Natural Fibre & Heritage Crafts Festival 2024

My well documented passion for textiles and history has provided a welcome and positive focus for me this summer and the  atmospheric Coldharbour Mill in Uffcumle, Devon is at the heart of this.  A long loved textile venue, I am grateful to all there who entrusted in me to collaborate and to run an inaugural Natural Fibre & Heritage Crafts Festival.  

Coldharbour is one of the oldest wool mills in the world, operating since 1797 and reknown for producing worsted yarn and cloth for the Fox Brothers empire. It is surprising unknown to many and I am on a mission to change this.

Now operating as a charitable trust, the Mill is run by friendly and hardworking people who have a huge passion for the history that lies within.  This includes many knowledgeable volunteers, who operate the working Mill machinery and enthuse visitors on their regular open days.  Steam engines, looms and spinning equipment draw in those with mechanical minds, with sights, sounds and smells of times past to marvel at.  To walk the worn Mill stone stairs in the path of so many who have gone before is evocative.  To touch their products steeped in so much history is a joy to all who love textiles.

The yarns and fabrics lovingly produced can be found in the charming Mill shop - that is near on impossible to leave empty handed!  There is  sumptious aran and double knit wool yarn and tartan fabrics whose names add to the lure of local history:- Devon Green, Devon Blue, Blackdown Hills, and Somerset.  All their products are 100% Pure British Wool and are spun and woven on heritage machinery at Coldharbour - the name for which is said to be derived from Anglo Saxon meaning 'Old Shelter'.

It was a delight and privilage to bring together a group of like-minded artists and makers in the Mill's atmospheric Fox Gallery this summer.  Each of us took great pleasure in exhibiting a selection of of our work to showcase how natural fibres and  heritage crafts can bring benefits to 21st century living.  We greatly enjoyed engaging visitors with our creativity through displays, demonstrations and workshops over our Festival weeks and most importantly, we hope that we inspired our visitors to have a go at learning a new craft.

I would like to say a huge thank you to this very talented tribe of creatives: Amy Stevens, Arthur Sharp, Bec Briar, Caz Loader, Hilary Tudgee, Jacqui Carey, Jane Hardstaff, Jennie Loader, Lia Duarte-Jenkinson, Marie Evans, Marius Evans, Paula Simpson, Philippa Reid and Wendy Greaves for their professionalism, enthuiasm and generosity in sharing their knowledge and skill.  Also to all the people at Coldharbour Mill who supported this endeavour alongside many priorities and to the  Somerset Spinning & Weavers Dyers Guild.

We ended our fun-filled Festival days with the gallery brimming with visitors and learning :) We are all very grateful to our visitors throughout the Festival weeks and for their warm and encouraging feedback.  We feel sure that the benefits of our collaboration this summer will continue and we are glad to have demonstrated the wonder of creating with natural fibres and heritage crafts, and the power of working together.  Here are those of us present on the final Festival day and a short video beneath of all 15 of us to took part in this very happy and rewarding summer venture.

Quick Stitch - Yarn Bowl

Choosing a project for a single skein of beautiful wool yarn is a dilemma to be savoured and with the increasing availability of quality wool yarn, this is happily becoming a more regular occurance.  Plus by adding in a few of my own spun and natural dye yarns, this delightful dilemma led me to my latest small bowl project offering - yarn bowls.

My first yarn bowl creation came into being from one of my natural solar dye yarns - starting as a very pleasing skein that I purchased last Spring from Orkney Tweed.  Watching the random colours appear as I wrapped and stitched was very satisfying and had the bonus of stitching without too much precision.  Working an aran weight yarn with a chunky wool cord filler, the bowl took shape pretty quickly and it was very tactile to work on dreary winter days.  My yarn bowl collection grew slowly over the winter weeks and I began to hatch a plan to share my new dalliance with like-minded others.

And so a bright Spring sharing day arrived with 10 lovely ladies in the Creative Hub in Taunton's Brewhouse Theatre.  We began our day simply with colourful aran wool yarn, large tapestry needles and a wool filler cord - my choice in this sample is a variegated yarn The Croft by West Yorkshire Spinners and the filler is garden twine by Twool.  The yarn bowl creations each began by securing the yarn in the end of the filler cord and then wrapping up and around the cord seven times - taking the needle back through the filler after the wraps to secure.

