thenseen from the outside too, and, in contrast to the usual subtleappearance of the muted, felt covered tent, reveal its interior to berich and vibrant. Such decoration transforms an ordinary tent to a

guest one, or konok üy, reflecting the skill of the homemaker andthe 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 thetop of the door entrance to where the door felt meets the roofring of the tent (see above left). This is known as the chyrmaganeshik chiy.

Thirdly, there is the ashkana chiy which acts as a screen on thewoman’s side of the tent, and demarcates the kitchen area. Thesechiy are often given the most intricate, beautiful designs, perhapsbecause they are most visible, and also not too large, so that suchintricacy is not on too grand a scale. The ashkana chiy is attachedto a post in the tent, linking it to the roof poles and enabling it tostand up (see below right).

Undecorated chiy are also used for fulling felt, making use oftheir ridged surfaces to create the friction needed in feltmaking.In Kyrgyz feltmaking, wool is laid out on a plain, undecoratedak chiy. This is then rolled up, adding hot water, and the bundle isrolled up and down the mountains, steppe or street for abouttwo hours. People also used to weave decorated chiy into smallercylindrical storage containers (see below left) or hanging tentshelves.


Pile woven Kyrgyz chavadangilam, made as storage bags

A weaver working at adukon, a horizontal groundloom for weaving gilam

Gilam – pile woven carpetsPile rug weaving was, and is, mainly practised in SouthernKyrgyzstan, around Osh, Batken, Jalalabad and in smaller townssuch as Kyzyl Kiya. This is a region which has long been semi-nomadic, so rugs were used in tents and houses. In the nomadictent, such woven rugs, gilam, were spread out in the place ofhonour, the tör. They would be placed on top of felts or fur, and forthis kind of use were quite small, about 1.5 x 3 metres. Since theearly twentieth century, rug-making has been one of the fewKyrgyz 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 Russiancolonisation of the region from the late nineteenth centuryonwards, and as close proximity to the associated developingcommercial markets of Fergana Valley gave more exposure totrade, rug production among Kyrgyz women became a trade, forsale especially to Uzbeks and Tajiks at this time. She suggests thatmuch larger rugs, up to 6 metres long, were made to sell in thebazaar for the houses. People also used gilam for feasts and funeralsin 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 meanswork-bench. It is a very simple form of horizontal broad-beamloom and is set horizontally on the ground. It can either be a frame,or made from four posts set into the ground, with two horizontalbeams across the front and back end of the loom to tension thewarp. Rugs are usually made from wool, and in the past, camel hair,along with goat hair, was prized for its durability for the warp. Thewarp thread was, and may well still be, spun by hand. It is thediameter of the warp thread which defines the quality of thecarpet, and in contrast to Turkmen rugs, Kyrgyz warps are quitecoarse. The weft is spun more loosely so it is usually softer. The pileis also critical for the quality of the carpet, and is made from thelongest wool strands, which are spun but not plied.


Several women take part in the weaving, sitting on the ground infront of the loom. There is always a lead weaver, who is recognisedas experienced and skilled. People will invite her to direct theproceedings and she will often travel from quite far away. Shedecides who sits where, allocating the more difficult areas of designto the better weavers, and the edges to less experienced women.A flat weave strip about 7 – 10 cm wide is woven first and then thepile is begun. The knots are asymmetrically tied around andbetween two warps, and then cut. After each row of knots, the weftis passed and then beaten by a heavy square wooden beater knownas a tokmok. Every two to three rows, the pile is trimmed withscissors to about 6–8mm. Kyrgyz knot density is about 80 – 90,000knots per square metre.

Red was by far the predominant colour of more traditionalKyrgyz 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 tofelt patterning, positive and negative imagery is often used. Todaypink is also used in conjunction with red to create additionalbrightness. Patterns are very diverse, and reflect the multipleinfluences of the cross regional market exposure, from the SilkRoad trade to the present time. Some pattern forms are classically

Contemporary Kyrgyz gilamfor sale at Kyzyl Kiya bazaar

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

Weaving today

On recent visits to Kyrgyzstan I have come across carpet weavingstill being carried out in the south, while woven bands and chiy areonly made on occasions for yurt orders by a few groups ofdedicated craftspeople across the region. Those people who doweave are still highly skilled and are developing new skills and usesfor their work. Small chiy and bags made from termé are sold totourists. There is a new weaving group which has been set up inthe north using imported looms and local wool to make wovenscarves and clothing. The craft situation is at quite a critical stageof development, but expertise is still valued and we can only hopeit will be sustained.

An exhibition of Kyrgyz textiles, researched by Stephanie Bunn andLaura Hamilton, will be on display at the Collins Gallery, Glasgow,20 August to 24 September (see Diary p. 44). Four makers will be inresidence for a week to conduct workshops in chiy weaving, feltingand shyrdak.


More Meetings with Remarkable Dyers: JavaDiane Gaffney

Diane’s ‘snapshot’ series describes some ofher experiences buying textiles andgarments to exhibit and sell. Journal 236contained her article on her trip to Turkeyand 237 described experiences in Thailand.This time Diane takes us to Java.

We are in lush tropical hills to the south ofJogyakarta in central Java and I have beeninvited to an indigo plantation –something which would have been a veryfamiliar sight a century ago but is now ararity. This area is very special as it is thetrue heartland of Javanese culture.

Just a few miles from here is the villageof Giriloyo where we have been visiting awomen’s batik co-operative. On the waywe passed stalls selling bags of fine woodshavings called secang which makes abright orange medicinal tea. I recognise itas sappanwood – a very useful natural dye.

I have been coming to Java since 1983and have met many good friends through

my interest in textiles, particularly batik.I am beginning to get to know the womenof the co-op. They still make very finehand-drawn batik in the way that theirmothers and grandmothers did, under thepatronage of the Sultan of Jogyakarta.

The Palace commissions extremely finetextiles to be used in traditional rituals andceremonies. In between times, the womenmake batik for sale. Most of this area,including the women’s homes andworkshop, was flattened by an earthquakein 2005. The Batik Guild raised money tohelp them rebuild, and I have spent a daybatiking alongside these amazingcraftswomen.

Not far away are the ancient burialgrounds of the Sultans of Central Java. Youcan visit on certain days, but before beingadmitted you must be properly dressed.My friend Susi Kelik and I are taken asideby a couple of stout ladies and wrapped invegetable-dyed batik sarongs and kemben,

old fashioned breast cloths. Now we mayenter the cool, dark tombs where aguardian intones ancient Javanese texts bycandlelight. As a devout Muslim, Susi ishappy to change back into her long sleevedtop, trousers and headscarf on leaving thegrounds, although I feel the traditionalgarments are much more comfortable inthis heat.

Now I have been invited to the indigofield by Hani Winotosatro, the heir to afamous batik business which was set up byher great-great grandparents. Her fatheradvised President Sukarno on the revivalof batik back in the 1950s. She runs a cleanand airy ‘factory’ where you can watchtraditional batik being made and havea laugh with the workers in the shop. Jimand I spent many hours here with ourchildren in our early days getting to gripswith the process and watching ‘our’ batikbeing made from start to finish.

Plants growing in the indigofields

Below: Batiking on natural dyed silk Photos: Diane Gaffney


Things may seem to stay the same, butthat is an illusion. Batik is often made onsilk nowadays for one thing and, foranother, natural dyeing is making atentative reappearance. I was surprised tofind that Hani is now reviving the use ofthe old dyes and she is growing dyestuffson her land as her grandparents once did.Java provided huge amounts of top gradeindigo in the nineteenth century, but withthe arrival of synthetic indigo in the1890s this quickly changed and indigoplantations were replaced with sugarcane.

In the highly conservative centralJavanese sultanates, indigo, soga (a dyemade from various woods which producepale golden yellows to deep rich browns)and mengkudu (a mulberry root whichproduces reds) were used right up to the1960s. But even here batik producersfinally succumbed to the quicker andeasier synthetic dyes.

Hani is now relearning the skills andknowledge of her ancestors. Fortunately,much of this is still within living memoryand she does not have to undertake yearsof experimentation and painstakingchemical analysis as Harald Böhmer hadto do in Turkey.

In this series of short snapshots, I havedescribed just a few of the experiences Ihave had on my travels. Natural dyeing isenjoying a revival in many more parts ofthe world than those mentioned in myseries, not least, of course, here in the UK.The reasons for this revival are many, butinclude a concern for the environmentand a belated recognition of the damagedone by chemical dyes, and a wish topreserve traditional skills and knowledge.

All of these reasons are very importantbut if natural dyeing is to become morethan just a labour of love it needs to finda market of appreciative and educatedbuyers. This is where I can be useful inpromoting the cause of these beautifultextiles with their lovely natural coloursand the fascinating people who continueto make them.

BiographyDiane and Jim Gaffney have been buying andselling handmade textiles since 1984. They runtheir shop ‘Textile Traders’ in Shropshire, andwww.textiletechniques.co.uk They give talks togroups around the country.

Below: Women looking at somewaxed cloths and deciding on whatdyes to use. They traditionally useindigo and soga.

Above: Mengkudu is made from theroots of a mulberry tree (Morindacitrifolia). The roots can be selectivelydug up without harming the treePhotos: Diane Gaffney


The Bare Bones of the BagsChoosing the Yarns for Ancestor BagsSue Hiley Harris, London Guild

Spinners and weavers have fibres and yarns, usually far more thanthey can spin or weave in their lifetime, filling their studio shelvesor stashed away in cupboards. I am no different and consider itessential to have a variety of likely yarns and fibres available tochoose from and experiment with when I am starting a newproject. I usually work with yarns in their natural state or dyethem myself although, lately, bright colours have found their wayonto my shelves as I think about working with stainless steel andflashes of bright enamelled copper wire. Predominantly, myshelves 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 challengingstage in any project – and it is the most crucial. Sample, sampleand sample – the fibre, the yarns, the colours, the sett, the finish –and discover what is most appropriate. There is nothing moredisheartening than being well into a long project and feeling youhave not made the best choice. Sometimes the material is dictatedas, for example, using handspun flax for a piece to be exhibited ina linen festival. Or the project might be inspired by a particularyarn or fibre. At other times the idea and the vision for thefinished work come first and there is a need for experiments andsampling to get the right feel and look to convey that vision. It isvery frustrating when you find the perfect yarn or fibre on yourshelves only to discover you don’t have sufficient quantity and itis no longer available. I am happiest when the sampling is done,the choices are made, sufficient yarn or fibre is in stock and I cansettle down to the long hours of making.

At the beginning of 2009 I was looking at my yarn shelves tofind the materials to use for the final part of an ongoing projectthat related to the Aboriginal string bags that my motherregularly sent to me from Australia. I wanted to make aconnection between Australia, where I was born and brought up,and Wales, where I have lived for thirty years and feel very muchat home. During 2003, in Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum,I discovered a string bag very similar in shape and structure toone in my collection. It was in a case devoted to the ‘treatment ofthe dead’ and carried a label saying that it was used for ‘carryingthe bones of dead relatives’. It was the starting point for a projectthat culminated in my exhibition Ancestor Bags.

Most of the Australian Aboriginal string bags in my collectionare made in the traditional way from cabbage palm prepared byremoving the fibres from the palm and spinning by hand on thethigh. A group of fibres, separated into two parts, is held in theleft hand in a ‘v’ shape. The fibres are spun by rolling the righthand down the thigh putting twist into the two separate groupsof fibres. When sufficient twist has been added, the pressure ofthe right hand is released allowing the fibres in the two groups totwist back on themselves forming a single yarn. The right hand isrolled quickly back up the thigh adding extra twist to form a firmtwo-ply yarn. Extra fibres can be added as needed and the yarncan 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 fibreswith natural materials to provide a range of colours.

Initially, I did not know where the project would lead butbegan experimenting making my own symbolic bag forms. Thefirst were seven small pieces, Dilly I – VII1, woven with paper

Top right: Yarn shelves inSue’s studioPhotograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Above: AustralianAboriginal string bag,similar to one in the PittRivers 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 andearth pigments handwovenand constructedPhotograph © Sue Hiley Harris


yarn and coloured with indigo and earth pigment. I dipped thefinished bags into a mixture of our local red earth, casein2 andwater. The paper yarn provided good structure and earthtrapped between the warp and wefts gave additional colour andan organic quality to the weaving. This led onto a larger, indigo-dyed paper yarn sculpture, Bagform.

Invited to exhibit in the exhibition Lin Sacré as part of afestival of linen in Québec in 2007, I made the first bag formsthat directly related to the idea of ancestors and bags. AncestralBag 1913 (see right), Ancestral Bag 1874 and Ancestral Bag 1918represented my mother, my mother’s mother and my mother’ssister respectively. As it was a linen festival, the fibre was dictated.But linen on its own would not provide the firmness I needed forthese substantial works, so I again turned to our local red earth.I mixed it with wallpaper paste and used it to moisten, colourand stiffen the flax fibres as I spun them. It was a messyprocedure that required a complete clean and oil of the spinningwheel after each spinning session and I would not recommend it.

In 2009 I wanted to make 30 works, each representing one ofmy direct ancestors over four generations and each withcharacteristics of my ancestors woven into them. Rather than the cylindrical shapes of my Ancestral Bags, I decided to use twowarps that intersect, a technique that I had previously used invarious ways. The first warp, joined into a continuous loop,would represent the bag and the second intersecting warp wouldrepresent the life passing through it. This warp would containcoded information such as the age of the person, the country ofbirth and death, and the number and sex of their children.These would give each work an individual and distinctive shapedictated 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 neededand also show something of the character of the Australian stringbags without using the traditional materials. After some trials I discarded the idea of handspinning coarse hemp fibres I hadin my store and found some hand-tied twisted ramie I hadpurchased from Habu Textiles. The yarn is made by hand in asmall village in China by stripping the outside from the ramiestalk and splitting it into approximately one metre lengths. Theselengths are joined together and twisted into a two-ply yarn thatvaries considerably in colour, thickness and amount of twist.The yarn provided the perfect character and structure for thewarp and for the main weft and, fortunately, I was able topurchase a sufficient quantity for all thirty pieces.

Right: Ancestral Bag 1913(detail) 2007, 200 x 10 x18cm. Handspun linen &paper coloured withearth pigments andgesso.Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris

Below: Spinning the flaxusing a mixture of redearth and wallpaperpaste to moisten thefibres.Photograph © David Moore

Below left: Hand-tiedChinese ramiePhotograph © Sue Hiley Harris


For the second weft, which would show such characteristics as age and country of birth and origin, it seemed obvious tochoose wool. Each work was to represent one of my directancestors over four generations. Ten of these ancestors hademigrated from Britain to Australia during the nineteenthcentury. As these ancestors of mine were on their long seajourneys to Australia, ships were sailing in the oppositedirection with precious cargoes of Australian merino fleecein their holds.

For each square representing a decade in the life of anancestor, I decided to use two triangles of white yarn torepresent the genes from both parents. The only wool I hadin store was some fine merino tops for felting, and whenhandspun, this lacked character and substance. I sought outsuitable white fleeces in Wales and asked my sisters to sendwhite fleece from Australia. I combed the fleeces and spun them using a worsted method to reduce fluffiness and keptthem as singles.

Within the white woollen loops, representing the decadeswhen children were born, I wove coloured bands or triangles;a thin band for a child who died, a small triangle for a personwho died young and a larger triangle for a person who livedlonger. I have always used natural dyes. To colour the bands and triangles, I used blue from woad for males and green fromwoad over-dyed with weld for females born in Britain. For theAustralian-born children I used eucalyptus leaves sent fromAustralia, differentiating the males from the females by usingcopper or alum mordants. A dusting with an Australian yellowochre on the white wool, representing the time an ancestorlived in Australia, as well as the eucalyptus-dyed bands andtriangles evoked the colours of the Australian landscape. Onthe 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 Icontinued, with the help of my family, to search out the details I needed. The research was immensely rewarding and I piecedtogether many fascinating stories from facts and bits of

Right: Dyeing handspunwool with eucalyptus leavesPhotograph © David Moore

Left: Weaving eucalyptus-dyed bands and triangles torepresent Australian-bornoffspring. The triangleswith hatched endsrepresent living offspring.Photograph © David Moore

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

Below: Weaving blue and greenbands and triangles to representBritish born offspring.Photograph © David Moore


information handed down through the generations. I had beenaware, in the early 1980s when I studied handloom weaving inBradford, that I had Yorkshire ancestors. It was amazing todiscover, during my research, that in Bradford in the nineteenthcentury my great-great-grandfather Daniel Hiley and his sonswere mechanics and his daughters were worsted spinners,drawers, comb-setters and weavers. Their genes had found theirway down the generations to me.

Since completing the work and showing it at MOMA Wales,Machynlleth, in the autumn of 2009, I have continued thefamily research and found more exciting connections. DanielHiley’s father, Thomas, was a carpet weaver in Halifax. It ismost likely that he worked in Crossley Carpets at Dean CloughMills during its height in the mid-nineteenth century. It isparticularly poignant that Ancestor Bags, representing thirty ofmy ancestors, will be shown this autumn at the BankfieldMuseum, Halifax.

