Get Listed at The Textile Directory

Hello and welcome to the February edition of The Textile Directory newsletter. This month we are bringing you some very exciting news about our website and the changes we have been making to it. We also have news of a great success story at the University College Falmouth and some information about Llynfi Textile Co, a fantastic company selling organic and naturally dyed wools. As always if you have any thoughts or comments about the newsletter or something you would like to see featured in it then please get in touch. My email address is admin@thetextiledirectory.com or you can give me a call on 01386 760406.

Best wishes Sara

A selection of work in our showcase pages

Alison Yule Textiles

Judith Brown

Kim Thittichai

First Big Change for The Textile Directory

When we decided that we would not be publishing The Textile Directory in book form this year, we told you that we would be putting our resources into the website instead, and we are very pleased to announce that we have made our first big development.

Many of you told us in the survey we carried out a few months ago that you felt the showcase pages were very basic and didn’t always offer a great return for your money. Here at The Textile Directory we always listen to your comments and try to respond to them, and this change is something we have been hoping to do for a while. So, from now on, anybody who comes on board with us and chooses to display their work on our site will get:

* A 150-word description of their work

* Their full contact details

* An image of themselves

* 4 images of their work, plus descriptions of each piece

* Space to list any events, exhibitions or workshops they are taking part in

* 3 images in an issue of our Design Matters newsletter which is sent out to the press, gallery owners, fashion houses, shops, interior designers, exhibition organisers and other artists. These images are also linked to the artists’ page with us.

And the best bit? You will be getting all this for exactly the same price of £99 plus VAT per year. The Textile Directory is very well established within the textile community and beyond, so by including your work in our pages you are sure to get maximum exposure for your money. An online showcase is also an opportunity to raise your profile in the major search engines, which is something all Internet businesses are constantly striving to achieve.                   

If you would like to discuss being involved in our fantastic new pages then please call Holly on 01386 760406. We would also be very happy to talk about giving discounts to any guilds or groups who may have several people interested in displaying their work with us.

You can have a look at some of the current showcases by clicking here.

Scarves made by Llynfi Textiles

Llynfi Textile Co.

Llynfi Textile Co. design and make environmentally friendly textiles using organic British wool. The company also sell a range of natural dye extracts, which they use to colour their knitted and printed textiles. Sue James, owner of Llynfi Textile Co., first got involved in dyeing fibres when she was producing her own Angora knitwear. She told me, “I began using organic British wool about three years ago and wanted to add some colour, but without losing the organic status. Applying for Soil Association certification seemed the logical next step”

Sue attended a seminar on dyeing held by the Soil Association in 2005, and it was at the event that she realised there was an opening for natural dyes. She says, “By using the traditional natural dyes with permitted mordants you can still obtain a good wash- and colour-fastness. We are also very interested in using coloured wool, which is often seen as having a lower value, as it can give some really good results when it’s dyed. Our aim is to use dyed yarn in a minimal way, set off by all the natural wool shades ”

In August 2007 Llynfi Textiles became the first Soil Association certified dyers in the UK for the natural dyeing of wool yarns. They are also licensed for the production of organic, naturally dyed knitwear. All dyeing is a chemical process - even natural dyeing - but the Global Organic Textile Standards place emphasis on reducing chemicals and eliminating toxic processes, as well as requiring compliance with fair work and trade practice. Using fibres grown and processed in the UK means a reduction of air and sea miles, support of British farming and the rekindling of our own textile industry.

Sue sources all her wool from Garthenor Organic Pure Wool, a company based in Ceredigion, West Wales, and their dyes come from Couleur de Plantes in France. The dyes are of a very high quality and are the result of a 10-year research and development project into the sustainable production of natural dye extracts.

Llynfi Textiles sell a range of products using their own dyed wools including sketchbook covers, bags, corsages, hot water bottles, mittens and scarves. You can also purchase their dye extracts or ready-dyed yarns. If you would like to order a sample card of the naturally dyed yarns, please send a cheque for £3.50 made out to Llynfi Textiles (refundable with your first order) to 2 Churchfields, Talgarth, Brecon, Powys LD3 0BD.

For more information about Llynfi Textiles please visit www.llynfitextiles.co.uk or email sue@llynfitextiles.co.uk

Felt painting from the Sukhleg Art Studio

Traditional gers made from sheep fleece felt

Traditional motifs based on 2000 year old felts

Felt Nation: Contemporary Mongolian Textile Art

‘Felt Nation: Contemporary Mongolian Textile Art’ is a fantastic exhibition coming to the Collins Gallery, Strathclyde in May. The event has been organised by the Collins Gallery in collaboration with the three main feltmaking associations of Mongolia – The White Circle, Duuren Saana and the Sukhleg Felt Studio.

This will be the first exhibition of contemporary Mongolian felt to be shown in the UK and will comprise a broad range of work, both functional and decorative, by leading makers. The curator at Collins Gallery, Laura Hamilton, specially selected all the exhibitors taking part during a research visit to Mongolia in 2007, in partnership with the three group directors and Swedish Curator and collaborator Gunilla Paetau Sjoberg.

Although feltmaking is now more of a craft than an industry in Scotland it has been produced in Mongolia for over 2000 years and is an integral part of their lifestyle, embodying clothing, containers, furnishings and the structure of their homes, or gers. Many of the traditional applications were suppressed under the Soviet-backed socialist regime but since 1990, the Mongolian government has actively encouraged a nationwide review, revival and expansion of the craft. The consequent developments in applications, new techniques and the integration of traditional with contemporary motifs, have created an exciting and innovative body of work of an international calibre.

The exhibition will present an overview of current practice alongside an exploration of the roots of this indigenous art form, concerning processes, customs and taboos associated with different parts of the country, materials, the origins of the complex geometric patterns and abstracted animal motifs, as well as the symbolic uses of colour, embroidery and appliqué. Exhibits will include fashion, accessories, rugs, hangings and a half-sized ger.

There will also be a range of resource material on display, which will comprise graphics of common designs, samples of different types of felt (made from camel hair, goat hair, sheep’s fleece, natural and chemically/organically dyed), documentary films of traditional and contemporary processes produced by the Scottish Feltmakers and by the Sukhleg Felt Studio, and translations of poems pertinent to feltmaking traditions, collected by Professor L. Batchuluun, author of the internationally recognised academic monologue Felt Art of the Mongols.

There will be a one-day seminar on 10 May to open the exhibition with lectures by Jenny Mackay, Scottish Feltmakers, Gunilla Paetau, The International Feltmakers Association, Djorjkhand the director of Duuren Saana and Munkhtulga the director of the Sukhleg Felt Studio. There will also be a range of masterclasses taking place during the first few days of the exhibition.

The exhibition takes place from 10 May-21 June at The Collins Gallery and entry is free. If you would like more information please contact the Collins Gallery on 0141 548 2558 or email collinsgallery@strath.ac.uk

Diary Dates

For more information about any of the events listed please click here.