Supplier interview - Hilltop

Article Added: 17/08/2009 09:55:43
Hilltop are specialist suppliers of hand spinning, hand weaving, dyeing and felt making equipment. The owners, Sue and Bill Chitty, have been spinners, weavers, dyers and felt makers since 1972 and want to encourage people to get involved with textile crafts. We spoke to them to find out more.

What was the inspiration for starting up the Hilltop Spinning and Weaving Centre?
The only other Kent spinning and weaving supplier was retiring and there was no one else to supply the two Kent Guilds of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers. Our enthusiastic passion and knowledge of textile crafts would, we hoped, create interest from others. That was in 1990 and since then our hopes have been realised with spinners, weavers and dyers from every corner of the world finding us.

Where does your passion for spinning and weaving come from?
Knowing what I want in classic styles and never being able to buy it off the rails in shops. Being able to spin a yarn is the first step of understanding how a garment is produced and the joy of dyeing fibres which can then be spun into unique yarn to knit, crochet, or weave into a fabric that can then be made into an item, and knowing that I produced it and there isn’t another one out there, gives me satisfaction.

What are your thoughts on natural dyes over manmade ones?
Natural or manmade dyes have their advantages and disadvantages. Nowadays textiles are rarely made in the UK and working with natural or manmade dyes has become almost a craft industry. Dyeing with natural dyes is fun. To extract colour from roots, bark, leaves, flowers, berries and nuts was an ancient art. If you use natural dyestuffs from the UK you will get subtle to bright yellows, beiges, stone colours, and shades of blues with woad and if you use the right fixer you can bring out the best in these ingredients, giving the dyer surprising results. But we do need to understand how long it will take to achieve the experiments. Manmade dyes are quick and easy to use as long as you apply the correct dye to the right fibre content. Anyone can mix dyes to create that special shade of colour that is required. Our range of Easy Peasy Dyes give great results without harming the environment and the built-in mordant makes using them enjoyable and easy to use.

Tell me a little bit about the classes you run.
I offer One to One courses in spinning, weaving, dyeing or felting, individually tailored to the student’s requirements. Each course is different as each student has different craft skills to utilise. If a student likes to knit with chunky yarn then that is what the course offers – it is pointless teaching something that they can’t use for their intended project.

One to One dyeing courses are available using my own Easy Peasy dyes, while we also offer a weaving course that is perhaps the most complex of all courses offered. There are so many different types of looms to choose from, each requiring different skills to master. Some students prefer a taster-style course during which four types of loom can be tried.

Do you take your expertise to any events round the country?
We mostly attend local shows and events that help spread the word about the crafts we serve. Children especially enjoy having a go on the equipment we take.

What do you think makes Hilltop stand out from other retailers?
We offer a personal service and like to talk to our customers, encourage and advise. We share their textile triumphs and advise on overcoming their textile disasters.

For more information about Hilltop please click here.