1 Dilly Bags. Australian Aboriginal women make twined pandanusbaskets as well as looped or knotted string bags. Conical shaped twinedbags, usually relatively small and strung over the head or shoulders, weretermed dilly bags by the missionaries in Arnhem Land, NorthernAustralia. Australia’s Living Heritage: Arts of the Dreaming by JenniferIsaacs. 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 andadhesives (Collins English Dictionary). A potter suggested I use casein asa binder and he gave me some to use.

Sue Hiley Harris worked with silk for more than 25 years and now uses avariety of materials to weave three-dimensional sculptures. Over the pastdecade Sue has worked towards a body of work that connects her sense ofbelonging in Wales, where she has lived since 1981, to her upbringing inAustralia. 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).

Left: Detail ofAncestor Bags atMOMA Wales, 2009,showing two of the30 worksPhotograph © David Moore

Right: Ancestor Bagrepresenting ThomasHiley 1876 – 1904(detail)Photograph © Sue Hiley Harris


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

You’re excited. You’ve tried out weavingout and you enjoy it. You just need to getthat secondhand loom you’ve seen andyou’ll be making your own fabrics! Thetrouble is, there are quite a few looms tochoose from, and you’re not sure whatyou should be looking for. In Journal 235we looked at the different kinds of loomsthat are available. This article will nowhelp you answer the following sixquestions:

• How do I know whether a loom is a goodone or not?• How do I know if I will be comfortablewith the loom?• What can I do if the loom is too big orsmall for my physical build?• What equipment should come with myloom?• What extra equipment do I need to getweaving?• How much should I pay for my loom?

How do I know whether a loom is agood one or not?It is best to buy only after seeing the loomin person. The Loom Exchange is anonline site which posts images which canbe accessed for a preliminary inspection,but I would be very wary of buyingwithout seeing the loom itself. When youlook at the loom, follow this checklist:

1. Check there is no woodworminfestation 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 anydiagonal shifting when you push the loomframe from front left to back right andfront right to back left. If there is a framewobble, this may not be disastrous – a simple brace might be sufficient – but itneeds to have a sturdy frame, critical if youwant to weave rugs. Also, are all the anglesbetween horizontal and vertical loomsections right angles, in whicheverdirection they run?

4. Check the pawls on the warp beamand cloth beam. A pawl is a lever whichlocks into a toothed cog, or ratchet. Theseare used to keep the warp tension secureand for ease of adjustment to the warptension. They should release and catcheasily and cleanly. If they are metal and a little rusty, some lubricant spray shouldfree them up. There shouldn’t be any teeth

missing from the cogs. Check that bothbeams run smoothly when the brake isreleased and hold fast when the brake is on.

5. Check that each of the shafts movesup and down smoothly. A little sandingand rubbing with candlewax* in the castle grooves will ease gentle stickingwith wood frames, but if the shafts bind(in other words, catch on each other), donot buy unless you have an engineeringbent or know someone who does. If theshaft frame is wood, check that the woodis straight and not warped.*Some people prefer to use silicone spray, butwoodworkers would gasp with horror. Siliconespray can cause the wood to swell, whereascandlewax won’t, but you do need to rub overthe waxed area with a dry soft cloth to buff it up a little.

6. Check the connections betweenthe treadles or levers and the shafts.If the strings are frayed, they can easilybe replaced, but it is good to know inadvance, rather than when you have awarp on the loom and you are juststarting to weave.

7. Check the heddles. If they are metaland a little rusty, see if the rust begins tocome off when you rub one between yourfingers. If the rust is just on the surface,then a sample warp of greasy wool willquite often clean them off for you. I haveused Shetland wool for this before, and itworked a treat. However, if you’re notsure whether your wool is ‘greasy’ enough,you can use a scouring pad or atoothbrush and granular paste forremoving grime, and brush the rust off.

8. Check the state of the reed. If thereed is rusty, see whether it is just surfacerust as in 7. If it is, the same greasy woolwarp will help clean the reed. New reedscan be bought, but are fairly expensive.

9. Check that the beater is straight andnot warped, and that it moves forwardsand back easily, with both swords (thevertical frame of the beater) touching the breast beam or the castle framesimultaneously. If they are not, the loommay be out of true, or the beater may bewarped. If the beater is warped, you will

Side plan showing the mainparts of a typical floor loom

A ratchet and pawl holding thecloth beam securePhotographs © Stacey Harvey-BrownDiagrams © Stuart Booker


never achieve weaving that is even, sodon’t buy. Some overhung beaters haverubber ropes that pull them back towardsthe shafts when you are not beating.Check that they have not perished. If theyhave, you can replace them although thebeater usually works fine without them.

How do I know if I will becomfortable with the loom?If the loom is assembled when you go tosee it, you need to try sitting at it with achair that you propose to use. Your armsshould be roughly around hip to tummyheight when you are in position to throwthe shuttle. If you are buying a tableloom, check the comfort level in yourarms, shoulders and back when using thelevers. Side levers can create tension inthese areas, but may suit your build.

If it is not assembled, ensure that youmeasure the final height of the breastbeam from the floor, and have someonemeasure you from floor to elbow, sittingon the chair you propose to use. If theheights match or are only slightlydifferent then you have the choice ofchanging your seating.

You may need different seating/standing/perching arrangementsdepending on the task. For instance, youmay find it easier to thread using a lower(or higher) stool or to lift the shafts asyou thread.

What can I do if the loom is too bigor small for my physical build?Generally I would advise you to wait untilthe right one comes along, but I know thatsometimes, if you are very tall or veryshort, that is almost impossible.Remember, a loom is a tool, and if you arevery tall, you can raise the loom on bricksor a platform. If you are very short, you cantake some length off the legs of the loom,except when the main strength of theframe is braced at the very bottom of theloom. In that case, go for a table loom, or afloor loom with the bracing further up thelegs so you can shorten it.

What equipment should come withmy loom?Obviously, you will need to check carefullyto see what is provided with your loom.If the seller is a weaver, they will more thanlikely include the raddle, one or two reeds,spare heddles, warp sticks (which are long

Right: Bothswords aretouching thecastle frame andthe beater is true

The beater(right) is out oftrue

Below: Detailsshowing a cleanreed and a rustyreed


Notes1 The Loom Exchange can be found atwww.theloomexchange.co.uk

Stacey’s website is at www.theloomroom.co.uk

If you have a weaving friend you can ask to go with you, you will have the benefit of their experience in weaving to drawon, but if not, you will still have theinformation you need to buy your veryfirst loom.

Happy Weaving!

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

What extra equipment do I need toget weaving?In order to get weaving on your new loom,the basic equipment you need is a warpingframe (or board), a pair of cross sticks(smooth wooden laths with a small hole ateach end), a raddle, some stick shuttles,enough heddles on your shafts for yourfirst project (about 50 – 100 per shaft),some warp sticks or heavy weight paper toseparate out the layers of your warp, athreading hook, a reed hook, a tapemeasure, a ruler, a notebook, and someyarn for warp and weft. If you have rolleror boat shuttles, you will also require abobbin winder to wind your pirns.

How much should I pay for my loom?This is the key question once you know allthe above information! Prices varydepending on the type of loom and itscondition. A table loom is usually cheaperto buy than a floor loom. The more shaftsa loom has, the more you can expect topay. If the loom has two warp beams and a double back beam so you can put twowarps on at the same time, you can expectto pay quite a bit more. Sometimes aweaver who is retiring or ‘downsizing’ maybe less worried about getting a high pricethan about finding a good home for theircherished loom, so a low price tag is notnecessarily an indicator of poor quality.

The best recommendation is to do yourresearch: if you have a computer andinternet connection, do an online searchfor loom manufacturers and look at newlooms, visit your nearest loom supplier,or view the online pages of stockists andshops. Then look online at The LoomExchange1 and also look in the ads in theJournal. Ask around at your local Guild(details on p. 49) or post an email or visitthe Virtual Market if you are a member ofthe Online Guild. If you are not online,then the Journal and your local Guild willhelp. You will get a fair idea of the sort ofthing that is available at the time you arelooking, and the variety in prices. Youshould find something near your pricebracket which will suit you just fine!

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

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

A

B

C

D

EF

GH


P roducing the J o u rn a lHilary Miller, Clive Rowlands, Cally Booker

The Treasurer’s principal role isto record income, to control andrecord expenditure and to reportregularly to the committee. Mostof the income is received inadvance as annual subscriptionor prepaid advertising so therecords need to identify thoseinvolved individually, togetherwith the amounts owed to themat any given time. This requiresclose teamwork between therelevant committee memberswith prompt and accurateexchange of information. Wenow use a dedicated Sageaccounting program (with thehelp of spreadsheets) to achievethis. It is user-friendly andeffective.

Typically, I will receive detailsof money paid into the bank byothers and enter the details intothe program. Where a newsubscriber/advertiser is involved,a new record is created. I receivedetails of all Journals despatchedand record these as a sale to theindividual record so that themoney owed to that customerreduces by each sale. This way,we know exactly who we owemoney to. Prepaid advertising isrecorded in the same way, butthe sale in this case is the valueof the advert on publication.

The main expenditure consistsof printing costs, design costsand the quarterly despatch costsso I will verify these invoicesbefore putting them through the

In the summer Journal 238Dawn Willey described herexperience of joining theJournal Editorial Committee andshared the work she does asBook Reviews Editor. We haveasked some more of ourcommittee members to providean insight into their roles overthe next few issues.

Would you like to join us?Vacancies currently exist for aSecretary and Weaving FeaturesEditor. We are also looking for anew Treasurer to join us as soonas possible. These roles are alldescribed below.

Hilary Miller, who retired fromthe committee at the AGM inApril, describes her role asSecretary to the JEC.

As the JEC Secretary my role hasbeen to facilitate the work ofthe committee, supporting theChairman and the other officersand members. In practice, theday to day job of the Secretaryis focused on the cycle of JECmeetings: there are fourmeetings a year, so that there isone meeting per issue of theJournal.I book the venue, agree theagenda with the Chairman, co-ordinate reports (from theTreasurer and others) and makeeverything available to thecommittee members. I then takeminutes at the meetings, writethem up and circulate the finalversion. I also maintain therecords, such as the contactdetails of all the committeemembers.

In addition, I deal with lettersthat are sent to the Journal.Some are for publication andothers are general enquiries.Most enquiries now come viathe Journal website, so they caneasily be forwarded to therelevant committee member fora response or, if it is an unusualquery, I can ask JEC members fortheir ideas.

As do all the committeemembers, I participate by proofreading each issue of theJournal and I have theopportunity to contribute toideas for future content and thefuture direction of the Journal.There is great satisfaction inseeing all our efforts broughttogether every time a new issueis published, and in having beenpart of that process.

Cally Booker shares herexperience of editing featurearticles.

For the last three years my jobon the committee has been toedit feature articles which are

about – or mainly about –weaving. One of the excitingthings I have learned throughworking on the Journal is howhard it is to draw boundariesbetween our three disciplines.Many people practise more thanone craft and often the mostinteresting topics draw on arange of skills and techniques.Nonetheless, we work hard tomake sure that each discipline isrepresented in every issue andaim for a balanced coverageover the course of the year.

Sometimes people writearticles and send them to me ontheir own initiative, but often Ineed to seek out an author tocontribute on a particular topic.Once I have a first draft of afeature and some images toillustrate it, I circulate it to therest of the committee for theirfeedback. I collate all thecomments, requests forclarification and suggestions fordevelopment and organise aresponse to the author. This isall done by email so my Journalinbox is a very busy place. Theremight be quite a bit of to-ingand fro-ing before we haveeverything sorted out, whichincludes sourcing images ofsuitable print quality. Highresolution images can bedifficult to send by email, so theauthor will often make up a CDof photographs and post it tome. Occasionally I have to turndown a feature article whichhas been offered to me, perhapsbecause the topic is too close tosomething we have recentlycovered or because it is too faroutside our weaving, spinningand dyeing remit. That is apainful job, because I hate todiscourage anyone fromcontributing: on the contrary,the more articles we receive, thehappier we are.

Our quarterly copy deadline issacrosanct! As everyone on theJournal is a volunteer, we needto be respectful of each others’time and not keep anybodywaiting. I compile all the text,the images, the captions andany copyright informationrequired and put it all on a CDand into the post. It is excitingto see how all thesecomponents come together inthe finished Journal, and myfavourite part of the job isposting a complimentary copyout to each author to thankthem for their hard work.

Finally, our Treasurer, CliveRowlands, describes the work hedoes to keep the Journal’sfinancial records in order.

system and then pay thempromptly. Our quarterly meetingexpenses are a more modestexpenditure and are dealt within the same way. At the bottomend of our expenditure there areexpense claims by committeemembers for postage etc. Thereis clear guidance on what isallowed so this also is a simpleexercise.

The Sage program offers asnapshot of the financialposition at any given time so Ican respond to committeeenquiries promptly andaccurately. Each month, I receivebank statements which Ireconcile with the accounts’records, correcting any errorsdiscovered, and at the end ofthe year the Sage programproduces all the documentsrequired for audit.

The Treasurer’s role is crucial tokeeping the Journal going andwe would like to organise ahandover period before Cliveretires from the committee in2012.

If you would like to know moreabout it, or about either of theother roles described here, please contact Cally Booker(telephone 01382 202280, [email protected])or Christina Chisholm (telephone01862 842336, [email protected]).

Marie loved all things textile andwas self-taught in severaldifferent disciplines includingweaving, crochet, sewing,spinning and knitting.

While living with her husbandBill and their young family inSaudi Arabia, she decided thatweaving would be a beneficialindoor daytime activity. Her skillswere finely honed during thisperiod. She established a SaudiWeavers’ Guild with her fellowweavers and they enjoyedregular workshops.

In 1989 Marie was in the firstcohort of weavers to pass theCertificate of Achievement. Shetook pleasure in passing on theskills she had gained and was apatient, willing and encouragingteacher with an unfailing sense

of humour. She was an activemember of the Bradford Guildand spent much time at Guildmeetings assisting fellowweavers.

She had an enthusiasm forworld peoples, their handcraftsand social history. A weaver forover forty years, she wasparticularly inspired by thetextiles of the ancient world:one of her passions was sprang,a complex but fascinatingtechnique used by many ancientcultures.

Marie joined the JournalEditorial Committee in 2010,took on the role of advertisingmanager and quickly became avalued member of the team. Shedied suddenly while on holidayin Ireland on 20 June 2011.

Marie Therese Horne


In Journal 238, articles by Ann Hecht and Jane Deane highlightedsome of the problems of producing silk in the UK. However, therehas been a flourishing industry weaving imported silk over theyears. In Journal 227, Stephen Bryer wrote about the work ofWhitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire.

Sudbury in Suffolk continues to be an important silk weavingcentre. In this article Diane Sargeant writes about one of theworking mills in the town. An important recent commission was therefurbishment of the Goring Hotel in London (see p.26), includingthe Royal Suite, where Kate Middleton and her family stayed thenight before the Royal Wedding.

The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company in Suffolk is key to anunbroken, local legacy of silk and weaving that caters for rock starsand royalty.

Sudbury in Suffolk is the picturesque birthplace of painterThomas Gainsborough. It is the silk weaving capital of Britain. Themajority of the town's wealth was generated by a weaving and silkindustry stretching back to the Middle Ages, to days long beforepower looms or even Jacquard looms, when weaving was highlylabour intensive and required rivers for dyeing and fortransporting yarn.

The factory the company has occupied since 1924 is now in asprawling business park. The modest low-rise shed houses loomsdating back to the 1920s alongside much larger, moderncomputerised models. Here the sound of nearby trains isoverwhelmed by the deafening clackety-clackety of the looms. Onehalf of the factory is given over to the quieter business of preparingthe yarns – mostly fine silks, worsteds, cottons and linens, inhundreds of colours prepared in the adjacent dyeing sheds: thencomes the painstaking task of marshalling the threads to create thewarps and the bobbins, which will provide the weft (see below andp.25, right).

At one end of the factory hang ranks of the unique pattern cardswhich allow the Jacquard looms to generate metre upon metre ofintricately patterned textile. Where the looms are pounding away,individual weavers stand by, ready to intervene when a threadbreaks or a bobbin runs out, barely interrupting the rhythm. Andout from the mouths of these remorseless machines, between everybite of the harness and shuttle, slowly emerge the minor miraclesof cloth – shimmering, fluid, exquisitely decorative, legibleproducts of a refined civilisation, as fine textiles have always been.However, it is in the back rooms that you begin to appreciate thelegend. Here rolls and rolls of gorgeous fabrics are piled and neatlylabelled. The range of colours is dazzling. The fabrics and

A Secret History of Ta s t e :G a i n s b o rough Silk MillDiane Sargeant

Left: Skein winding

Above: A luscious, deep purple damask

Below: A lime green, geometric fabricmade for a precise Swiss clientPhotos: Diane Sargeant


furnishings for the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice sitalongside the black metallic costume material for the de Niro film,Stardust. A luscious deep purple damask (see left) is rangedalongside a lime green geometric fabric (below left) made for aprecise Swiss client. A Napoleonic stripe has had one family’sheraldic owl inserted, while a Russian commission has stipulatedreal gold thread.