Next was repeating  this wrapping and securing a couple more times, so that around 3cm of cord was covered.  While there are no hard and fast rule about which direction to wrap the yarn, wrapping towards you feels the most logical for both left and right handed working. Once a reasonable length of filler cord was wrapped, the filler end was neatly trimmed and a tight coil created - this was then secured by taking the needle and yarn right through the coil and then back again to get to where the yarn was wrapped up to. 

Then to wrap yarn around the filler cord another seven times, but this time taking the yarn over the cord just wrapped and also over the wrapped cord in the row beneath. This method of wrapping and stitching then became the method of joining the wrapped cord rows together throughout the project.  After making a joining stitch, it's best to pull the yarn tight before making the next seven wraps - the stitch will loosen a little as you move on.  It's also a good idea to by let the needle dangle every so often to get unhelpful twist out of the yarn.

The wrapping and stitching continued in this mindful way - seven wraps and then one large stitch to attach the wrapped cord to row beneath.  I find that the quickest way to wrap the filler cord is by holding it firmly just beyond the point of wrapping and let the coil dangle - of course others may find other efficient ways.  To join a new length of yarn, stitch the old yarn end into previous wraps and thread in a new yarn leaving a tail - I tug these tight after moving forward a bit and then closely snip to avoid tangles when working.

As the coil emerged, a decision needed to be made as to when to start shaping and building the bowl sides.  This is a bit of a guesstimate for a first bowl and looking at the shape of bowls in other mediums can be a help.  To start the shaping, the wrapped filler cord is placed slightly on top of the wrapped cord beneath, instead of alongside, and is stitched in the same way.  It takes a few rounds of doing this before the shaping becomes clear and it's helpful to 'train' the bowl into the desired shape with your fingers as it starts to emerge.

The steepness of the sides is determined by the  degree the the wrapped filler cord is placed and stitched onto the row beneath.  A slight overlap will give a gradual gradiation and the more the overlap is increased, the steeper the sides will become.  It's best to adjust the position of the overlap gradually over a few rows and this avoids a ridge forming from too large an adjustment.  I rather like to bring the bowl shape inwards in the final rows and I do this by overlapping the current wrapped cord beyond the last row for at least several rounds.  

Then comes the decision on how to finish the bowl off - other than just stopping which creates an unattractive cliff edge and an alterative method is better by far.  Coiling the end section of the wrapped filler cord and stitching onto the side of the bowl is an attractive and easy choice - as is a simple fold back of the last inch of wrapped cord shown in my first picture on this post.  Here are a few of the bowls completed by my students for other ideas and I will happily add to these as more yarn bowl creations emerge over the weeks ahead :)

Boro Thread & Needle Holder

My days in these early months of 2024 have called for plenty of portable hand stitching.  To be working something simple with my fingers is always mindful and provides moments of calm on even the most frenetic days.  This neat idea for a thread holder with pre-threaded needles recently caught my eye and using some of my much loved recycled Japanese fabrics and thread felt a very fitting choice of materials.

I've found my Boro and Sashiko stitching over the winter months and making neat even stitches very satisfying - I'll come clean and say this is so me!  The traditional fabrics for both techniques are usually repurposed would have been cotton or hemp and invariably blue - indigo dyed cloth was the cheapest available.  

Silk from recycled Kimonos would have occasionally been used for both techniques and I was lucky to have acquired an amazing stock of recycled Kimono fabric pieces last year from Jasuin - owner Jayne has long supplied me with beautiful textiles.  And so I gathered a little collection of blues from my stash and cut and placed them on a shaped piece of blue cotton backing - my stitches were made in an off-white Japanese stranded cotton.

Sashiko stitches are traditionally super even as multiple stitches are made onto a long needle with each needle pass.  Boro stitches are more organic and tend to be stitched with individual stitches as the needle is passing through multiple layers and traditionally there are many lines of stitch, used out of necessity to keep ageing fabrics intact.  

