October with Rebecca Harvey-Browne
01/10/2024
- Next weekend (12th-13th October) I shall be helping with the Maltings Craft Fair, I am excited!! I shall be weaving 2 scarfs using a honey comb design while Rebecca sells products.
- One thing I have already really learnt: Selling textiles as art instead of products and cloth is where you make your money. Am eager to try making beautiful experimental pieces this year.
- Continued weaving sections for the key fobs, I enjoyed doing this as Rebecca gave me free reign on the colours and designs.
08/10/2024
- This week I set up the loom to use for the Maltings, Rebecca allowed me to choose the design for this project. I also was able to choose the colours. I decided on a honeycomb design, as I remembered she said people always loved textured pieces. I also chose a beige/ brown yarn for the weft as people love neutrals at the moment.
- I also prepped a load of loom kits to sell. There was a lot of pressure not to forget an item in the box. I didn’t want to mess up. I remembered everything, however put the wrong stickers on some boxes. I wasn’t told there was a different sticker to use. I felt so bad, Rebecca said it was her fault but still thought I should have brought it up. I had thought it was odd, but continued as there weren’t any other stickers. Next time I should listen to my thoughts and double check if in doubt.
- I hadn’t realised how much preparation goes into an event, it was useful to see.
12-13/10/2024
Farnham The Maltings
- The past few days have been really useful joining Rebecca. I have never experienced a craft event on the side of the maker. It was a lot of fun, a little daunting chatting to people about weaving but, it built my confidence.
- One man came up to me and said ‘Do you mind if I LOOM over you?’
- He then said ‘you should have told me to SHUTTLE away’
- Showed me how not every event is super successful, a lot of creatives were deflated with the outcome, with sales going down a lot since the year before.
- Useful to learn it’s now always sunshine and rainbows
- Met many other weavers etc, really nice to continue networking!
15/10/2024
- Today I finished off the warp on the honeycomb design. I then started winding a warp for some scarfs going to be used on the countermarch loom. I started untying all of the peddles from the shafts before it was time for me to leave early to travel to London for the ‘Making it in Textiles’ event in Bradford.
22/10/2024
- While I had been away on Thursday Rebecca had set up the loom as she had the time pressure of her next event. I finished weaving the first scarfs she had designed and then was allowed to design the next scarf.
- I chose blue as the primary colour as the collection didn’t have that colour yet. She also suggested I used orange along with it. I wasn’t too sure on this choice as I thought there is a slimer amount of people that shall want those specific colours. Also, once I started weaving it was quite trippy on the eyes. I regretted continuing with this, however, Rebecca was happy the with outcome so it was only me that was being extra picky.