In the archive room, hand-written ledgers reveal the greatnames who have commissioned or bought fabrics and furnishingshere: William Morris, Henry Ford, Cunard Line, SS Titanic, theNational Gallery, Kenwood House, Buckingham Palace, the Sultanof Brunei, while a code sends you to the shelves to find thematching sample. Preserved here is a complete genealogy ofEnglish taste, traced in over 5,000 squares of woven fabric, fromthe magisterial traditionalism of the Edwardians, through theModernist influence of the 1920s and 1930s to postwar utilitytextiles, full of charm and ingenuity, and the bright colours andbold 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 silkoriginating in China and cotton in the USA. Grade A silk ispurchased in its raw state (in gum) on cone. Before it is dyed thegum 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 enoughfor the warp. Tram is only lightly twisted and is less strong. In bothcases a single ‘thread’ is made by reeling the silk from seven or eightcocoons.

Below: Bobbins of silk


weaving which makes the handle, or feel, of Gainsborough’sfabric so individual. Control of quality is available to the weaverwith every motion of the loom. At the final stage the finishedfabric is subjected to an inch by inch hand examination beforebeing dispatched to customers. The company prides itself on itsability to produce some of the finest silks in the world.

The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company Ltd was foundedin 1903 by Reginald Metford Warner, a Quaker. His father,Metford Warner was proprietor of Jeffries and Co., a leadingLondon-based wallpaper manufacturer, whose collaboratorsincluded Morris and Walter Crane. Reginald was determined,however, to become a weaver and was apprenticed at 13 yearsold to the English Silk Weaving Company, a successful Ipswichhandloom-weaving operation. There was a concentration ofweaving skills in the region, as at the end of the eighteenthcentury almost the entire Spitalfields silk-weaving communityhad decamped there.

When the company was founded ten years later, Warnerpersuaded his father to buy two handlooms and set him up inSudbury on his own, specializing in historical replicas. Verysoon 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 hisinitial success as much to being designer and historian asentrepreneur. He was passionate about weaving and amassed asubstantial collection of woven silks from all over Europe,reaching back over 200 years. These formed the bedrock of thewonderful archive, a constant source of inspiration in terms ofcolour, yarn, design and technique.

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 nmand 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 dyehouse and factory are geared up for hank/skeins only.

Recently the company has been experimenting with somesynthetic yarns for weft supplied by students, such as lightreflective yarns, paper, bamboo and even old cassette tape. Onaverage 70% of the fabrics contain an element of silk and theother 30% are a mix of cotton, wool and viscose.

The factory is home to a total of 19 looms, mainly HattersleyJacquard looms (see above), although there are two dobby loomswhich are used for plain weaves and plaids and three electroniclooms, used for new designs (see p.27). The warp counts for a fifty inch (127cm) width vary amongst these looms from as lowas 2490 (45 epi/18 epc) to a staggering 28,800 ends (576 epi/227 epc), to produce the richest, finest silk damask. The lowestwarp count is used mainly for wool and thicker cottons.

The skilled workers can only operate one or, at most, twolooms at the same time, making up to 15 metres of fabric a day.The Jacquard looms are themselves direct descendants ofnineteenth century manual Jacquard looms and like them offer agreater operating versatility. The weavers control the tension ofthe threads manually, unlike warps in modern high-speed loomswhich are kept automatically in a state of constant tautness. It isthis ability to vary tension, akin only to the control of hand

An example of the silk walling atthe Goring Hotel LondonPhoto ©The Goring Hotel

Hattersley Jacquard PressureHarness loom from around 1900


By 1907 the company’s reputation had won it a visit fromPrincess Alexandra and in 1912 Gainsborough wascommissioned to provide the wall damasks for Queen Mary’sDolls’ House (now on display at Windsor Castle). Soon they weremaking wall fabrics for galleries and museums, grand privatehouses and luxurious steamers. Wherever a sumptuous damaskor multi-coloured brocade was needed, or an historic fabric hadto be replaced or a one-off commission exactly realised,Gainsborough was the reliable source.

Only in 1980 was this quiet dedication to excellence rewardedwith the Royal Warrant. Since then two entire looms have beendedicated to royal commissions. These can handle up to 20,000threads in the warp. Run at lower speeds and tensions than mostlooms, they produce the hangings and furnishing fabrics forBuckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Sandringham, Windsor,Clarence House and Balmoral.

Almost every upholstered or wall-fabricked nook of theestablishment, from 10 Downing Street to our embassies acrossthe world, has been dressed by Gainsborough. Then in the 1990s,a new austerity and a minimalist aesthetic took the wind entirelyout of the company’s sails. No one was buying the curtains, letalone wall fabrics and the luxurious, painstakingly accomplishedfurniture coverings Gainsborough were skilled at producing fellout of favour. There was still a steady stream of RoyalCommissions, but new bespoke projects and the reliable marketin traditional damasks and brocades fell away. Skills sustainedproudly over generations suddenly looked redundant. The longheritage of expertise was in danger of dying out through lack of

interest. It was at this point that the company was bought outfrom the remaining Warners by the management.

Neil Thomas, now Senior Director, has worked for thecompany since the late 1980s. From a retail background, he hasbecome passionate about weaving and sees that the way forwardfor the company is to concentrate on the very high-quality,bespoke end of the market: ‘We are weavers, not just historicalmanufacturers. We can make anything people need. There areonly two other places left in Europe where you can commissionweaving of this standard – and they are more expensive’. He isaware also that its traditional client base is dying out and that thecompany needs to attract a younger, more fashion and designorientated audience.

The future looks impressive. Bespoke projects combining oldand new in equal measure are lined up. Gainsborough hasrecently been involved with the restoration of fabrics in thereception room of the Savoy using fabrics woven in the same wayas ones previously used in Gordon Ramsay’s new hotel, the York &Albany. A ten-suite John Nash Building dating from the 1820s hasrecently been adorned with Gainsborough silks. The Mill has alsoprovided cloth for vestments designed by a Central St Martinsgraduate to commemorate the 300th anniversary of St Paul’sCathedral.

Gainsborough rarely advertise; word of mouthrecommendations ensure their looms are kept in motion andtheir designers kept busy finding beautiful, innovative solutions tointricate weaving problems.

The Mill is not open to the public, but information is available onthe website www.gainsborough.co.uk

Damask weaving on an electronicJacquard loom


Detail of handspun and handwovenshawl made from Bowmont withMulberry silk inlay by Anne Lander,Wiltshire GuildPhotos: Lesley Prior

The Campaign for Wool wasinitiated in October 2008 by HisRoyal Highness, the Prince ofWales, who had observed thatthe wool industry was facingenormous and unprecedentedchallenges.

The price of wool hadplummeted to the point wherefarmers were being paid less fortheir fleeces than the cost ofshearing. Sheep numbers weredeclining across the world andfarmers were losing confidencein the future of the woolindustry. Synthetic fibresprovided stiff competition inareas where wool hadtraditionally ruled – fashion,carpets and insulation.

HRH The Prince of Walesrealised that without a thrivingwool industry and with furtherdecline in the sheep population,the physical appearance of ourlandscape could change forever.Were we to enter an era whenthe wool trade, which hasthrived and prospered since theMiddle Ages, would be sidelinedby man-made fibres with alltheir environmentalimplications?

These were the issues whichdrove HRH The Prince of Walesto convene a meeting atClarence House including sheepexperts, wool traders, fashiondesigners, carpet manufacturersand many other interestedparties. From this initial meetingthe Campaign for Wool grew,with all sectors workingtogether to promote andchampion wool, helping toreinvigorate the global woolindustry.

Who is involved in theCampaign for Wool?The Campaign is internationaland aims to embrace all woolusers from the very largestcompanies to specialist artisans.The key members arerepresentatives of theInternational Wool TextileOrganisation, the British WoolMarketing Board, AustralianWool Innovation and other keyindustry figures from the UK,New Zealand, Norway and other

important sheep producingnations of the world. It includesleaders from the fashionindustry, the decorating anddesign industry, the wool carpetsindustry and the world ofinsulation and building. Fundingcomes from the organisationsthat provide representatives tosit on the main CfW committee.

The Chairman of theCampaign for Wool is JohnThorley OBE, a former ChiefExecutive of the National SheepAssociation. He also chairs thePrince of Wales’ Campaign topopularise mutton and severalother countryside institutions.The Vice Chairman is NicholasColeridge CBE, the magazinepublisher and author, who isManaging Director of the CondéNast magazine group in Londonand former Chairman of theBritish Fashion Council.

What has the Campaignachieved so far?The Campaign’s first Wool Weekwas in October 2010. Consumer-facing and retail-driven, itsigned up 70 fashion brands,half a dozen nationaldepartment stores and almost1,000 carpet retailers toparticipate in the Campaign. Fora week, special window displayswere devoted to woolmerchandise across the country,including Harvey Nichols,Selfridges, Marks & Spencer,Liberty, House of Fraser,

Debenhams, John Lewis andnumerous others.

The dozen top tailors of SavileRow held a high profile sheepfair in the middle of theirspecially-turfed street.1Selfridges paraded yellow sheepalong Oxford Street. TheLondon Design Centre builtinstallations in support of theCampaign and dozens ofdesigner showrooms displayedthe Campaign’s logos and swingtags. The Society of BritishInterior Designers worked withthe Campaign to present a prizefor sustainable use of wool,awarded in 2010 to Starbucksand its design team. Tens ofthousands of posters and swingtags were distributed across thecountry. An extensive PRcampaign across fashion, styleand interior magazines securedmentions in over 200publications, as well as nationalnewspapers. The Campaign forWool has been involved inevents across the country fromBradford to Wales and beenconsistently supported in itsendeavours by its Patron, HRHThe Prince of Wales.

Is it working?Since the Campaign wasofficially launched by HRH ThePrince of Wales in February2010, it has devised numerousinitiatives to raise the profile ofwool. In PR terms, favourablecoverage of wool in national

newspapers, magazines and onradio and TV has been boostedsignificantly and there areindications that consumers areresponding with a greaterrespect of and demand forwool. In recent months the priceof raw wool has increased andsheep farmers will receivehigher prices for their 2011 clip.There is a growing confidenceabout the future of the wholeindustry. The Campaign still hasmiles to go, but there is adefinite momentum.

What are the future plans?The Campaign has a full anddiverse programme of events forthe next year and onwards.Wool Week in the UK this yearruns from Monday 5 Septemberto Sunday 11 September, withevents throughout the nation,including ’Love Wool’ organisedby the Wool Marketing Board toencourage knitters across Britainto get involved.

A major exhibition of wool,titled ‘Wool Modern’, takesplace in London for much ofSeptember at La Galleria on PallMall. This exhibition willshowcase the best of design inwool in fashion, carpets andinsulation including work bymany of the world’s top fashiondesigners and carpets by someof the great manufacturers.Other wool events duringSeptember span London FashionWeek and Decorex. In Octoberthe northern hemisphere willhost International Wool Week –a promotion set to encourageunderstanding of natural woolfibre and its amazing versatility.Cities involved are Tokyo,Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Oslo,New York City and Madrid.

The Campaign will continue towork with its retail partners, butof special interest to Journalreaders it also wants to workmuch more closely with theartisan community across thewhole country and indeedinternationally – the spinners,weavers, knitters and otherswho have always been greatlocal champions of the fibre. Tofurther this, the Campaign hasrecently appointed Lesley Priorto the CfW Committee asArtisan Project Manager. Shewill be ensuring the voice of theartisan is heard in the decisionmaking process and also actingas a go-between and bridgebetween different sectors of theindustry ‘I see my role verymuch as a hub, a lynch pin ifyou like, through which peoplecan connect and do new and

The Campaign for Wool andthe Artisan Community

Lesley Prior’s Bowmont sheep

What is the Campaign forWool?


exciting things with thiswonderful fibre’.

Lesley, a member of theOnline Guild, is a spinner,weaver and knitter, but she isalso a farmer, producingsuperfine Merino wool from herBowmont sheep and is verykeen to make other farmersrealise that wool is worthgrowing: ‘UK farmers inparticular are seeing wool as anuisance and a waste product.We have to work to turn thataround and give our growers asense of pride in what theirsheep produce’.

Lesley’s role began formally inJune before which she hadalready linked a professionalhandweaver with a bespoketailoring student from TheLondon College of Fashion,

provided the CEO of acommercial weaving companywith samples of rare breedBritish wool that are suitable fora specialist type of rug, linkedan organisation looking forspecialist wool cyclingsportswear to a Britishmanufacturer and had begunworking with the UK HandKnitting Association to widentheir good work even furtherthrough their Craft Clubnetwork.

‘I am privileged to be part ofan incredibly talented,imaginative and skilledinternational community ofartisan wool users and growers.By channelling some of ourenergy and passion through theCampaign for Wool we reallycan make a difference and help

it achieve its aims. I would askanyone with an idea, a needor a problem to contact meand let’s see if together wecan do something about it. Getin touch and get in the loop.’

1 See Journal 237, Spring 2011– Savile Row Field Day

Contact email:[email protected] 01398 351173 (eveningsplease)

Editor’s Note: The Journal willbe celebrating British Wool inthe autumn 2012 issue. Weinvite readers to send detailsof projects incorporatingspinning, weaving or dyeing

where they have exploited theunique characteristics of thefleeces of particular Britishsheep in an interesting andeffective way. Have you beeninvolved in projects to link woolproducers directly with end usersto their mutual benefit? Is yourGuild undertaking a groupproject using British wool? We’dlove to hear from you [email protected]

Visit the Campaign for Woolwebsitewww.campaignforwool.orgwhere you can also publicisedetails of your own eventsshowcasing the versatility anddiversity of wool.

Advert


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

Scotch Tension vs Double-drive – the Advantages and DisadvantagesAmanda Hannaford, Online, Peter Tavy and Somerset Guilds

Double-Drive Scotch Tension

Drive-Band Long band looped to go arounddrive wheel twice.

Shorter band goes around drivewheel once.

Flyer Drive One loop of drive-band goesaround one of the grooves in theflyer whorl.

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

Bobbin Drive/Brake The second loop of the drive-band goes around the groove inthe end of the bobbin.

A separate braking band goesaround the groove in the end of thebobbin.

Method of operation While the bobbin and flyer aretied together by the yarn beingthreaded around the flyer hookand out through the orifice, andthe spinner holds it back, bothtravel around at the same speed.When the spinner releases tensionto let the yarn wind on, thedriving bands come into fulloperation (slight slippage occursthe rest of the time) and as thegrooves are two differentdiameters the drive-band willspeed up the smaller (usually thebobbin) and the bobbin will pullthe yarn in.

As with double-drive, whenthreaded up the flyer and bobbin goaround together. Here when thespinner releases tension, the flyercarries on at its usual speed, thebrake-band takes effect on thebobbin groove; it slows the bobbindown and the flyer winds the yarnaround the bobbin.

Tension adjustment Either a sliding or tilting mother-of-all which tensions both loopsof the band simultaneously.

Either a sliding or tilting mother-of-all which tensions the drive-bandbetween the wheel and the flyergroove. A second adjustmentcontrols the tension on the brake-band separately.

Scotch tensionThis is a much more forgiving system andmost wheels can be coaxed into workingadequately with a bobbin brake. A Scotchtension wheel should be adjustable enoughto cope with even the finest or mostdelicate yarns and is my system ofpreference for woollen longdraw, whereyou need to have the take-up just strong

Comparing the Systems

Double-drive Before we go any further, I need to pointout that I’m referring to a well builtwheel where the maker has thoroughlyunderstood the way the wheel shouldwork. A good double-drive is awonderful tool, but unfortunately theyare not all made equal! In its favour adouble-drive gives a nice firm wind-onfor evenly filled bobbins, needs little ifany tension adjustment while filling thebobbin and is a dream to ply on.Another plus point: most double-drivewheels can be modified to work inScotch tension mode too. Disadvantages

include having too strong a take-uptension (even at its lowest possiblesetting) to cope with very fine, lightlytwisted or otherwise delicate yarns; alsothey are not ideally suited to spinningwoollen longdraw (unless converted toScotch tension) for the same reason.

enough to wind the yarn smoothly ontothe bobbin, but not so fierce that the yarncreeps onto the bobbin before you havefinished drafting and twisting. Anotherslight plus point is that you can set thetension on the drive-band for easy andcomfortable treadling and then forgetabout it. On the other hand, you will needto adjust the brake tension slightly andcontinually as the bobbin fills, and onmost wheels you can experience slightproblems with a very full bobbin(especially when plying) because, as thebobbin fills and becomes heavier, itbecomes more difficult for the brake-bandto slow it down quickly enough for theflyer to wind the yarn on smoothly.


Double-drive Scotch Tension

Sliding tension – the Mother-of-all is fixedto a sliding block which moves towards oraway from the wheel by means of a metalor wooden screw through the wheel’s bed.As you turn the handle to move the blockaway from the wheel the drive-band isstretched tighter between the drive wheeland flyer.