Kimono silks are very densly woven, so I only needed to stitch down the fabric edges - which surprisingly fray very little.  I then placed my stitched piece face down on a piece of blue wool felt and machine stitched around the edge, leaving a gap for turning.  I then trimmed back the excess wool felt, snipped the curved sections of the seam and turned through the gap, hand stitching this closed and machine top stitching around the edge.

I opted to make the circular end of the roll with an English scrap tradition - I like to mix up traditions!  The Suffolk Puff originates from around the 1600s when used with scrap fabrics and stuffed with wool to make quilts.  

I turned in a small seam on a circle of fabric and gathered with a small running stitch in a strong beading thread.  I then cut a piece of wool felt and placed inside before pulling the gathering thread tightly and securing with a few stitches into the back of the puff.

I then hand stitched a completed puff on each side of the roll, starting at the short straight edge on the body piece and ending when I felt a sufficient gap remained  for the thread reel to be inserted.  When working out sizes, it's best to start with constructing the puff and calculate the body size from this.

My end result was perfect for a couple of small thread reels or one large one, a thimble and a needle threader - plus a very long flap with space for MANY pre threaded needles :)

I finally created a simple plait and button closure - I find wrapping a thread around a circular case to close very satisfying!   A hand woven button may yet replace my vintage choice shown here - both of course are equally lovely.  

This small project was without doubt very pleasurable to create and I am sure it will be extremely useful when I'm on the move this year.  It can easily be adjusted to accomodate different threads and needles and I am already imaging the many possible design deviations!

Hand Needles

As my passion for making hand stitches has grown, so has my knowledge of hand needles.  Whilst aware of the various types since filling up my first hand needle case may years ago, I can vouch that my recent excellerated use of hand needles has taken my understanding to a whole new level.  

Observing that others are equally enjoying the pleasures that come from making hand stitches, I thought that an account of my more recent hand needle experiences may be of some help.  Trust me when I say that choosing the correct hand needle for making hand stitches can be revolutionary!  

I use around 7 types of needles in the main and my make of choice is CLOVER - a long standing Japanese manufacturer, so named because the founder used clover leaves as book marks.  There are numerous needle types and I particuarly like their Gold Eye feature for ease of threading.    Most important is that when used correctly, Clover needles do not bend and they glide smoothly through fabric.  

Each needle type comes in various sizes and their mixed size packs are handy for working out size preferences.  The basic rules in choosing is that the needle eye should be large enough for the thread to pass through without distressing it - and the needle shaft needs to make a large enough hole in the fabric for the thread to smoothly pass through without resistance, or leaving a gap around the stitched thread - quite a tall order!

So to start with a general purpose needle. 'Sharps' took me through many years of every day use, however, however, they have recently been replaced by wonderous SELF-THREADING NEEDLES!  No more searching for magnifiers or needle threaders, as they quickly thread by placing the thread in an indentation at the top of the needle and pulling the thread downwards - job done!

Next up are the EMBROIDERY NEEDLES, that I have long used for all kinds of embroidery.  This mixed size pack is really useful as the needles will accommodate all kinds of thread.  All sizes pierce fabric without too many layers easily and they have my favoured 'gold eye' - which brings me to the crucial topic of needle threading.  I have a few tips to share on this, all of which avoids poking a frayed thread end at a needle eye!

So here's my first tip on easy needle threading - ALWAYS start with cutting a blunt end on the thread.  Some folk like to cut at a 45 degree angle, but I find that a straight cut usually works best with this method.  It starts with putting the cut thread end between a thumb and forefinger and pushing the eye of the needle down onto the small amount of exposed thread.  This method can feel very fiddly when learning, but once mastered, it has truly saved me hours of threading time.

Next is a more recent needle find.  SASHIKO NEEDLES came onto my radar when I began hand stitching recycled Kimono fabric and needed to pierce a more densely woven fabric.  A longer version is also available to enable making several stitches at a time.  Stronger than embroidery needles, they also have a slightly larger 'gold eye' which is great for thicker threads.

