Events

FORTHCOMING EVENTS - EXHIBITION: All Wrapped Up. Textiles - function, form and design
27 October to 18 November, 10.30-5.00 daily
Craft Renaissance Gallery, Kemeys Commander, near Usk NP15 1JU

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Felting British Wool project - breeds update


I am very excited to have the prospect of a Boreray fleece from Raskelf Rare Breeds in Yorkshire (once it's off the sheep!), I am particularly keen to have more primitive breeds represented in the project.  So far my tally of breeds (raw fleeces) is as follows:

Black Welsh Mountain
Lleyn
Hebridean
Wensleydale
Manx Loughtan
Norfolk Horn

I also have Shetland, Teeswater and Blue Faced Leicester as tops or washed locks, but ideally I'd like to be able to document the entire process of fleece-to-piece for these breeds as well.  I am living in hopes of some Dorset Horn and/or Poll Dorset from the Kennixton Flock if I ask nicely!  And I am optimistic I may be able to source some Herdwick too.  After shearing this year I will put out an appeal on Twitter for interesting fleeces.

The project is progressing very slowly due to pressures of work in the day job, and also a couple of submissions I am working on for deadlines in the next few months.  Sadly there are only 24 hours in any day!  I had hoped to have enough to create at least an interim exhibition by the end of 2012, but looking at my commitments for the next few months, I think it's going to be some time in 2013 before I get far enough through the project to begin to think about that.  For each breed, I want to juxtapose a sample of the raw fleece, washed and carded fleece, a felt sample, and a piece of textile art incorporating one or more breeds - I am currently weighing up different approaches to exhibiting this.  Watch this space!

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