Tilting tension – the Mother-of-all isangled into or away from the wheelby turning the tension screw. As theangle is increased between theMother-of-all and the wheel’s bed orframe, the tension on the drive-bandis increased.Photos: Derek Hannaford

Drive band

Brake band

Bobbin loopFlyer loop

Tension screw

Mother-of-all

Gap showingangle of tilt

Adjustment handle

Sliding blockTension screw


There is a third, fairly widely used system –the bobbin lead/flyer brake often referredto as Irish tension. This is the exactopposite of the Scotch tension, the bobbinis driven and the flyer has the brake; wheelsthat use this system generally have largebobbins and are designed for bulky yarnswhere the ferocious pull is an advantagefor filling a large heavy bobbin. If using abulky flyer with this system, the brake-band is often not needed at all, as the heavyflyer will most likely stop of its own accordthe minute you ease off the tension on theyarn. If you have a Scotch tension systemand have difficulty filling bobbins whenplying it may be worth trying out Irishtension – it is only available to you if yourbobbin groove lines up with your drivewheel.

It won’t hurt to include here briefinstructions for setting up a wheel in eitherof the two main systems. Firstly oil allmoving parts (unless you have sealedbearings and have been told by themanufacturer never to oil them). I useclean engine oil, or neatsfoot oil from thesaddlers if there are no leather bearingsinvolved (being a saddlers’ oil, it isintended to soften leather, so can spoilleather bearings by causing them to gofloppy and out of shape over time).Whatever you use, you want a thickish oilthat stays where you put it and doesn’tdisappear too quickly.

Next check your drive-band, make sureit is not worn or frayed and that the knot isnot too big to pass over the drive whorl/swithout being noticed. If you have a largeugly knot, re-tie it as a reef knot (see TopTip left), feather out the ends and eitherwhip with a fine thread or hold them downwith a bit of beeswax. If you are tying anew band, make sure your tension adjusteris set to its middle position and then youwill be able to tighten or loosen the band ifyou don’t get it tied at exactly the righttension first time. An alternative drive-band material is nylon blind cord, whichcan be welded together by holding the endsover a naked flame (not to be confusedwith the stretchy bands that are used inspecial circumstances where the drivewheel has a series of stepped grooves).Now make sure there is no yarn threadedup on the flyer, and loosen the tensionknob/s so that when you treadle nothingmoves. Keep treadling and adjust the

Top Tip – Making a smoothknot on a newstring drive-band

1. Tie a reef knot

2. Lay the knot on a woodenboard and hit it a few timeswith a wooden mallet (turn theknot between blows and pull onthe ends to tighten it)

3. The knot should havealmost disappeared. Now cutboth ends to about 2.5 - 3 cm

4. Split the string down toreveal the plies and featherthem out by cutting each onea little shorter than the last

7. A neat virtuallyunnoticeable join thatdoesn’t cause a jolt when itpasses over the pulleys

6. Or rub the ends over a barof beeswax and roll the joinbetween finger and thumbto warm the wax and stickthe ends down

5. Either over-sew the endswith a needle and finethread (shown with darkthread for clarity)

Photos: Derek Hannaford


drive-band tension until the flyer goesaround smoothly with no slippage (itshouldn’t stop and start or make loudhissing noises). On a double-drive wheelthread up the bobbin and flyer, treadleagain and check that the flyer is stillrunning smoothly; the extra friction fromthe slippage in the bobbin groove whileyou are holding on to the yarn may causethe flyer to slip again too, if so just increasethe tension in very small increments untileverything is running smoothly again. Ona Scotch tension wheel thread up thebobbin and flyer and put just enoughtension on the brake-band to allow theyarn to wind on smoothly. If after thisadjustment the flyer starts to slip again,increase the tension on the drive-bandslightly to compensate. Either wheel is nowset up with the lightest possible working

tension and if kept well oiled should beeffortless to treadle.

One final note – if you have a double-drive wheel that you would like to set uptemporarily in Scotch tension mode to tryit out, you first need to put both loops ofyour drive-band over the flyer pulley, thenyou can use the weighted system describedby Peter Teal1 to brake the bobbin.Basically you use a fine cord or fishing lineas a brake-band in the usual way, butinstead of fixing one end to your wheel byscrewing in a metal hook and using aspring or rubber band for tension, youhang it over the bobbin groove and attachsmall weights. Peter suggests a range ofmetal washers in his article. As you need toincrease the tension you add more weight.If you have a traditional styled wheel witha mother-of-all, you may be able to findsomewhere to tie the other end of your

brake-band so that you don’t have to makeany holes in your woodwork for fixings.You can swap between drive systems as andwhen you like, but you need to be awarethat when spinning Z the bobbin pulls theyarn on in an anti-clockwise direction,while the flyer winds it on clockwise, so ifyou change drive systems half way througha bobbin you will get a hiccup in the wind-on!

Amanda teaches beginner and advanced spinningclasses and over the years has had to set up andmake slight modifications to many types ofspinning wheel to get them running smoothlybefore the lessons can begin. Details of the classescan be found on www.mandacrafts.co.uk andAmanda can be contacted [email protected]

Footnote1 See Spin-Off Winter 2007, Interweave Press.

Guild HighlightsCompiled by Talitha Clarke

Art Yarns WorkshopWhen I looked at the OnlineGuild’s workshop programme for2011 my attention wasimmediately drawn to the ArtYarns Workshop that wasscheduled for April. I’ve had abook about spinning art yarns forsome time, but somehow couldn’tget started. I know that HelenMelvin is a very enthusiastic andmotivating tutor, so I joined.

We started by carding ‘wildbatts’ with all sorts of colours andfibres, sometimes with a picture asinspiration source. We spun thicksingles, full of texture; quite achallenge for some of us whousually spin fine and even yarns!We had discussions about how theyarns could be objects of artthemselves, but also how to makethem stable enough to be able touse them in knitting and weaving.

The yarns with the pom-pomsand silk strips really stand out. Itwas a slow process and a bit fiddlyusing an ordinary flyer, but withsome care the add-ins could passthrough the orifice! Wecontinued by making coils andstacks (highly textured knot yarns)from thick and thin singles, andfinally tried core spinning usingfabric strips and carded mohair‘clouds’.

Sometimes I felt in need of a thirdhand, but with some persistenceand encouragement I couldproduce the yarn. It was inspiringto see pictures of other people’syarns. At the end of the month I was thrilled with my owncollection. I’ve learnt newspinning techniques and enjoyedplaying with colour and texture.

The wonderful thing about theOnline Guild is that you can dothe workshop later. It will still beavailable in the archives and thetutor will probably be around toanswer questions. But personally I love to share the enthusiasm andinspiration (with people all overthe world) when it’s running!

Marja Heuvelman, Online Guild

This is the season when manyGuilds go out and about todemonstrate their skills in public.The Craven Guild and theBradford Guild both participate inthe annual Masham Sheep Fairwhich is coming up at the end ofSeptember.

Masham Sheep FairMasham is a small town in NorthYorkshire at the lower end ofWensleydale. Its main claim tofame is that it has two breweries,but it is also known for its Sheep

Fair held every year on the lastweekend of September. The sheepfair has a history going back to themiddle ages, but the modern fairwas revived in 1986 as a one-offcharity event and it has nowbecome a well established annualevent.

During the Sheep Fair weekendthere is a small fairground andsome market stalls at one end ofthe market place, but the otherend is occupied by numeroustemporary sheep pens. Around500 sheep are shown over the twodays and it is a wonderful place tosee a variety of breeds, especiallyour local Wensleydale, Teeswaterand Masham sheep which all havewonderful curly fleeces and attimes bear a distinct resemblanceto Dougal from the MagicRoundabout.

The town hall is the site of acraft fair, which usually includes at least a couple of stalls withspinning and weaving supplies.There are a number ofcompetitions for spinners,weavers and feltmakers with smallmonetary prizes and rosettes:entries would be welcome fromspinners around the country.

Craven Guild were invited todemonstrate their crafts at thefirst revived fair and have

continued every year, but inrecent years this has been sharedwith members of Bradford Guild.We have the use of theschoolroom which is on the edgeof the market square, where weset up exhibits and sales tablesand have a lovely daydemonstrating and chatting withvisitors, some of whom we hopemay wish to take up the crafts. If you are looking for fleeces, theRare Breeds Trust always has atent with lots of interestingfleeces both entered intocompetitions and for sale.

A real highlight is the sheepracing. In the field next to thechurch there is a strip of landfenced off. Three or four sheepof varying sizes and breed havecoloured ribbons tied round theirnecks and are released at oneend. Somebody runs in front ofthem rattling a bucket of feedand everybody bets on whichsheep will reach the winning postfirst. Great fun is had by all andthe money is for charity.

Edna Barker, Bradford Guild

Art yarn workshop –finished yarnsPhoto: Marja Heuvelman


In last winter’s Journal (236)Wiltshire Guild reported on theopening of their new TextileStudios in Steeple Ashton. As ifthat were not excitementenough, in February this yearthey welcomed a very specialguest.

The Duchess of Cornwallvisits Wiltshire GuildThe Guild Committee had forsome time been pondering overasking Her Royal Highness theDuchess of Cornwall if she wouldbe interested to have a lookaround our new Studios. TheDuchess is Patron of thecharitable trust which myhusband chairs, so he madeinitial enquiries with ClarenceHouse on our behalf telling themof our new venture. Just beforeChristmas, with great surpriseand delight, I received atelephone call from ClarenceHouse advising that the Duchess,having read my husband’s initialletter, would very much like tovisit the Guild and to have a lookaround its new Studios. A ‘recce’was arranged a week later, just acouple of days after our GuildChristmas Party and thanks mustgo to all who rushed around atthat time to get things lookingspick and span for the day of the‘recce’ visit.

The Committee agreed that I should organise a draftprogramme to be discussed withthe Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire’sSecretary, Jean Potter. Betweenus, Jean and I tweaked a firstdraft into a second and a secondinto a third as each wasforwarded to Clarence House forits input. It was quite a task toget everything completed in timefor the visit on 7 February 2011.

A handmade plaque wasdesigned. Made of felt anddepicting the Cornish flag, it wasfinished and ready for the visit. Itnow has pride of place on thewall in our Studio, alongsidesome rather nice photographswhich were taken on the day.

The big day dawned with themost appalling weather ragingoutside, but this did not dull theexcitement as the press andGuild members arrived. TheDuchess arrived a few minutesahead of her programme to bemet by the Lord Lieutenant,John Bush; the High Sheriff ofWiltshire, Dame Elizabeth Nevilleand Guild Chairman, LesleyGreaves. The Royal party startedtheir walkabout in Studio Three,discussing with members theparticular activity in which theywere engaged. HRH was invited

to try her hand at weaving,which she did with apparentenjoyment. The Duchess thenmoved on to Studio Four whereI was introduced to her and inturn I introduced everyonepresent. She was then invited tohave a go at spinning. Sheshowed a great sense of humourwhen she broke the thread,which she herself had earlierpredicted. Moving on, shestudied a member spinning flax,and was shown samples ofnatural dyeing that had beenprepared a few days earlier byour ‘natural dye club’.

Lesley then escorted her to themain building to meet a groupof members knitting andcrocheting, before movingupstairs to the spinning groupwho were assembled in StudioTwo. HRH was shown baskets ofBritish wool and the awards wonby Trish Gray and her Shetlandsheep. She was then invited tothe main reception in Studio

One where she was offered teaand cake. The Duchess wasintroduced to Ken Rogers,author and honorary member ofthe Guild, and then to otherGuild members.

To bring a truly memorablevisit to a close Lesley thankedHRH for coming and invited herto unveil the plaque to celebrateher visit. Auli Part presented theDuchess with a lovely inkle-woven, linen bookmark whichshe had designed and made as amemento of her visit to theWiltshire Guild, an item we hadbeen advised earlier that HRHwould be very pleased to acceptas she is a keen reader.

Her Royal Highness thenthanked the Guild for invitingher, stating that she had enjoyedher visit and that she would tellher husband all about us, aswhat we were doing fitted sowell with his Wool Project andthe promotion of British wool.Since the visit, the silk bag on

which the Duchess had woven afew picks, has been finished off(see above), and has been sentto Her Royal Highness atClarence House. A film of thevisit ‘Duchess of Cornwall inSteeple Ashton’ is available toview on YouTube.

Valerie Laverick, Wiltshire Guild

The Tawe Guild turned 30 thisyear and the chairman setmembers a challenge toincorporate sweetpeas andpearls, the symbols of a 30thanniversary celebration, into ahandmade item. What challengeis your Guild setting itsmembers?

Please send your Guildnewsletter to Talitha Clarke, 5 Owen Street, Wellington,Somerset, TA21 8JY or email:[email protected]

Above: HRH The Duchess ofCornwall with Veronica BurdenspinningPhoto: Ron Pybus

Right: The completed silk bag. It was finished by Jackie Pohnertand Judith KennerdalePhoto: Valerie Laverick

Above: HRH The Duchess ofCornwall with Jackie Pohnert justbefore having a try at weavingPhoto: Ron Pybus


Aims

• To encourage and maintain integrityand excellence of craftsmanship.

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

• To foster these aims for individualsthrough the Certificate ofAchievement.

• To promote opportunities forexchange of information throughlectures, library facilities, conferences,and exhibitions, both locally andnationally.

• To further co-operation betweenmember Guilds and liaise with otherguilds and societies with like aims.

General Purposes Committee

Chairman: Brenda Gibson, London,20 Airedale Road, London SW12 8SF

Hon. Treasurer: Jenifer Midgley, London86 St Margaret’s Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 2LP

Steve Kennett, East SussexAngela Colbridge, Durham Stuart Groom, DerbyshireIrene Taylder, East SussexTalitha Clarke, SomersetRosie Dearling, Lincolnshire

The Association of Guilds of Weavers,Spinners and Dyers

www.wsd.org.uk Registered Charity No 289590

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

Please address Association correspondence to acting Secretary: Sarah Williams, 74 Norfolk Road, Sheffield, S2 2SYemail: [email protected]

Association NewsCompiled by Talitha Clarke

From the ChairThis short message is just byway of a brief hello from me asthe new Chair of theAssociation. First, may I thankPeter Penneck, the outgoingChair, for his hard work anddedication to the Associationover many years and fulfillingmany roles. I wish Peter a veryhappy retirement from therunning of the Association withmuch more time to devote tothe craft activities that he lovesand has done so much tosupport. Thank you also to allthe other outgoing members –Trudi Thompson as Vice Chair,Joy Macmillan as Vice Presidentand Jo Onions for her work inpreparing the online successorto the Guild guidelinespreviously issued on CD. A warmwelcome goes to Talitha Clarkefrom Somerset Guild, who wasnewly elected to the GPC at theAGM and who succeeds me incompiling Association News andGuild Highlights.

I am delighted and honouredto take on the important role ofChair, and I hope that theAssociation can continue todeliver the quality events that wehave enjoyed in the recent past,such as summer schools,conferences and exhibitions, tosay nothing of the wonderfulJournal you are reading rightnow. My time on the GPC so farhas given me some insight intothe advance planning and thenot inconsiderable amount ofvolunteer effort that is necessaryto make these activities a success.Equally, there is a tremendousbuzz to be had from contributingto a success, and I know thewhole team on the GPC, JEC andGuilds working on our behalf willbe striving to deliver the verybest for you that we can. Thepoint of having a nationalassociation such as ours is to dothings for the common good ofall our Guilds, their members andprospective members on a scalethat would be very difficult foran individual Guild, especiallysmaller ones. I hope that we cancontinue to achieve more as awhole than from the sum of ourparts.

We do still have a number ofvacancies on the GPC, and if youwould like to find out more –without committing yourself –about whether you cancontribute in some way, doplease let anyone on the GPCknow. I shall be around at theend of Summer School or justdrop me an email [email protected]

Brenda Gibson

PostscriptI have just heard the extremelysad news of the sudden andunexpected death of MarieTherese Horne, currently servingas Advertising Manager for theJournal. I had only known Mariefor about a year but found her alovely person – hard-working,organised and very easy to geton with. On behalf of theAssociation, I should like toexpress our sincere condolencesto her family and friends – Iknow that she will be deeplymissed as a friend and colleagueby everyone on the JournalEditorial Committee.

Brenda Gibson

2012 ExhibitionThe 2012 exhibition will be heldbetween 14 and 29 July at theWeald & Downland Open AirMuseum, Singleton, ChichesterPO18 0EU. The museum hasworked alongside Steve Kennettand Angela Colbridge to holdthe exhibition for two weekseither side of the Rare BreedsShow. This will not only show thepublic the various breeds,particularly sheep, but will alsoillustrate what can ultimately beproduced. Also we will be able toreach a much wider audience,showing them our many craftsand skills.

Steve and Angela are keen togive advance notice of theexhibition and what they have inmind, so that individuals andgroups are given plenty of timeto create potential entries.

The exhibition will comprisetwo parts, selected work andnon-selected work. These arebriefly described below.Selected workThere will be no set theme.While entries will again be byphotograph, we will be askingfor a small sample piece of thework or materials to be attachedto the photograph. We feel thiswill help the selection process foreveryone, but also means weshall have a ‘feeling piece’ to goalongside the work for visitors tohandle.