Staying with sharp needles, there are larger CHENILLE NEEDLES, which I have used a liitle less.  They have a large long eye which is perfect for threading yarn type threads.  With their sharp point, they are most useful in chenille, crewel and gold work.  I avoid using for techniques such as tapestry weaving and darning though, as the sharp point easily splits yarn.

At this point I'll cover my method for threading larger needles.  Particularly with wool thread, which rarely cuts a solid blunt end and and is best folded.  To do this, I fold the yarn over the needle just past the eye and add a bit of tension.  Then I move my fingers up to the fold and pinch and slide the folded yarn over the eye and off the needle.  At this point I treat the fold as before, pinching between my thumb and forefinger and pressing the needle eye down onto the visible thread fold.

Some people like to use a little beeswax with either or both of the threading methods as described.  Personally I'm wary of using as it is very easy to coat the thread with too much wax and the excess then transfers to the cloth being stitched.

While many say not to use spit to get rebelling yarn ends to hold together for the purposes of threading, I have to say that just a touch very often works for me and also is excellent for removing blood from beastly needles pricks!

So on to needles that I've used plenty of late - TAPESTRY NEEDLES.  These look very much like Chenille Needles, except the end of the needle is blunt and is therefore perfect for using with threads in techniques like tapestry weaving, cross stitch and knitting and crochet - and any other craft where splitting the yarn or thread is to be avoided at all costs.

While my use of BEADING NEEDLES is more occasional, they come in extremely handy when I'm looking to add a bit of surface beading to my projects.  This is the needle that is most likely to bend or even snap and I use just to get beads with small eyes on to a length of thread and then I often switch to a more robust needle for the actual stitching - a fiddle sometimes, but a time saver in the long run.

Last but my no means least are MILLINER NEEDLES - also known as Straw Needles.  With a fairly small eye, they are traditionally used in hat making for their very sharp point - which I can say from my one hat making experience was vital.  Their length also makes them very useful for any embroidery stitch, such as a Frenck Knot, where the thread is wrapped around the needle during the creation process.

And one final tip for using a needle, particularly if like me you keep any length of nail.  While mine are pretty short these days, a metal thimble is still beyond working for me and I have used a leather thimble with my hand stitching for many years.  Having recently tackled projects with thicker layers and requiring a bit more welly, I've more recently found this Clover COIN THIMBLE with a metal piece on one side of the thimble to be useful for giving a needle a hard push.

For anyone who has reached reading to this point, I commend you on your staying power through a pretty dry subject!  I hope in recompense that I've been able to offer you some point of interest, if only that you will give a little consideration the next time you reach for a hand needle.  An upside of writing this post is that I decided that a new needle case was long overdue - with hand stitching of course!  My creation with Sashiko stitched bark fabric with silk thread, and silk and wool inners will add to my pleasure of hand needle selection I am sure - and I hope others too.

Quick Stitch - Origami Box

It's interesting how early childhood activities find their way back around!  Origami paper folding was one such activity that my small fingers delighted dabbling with - did I ever master the jumping frog I wonder?!  

Origami made a lasting impression all the same and folding with fabulous fabric adds to the appeal.  Reworking this box project from a few years back with recycled Kimono fabrics was most pleasurable - it's a very simple, yet striking project that can be created using any thin fabrics that give a sharp fold. 

The starting point is cutting 12 equal circles of fabric, 6 each in two toning fabrics.  Cut one of the pair of circles  needs to be cut 0.25cm larger all around as this will become the box lid.  

Then to take one of each circle colour and stitch right sides together with as scant a seam as possible, leaving a gap of around 3cm in the seam for turning.  Then turn the circles right sides out, neatly hand stitch the gap closed and carefully press the seams.

Then the origami bit comes into play by folding in the circled edges to create a squar.  Do this for all size pieces, noting which of the 6 pieces is the slightly larger piece for the lid.  

Then the points of each square are folded back on themselves to make a smaller square, keeping tabs on that larger piece.

Take time with both of these folds to keep the pieces square and consistant - this will make the final construction very much easier.

A stiff insert is then made for the box sides - I used traditional pelmet vilene with an adhesive on one side - stiff card could also be used.  Cut 5 inserts to tuck into the inside corners of the folded box sides and cut a slightly larger piece for the lid piece.  

