Category: Fabrics

Harris Tweed Part II

subtitle: On Living a Weaver's Life

By James Fox | 18 Jan 12 | Fabrics, Interviews | 4 Comments

Setting up the loom to start weaving Harris Tweed

Setting up the loom. Photo by Mike Donald.

A couple of months ago we introduced you to Mike Donald, a young Scot who decided to forsake city life and return to the western isles of Scotland. He won a placement in a state-sponsored scheme to become a registered weaver of Harris Tweed. Reminder: Harris Tweed enjoys Protected Geographical Status (similar to “Champagne”) and must be made from wool which has been dyed and spun on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides islands, and handwoven at the home of the weaver. Afterwards, the cloth is returned to the mill for inspection, and only then can it be given the Orb stamp that authenticates it. Each piece of tweed can be traced back to the individual weaver. (If you inspect the label in your Harris Tweed sport coat you’ll see an inked blue number, this number relates to the responsible weaver.)

I caught up with Mike again after he received his weaver’s number and completed his first tweed.

4 Comments

Harris Tweed, Part I

subtitle: Mike Donald on Weaving the Native Scottish Cloth

By James Fox | 11 Nov 11 | Fabrics, Interviews | 14 Comments

The Outer Hebrides, home of Harris Tweed.

It's not Harris Tweed unless it is made in the Outer Hebrides. Image from Harris Tweed Hebrides.

You may know nothing about the production of regulated Scottish cloth Harris Tweed, or you may be highly informed and would love to see some of the nuts and bolts of its weaving. Or you may just be a rabid fan of authentic products and their stories. The following is Part 1 of an interview with Mike Donald, the upright and breathing blogger of The Croft, about Scotland and especially focused on the Harris Tweed industry (croft typically refers to tenant farmland with a farmhouse. The word is in common use in Scotland).

The twist here is that Mike recently started on a sponsored scheme to learn to become a certified Harris Tweed weaver and is taking us along for the ride.

14 Comments

Natural Dyes

subtitle: A Splendid Shade of Milked Snail and Other Colors

By Aurora Almendral | 2 Jun 11 | Do It Yourself, Fabrics | 5 Comments

There was a time when color was worth crossing the Sahara for. It drove men to risk life or scurvy to bring back logwood bark from across the Atlantic, or swim under the surface of the sea to harvest unearthly colors. Far-flung villages became famous for the luck of having a plant or beetle that could produce a dye like no other. Travel the world over, and the color souvenirs were truly things of wonder: a black of a somberness never before seen in Europe, or a purple so deep it was too rich for even the Empress of Rome.

Red dye vats in the Fez tanneries, Morocco

Red dyes in vats that have been around since the 1400s. Fez, Morocco.

5 Comments

Embroidery

subtitle: Zig Zag

By Susan Morrell | 3 Feb 11 | Design, Fabrics | 13 Comments

The grainy image of nana creaking in a rocking chair, stitching endless ducks and daisies onto tea towels is a common, but misleading representation of the craft of embroidery.

At its most elemental, embroidery is sewing decorative stitches onto fabric. At its most rock n roll, it’s the method of choice for creating blindingly gaudy jumpsuits worn by many a music star, and for adding that necessary bling to an otherwise un-bedazzled item of clothing. It was also the preferred embellishment of pharaohs and emperors for their journeys into the afterlife.

Embroiderer to the stars, Nudie Cohn, in full splendor.

13 Comments

Wool

subtitle: The Loyal Herd

By Jennifer S. Li | 20 Jan 11 | Fabrics, Materials | 8 Comments

Sheep have gotten an undeserved baa-d rap. Besides loathsome puns, the saying “dumb as sheep” has been a longstanding colloquialism for stupidity, a common misunderstanding of the flock mentality that serves as a defense against predators. Studies have proved the species to be smarter than previously thought, with particular skills in facial recognition. Dolly, famous for being the world’s first cloned mammal in 1996, rendered sheep (at least in the eyes of the fearful) symbols of science gone wrong. Hailed as a scientific breakthrough, Dolly also incited heated controversy over implications for humankind and cloning. In 2007, Dr. Charles Roselli’s research on gay sheep was thwarted by animal and human rights groups over an unfounded — but highly publicized — fear of imminent sexual eugenics.

Jean Seberg in cables, Image from Suzi-Souchi.

8 Comments

Denim

subtitle: American Iconography

By Sophie Wise | 23 Dec 10 | Fabrics, Materials | 7 Comments

Everyone has that one pair of jeans they refuse to throw out. I’ve been wearing the same pair of high-waisted cigarette jeans for nearly ten years — they’re faded to perfection, and have been patched up in the most embarrassing places at least a dozen times. My seamstress laughs when she sees me walk in the door. Despite the wear and tear, they’re still the jeans I put on whenever I want to feel most like myself, the best version of me I can muster up effortlessly.

Photo of men in Denim Jeans and denim jacket. Photo by Karlheinz Weinberger

Halbstark by Karlheinz Weinberger, circa 1958, via Claire Foster's Blog

7 Comments

Organic Cotton

subtitle: In Growing Demand

By Sebastian Kaufmann | 29 Jul 10 | Fabrics, Materials | 4 Comments

Cotton has a long history of being an immensely destructive crop, both ecologically and culturally, from its integral role in inciting the massive slave trade between Africa and the U.S. Colonies, to its current boast as one of the most environmentally disruptive crops on the planet.

African American Workers in a Cotton Field

African American Cotton Workers, Courtesy of Voices Education Project (Click on Image to Enlarge)

4 Comments

History of the Umbrella

subtitle: The Unfolding of an Accessory

By David Vega | 16 Apr 10 | Accessories, Fabrics, Metal | 6 Comments

During the late 18th century, London was full of strange characters who attracted attention to themselves for one reason or another, but perhaps none so much as Jonas Hanway. A former merchant who spent several years working in Persia and Russia, Hanway was known for his eccentricities as well as his near mythic travel stories. He was wholeheartedly dedicated to various philanthropic activities, including governing an asylum for women and the poor, and writing tracts about problems within the British prison system.

The Beatles, 1965

6 Comments

Du Pont Canvas Utility Bag

subtitle: The Downside of Being a Civilian Consumer

By Sebastian Kaufmann | 13 Jan 10 | Fabrics, Leather | 13 Comments

Sometimes, we as consumers don’t necessarily have access to everything quality and well-made. Throughout history, the military has provided a fine example of an institution that reserves the right to some superior products for themselves. The dependence of a person’s life on a functioning buckle or zipper or the endurance of a material under extreme conditions, draws an attention to detail that consumers often don’t get the luxury to experience. Industry is another good example.

13 Comments

Category: Fabrics

Harris Tweed Part II

subtitle: On Living a Weaver's Life

Harris Tweed, Part I

subtitle: Mike Donald on Weaving the Native Scottish Cloth

Natural Dyes

subtitle: A Splendid Shade of Milked Snail and Other Colors

Embroidery

subtitle: Zig Zag

Wool

subtitle: The Loyal Herd

Denim

subtitle: American Iconography

Organic Cotton

subtitle: In Growing Demand

History of the Umbrella

subtitle: The Unfolding of an Accessory

Du Pont Canvas Utility Bag

subtitle: The Downside of Being a Civilian Consumer

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