Group entries will be accepted,so if a team, large or small, isworking on a tapestry, forexample, or a spinner, a weaveror knitter are working together,then their entries will bewelcome, too. Non-selected workGuild members will be able tosubmit work that fits within asix-inch ring. Everythingsubmitted will be hung together,in a special section for everyone’senjoyment. It can be spun,

woven, dyed, knitted, crotcheted,felted or in any combination ofthese and perhaps in conjunctionwith other techniques.

Timetable and entry forms willbe released next year. In themeantime the museum website iswww.wealddown.co.uk

Angela Colbridge –[email protected]

Steve Kennett – [email protected]

Exhibition Organisers

Conference 2012York and District Guild arepleased to invite Guild membersfrom all over the country to thenext Conference in 2012. It willbe held at the University ofYork, Heslington YO10 5DD fromFriday 30 March until Sunday 1April. The AGM will take placeon Saturday 31 March. TheConference title is Outside theCircle. Why that title you maywonder? Well for a start most ofYork & District’s members liveoutside the circle of York Citywalls, many having round tripsto Guild meetings of over 100miles, but also we have chosenour speakers because their workis outside the normal circle ofwork produced by Guildmembers. We are hoping thatthey will encourage us all towiden our horizons and lookbeyond what we usually produceand by continuing with thegood practice of our traditionalskills bring hand producedtextiles of all shapes and sizeswell into the twenty firstcentury. York University is a selfcontained campus site withrather a nice lake that we can sitbeside if the weather is suitable.It is easily reached by road or

rail; a bus from the railwaystation will drop you offopposite Vanburgh Collegewhere the Conference will beheld and where we will beaccommodated in en-suite singlerooms. Please see theadvertisement for contact detailsand application forms.

Dot Seddon

Heritage Crafts AssociationThe Heritage Crafts Associationhas held two events this year,the Spring Conference 19 Marchand a skills forum 11 May. DotSeddon attended both andspoke about the conference atthe AGWSD AGM in April.

The Heritage CraftsAssociation was established in2009 by a group of craftspeopleconcerned about the loss oftheir craft skills. They believethat their association willsupport the knowledge andtechniques that have beenpassed down throughgenerations and that these skillsare an important part of ourcountry’s cultural heritage. Theaim is to bring all craftstogether, from rake makers tobespoke tailors.

The President is HRH ThePrince of Wales and there arefour patrons; Sir Mark JonesKBE, Director of the V&A; AlexLanglands, archaeologist and TVpresenter; Roy Brigden, Keeperof the Museum of Rural Lifeand Professor Ted Collins,Emeritus Professor at theUniversity of Reading, rural andagricultural historian.

At the Spring Conference itwas stressed that the HCA arestriving to gain more respect,acceptance and understanding


Exhibition andC o n f e rence ReviewsCompiled by Norah Ball

A Quiet InterventionDawyck Botanic Gardens, Scottish Borders 1 February –1 May 2011

‘At first glance nature may seemconfused but certainly patternexists’ (anon.).

Anna S. King’s exhibition atDawyck Botanic Gardens,without doubt validated thisstatement. Anna is aninternationally known,Edinburgh-based textile artistand Dawyck, one of the world’sfinest arboreta. During thewinter of 2009-2010, Anna hadcollected discarded materialsfrom the plants and treestogether with the gardener’sprunings and tidying. She hadtransformed these wastematerials, which most of uswould throw away, and aninspired metamorphosis hadgiven them new life and madethem into things of beauty.To quote the handoutaccompanying the exhibition,‘She creates with a humilitywhich is paradoxically highlyskilled but outwardly simple.Guided by her own perceptionsshe has carried forward thesehanded-down traditions and re-interpreted those skills intosomething simple and enigmatic’.

Pride of place on one wall wasThe Nine which comprised ninesmall tapestries each of whichhad a panel of hand-twistedthreads made from materialsincluding grasses, iris leaves,lime, birch, and hair moss. Thesethreads were as even asconventional threads and so thepanels were as precise as allAnna’s conventional weaving.

On the other walls wereframed pieces using a variety ofmaterials such as seeds,fragments of leaves, twigs, andfeathers. Who else would havethought of collecting small redand green acer seeds andarranging each colour into apattern resulting in an elegantdisplay? Even pressed daisy headswere arranged as a heart entitledI Love Daisies. In addition, therewere boxes containing Anna’ssignature minute baskets anddelightful arrangements of smallbunches of twigs and feathers. Iloved them all.

How does Anna get suchoriginal ideas? To help answerthis question there wereexamples of her sketchbooks andletters, and relevant quotationswere incorporated on thedescriptive labels of individualitems. To remind everyone of thescenery outside in the gardens,

Anna had a wide selection ofmounted photographs for sale.

After seeing this stimulatingexhibition of 24 pieces in theStudio at Dawyck, I will never seegarden discards in the same way,and agree with Schiller that‘When nature conquers, Art mustthen give way’.

Susan Morgan-Jones, Edinburgh Guild

See Diary p.45 for additionaldates in Stranraer

Above: Twigs – found gardenmaterial (twigs of various species)wrapped with cotton string,linen, silk, metallic and paperthreads, pine needlesPhotos: Shannon Tofts

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

of the craft sector in thiscountry and to influence theeducation system to enable amore accessible, practical andhands-on method of learningand teaching skills.

The skills forum was held atthe Chelsea College of Art andDesign and the main aim was togather many varied craftspeopletogether and discuss issues andneeds connected to craft skillstraining and how they could beaddressed. Over 100 delegatesattended all with varied skills,feltmakers and charcoal burnersamong them. It was reportedback to the Association that thesuggestion that was highlightedthe most was that practical craftskills should be taught in schoolsfrom an early age and thatthese should continue intosecondary school. It was hopedthat through this children andparents would gain a respectand understanding of what itmeans to make something withyour own hands.

Guilds and individuals canbecome ‘friends’ of the HCA,£24 for Guilds and £12 forindividuals. To find out moreabout this association go towww.heritagecrafts.org.uk

Summer SchoolAs this is being written thisyear’s Summer School is not faroff, yet by the time this is readit will have ended! A lot of hardwork has gone into theorganisation of this and it ishoped that all attendees haveenjoyed themselves and relishedthe time and skills that theyhave learnt. There will be a fullreport of Summer School 2011,with illustrations, in the nextissue of the Journal. Pleaseremember that attendees ofSummer School are able toapply for a Bursary. If you wouldlike further information aboutthe Bursary your Guild secretarywill have the details and criteria.

Guild HighlightsThere has been a re-shuffle inthe committee and TalithaClarke will now be compilingthe Guild Highlights andAssociation News. Please sendyour Guild newsletters (hardcopy) to Talitha Clarke, 5 OwenStreet, Wellington, Somerset,TA21 8JY. If you prefer to sendyour newsletter via email, youcan continue to use the sameemail address: [email protected]


ISEND 2011 Europe(International Symposiumand Exhibition of NaturalDyes) La Rochelle, France25 – 30 April 2011

There are probably as many viewsof ISEND 2011 as there weredelegates – about 450 Iunderstand. Topics were coveredin over 80 papers and varied fromscientific investigations of ancienttextiles to commercial productionof dyes for industry andtraditional dyeing techniques,such as the indigo dyeing of theNaga tribes from India.

I had attended Colour Congressin the USA in 2002. A differentand encouraging theme at ISENDwas the number of reports ofnatural dyeing being revivedwhere it had died out or failed.These included Lanzarote, wherecochineal production hasresumed and Bangladesh, wherethe indigo production hadlanguished because of itsassociations with colonialoppression. Other topics I foundreally interesting included paperson sustainable dyeing processesusing renewable resources andthe use of natural dyes and paintsby artists with learningdisabilities. There were so manypresentations that many haveblurred in my memory.

The talks in the well-lit andcomfortable auditorium ran from9 am to mid afternoon. Eachlasted 10 minutes and time-keeping was strictly controlled.The conference was in French andEnglish with a simultaneous

translation, although thetranslator had problems with thetechnical terms and working withspeakers of heavily-accentedFrench.

The talks were immediatelyfollowed by the workshops/demonstrations. There weremany fabulous trade stalls. Papersin the form of posters were alsodisplayed adjacent to the tradestalls. After the sessions in themain auditorium were over,questions could be asked of theauthors. Although the workshopswere fascinating, many wereextremely frustrating. Often, bythe time I limped from theauditorium (and had a loo break)they were thronged. As a 4 feet10 inches woman I found itdifficult to see what was goingon. The conference was generallywell organised and it was bafflingthat the workshops were so ill-managed. I found it hugelydisappointing that I only oncemanaged to be at the start of ademonstration and follow itthrough to the end.

By midweek I felt that a rift wasopening between academics,scientists and commercialproducers excited by the prospectof industry-based natural dyeingand standardisation ofproduction, and the concerns andinterests of the artisan dyers suchas myself. We were perhaps morebiased towards the artistic andorganic side and discussed ourconcerns about a loss ofindividuality in commercially-produced natural dyes. This wasechoed by speakers later in theweek who produced one-off,unique fabrics. There were

similar anxieties about theenvironmental consequences ofgrowing dyes in areas where foodgrowing might be threatened, orharvesting plants in the wildwhere this might threaten thespecies.

In the closing hours of theconference there was a generalfrustration amongst delegatesthat there should have been amore productive feedbacksession, and my own hopes oflearning more from theworkshops were greatlydisappointed. I was particularlysad to miss out on the safflowerworkshop.

The conference finished with awonderful seafood-based galadinner followed by relaxed andflowing circle dancing which

seemed to manage itself almostorganically – appropriately fornatural dyers.

Helen Melvin, Online Guild

Editor’s Note:Helen Melvin’s review of ISEND atLa Rochelle offers a glimpse of animportant international event fornatural dyes and dyers. It wasattended by many Guild membersfrom the UK and abroad. TheJournal is planning to includesome of the thoughts andexperiences of members whoattended practical dyeingworkshops or who made usefulconnections at ISEND. These willappear in future issues of theJournal. The ISEND website is stillvery much ‘live’ and containssome fascinating video clips.www.isend2011.com

Gasali Adeyemo (Nigeria) explainsYoruba techniques of adire dyeing.

Photo: Isabella Whitworth

Mapping the Future: Whereare you now?Textile Forum South WestConference26 March 2011

Textile Forum South West is acontemporary ‘textile hub’ for the South West. Around 60stitchers, felters, weavers andtextile artists gathered togetherat the Taunton Conference Centrefor an important networkingopportunity. During the dayseven speakers gave a series ofthought provoking, stimulatinglectures, delivering their owninterpretation of mapping froman artistic viewpoint.

The first speaker was PeterMerrett, a land surveyor, whouses sophisticated GPS satellitetechnology to make maps. Histalk interlaced the political and

economic realities of map makingwith the beauty of laser anddigital aerial imagery. This was anunusual and informative talk,which highlighted an incredibleand large resource for findingdesign inspiration.

Dr. Hilary Turner then took thedelegates back 400 years in herenthusiastic description of RalphSheldon’s Tapestry Maps wovenaround 1590. These beautiful,detailed woven maps ofGloucestershire, Worcestershire,Warwickshire and Oxfordshirealso demonstrated that mapswere usually made to showwealth and power. These wovenmaps increased this influence bythe use of pattern, colour andskilled weave artistry.

The next three speakers wereall hands-on makers:–

Dawn Mason described theexperimental stitching journeyshe was taking with the Stitchingand Thinking Group at theUniversity of the West of England.This is a splinter group from thecore textile art courses at theUniversity, which encouragesresearch and networking. Anexhibition of stitched work by thisgroup was on display, whichdelightfully augmented her veryemotional experiences.

Kirsty Hall focused on givingdetailed information of howmakers could navigate theinternet to reach their all-important audience.

Liz Harding took members onher journey into her locallandscape showing how shedeveloped and recorded hervisual inspiration through stitchand paint on cotton organdie.

This talk was a very personal andgentle piece of map making.

Following this, Suze Adamsgave a poetic, professionalperformance of the intimatethoughts and sounds generatedwhile researching her family’shistory on the Isle of Mull. By 3.30 pm we delegates hadabsorbed an enormous amount ofmaterial to stimulate and inspireus. Could we take in any more?

Fortunately Dail Behennah, thekeynote speaker, rose to theoccasion. Dail constructs vesselsand other forms by pinning orstitching together layers ofwillow grids. Her work is ofteninspired by landscape. Herdelivery was calm, measured,funny, professional andinspirational. A true climax for athoroughly stimulating day spent


amongst enthusiastic textileartists.

There was little in thisconference directly related tomodern weave design though thebeauty of the digital imageryshown by Peter Merrett (seeright) will certainly influence mypersonal work in the future andKirsty Hall has encouraged me tobe more savvy with the internet.

For more information aboutTextile 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 beseen at www.merrettsurvey.comor www.lidar.co.ukThe website:www.tapestriescalledsheldon.infohas links to the Warwickshiretapestry and other images.More information on the maptapestries in general is availablethrough Dr Turner’s publicationNo Mean Prospect: RalphSheldon's Tapestry Maps.Available by direct order throughPlotwood Press (2010),[email protected]

Northweave: The BritishTapestry GroupPlatform Gallery, Clitheroe12 March – 23 April 2011

In a bright space once used bypassengers on Dales trainjourneys, the Platform Galleryhosted this accessible exhibition(with associated workshop and

demonstrations) that took theviewer on another kind ofjourney – one that revealed asnapshot of contemporarytapestry weaving.

The British Tapestry Group,which has a growing nationaland international membership,promotes the art of tapestryweaving and provides a support

network and exhibitingopportunities for tapestryweavers. It increases awarenessof the process and scope oftapestry, brings this work to awider audience and promotes itsdevelopment. All these aimswere achieved in this exhibition,a regional initiative by 17 of itsnorthern members.

Greenland. Aerial Photographymerged with aerial laser survey(Lidar) to generate a 3D view of afjord in Greenland.Contours areoverlaid.Source: Merrett Survey Partnership

Firemarks by Margaret CrowtherPaper yarns, sisal, oil paint andwoodstain; woven, looped, knotted,stained. Dimensions: height 1.04 m,width 2.24 m, depth 0.18 mPhoto: Janet Clark


Alison Carthy’s Fetish seriessuggested the ways in whichmaterial objects convey culturaland historical meaning – thewrapping and knottingreminiscent of ancient Andeanquipu, where knots are used asmnemonic devices and codes. Inher work, a harmonious dialoguewas created between yarn andother found elements, reflectinga respect for the materialsirrespective of how they wereused.

As merits textile art that is theproduct of a slow and consideredcraft, the weavings in thisexhibition gave up their secretsgradually, repaying closeobservation and detailed study.That they will circulate beyondthe art gallery was suggested byevidence of works on sale andalready sold.

Gwyneth Hunt, Eden Valley Guild

More information about theBritish Tapestry Group and thePlatform Gallery can be found atthe following websiteswww.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk and www.ribblevalley.gov.uk/platformgallery

Here were textile artists whodemonstrated a variety ofexperience as well as differentapproaches to materials,processes and ideas. The worksembraced both fine art and crafttraditions, with many artists citinginfluences from inheritedtraditions as part of the trajectoryof their work. For such an eclecticshow, the works were oftenlinked conceptually andintellectually rather than formally.Many strongly expressed andcoherent pieces celebratedlandscape and the natural world,notably Shirley Ross’ ArizonaQuartet, a large scale seriesdemonstrating mastery ofrhythm, colour and line, andMargaret Crowther’s vibrant 3Dpieces (see p.38). These realise,using off loom techniques, thesculptural implications of fibrewhere concept and material areinextricable, as layered clusters ofpaper and sisal yarn create adynamic tension between thestability of the plane and itsextension into space.

There was a strong element ofemotion and playfulness in thediverse approaches to form,structure and material. JoyceCoulton’s use of colour in thebrooding Workings packed apowerful punch into a smallspace, as did the textural qualityand restrained palette in PaulineFullam’s Pearl Moon. ChrissieMorgan’s innovative use ofmohair in the weave of JoyceGrenfell diffused her subject,capturing its grainy, filmic quality.

Workings by Joyce Coulton ‘The subject came about as aresult of the sudden collapse ofan ancient mineshaft under ourhouse three years ago, and oursubsequent experiences.’15cm x 12cm, embroidery silkPhoto: Joyce Coulton

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Lancs & Lakes GuildSpinning Yarns – Weaving DreamsExhibition at The Green Room,Barton Grange Garden Centre,Preston1 – 8 May 2011

This excellent exhibition was in awell-lit room with plenty of spacefor visitors to circulate. Acatalogue described the piecesand it was good to see beginners’work proudly identified.

A garden centre location meantthat some chance visitors hadlittle or no knowledge abouttextiles, so it was thoughtful toinclude informative displays.Demonstrations of spinning andweaving and the presence ofcheerful and helpful stewardsensured that visitors could gain abetter appreciation of the historyand practical application of textileskills.