Cut pieces of fabric larger than the inserts (1cm all the way around) and adhere these pieces to one side of the stiff insert.  Fold over the edges and adhere to the back side of the card/vilene.

Tuck an insert into the corners on the back of each of the box sides - again remembering which one is the lid.  The final construction into a box starts with the base piece and neatly hand stitching one of the side pieces to each of the 4 sides.  I used polyster beading tread for this as a single strand is very strong and I changed colour on each seam for best toning.  I then stitched up the box sides and finally stitched on the larger lid piece.  There are many creative possibilites for making this box by mixing up fabrics and I'm sure you will agree that Jo's use here of recycled Indian textiles at a recent workshop looks stunning.

Welsh Woollen Wanderings

For all that the Welsh border is a skip and a hop from my home county, Wales has strangely remained unexplored textile territory and 2023 was the year where I got to turning this unexplained shortfall around.

Extending my textile wanderings in a westerly direction across the dramatic Prince of Wales Bridge has been very long overdue - as I've often been reminded when observing faintly on the horizon from one of my favourite Somerset coastline chill outs.

This said, my first wandering in Wales this year actually began on a Spring return journey from my Northern homeland - my first ever drive down the Welsh/English border to Builth Wells.  This medieval market town has been the venue of Wonderwool Wales since its inauguration in in 2006 - to promote wool and fibre producers in Wales.  

A highly successful and popular annual event, Wonderwool is now attended by traders and visitors from far and wide across the UK, and of recent years I have greatly enjoyed being one of the latter.

I have found much that is new and novel to enjoy during my Wonderwool visits and this year my eyes delighted on this simple display of sheep breed fibre in it's raw and spun form.  This said, I'm becoming increasingly aware that wool is far from a simple affair and with the UK having over 70 sheep breeds to explore, I'm confident that it is going to take many years of wandering to get any where close to seeing every single one!

I so enjoy spinning fleece from the breeds that I research and it is fascinating how differently the fibre from each sheep breed feels and responds in our fingers.  I ever appreciate advice from others who are more skilled, especially when the friendly spinner is demonstrating on a spinning wheel as beautiful as this Herring Alpha.  

The nuances of carding, drafting, spinning and plying are many and they are sure to generate lively debates!  Thankfully spinners are a friendly breed in the main and they are happy to share and inspire those seeking to develop their skills.

And of course there are those amazing animals without which there would be no wool!  Fossilised remains suggest that wild sheep evolved over 10 million years ago and that a wool industry has existed in the UK for over 4000 years.  

Breeding over time has led to many different sheep breeds and I love finding new ones and learning about their history.  Here is a fine male specimin of a Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep that I saw at Wonderwool - I believe!

For all of the delights to see at Wonderwool, and of course to touch, it is these friendly chats that open new doors for me to wander through.  It was one such chat this year with friendly mill owner Roger Poulson of Curlew Weavers that wetted my appetite to finally get my act together and learn more about Welsh wool textiles.  Roger's parents  started his mill at Rhydlewis, Llandysul in 1961 and fibre has been worked at the mill ever since in a variety of ways.  Curlew has a long tradition for weaving woollen fabric and this distinctive and very appealing stripe has been one of their staple designs.

I was delighted to visit Roger's mill on a bright autumn day and learn much from his accounts.  The need to adapt the mill processes to an ever changing market and to understand what makes for saleable goods has been key to the mill's survival.  

For the past 20 years Curlew Weavers has specialised in processing rare breed fibre for owners of small flocks throughout the UK.  An area of growing interest, I have learnt from chatting with rare breed owners that it can be difficult and costly to get small amounts of fibre processed and spun and or/woven and Curlew fills this requirement that is happily expanding.  These fibre natural colours have particularly called me in this year and I have enjoyed experimenting with them with natural dyes throughout the summer months.

