In part 10 of our One Wool initiative we’d like to introduce nominations from Fairbank Textiles, Museum of Carpet, Sally Spinks and Wools of Cumbria.
We are manufacturers of British Wool Underlay, both Herdwick and Swaledale available 25 -50 oz per square yard.
This carpet was woven on a 1950’s Spool Axminster loom, believed to be the last working in this country, at the Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The pattern is in 20 colours on a black ground, adapted from a design called Quadrille, which was popular in the 1960s when fitted carpet began to replace loose-laid bordered squares. Two setters prepare the colours needed for the design before winding the yarn onto the spool for one row of pattern. Spools are numbered before being threaded into a frame ready for the loom, which weaves 26 rows of tuft per minute.
Working with tattoo imagery, Sally utilised the comparison of needle piercing skin to that of the hand tufting gun piercing canvas. This went hand in hand with a sense of portable identity that occurs in both traditional carpets and tattoos. The piece is approximately 1.5m x 1.6m, made from Axminster rug wool and is designed as a wall hanging. Sally is passionate about using wool in her artwork and you can see more of her work at www.sallyspinks.co.uk
Swaledale’ is the second of five ‘Graphite’ shades representing the three main Cumbrian sheep breeds produced by Wools of Cumbria Carpets. ‘Rough Fell’ is almost white and the natural warm grey shades of the Lake District are portrayed through the range which culminates in ‘Dark Grey Herdwick’.
‘Silverstripe’ is one of three Designer Graphite Stripe shades, incorporating two shades from the natural palette of the ‘Graphite’ range.
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