I was pleased to see informationabout British sheep breedstogether with a small display ofhandspun yarns dyed usingnatural dyes. Where space allows,I think this is a feature that mightusefully be expanded atexhibitions to instruct and inspireothers to experiment.

Continuing an educationaltheme, The Kendal Pattern Book,1769, was the subject of a majorproject for the Guild’s jubilee year.Rescued from a skip it provides aninsight into the life, times andeconomies of eighteenth centuryKendal and its textile industry.Analysis and reproduction of

samples, the manufacture ofgarments using the cloth andassociated history boards were atribute to Kendal’s woollenhistory and the talents of thisGuild. Subject to funding, theGuild hopes to publish detailedinformation about the weavestructures analysed.

With over 100 pieces of workdisplayed, it is hard to pick outexamples to mention. Handspunand dyed yarns were often usedand dyed and spun skeins invarious fibres took their placeproudly among exhibits on thetables.

Beginner Ailsa Shore’s woollenblanket in plain weave was acredit to her. Knitted itemsincluded Angela Blowes’ shawl inspindle-spun bamboo and merinotops. In a more unusualtechnique, at least to me, MaeveConolly had produced a scarf inSolomon’s knot crochet usinghandspun rainbow dyed silk tops.The quirky found its place inSheila Phillips’ contribution I ranout of paper. A ‘painting’ workedin tapestry was displayed with apalette where paint and brusheswere the handspun and dyed

Wensleydale wool in which thetapestry was worked.

Last, but not least, the Guild’sRecycling Challenge broughtforth a wealth of ideas. Forexample Susan Head usedindividual warp ends as weft tocreate ready-fringed cushions andLiz Hampton Yates even found ause for rolled up coloursupplements as the weft in herpot stands! Just the sort ofinspiration we need for using upall those bits and bobs goodcraftspeople squirrel away – incase one day they might beneeded.

Norah Ball, Online Guild

Above: Handspun and dyedyarn skeins in various fibresPhotos: Norah Ball

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

Below: Ailsa Shore’swoollen blanket inplain weave


Stroud International Textile Festival Stroud and district,Gloucestershire30 April – 22 May 2011

Stroud International TextileFestival, presented by StroudInternational Textiles (SIT), nowin its sixth year, was a‘celebration of textiles fromtraditional to contemporary’. Thisstatement by Festival DirectorLizzie Walton was reflected in adazzling variety of events,exhibitions, talks and workshopsheld in a diverse range oflocations in and around Stroud; atown that has its own proudtextile heritage. Embracingmuseums, colleges, textilegroups, individual artists,weavers, academics, textilecollectors and more, there wassomething to interest andinspire, stimulate thought andcreativity in every textileenthusiast. Each of the Festivalcomponents could be the subjectof a review in its own right.

The Museum in the Park wasdisability friendly and staff werefriendly and helpful. Freeparking was available nearby. Amodern, airy gallery housed theexhibition Word Play. Sue HileyHarris’ woven sculptures Cragand Square Ends and a showcasepresentation of Jane Edgar’s postwar printed and woven textileswere located within the foyer.The museum’s Gallery 2 provideda suitable environment for manyof the talks presented during thefestival. Weaver Lesley Millarspoke on the subject ‘TransparentBoundaries’. Whilst describingher current exhibition project shehighlighted aspects of space;textural and personal, shapesand shadows. She encouragedher audience to be aware ofspace in their work and life.

The Textile Trail Open Studiosweekend enabled the visitor tosee a variety of artists at home intheir studios. Clear directions inthe free commemorative TextileTrail Booklet, containing superbphotographs of each participantand their studio, meant theywere easy to find. I and manyfellow weavers enjoyed ourinformative peek into Tim ParryWilliams’ weaving studio wherehis four-shaft counterbalance‘workhorse’ is kept busy. We alsosaw some fine prototype fabricsamples that featured later in hisfascinating and thoughtful talk,‘Developing a Fashion FabricsCollection’. Illustrated withplentiful images, reels of yarnand fabric samples havingexquisite drape and texture, thiswas the first of a symposium oftalks presented the followingweekend by members of theGloucestershire Guild ofCraftsmen.

A World Textile Weekenddirected by hand-dyer PollyLyster at Bisley Village Hall gavean opportunity to see, touch andpurchase beautiful andfascinating world textiles, not tomention the opportunity tospeak to their enthusiastic andknowledgeable collectors.

The Seminar Day of talks drewmany weavers. The cumulativeeffect of the informationpresented left a lot to reflect on;not only about how it could beapplied to your own practice butespecially how the the challengeof being a professionalhandweaver is being met bycontemporary practitioners. Eachspeaker referred to the terror andstimulation of applying theirweave skills to fields they hadnever considered before.Interestingly most of the speakershad not set out to becomeweavers; it was only when in aweave studio with an array of

yarns before them and a shuttle intheir hand, did they become‘hooked’ as the realisation of theendless possibilities of weavestruck them!

Dawn Willey, New Forest and Online Guildswith contributions from

Jinty Knowling Lentier, Online Guild

In the following review, weaverStacey Harvey-Brown, OnlineGuild, shares her impression ofthe Seminar Day ‘Off the Loom:Woven Explorations andApplications in Art, Science andIndustry’.

Laura Thomas gathered fourweavers to give presentations toan audience of weavers drawnfrom the fields of design,academia, enthusiast and craft.After her introduction Lauratalked about her work, especiallythe use of acrylic resin for whichshe is probably best known.Maybe not so well known is herdouble cloth ‘blanket’ designwork for Melin Tregwynt, a wellknown weaving mill in Wales, andthe work that she is doing asArtist in Residence at the RuthinCraft Centre.

Her first invited speaker wasAsha Peta Thompson, a bubblylady with a lovely self-deprecatingsense of humour and obviousenjoyment, understanding andimagination in her work. Whatstarted out as a Masters projectdeveloping multi-sensorial piecesfor special educational needs inline with the National Curriculum,has grown in many diverse ways.Asha is co-founder of IntelligentTextiles, a company that hasdeveloped soft switching. Thisrevolutionary process involvesweaving electronic circuit cablesinto fabrics to facilitate theoperation of electronics and datamanagement systems. Thecompany works closely withseveral military departments bothin the UK and beyond, looking toreduce the burden of weight and

ease of equipment usage for on-the-ground soldiers in thebattlefield.

Kirsty McDougall told us thatshe originally came from theOuter Hebrides and tried to moveaway from her tweed heritage.After leaving university (Duncanof Jordanstone) and taking herMA at the RCA she worked as aJacquard designer for the likes ofLouis Vuitton, Biba, and Jaeger.Now she is the weaving half ofDashing Tweeds, the companythat gives a contemporary twist tobespoke men’s tweeds withamazing colour-ways, unusualyarns (including reflective) and asense of fun. It seems she wasdestined to come back to tweedto revamp and revolutionise it!

Kirsty was followed by MelissaFrench one of the Puff & Flockcollective created by members ofCentral St Martin’s Textiles FutureMA programme. Melissa firsttalked about her intriguing MAproject exploring the partialupholstering of outdoor furnitureusing cotton warps with silver,iron and copper wefts, then aboutthe creation and development ofPuff & Flock.

The final speaker was PtolemyMann. Ptolemy is well known forher ikat-woven pieces with theirjewel colour fields. Recently shehas been working on a series ofMonoliths, but arriving hotfootfrom Collect she talked mainlyabout the colour consultancywork she does with architects andhow that is closely related to herweaving. It was clear from thevery professional appearance ofall the design work that Ptolemyis an expert in putting her ideasacross and she speaks thelanguage of the architects, whichis the only way that such stridesare made in public works.

A fascinating day with muchfood for thought for the audienceand speakers alike.

Typical scene at The WorldTextile WeekendPhoto: Dawn Willey

Top: Scooter coat – day Above: Scooter coat – nightPhotos supplied by Dashing Tweeds


Book ReviewsCompiled by Dawn Willey

Colours of the OasisCentral Asian IkatsSumru Belger KrodyThe Textile Museum Washington DCISBN 978 0 87405 034 9£83

A magnificent exhibition istouring the United States; nowfinished in Washington, it isgoing to Seattle, then Houston in2012 – not London, alas. Itdisplays the collection – donatedto the Textile Museum – ofnineteenth century silk ikat robescollected with uncommon flair byMurad Megalli, whounfortunately died earlier thisyear in a plane accident. Thisexhibition publication is muchmore than a catalogue: asplendid gallery of images almostas arresting as the actual objects.The large square format allowsthe full-spread robes to fly onthe page, with a smaller frontview revealing a peep of itsRussian lining. Information onCentral Asian ikats is still sparse,but sections of this volumeinvestigate history, costume,pattern symbolism, colours anddyes, with also an unusuallydetailed study of garmentconstruction. There is afascinating chapter on theRussian printed fabrics whichmade up the majority of therobes’ linings.

Ikat weaving is being revived in Uzbekistan and a couple ofresearch visits by a group ofAmerican ethnologists andcurators is related in an up-to-date article. Of enormousinterest to an ikat weaver likemyself, it remains, nevertheless,as frustrating as many otheraccounts. The picturesquephotographs of girls weavingvelvet ikat, of men and boystying and untying silk warps giveaway little of the actual methodsof working, while the text tooleaves a lot unsaid. But this is notof course a manual for makers.

The catalogue proper isexemplary, with a small imagefor each item, and detailedanalyses of yarns, structures,dimensions, colours, epi and ppi,even type of edge finishing.There is an extensivebibliography on textiles and onCentral Asian history, a glossaryand an index.

The Appendix is ofextraordinary interest. Fifteensilk ikat curtain lengths from thecollection of 45 owned by theTopkapi Museum in Istanbul arepictured here. They arespectacular. As diplomatic giftsfrom the Emirate of Bukhara tothe Ottoman court, they wouldnaturally have been the verybest, whereas collectors have tomake do with what has survived.Slightly marred by the lack ofconservation, they seem to havebeen kept folded; these imagesrepresent the height ofperfection of the technical skillof nineteenth century ikatweavers.

Claude Delmas, London Guild

Ply-Split Braiding – Further TechniquesJulie HedgesJulie Hedges BooksISBN 13: 978 0 9554187 1 6£20.00

If I could sum up this book in twowords, they would be ‘practical’and ‘inspirational’.

From the moment you pick itup, you see a practical mind atwork. The pages are clearly laidout, with excellent diagrams,drawings and charts, and goodclose-up photographs of details.Gallery pages show completepieces, worked by Julie and othermakers as well as ethnographicexamples. The 80 A4 pages arespiral-bound, so they lie neatlyflat in use and a cleverarrangement of the cover reveals

geographical corridor extendingfrom Moorish Spain to India,China and Indonesia, includingthe Balkans and the Arab world,and south to West and EastAfrica. The text for each region isclear and informative aboutmaterials and techniques withoutbeing didactic, giving the localnames of costumes and fabrics.The brief summary of its complexpolitical history is both accessibleand memorable. For each sectiona special mention is made of thepresent state of textile making asobserved by the author: a uniqueinsight, often more optimisticthan one might fear.

The quality of the layout andthe images is superb. The largeformat shows off colours anddetails of weave or stitching. Thebook cover itself, with its spreadof Persian tulips, resembles afabric. The abstract beauty of thetextiles, many displayed fullpage, is enlivened throughout byold photographs and postcardsof people from that regionwearing local costumes. As arule, the illustrations are special,unusual, sometimes intriguing,and relate directly to the text.There is much to learn about thepeople and their fabrics and thebook is a delight renewed eachtime one opens it.

Claude Delmas, London Guild

a proper spine – so you can readthe title on your bookshelf.

The title indicates this is not abeginner’s book. For that, go toJulie’s 2006 book Ply-SplitBraiding, an Introduction... orattend a course to learn how tomake the tightly plied cords withwhich you will work. Havinglearnt that, and the basic methodof ply-splitting, you will findinspiration and instruction onevery page. The techniques ofPly-Split Darning (PSD), SingleCourse Oblique Twining (SCOT),Plain Oblique Twining (POT) andmy favourite, POT-holes, are allcovered. You are shown theeffect of multi-coloured cords, ofcombining thick and thin cords,and making decorative edgings,curves, tubes, loops, all of whichstimulate your imagination.There are helpful tips and hintsthroughout and full instructionsfor a few projects; this is a bookto get your creative juicesflowing.

Many Guild members do notjust weave, spin or dye; weexplore other techniques to usein conjunction with our corecrafts and using this book willsurely lead us on furtherjourneys.

Veronica Johnston, London Guild

Textiles of the Islamic WorldJohn GillowThames and HudsonISBN 978 0 500 51527 3£45

This is a dauntingly vast area tosurvey for anyone but JohnGillow, with his extensiveknowledge gained over decadesof textile travels and whose‘pathways criss-cross the world ofIslam’, as he writes in his quitepersonal Foreword. After ageneral introduction, the bookcovers, region by region, a wide

Wild Colour – How toGrow, Prepare and useNatural Plant DyesJenny DeanRevised Edition 2010Octopus PublishingISBN 9 781845 336594£12.99

I counted the dye books on myshelf and, give or take a few,I have 35, and some are barelyglanced at while a few are wellthumbed. Jenny Dean's Wild


The Primary Structures of FabricsIrene EmeryThames & HudsonISBN 978 0 500 28802 3£24.95

This is a substantial and detailedreference work, now available inpaperback. First published in1966, it is already a wellestablished classic in hardback.

The contents are arranged in alogical sequence and it is easy tofind details of any one aspect of

woven or twined fibres. Theauthor initially details the variedcomponents of fabric structures –their material (natural or man-made) and then fibre structure –single, combined, plied etc. Thissets the scene for the main studyof the book, how fabrics areformed from these components.Starting with the most basicmethod, felting, the study movesthrough increasing the numberof elements or sets of elementsvia looping, interlacing, twiningand then onto weaving, from thesimplest plain weaves through toa full study of compound weaves.A section on embellishments tofabrics, stitches and additionalstructures, completes this verythorough work. There is anextensive bibliography and anequally detailed index.

The clear close-up photographsare a particular strength of thisbook and enable the reader toeasily understand all thestructures explained in the text.It is essential reading for textilestudents’, but also very accessiblefor amateur weavers who like to understand and explore howwarp and weft work together to form distinct fabriccharacteristics. There is also muchof interest to other craftsincluding basketry, macramé,knitting and crochet. A veryworthwhile investment!

Christina Chisholm, Online Guild

Colour belongs to this lattercategory as I regularly turn to itto refresh my memory.

When I was a fairly new dyer,the first edition was much usedby me, this current edition is amuch waited-for reprint. It wasas a result of Jenny Dean’s bookthat I first became fired with theidea of growing a dye garden.Now, some 20 years into naturaldyeing, I turn to it maybe not somuch for the excellentintroduction or the carefulexplanation of colourmodification, but for useful factssuch as what weight of sumacleaves to use when mordanting,or exact quantities to use whenmaking copper sulphate modifier.This year I am growing safflowerand St John’s wort which aremore complex to use so I willrefer to the excellent andcomprehensive section ongrowing and using the 71 dyeplants covered. Re-reading theopening sections of natural dyesthrough history and around theworld was a pleasure too.

This is a book which can take anew dyer through all the basicsand go on providing usefulinformation for even experienceddyers. I always recommend it tomy students, as in my opinion noartisan dyer should be without it.

Helen Melvin, Online Guild

Contemporary Lace for YouJane AtkinsonWebfoot Books in association with inTAtexISBN 978 0 9551512 1 7£25

This is a ‘feel good’ book in craftterms. It certainly makes me wish Ihadn't handed on my lace pillowand bobbins. Plentiful full-pagephotographs of Jane Atkinson’scontemporary lace work add tothis soft covered book’s beauty.They were taken on location inDorset by David Bird.

The introduction reassures thatonly a basic knowledge oftorchon lacemaking is needed

to experiment with most ideaspresented in the book. However,I felt beginners might be fazedwithout some previousexperience. Lacemakers areencouraged to explore creativelya variety of standard grids andspecial ‘expressive’ grids createdto fit, literally, the design’ssubject matter. Judicious‘bending of the rules’ isencouraged. The design processencompasses yarns – not just the fine cottons or linenstraditionally used – butpractically any kind and colour of thread you can envisage.

Although, as the title indicates,this is a book on contemporarylacemaking it contains much tointerest non-lacemakers, fromdesign approaches to colour andpatterning. Spinners and weaverscan learn how to ‘Tex’ theiryarns. Dyers will be interested todiscover an indigo vat reciperequiring dates. I was delightedthat a friend’s scarf using naturalcoloured fleece had beenincluded, though disappointedthat the photo does not show its detail. A resources sectioncontains detailed yarncomparison tables. The yarnsuppliers are helpfully includedtoo.

Lacemaking spinners and dyerswishing to expand theirdesigning techniques will findthe book an invaluable resource.