My research happily continued at at the nearby National Wool Museum of Wales, housed in old Cambrian Mills buildings in Drefach Felindre in the Teifi valley.  From its opening in the mid 19th century the Cambrian Mills expanded to become the largest of the 52 mills in Drefach Felindre.  The mill was destroyed by fire in 1919 and the current buildings were rebuilt in the years following.  With a boom for wool fabric during the two World Wars, the area became known as the 'Huddersfield of Wales' and provided employment for most families living in the area.  Sadly wool production declined in post war years and after losing its foothold to mills in the North, the buildings were converted to the current museum in 1976.

It was likely one of the first mills to produce Welsh tartans, after bringing in unpopular weaving expertise from Scotland! 

A symbol of Welsh nationalism and pride, there is also a tradition for 'cilts' or 'Ysgrepan' as they are known in Wales.

Processing wool was, and still, is a messy affair and this image dispels any romantic notions of working life in a mill in times past.  Wool fibres are all very different to process and even today, there are some that mill owners today are keen to avoid.

Heavy duty machinery was required for all textiles process and this in turn generated work for other manufacturing industries - the name of the many Northern manufacturers are very often emboldened with pride in the metal casings. 

In the mid 20th centuruy, Cambrian Mill was owned by John Lewis and David Evans following this, however, the mill processes became dated and unable to complete with competitors, it closed completely in 1982.

Cambrian Mill weaver Raymond Jones and his wife Diane set up 'Melin Teifi' in one of the old Cambrian Mill buildings in 1982.  They had worked at Cambrian Mill for over 20 years and wanted to continue with the work that was 'all that they ever knew'.  Now retired after weaving for 60 years, Raymond is currently training staff at the museum to ensure that the Melin Teifi looms continue.  I had the great pleasure of visiting him and his wife Diane in their nearby home amd I will long remember chatting with them over coffee about their weaving lives.

One woollen fabrics has long been on my radar, as Raymond was for some years the weaver for the  distinctive wool fabric used in the Quaker Tapestry Panels.  

I have long relished this delicately striped fabric first that was first desgned and woven in Somerset and I have encouraged others to similarly enjoy using in their heartfelt textile creations.

With abundant river water in Wales, in the late 19th century there were around 325 mills in operation.  As with all Welsh woollen mills, Melin Tregwynt is one of the very few who are fortunate to continue in 2023 with around 30 employees. 

Starting its life as a 17th century corn mill, it took another 100 years before wool became its mainstay.  The mill once performed every stage of wool production, from raw fleece to finished material and provided, work and in doing so it provided a valued a sense of community.

In 1922, the Directors of Tregwynt transferred management of the mill to an employee-owned trust, making the skilled and passionate staff the community to take the mill forward in the 21st century.  

The wool used for weaving at Tregwynt is sourced from free to roam sheep in the Cambrian mountains.  This premium wool is called 'Welsh Mule' and it is known for its lustre and firmness.  

Their shop next door to the mill is stocked to overflowing with their  contemporary designs in stunning colourways.  It was very easy to see why their weaving is highly revered and sort after in the 21st century.

Solva Woollen Mill is one of the oldest mills in Prembrokeshire and also continues a modern and thriving operation in 2023.  Located one mile inland of the very attractive River Solva inlet, it has a weaving shed and shop tucked away in the picturesque Prendergast woodland.

In addition to weaving traditional woollen fabrics, the mill specialises in rugs and floor coverings and visitors can watch weavers at workon the Dobcross looms.

Their 'portuculis' pattern, also known as 'Caernarfon', is an iconic Welsh textile pattern and like many textiles it is usually woven as a double weave cloth.  These old designs are steeped in history and it is believed that this particular pattern was the precursor of many North America folk art traditions that became widespread following Welsh emigration in the late 18th century.

Colour pallettes are of equal importance in all weaving designs and this display at Solva Mill typifies the colours used in their current day designs.  Traditionally worked in 2 or 4 colours, Welsh mills now also produce contemporary designs that sometimes include a few more colours to very good effect.

It feels fitting that my story of Welsh wool wanderings so far concludes with this watery capture.  The inlet at Solva is the source of the river that long generated power for Solva Woollen Mill and it gave me numerous hours of pleasure during my visit.  

Wool and water are intrinsically linked and while no longer required as a production power source, it remains key to parts of modern day woollen processes.  It also without doubt continues to provide inspiration in abundance - for me and many many others :)