Having woven using cotton and wool yarns, I thought it would be a good next challenge to try weaving with linen yarn. I still struggle to work out the required amounts and weights of yarn for my weaving projects, and wanted to start my linen weaving with a small project, so opted to follow Amanda […]
Woven Linen Bread Bag Read More »
At the start of August, I attended my fourth Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Summer School. The summer schools take place biennially with the location moving around the country – this year’s was in Edinburgh, at Queen Margaret University. There were 18 courses taking place in total and 246 attendees. I was
Summer School 2025 – Tablet Weaving Read More »
In 2023, I attended a week-long course in weaving double cloth fabric with Margo Selby, at an Association of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Summer School. We warped our looms in advance of the class, and spent the week sampling different patterns and colours. I especially liked the checkerboard patterns I wove that week and decided
Double Cloth Woven Cushion Read More »
I attended my first weaving class in 2019, a week-long class at an Association of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers summer school. Despite buying a table loom after the class, I didn’t do any weaving (unless you count a couple of failed attempts at warping) until I attended a second week-long summer school in 2021. Friends
Recent Weaving: Scarves, Rugs & Tea Towels Read More »
Back in 2021, I purchased an issue of Little Looms magazine (Summer 2021 edition), tempted by the idea of weaving shoelaces. I’ve been thinking about attempting those shoelaces ever since, and finally made the effort to learn how over the Christmas holiday. The pattern, by John Mullarkey, uses tablet weaving (using cards to manipulate the yarn), which
I always take two weeks holiday at Christmas, and one of the nice tasks I set myself is to have a reminisce about what I made, enjoyed and generally got up over the past year, aided by a scroll back through Instagram. When I started looking back at 2023, I didn’t feel like I had
In the last few years, I’ve become fairly involved with the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers. I sit on the General Purpose Committee (since 2016), produce the Association’s monthly newsletter and manage the social media accounts (including the Instagram account). The Association has a very traditional structure where membership is to a
My First Weavers, Spinners, & Dyers Summer School & First Woven Scarf Read More »
During 2015, my Guild ran a year-long natural dyeing project with Winterbourne House, a local museum. Each month, the gardeners at Winterbourne provided plant material (flower heads, bark, leaves, etc.) which the guild tested for their natural dye properties. To explore the varied colours that can be achieved through the use of mordants and modifiers, eights small skeins of
A Year in Colour Exhibition Read More »
As I’ve mentioned previously, I recently joined the Birmingham Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Last week the Association of Guilds held their annual summer school. I didn’t attend the summer school, but I did attend the open day held last Saturday, where visitors could drop-in to shop at the trade fair and to view
AGWSD Trade Fair, Where I May Have Bought My First Fleece Read More »