Ann Baseden, Dorset Guild

Handspinning Rare Wools:How to spin them, why weshould careDeborah RobsonInterweave PressDVD ISBN 9781596684645 $34.95Video Download Item#: EP2458$29.95

DVD

Please send Book Reviewsto: Dawn Willey, email:[email protected]

Please NoteThe Association Librarianasks that if you areinterested in borrowing aparticular book, especiallyone that has been featuredin book reviews recently,that you please check itsavailability before request.The up-to-date libraryindex can be found on theAssociation of Guilds ofWSD, website www.wsd.org

From the first few minutes ofwatching this well-presentedDVD it is clear that DeborahRobson, a previous editor ofSpin-Off magazine, is both a veryknowledgeable rare-breedsenthusiast and an extremelyskilled spinner. The informationshe presents is succinct, wellorganised and filmed, from theinitial explanation of thedefinition of rare breeds in theUK and North America anddiscussion of wool preparationequipment to a very thoroughbut unhurried consideration of38 different breeds of sheep,principally from the UK. Thehistory and original location ofeach breed, its fleececharacteristics and how it couldbest be sorted, prepared forspinning and what end purposesthe yarn might be most suitablefor are covered. Samples of eachfleece are discussed prior todemonstrations of the mostsuitable preparation techniques(mainly using wool combs, forwhich Deborah confesses apreference, but also carders) andexamination of finished yarnsand finished projects.

Explanations are very clear andencourage you to consider andtryout different methods. A hugeamount of relevant informationis fitted into the three hour plusrunning time. Spinners of allstandards who are enthusiasticabout spinning fleece fromdifferent breeds will find muchinspiration as well as instruction– it is like attending a really gooddemonstration which you canwatch over and over again. Myenthusiasm for experimentingwith different fleeces has beengreatly rekindled!

Christina Chisholm, Online Guild


• 7 May to 29 August 2011

Celebrations and Made in Yorkshire – YorkExhibits from the Quilters Guildcollection and the work of Yorkshirebased quilters. Venue: The QuiltMuseum, St Anthony’s Hall, PeasholmeGreen, York YO1 PW. Open: Mon to Sat10am – 4pm. Visitwww.quiltmuseum.org.uk ortelephone 01904 613242

• 20 May to 22 October 2011

Tommy Nutter: the Rebel onthe Row – LondonA range of suits showing thedevelopment of the Nutter style andhis contribution to Savile Row andlooking at his place within the socialcontext 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 £4concessions. Visit www.ftmlondon.orgor telephone 0207 4078664

• 18 June to 4 September 2011

Retrospective exhibition ofJilly Edwards – DenbighshireThis exhibition will show theinspiration, development, work andadventures through nearly 40 years ofJilly’s woven tapestry. Venue: RuthinCraft Centre, Park Road, Ruthin,Denbighshire LL15 1BB. Open daily10am – 5.30pm. Visitwww.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk or telephone 01824 704774

• 7 July to 23 October 2011

Woven Threads – LondonJuried exhibition of woven tapestry byUK and international members of theBritish Tapestry Group. Venue: StablesGallery, Orleans House Gallery,Twickenham TW1 3DJ. Open: Tues toSat 1pm – 5.30pm and Sun 2pm –5.30pm (during July to Sept); Tues toSat 1pm – 4.30pm and Sun 2pm –4.30pm (for October). Visitwww.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk oremail [email protected]

• 9 July to 10 September 2011

Earth I AtmosphereWork in ceramics by Halima Cassell andtextiles by Seiko Kinoshita as part ofthe shape of things. Part of a nationalinitiative supported by the Arts Councilwhich contends that contemporarycraft has a distinctive contribution tomake to our understanding of culturalidentity and heritage. Venue:Touchstones Rochdale, The Esplanade,Rochdale OL16 1AQ. Open Tuesday toSaturday 10am – 5pm. Admission free.For information telephone 01706924492 or visitwww.link4life.org/touchstones

• 4 August to 4 September 2011

2011 Heirlooms – EdinburghAn exhibition celebrating Indian andJavanese textiles (from the JonathanHope collection) from the latesixteenth to early twentieth centuriesand their continuing influence oncontemporary textile artists. Also, newwork inspired by India, from NaomiRobertson, Deirdre Nelson and SarahSumsion. Demonstrations by a Jamdaniweaver and a Kantha embroiderer.Plant materials and botanical books on

display to illustrate techniques used inhistorical pieces created with naturaldyes and mordants. Venue: DovecotStudios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh.Open daily 10.30am – 5.30pm. Visitwww.eif.co.uk/heirlooms

• 20 to 21 August 2011

FibreFest 2011 – DevonStalls, exhibits, workshops and talksrelating to natural fibres. Venue: BictonCollege, East Budleigh, BudleighSalterton, Devon EX9 7BY. Preferentialrates for tickets in advance. Visit:[email protected] or telephone01884 881234

• 20 August to 24 September 2011

From Quilts to Couture inKyrgyzstan – GlasgowOver 2000 amazing images displayingvarious processes. 4 makers in residencefor a week conducting workshops inShyrdak, Chiy weaving, and felting;they dye their own fleece/yarns. Venue:Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde22 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XQ.Open Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat12noon – 4pm

Three events at the QuiltMuseum and Gallery – York

• 3 September to 23 December ‘11

Quilts from the Isles Highlighting quiltmaking in remoteareas of Britain.

• 3 September to 29 October 2011

Structured The 10th anniversary exhibition bytextile group By Design.

• 1 November to 23 December ‘11

How Times Have Changed Traditional patchwork made by pastand present members of the TraditionalQuilt Group. Venue: Great Hall andBailey Gallery, St Anthony’s Hall,Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PW. Formore information telephone 01904613242, email:[email protected] or visitwww.quiltmuseum.org.uk

• 3 September 2011

Exmoor Fleece Fair – Devon Venue: Kings Farm Machinery,Exebridge, Dulverton TA22 9BL. 11am –3pm. A wide variety of local fleecesavailable, plus trade stands. See theBowmont sheep that appeared onSavile Row. Farm machinery display.Refreshments available. For moredetails [email protected] ortelephone 01398 351173

• 3 to 4 September 2011

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

• 5 September 2011

Glastonbury Wool Festival –SomersetVenue: across town from GlastonburyHigh Street to Glastonbury Tor. Eventsinclude Annual Sheep Run, grazing andpenned animals, sheep dog trials,spinning and weaving demonstrations,sales stalls. Somerset Guild of Weavers,Spinners and Dyers will take raw fleeceto a finished shawl at the Town Hall. 9am – 4pm. No charge, donationswelcome. Catering available. Fordetails contact Patricia Ackroyd 01458830971/07951 327754 [email protected]


Back to Basics – BedfordshireTo coincide with British Wool week,Bedfordshire Guild’s exhibition willshow work from participants of theirrecent ‘Back to Basics’ workshopprogramme, run for new members, aswell as pieces from their moreexperienced members. Venue: PrioryHouse Heritage Centre, 33 High Street,Dunstable, Beds LU6 3RZ. Open: Monto Sat 10am – 4pm. Admission free.Visit: www.bedfordshireguildwsd.co.uk/events or telephone 01582 890270


Strands2 – CheshireNorth Cheshire Guild exhibition ofwork including demonstrations. Venue:Knutsford Heritage Centre, 90A KingStreet, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6ED.Open daily (except Mondays) 11am –4pm. Telephone 01565 650506


Wool Modern – LondonThis will showcase the versatility ofwool, celebrating its aesthetic,environmental and technical benefits.It will show all forms of applicationfrom fashion to technical andintelligent textiles, car interiors, safetyneeds, crafts and the builtenvironment. There will be wool-focused installations by interiordesigners, artists and photographersalongside wool archives from fashiondesigners and one-off designer woolfashion items.Venue: La Galleria, PallMall, London. Visit: www.lagalleria.org

• 10 Sept to 5 November 2011

Inspired by Flora – LeekMulti-disciplinary textile exhibition byMidlands Textile Forum, drawing onbotanical inspiration. Venue: NicholsonInstitute Gallery, Leek Central Library,Stockwell Street, Leek ST13 6DW. Monto Sat 10am – 4pm. Free admission. Visitwww.midlandstextileforum.com orcontact Leek Tourist Information 01538 483741

• 17 Sept to 30 October 2011

Ancestor Bags – HalifaxSue Hiley Harris’ hanging installation of30 abstract woven sculptures, partlyinspired by aboriginal string bags, eachcapturing coded characteristics of oneof the artist’s British or Australianancestors. Venue: Bankfield Museum,Ackroyd Park, Boothtown Road,Halifax, Yorkshire HX3 6HG. Tues to Sat10am – 5pm; Sun 1pm – 4pm. [email protected] telephone 01422 354823 / 352334 or visit www.calderdale.gov.uk


21st Anniversary Exhibition –AudlemSouth Cheshire Branch of theEmbroiderers Guild. Venue: Public Hall,Cheshire Street, Audlem, CW3 0AH10am – 4pm. Free parking. Disabledaccess. Workshops, demonstrations andraffle. Admission £2.50, includesrefreshments. For details telephoneCarrie 01630 647977 or visit www.mini-webs.com/audlemembroiderersguild/


Origin – LondonCrafts Council Annual Exhibitionduring London Design Week. Open11am – 7pm daily. Venue: OldSpitalfields Market, Brushfield St,London E1 6EW. Visitwww.originuk.org or telephone 0207 7395561


Masham Sheep Fair – North Yorks Venue: the small market town ofMasham in Wensleydale. 10am to 4pmeach day. Free events around town.Sheep, stalls, fleeces, crafts. Small entryfee to craft market. Visitwww.mashamsheepfair.com

• 24 Sept to 13 November 2011

Fleece First: the wider worldof wool – DevonExpertise in breeding sheep, processingwool and making textiles is linkedinextricably to the history of the SouthWest. Exhibition featuring work ofcontemporary and local textile makerswhose raw material is wool; focusingon how makers select fleece dependingon its intended purpose and showinghow links between breeders, makersand industry can offer opportunitiesfor 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 associatedworkshops and events: checkwww.crafts.org.uk or telephone 01626 832223

• 1 to 2 October 2011

Felting weekend – West YorkshireA weekend of felting with nativeBritish fibres. An opportunity to makefelted 3D items and explore surfacedecoration and texture. Led by AngelaBarrow, there will be approximately 18varieties of wool tops and some rawfleece to choose from. Venue: BradleyVillage Hall, Lidget Road, Bradley BD209DS. 10am – 4pm each day. Attend oneor both days. Cost £35 per day. Visitwww.angelabarrow.co.uk/workshops.php for more information and to book.

• 2 October 2011

Textile Society’s AntiqueTextile Fair – LondonVenue: Chelsea Old Town Hall, LondonSW3 5EE. Open 10.30am – 4.30pm. £6concessions: £4. Telephone 0207 3597678 or visit www.textilesociety.org.uk

D i a ryCompiled by Norah Ball


• 15 to 16 October 2011

Diamonds – South Yorkshire60th Anniversary exhibition of work bymembers of Hallamshire Guild ofWeavers, Spinners and Dyers. Venue:Elsecar Art and Craft Fair, ElsecarHeritage Centre, Barnsley, S. Yorks S748HJ. 10am – 4pm. Free admission.Members will also be demonstratingand selling their work. For more information [email protected]

• 28 to 29 October 2011

Textiles in Sussex – EastSussexEast Sussex Guild's biennial event.Exhibition of members’ work; sales;hands-on; trade stands. Venue: LewesTown Hall, Fisher Street Entrance,Lewes, E Sussex BN7 2QS. Open: Fri10am –5pm and Sat 10am – 4pm.Admission £2; students and childrenfree. Visit www.esgwsd.org

• 28 to 30 October 2011

Spindle, Shuttle and Dyepot– Devon Exhibition of work by Peter TavyWeavers Spinners and DyersVenue: Peter Tavy Village Hall, PL199NN. 10am – 4pm daily. Free entry.Raffle and refreshments. Telephone 01822 615526

• 29 Oct to 11 November 2011

Wonderful Weaving! –NewburyKennet Valley Guild will exhibitweaving at the National NeedleworkArchive, including work of recentBradford graduates. Venue: the OldChapel, 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). Telephone01635 38740 or 01684 574057. Visitwww.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk

• 5 to 6 November 2011

Autumn Textile Fair – DevonVenue: Duchy Square Centre forCreativity, Tavistock Road, PrincetownPL20 6QF. Telephone 01822 890828 oremail [email protected]

• 3 to 4 December 2011

Textile Market – North WalesBeautiful handmade textiles forChristmas gifts. Fibres, yarns, kits andequipment for feltmakers, handspinners, rag rug makers andembroiderers. Demonstrations onSunday morning. Venue: TrefriwWoollen Mills, Main Road, Trefriw,Conwy Valley LL27 0NQ. Open 10am –5pm each day. Also large mill shop andtearoom. Telephone 01492 640462 orvisit www.t-w-m.co.uk

• 5 to 10 December 2011

Get Weaving – DevonAn 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

• 14 Jan to 4 March 2012

Betty Smithers Exhibition –Newcastle-under-LymeVenue: Borough Museum and ArtGallery, Brampton Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme

• 14 to 29 July 2012

Association of Guilds ofWeavers, Spinners and DyersNational Exhibition – SussexVenue: Weald and Downland Open AirMuseum, Singleton, Chichester PO18 0EU.

TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS


A Quiet Intervention –StranraerFor inspiration Anna King takes fromthe garden only that which has beendiscarded by the trees, plants, selectivepruning and tidying. Venue: LoganBotanic Gardens, Port Logan, Stranraer,Dumfries & Galloway, DG9 9ND. Open 10am – 5pm. Admission £5,concessions £4. Visit www.rbge.org.ukor telephone 01776 860231 (see reviewp.36).

Labcraft: digital adventuresin contemporary craft26 makers, including 4 in textiles, usingcomputer-aided design and/ormanufacture. Free entry. Visitwww.labcraft.org.uk/tour

• 29 Sept to 20 November 2011Venue: Leamington Spa Art Gallery andMuseum, Royal Pump Rooms, TheParade, Royal Leamington Spa,Warwickshire CV32 4AA. Telephone01926 742700

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

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

BELGIUM


The Five Continents – Woven World7th International Triennial ofContemporary Textile Arts of Tournai,Belgium. Guest artists exhibit in variousvenues. See Notebook p.5 for furtherinformation.

DENMARK


Threads in time: WEAVE 2011Work of 17 leading Danish weavers(including Jacquard, rugs, pattern, tapestry) displayed throughout this large gallery of contemporary art, tointeract with the architecture andvisual art. Venue: Kunstetagerne,St.Torv, Hobro, Denmark. Informationfrom [email protected]

FRANCE


Premiere Vision – ParisA wool trend area will be created by

the Woolmark Company for all to seeand interact with during the world’slargest weaving trade fair. Venue: Parcd’Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte,Paris. 9am – 6.30pm daily. Visitwww.premierevision.com/en

LITHUANIA


The 16th European TextileNetwork ConferenceKaunas, Lithuania. To register [email protected] or telephone +49 511817007. ETN, PO Box 5944, D-30059,Hannover, Germany.Visit www.etn-net.org


Textile 11: Rewind-Play-Forward8th International Biennial, Kaunas,based on the concept of repeatedtime/retold story. Art and textileexhibitions and workshops. Visit www.biennial.It or [email protected]

SWEDEN


Handweaving FairSwedish Weave Council in Boraswww.svenskavav.com/index.php

U.S.A

• 15 Oct 2011 to 19 February 2012

Weaving Abstraction: KubaTextiles and the Woven Artof Central AfricaVenue: The Textile Museum2320 S Street, NW, Washington, DC20008-4088. Telephone 202-667-0441.www.textilemuseum.org


International Wool WeekEvents are being planned in venuesincluding the following cities: Madrid,Tokyo, Amsterdam, Munich, Oslo andNew York City.

WORKSHOPS, COURSESAND STUDY DAYS

Bankfield Museum – HalifaxEvents run in conjunction withexhibition Ancestor Bags.

• 17 September 2011 at 3pmSculptor weaver Sue Hiley Harris willtalk about the ideas and inspirationbehind her installation and how shearrived at this point in her artisticdevelopment. Free event.

