Today many young people live in a different world from their parents, reacting to many influences outside of family and community. In Peru instead of spinning wool or fur from their animals, many can buy and are beginning to weave with synthetic yarn made by machines. I think this is now common in most places.
Many areas are now saving cultural heritage, many crafts are coming back into fashion. In our area we have "Made In Cumbria" http://madeincumbria.co.uk which lists small businesses with everything hand made in cumbria.
The Wool Clip www.woolclip.com understood the threat to British wool and local sheep farming and the loss of traditional craft skills. By creating a co-operative, they were able to raise the profile of their work and create a shop that they could share. When I paid a visit I spoke to Rachael Matthews and she was saying how passionate the 15 members are in specialising in using local wool such as Herdwick, Swaledale, Cheviot & Jacob sheep, which provide glorious wools in textures that fit so many uses and even local Alpaca now provide beautiful fleeces. There life style is very relaxed and enjoyable, they do workshops with weaving,dyeing wools, spinning & tapestry looms.
Many crafts have changed over the years. In "The New Textiles" it was interesting to read about the cultural aspects of quilt making and also about the history of crazy quilts. Patchwork quilts were originally a way to re-use fabrics to make new items for the home.
After having a look at Eco-Chic The Fashion Paradox, shows the importance of fashion, in terms of environmental awareness in the fashion industry. Much of the discussion is "fast fashion" and "slow fashion" and questions whether it is possible to provide more conscientious designs that will satisfy consumers who are used to cheap and fast clothing.
Weaving
The earliest evidence of weaving, closely related to basketry, dates from Neolithic cultures of about 5000BCE. Weaving apparently preceded spinning of yarn; woven fabrics probably originated from basket weaving. Cotton, Silk, Wool and Flax fibres were used as textile materials in ancient Egypt; Cotton was used in India by 3000BCE; and silk production is mentioned in Chinese chronicles dating to about the same period.
Weaving was in an advanced state in North and Southern America during prehistoric times. Inca cotton and wool fabrics were brilliantly coloured, with patterns based on geometric and conventionalised human forms.
English settlers established a cloth mill in Massachusetts in 1638. The Yorkshire weavers produced heavy cotton fustian; cotton twill jeans; and linsey-woolsey, a coarse, loosely woven fabric of linen and wool.
Mechanical spinners produced in 1769 and 1779 by Sir Richard Arkwright and Samual Crompton encouraged development of mechanised processes of carding and combing wool for the spinning machines.
The modern textile industry is still closely related to the olden industry, but production of fabrics for industrial use has gained in importance. Conventional weaving and knitting methods are currently the major textile manufacturing techniques, but newer construction methods are achieving acceptance and may replace certain long established textiles continue to rise and rapid technological advances continually develop new materials.
Research on Wordsworth House, Cockermouth
Wordsworth House was the home to the famous poet William Wordsworth.
It was built at the end of the 17th century.
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| Wordsworth House, Cockermouth |
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| Rear View of Wordsworth House |
The design of a Scotch double cloth carpet of 1765 from Townend, Troutbeck, was copied for the Brussels Wilton carpet in the entrance hall. Furniture in "The Best Parlour" were Chippendale armchairs of c.1755 upholstered in red wool damask.
Mrs Wordsworth's bedroom - she had a Chippendale style four-poster bed, hung with white lawn linen with floral sprig pattern. This fabric copying an English fabric dating from 1765, it is also used for the 18th century style 'festoon' window curtains.
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