a quick one

I realise how often I don’t post here because I take so long to write a post and get images together; and how counter productive that is.

So just a note about a couple of things I’m doing.

The latest in the withdrawn warp experiments, this is bigger than the previous one, 36cm long, and was woven on the tail end of the first warp on my new Saori loom. The fibre was combed top, with an assortment of frayed fabric strips. I’m beginning to get an idea of how this could develop.

wool. fabric

This is the first length of fabric I wove on the loom using the pre-wound warp that came with it. It’s mostly handspun yarns and the warp is cotton. Apologies that I haven’t yet trimmed the ends on the back.

length of fabricOffset Warehouse, while looking for a heavy organic fairtrade cotton. I sent for their sample set and it arrived yesterday. I love the range… They sell reclaimed fabric as well.

fabric samples

Blood, Sweat and T-shirts

I’m not very keen on reality tv, but I think I will watch this new series from the BBC, which takes six heedless young fashion followers for a taste of life in a clothes factory in India to “see how it changes their attitudes to cut-price clothing”. I hope along the way it will raise a lot of interesting and challenging questions.

I don’t know if this will be shown anywhere but in the UK, but for anyone who’s interested and can get it, Blood, Sweat and T-shirts is on BBC3, starting Tuesday 22 April at 9pm.

There’s more info at http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/blood-sweat-tshirts/, which is part of a BBC web site I only just found – Thread – devoted to ethical fashion. The phrase ‘ethical fashion’ always seems to me a bit of a contradiction in terms – or maybe just a compromise, depending on how pragmatic you want to be. Wouldn’t truly sustainable dressing require a far more radical shift in attitudes? But since we have to begin where we are – it must surely be a movement (not a trend, I hope…) in the right direction.

cloth bags

I was really interested to read an article on whipup about morsbags – ‘sociable. guerilla. bagging’ – it looks like a brilliant way to reduce the use of plastic bags, make a statement and have some fun.

the idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the unsuspecting public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets.

It’s a funky web site too! Now I just need some more time….