• 18 September 10am – 4pm

String Bags workshop withSue Hiley HarrisSue Hiley Harris will guide you throughmaking your own string bag while youexplore the remarkable materials andstructure of Australian Aboriginalstring bags, as well as introducing youto her installation Ancestor Bags. Noexperience needed. £40, concessions£35. Booking essential. Telephone: 01422 392756

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

String and String BagsTwo day workshop with Sue HileyHarris. An exciting opportunity toexplore the remarkable materials andstructure of Australian Aboriginalstring bags. Spin a length of yarn andmake both knotted and looped stringbags. Sue will also take you on a gallerywalk through her remarkableinstallation Ancestor Bags.No experience needed. Adults £70,concessions £65. Booking essential.Telephone 01422 392756

• 6 October 2011

The Allure of Ancient Textiles– DurhamTalk 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 protected] ortelephone 0191 4201204. Visitwww.durhamguild.com

• 8 October 2011

All-Wales Event for Weavers,Spinners & Dyers – PowysTrade stands, Guild displays, raffle andsales table. The Speaker will be LauraThomas. Venue: Minerva Centre,Llanidloes, Powys SY18 6BY. 10.15am –3.30pm. Entry: £5. For moreinformation: [email protected]

• 11 to 16 October 2011

Shetland Wool holiday –ShetlandDuring Shetland Wool Week. Explorethe place of wool in the islands'heritage, textile industry and localcrofting community. Guided holidayincludes knitting masterclasses,demonstrations of wool handling,workshops in handspinning andweaving, and exclusive access to textileartefacts and pieces of fragile heirloomknitting. Hotel accommodation inLerwick included. Price: £790. Visitwww.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk ortelephone 01595 693579

• 12 to 15 October 2011

Dyes in History andArchaeology ConferenceDHA30Venue: University of Derby EnterpriseCentre, 37 Bridge Street, Derby DE1 3LA. Visitwww.chriscooksey.demon.co.uk/dha/dha30.html

COMPETITIONS ANDAWARDS

Theo Moorman Charitable TrustFor weavers living and working in theUK. From £500 to £5000.Closing date 1 March 2012 (and every even year).Contact Lisa Harms: [email protected] or telephone 0179732380





Addresses of Guild SecretariesRevised list of Secretaries, listed according to the location of the Guild meeting place (where given, if not by Guild name). Please informSarah Williams of any errors. (Contact details: 74 Norfolk Road, Sheffield S2 2SY. email: [email protected])Many Guilds may be contacted by email or have their own websites – see Guild links on the Association website www.wsd.org.uk

ENGLANDBEDFORDSHIRE

BEDFORDSHIRE – HarlingtonMartina Waters, 126 Wilsden Avenue, Luton LU15HR

BERKSHIREBERKSHIRE – CharvilSue Turnbull, 7 Plover Close, Wokingham RG41 3JDKENNET VALLEY – Shaw, nr NewburyDetails to be confirmed

BRISTOLAVON – Long AshtonJenny Daniels, 4 Nore Road, Portishead BS20 7HNWARMLEY TOWER WEAVERSElizabeth Mueller, 85 Badminton Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 6BU

BUCKINGHAMSHIREBUCKS – AmershamGillie Russell-Mann, Central Farm, Station Road, Long Marston, Tring, Herts HP23 4QS

CAMBRIDGESHIRECAMBRIDGESHIRE – CambridgeAnna Crutchley, 8 Canterbury Street, Cambridge CB4 3QFPETERBOROUGH – PeterboroughPauline Smith, 18 Apsley Way, Longthorpe,Peterborough PE3 9NERAMPTON SPINNERS – Rampton, CambridgeJean Addison, 2 Gravel End, Coveney, Ely CB6 2DN

CHESHIREALSAGER – Alsager, South CheshireJane White, 31 Whitemore Road, Middlewich CW10 0DYCHESHIRE – FrodshamAnn Christine Youngs, Old Stone Cottage, Hollowmoor Heath, Great Barrow CH3 7LFNORTH CHESHIRE – Croft, Nr. WarringtonAnn Ashcroft-Salt, 21 Surridge, High Legh, Knutsford WA16 6PU

CORNWALLCORNWALL – Tresillian, nr TruroMargaret Hinch, 18 St. Gluvas Street, Penryn TR10 8BLLISKEARD SPINNERS – LiskeardSue Hambly, Wringsdown Hill, Yeolmbridge, Launceston PL15 8NH

CUMBRIAEDEN VALLEY – Mungrisdale Village Hall Carole Dickens, Appleton Hall, Bridekirk, Cockermouth CA13 0PE

DERBYSHIREDERBYSHIRE – DerbyMargareta Dawson, 111 The Woodlands, MelbourneDE73 8DQ

DEVONDEVON – Pinhoe, ExeterChris Crisford, Clyst William Cross Farmhouse, Plymtree, Cullompton EX15 2LQDEVON WEAVERS WORKSHOP – TotnesAnn Holl, High Barn, Torbryan, Newton Abbot TQ12 5UWPETER TAVY – Peter TavySue Hawthorn, Higher Rowes Farm, Horndon,Tavistock PL19 9NQ SOUTH HAMSJenny Arnold, Westcombe, Old Plymouth Road,Kingsbridge TQ7 1FF

DORSETDORSET – DorchesterAngela Corbet, 36 St Catherines, Wimborne BH21 1BG

DURHAMDURHAM – DurhamAmanda Martin, 42 Hilda Street, Gateshead NE8 1YB

ESSEXMIDDLE ESSEX – White Notley, BraintreeShirley Wright, Haydens Ends, Hellmans Cross, Green Street, Gt Canfield, Dunmow CM6 1LA SOUTHEND – SouthendPauline Everett, 48 Albert Road, Benfleet SS7 4DJWEST ESSEX & EAST HERTS – HarlowMary Hicks, The Red Lion, Wareside, HertfordshireSG12 7RJ

GLOUCESTERSHIREGLOUCESTERSHIRE – NortonChristine May, Harmony Cottage, Leominster Road, Shakesfield, Dymock GL18 2AN

HAMPSHIREEAST HAMPSHIRE COUNTRY PARKPauline Miles, 15 Bevan Road, Lovedean, Waterlooville PO8 9QHHAMPSHIRE – Shawford, WinchesterSue Bates, 26 Tidworth Road, Ludgershall, Andover SP11 9QDNEW FOREST – Greyfriars Community Centre,RingwoodJean Woods, 16 The Martells, Barton on Sea BH25 7BG

HEREFORDSHIREHEREFORDSHIRE – Stretton SugwasHeather Dutson, High House, Preston on Wye, Hereford HR2 9JU

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS – CheadleJune Hague, Primrose Cottage, Bosley, Macclesfield,Cheshire SK11 0PU

SUFFOLKBURY ST EDMUNDS – Bury St EdmundsDiane Cartwright, 138 London Road, Brandon IP27 0EWLAVENHAM – Lavenham, SuffolkJean Rogers, Syers Field, Brettenham Road, Hitcham IP7 7NUNORFOLK & SUFFOLK – BecclesPaula Wassenaar, 4 Warman's Close, Bawburgh, Norwich NR9 3JB

SURREYEAST SURREY – HeadleyBetty Newman, Foxhollow, Crampshaw Lane, Ashtead KT21 2UESURREY BARN WEAVERS – Newdigate,Mrs E. Smale, 21 Highlands Road, Reigate RH2 0LAWEST SURREY – FarnhamJoanne Cummins, 7 Randolf Drive, FarnboroughGU14 0QQ

SUSSEXEAST GRINSTEAD SPINNERSWendy Scott, Old Well Cottage, Tompsets Bank, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5BGEAST SUSSEX – LewesLaura Innes, 21 Pipers Field, Ridgefield, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5SDGRAFFHAM – GraffhamJane Brunning, Kelston House, Roundstone Lane, Angmering, Sussex BN16 4AXWEALDEN – Southwater – W SussexSue Dawe, 36 Kestrel Close, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5WDWEST SUSSEX – WorthingCoral Jackson, Chinthay, Nightingale Lane, Hambrook, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 8UH

WARWICKSHIRESTRATFORD-UPON-AVON – Stratford upon AvonAbigail Wrycroft, The Hall, Paxhall Farms, Upper Radbourne, Southam CV47 1NG

WEST MIDLANDSBIRMINGHAM & DISTRICT – BirminghamRachel Lemon, 107 Rosefield Road, Smethwick B67 6DZCOVENTRY & DISTRICT – CoventryToni Wilson, 92 Victoria Road, Hartshill, Nuneaton CV10 0LRMIDLAND – ErdingtonMary Zielonka, 10 Coppice Close, Sedgley, DudleyDY3 3NP

WILTSHIRENORTH WILTSHIRE – SwindonUna Carlow, Rotherstone House, 4 Rotherstone,Devizes SN10 2BDWILTSHIRE – Steeple AshtonNova Shaw, 47 St Kilda’s Road, Oldfield Park, Bath,Somerset BA2 3QL

WORCESTERSHIREWORCESTERSHIRE – Lower Broad HeathGinnie Wilkinson, Old Blacksmith Cottage, Alfrick Pound, Worcester WR6 5EZ

YORKSHIREBRADFORD & DISTRICT – Bradford, W. YorksAlison England, 51 Lidgett Park Road, Leeds LS8 1JNCRAVEN (SKIPTON) – Skipton, W. YorkshireSally Stretch, 8 Garden Terrace, Carleton, Skipton BD23 3EBHALLAMSHIRE – Norton, SheffieldKaren Graham, 18 Crabtree Lane, Sheffield S5 7AYYORK & DISTRICT – MurtonRosemary Kitchingman, Beacon Hill Farm, Raw,Whitby YO22 4PP

SCOTLANDBORDERS

TWEED – Newtown St BoswellsMaggie Magee, The Lodge, Maxpoffle, St Boswells, Melrose, Roxburghshire TD6 0HP

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAYDUMFRIES & GALLOWAY – DumfriesKarla Grant, Home Farm Cottage, Dormont, Dalton, Lockerbie DG11 1DJWIGTOWNSHIRE – GlenluceLoraine Baxter, 3 Blair Way, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, Dumfries DG8 6HX

EAST DUMBARTONSHIREWEST OF SCOTLAND – Milngavie, GlasgowJoan McDowell, 49 Arrowsmith Avenue, Glasgow G13 2QJ

FIFEEAST CENTRAL SCOTLAND – Letham, FifeJoyce Fox, Fauldiehill Cottage, Arbirlot, AngusDD11 2PW

GRAMPIANGRAMPIAN – Chapel of GariochElaine Morley, East Mathers Farmhouse, St. Cyrus, Montrose, Angus DD10 0DW

HIGHLANDHIGHLAND – Dingwall, Ross-shireFiona Dendy, Sorak, Swordale Road, Evanton,Ross-shire IV16 9UZ

HERTFORDSHIREMID-HERTS – HatfieldSheila M Blackie, 12 Jacks Hill Park, Graveley, Hitchin SG4 7EGNORTH HERTS – LetchworthBrian Bond, 29 Arlesey Road, Stotfold, Hitchin SG5 4HB

ISLE OF WIGHTISLE OF WIGHT – RookleyJan Hayward, 1 Brocks Copse Road, Wootton Bridge, Ryde PO33 4NP

KENTKENT – AshfordLydia Hill, 82 Chenies Close, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5LNMEDWAY – GillinghamElspeth Darby, 31 Wellington Road, Gillingham ME7 4NNNORTH DOWNS – nr CanterburyPam Chatfield, Boot House, Minnis Lane, Stelling Minnis, Canterbury CT4 6AS

LANCASHIREBOWLAND – Gisburn Festival HalllDr Sarah Brearley, 3 East View, Summerseat BL9 5PGFYLDE HEDDLES & TREADLES – Weeton nrPrestonAlison Rainford, 86 Black Bull Lane, Fulwood,Preston PR2 3JYLANCS & LAKES – Yealand Village Hall Anna Atkins, Garden House, 2 Loftus Hill, Sedbergh LA10 5RXMID-LANCASHIRE – DarwenZillah Griffin, 204 Tockholes Road, Darwen BB3 1JY

LEICESTERSHIRELEICESTERSHIRE – Botcheston, nr. LeicesterWendy Maw, 10 Park Road, Birstall, Leicester LE4 3AU

LINCOLNSHIRELINCOLNSHIRE – Revesby (most meetings)Angela Barker, 3 Julian Bower, Louth LN11 9QN

LONDONLONDON – SW7Jean Derby, 23 Witham Road, Isleworth , Middx TW7 4AJ

MERSEYSIDEMERSEYSIDE – LiverpoolChris Holmes, 6 Castlegrange Close, Wirral CH46 3SX

NORFOLKDISS – Diss, NorfolkPam Ross, Southview, Common Road, Shelfanger,Diss 1P22 2DPMID-NORFOLK – North TuddenhamGlenda Jane McCash, 62 Stratford Street, Norwich NR2 3BDNORFOLK COUNTRYSIDE – member’s homesDiane Gilbert, 43 Ormesby Road, Hemsby,Gt. Yarmouth NR29 4LAWORSTEAD – N. WalshamSarah Butikofer, The Gatehouse, Felbrigg Lodge,Old School Lane, Aylmerton NR11 8RA

NORTHAMPTONSHIRENORTHANTS – Denton, Northampton Jeanette Littler, Stone House, 14 Bedford Road, Denton NN7 1DRLONGDRAW SPINNERS – Stoke AlbanyRosalind Willatts, 2 Barlows Lane, WilbarstonLE16 8QB

NORTHUMBERLANDTYNEDALE – Stocksfield Carol Hinchcliffe, 6 Martin Street, Stanhope, Weardale, Co. Durham DL13 2UY

NOTTINGHAMSHIREASHFIELD – Kirkby-in-Ashfield, NottsJeanette Haigh, 21 Castle Lane, Bolsover,Chesterfield S44 6PSNOTTS & DISTRICT – LambleyAngela Baker, 22 Outgang Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse N19 9DJ

OXFORDSHIRECOTSWOLD – Hook NortonRose Kirkcaldie, 13 Sandell Close, Banbury OX16 9LPOXFORD – Stanton St JohnJane Markham, Grove Farmhouse, Beckley, OxfordOX3 9US

SHROPSHIRENORTH SHROPSHIRE – EllesmereJean Sanders, Avenure House, Balmer, Welshampton, Ellesmere SY12 0PPSHREWSBURYJean Huff, Plush Hill, All Stretton SY6 6JP

SOMERSETFROME TEXTILE WORKSHOP – FromeJane Lewis, Romneya, St Chads Avenue, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Bath BA3 2HGSOMERSET – Hatch BeauchampBarbara Spicer, Sunnylea, Fordgate, Bridgwater TA7 0AP

STAFFORDSHIRELEEK & District – Bradnop, LeekBeth Harvey, 9 Beggars Lane, Leek ST13 8DBSTAFFORD KNOT SPINNERS – Hyde Lea, Nr StaffordSharon Hartwell, 7 New Row, Bradley Lane, Hyde Lea ST18 9BH

LOTHIANEDINBURGH – CraiglockhartPatricia Laing, 74 Hillview Cottages, Ratho, Edinburgh EH28 8RF

NORTH AYRSHIREARRAN – members homesGill Butcher, Tigh Na Ranza, 70 Murray Crescent, Lamlash, Isle of Arran KA27 8NS

SHETLANDSHETLAND – variousSusan Johnson, Chapelside, Reawick ZE2 9NJ

WALESCEREDIGION

CEREDIGION – AberaeronSue Youell, Blaencarrog Villa, Llanddeiniol, Llanrhystud SY23 5AW

CONWYABERGELE – Abergele, ClwydAlison Craig, Pen'rallt, Allt y Powls, Llanfair Talhaearn, Abergele LL22 8SP

DENBIGHSHIRECLWYD – Llysfasi Agri. CollegeAnneli Thomas, Graigwen Fach, Wern Ddu, OswestrySY10 9BN

GLAMORGANGLAMORGAN – Sully, Vale of GlamorganKathy Williams, Upper House Farm, East Aberthaw,Barry CF62 3DD

GWYNEDDGWYNEDD – BangorHilary Miller, Hafan, Llandegfan, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5PWLLYN – Penygroes Memorial HallLynne Shepherd, Ty Rallt, Llithfaen, PwllheliLL53 6PAMEIRIONNYDD – LlanelltydMargaret Williams, Linette, Pant Mawr Estate, Harlech LL46 2ST

MONMOUTHSHIREGWENT – CwmbranMair Williams, 203 Heathwood Road, Heath, CardiffCF14 4HQ

NEATH/PORT TALBOT/SWANSEATAWE – PontardaweAnn Fox, Ffynnon Deilo, Pendoylan, Vale of Glamorgan CF71 7UJ

PEMBROKESHIREPEMBROKESHIRE – NarberthDaryl Snelling, Horseshoe Cottage, Bosherston, Pembroke SA71 5DS

POWYSBRECKNOCK – Brecon Subud Centre, PowysAnne-Marie Rhys Evans, 8 Maesmawr Close, Talybont on Usk, Brecon LD3 7JGBRECON & RADNOR – Llanelwedd, Builth Wells,Jan Tasker, Cwm Proffwyd, Cwmbach, Builth Wells LD2 3RWCRICKHOWELLJill Derbyshire, Caecrwn Farmhouse, Battle, BreconLD3 9RWMONTGOMERYSHIRE – FordenLiz Jones, Glanrhyd Bach, Llanwddyn, Nr. OswestrySY10 0NH

ISLE OF MANMANX – Patrick, Isle of ManBernie Balogh, The Haven, Brack-a-Broom Lane, Poortown, Peel IM5 2AN

N. IRELANDULSTER SPINNERS AND WEAVERS – Folk & Transport MuseumRosemary McCartney, 26 Belfast Road, Holywood, Co. Down BT18 9EL

INTERNATIONAL

ONLINEMargaret Parker – [email protected]

EIRECORKTish Canniffe, Clancoolbeg, Bandon, Co. Cork IRISHDetails to be confirmed

Overseas Affiliated GuildsFRANCE

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

Documents

Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers 239