16/11/2024
I have decided to do up a Lloyd Loom Laundry Basket I found at the charity shop for £12.00!
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Lloyd Loom Laundry Basket
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New Loom!
15/11/2024
Yay! I have another loom. I keep getting so lucky! Lucy kindly gifted me this Weavemaster 4 shaft table loom.
Width: 79cm Depth 56cm Height: 52cm Reed Width: 66cm
I am so excited with potential of this loom. It needs some fixing up which shall be a great way for me to learn.
Then I was thinking of taking it to the care home for a period of time to allow people to hop on whenever they want. Then allowing us to continue working towards the collaborative art piece. This is also a wider toolmaker than I currently have so shall give flexibility when deciding the size of pieces etc.
13/11/2024
Today was a very good day… it was confirmed that the care home would be delighted if I could teach some weaving workshops to all areas of the home. With the aim to create a large collaborative art piece to be displayed within the space.
Activities, Lee approached me in the morning at work and said how wonderful the idea would be.
Now I need to start collecting materials! Typical, I always see yams in charity shops etc. as soon as you need it… NOTHING!
Later when I was on my lunch break I received a call from one of the nurses saying that the manager would like me to join in on the residents meeting to explain what I shall be doing. I was really nervous, felt like I blanked out and said a load of waffle. Apparently I did get the point across well thank god!
I am super excited for this! This is just me all over, working with those living with dementia to try and better their quality of life while using textiles, weaving to do so.
29/01//2025
Tutorial with Lisa
Discussed SIPs, suggested I needed to think of a way to credit all of the people collaborating in the piece. I had assumed I was just going to write ‘Collaboration between all staff and residents at Westergate House’, however, after we this meeting I was made aware, not everyone was credited. I do have concerns listing everyone’s name. It will be very long as we have a lot of staff and residents. Could look too cluttered and also, how do we know who did what?
Another comment I made, was data protection… would everyone want their name on the wall?
03/01/2025
I decided to ask An Sutton and Rebecca who also works at Gallery 57. They both have slot of experience in terms of crediting and presenting your work. At first they agreed with me, saying a comment at the bottom of the woven piece would be enough as it’s within the care home and isn’t going to be sold etc.
I explained from my tutorial what my tutor had reminded me. They suggested creating a graph of the final piece and putting a number within the graph and then listing each persons name. They said, continue with the short credit including everyone at Westergate House… but then add, ask as reception for a list names of the people that collaborated within this project.
They agreed writing everyone’s names under the work would look cluttered and unprofessional.
Notes from DPS session on SIPs
These workshops have been doing really well. I have these images either posted on facebook by Westergate House, or images taken by me of the set up. I have found that sometimes people become confused with the idea of twisting the headle so have now warped two of the looms without this. Then people that have a better understanding of it can use it. In the beginning I found it quite difficult to explain it as residents would forget. I have decided that the most important thing is that people feel as though they can be playful and have a go. Some people in the house would worry too much about getting it wrong.
I also found that when completing sessions in the house members were less enthusiastic about completing the sessions. I preffered working in Memory lane as everyone was up for trying something new.
I have also been thinking about framing the pieces. I quite like the idea of a simple frame with 10x10cm squares to showcase each woven piece. I have taken an image of some of the pieces together and think it looks a bit messy joining them all. I really want it to look really proffesional.
Another issue I have found is having 4 people at the sessions is sometimes a bit overwhelming. Depending on how adventerous the residents are some just wait until you are sat next to them to carry on. To have that extra bit of reasurrance. It’s been useful having carers and activities sometimes sitting there also as an extra pair of hands. I had thought 4 people was very managable, so have been a little surprised by this.
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New Loom?
Am I getting a new loom?
Maybe…
Lucy Rowan has decided to sell most of her looms and asked if I wanted one for free… obviously I said yes!
It’s only a 4 shaft, however, could potentially be good for the sessions at the care home as it’s a table loom.
We shall have to wait and see!
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November
November with Lucy Rowan
08/11/2024
Lucy is selling all of her table looms, so the first task was to get one of the looms being sold ready to go. I took off the coasters I had been working on. After the loom was downstairs I started tying in the ends of the coasters. This took some time as there were 10 to complete.
I then continued weaving on the floor loom. The warp never ends! I feel as though I am becoming more playful and appreciate the freedom she gives me.
I mentioned creating woven bags as a workshop idea she could complete, Lucy really liked the idea so ordered some supplies for next week so we can test it out.
15/11/2024
Today we experimented by weaving round a box to make a bag. It was fun problem solving together and seeing how customisable the bags were. It was quite difficult to weave the yarn through near the end as the tension was then very tight. We decided we made the spacing too close and should have been more relaxed about it.
After this I continued weaving on the floor loom… the warp doesn’t seem to end! Lastly, I collected the loom that Lucy was giving me. Quite a few people asked me about it as I was walking to my car and it only just about fit!
22/11/2024
Today I wrote another blog for Lucy’s website, The Weavers Gift Guide. It was a lot of fun curating a range of products that I found useful or that could be useful or fun! I then continued weaving on the floor loom, with hopes of it coming off that day. However, time ran out and there was still MORE!
You can now see the sea more clearly now the scaffolding is down! My ideal studio…
29/11/2024
Today I took all of my weaving off the loom. I then hand the task of setting it up again. I did enjoy it, however forgot to tie the cross sticks to the loom, so they stayed at the back of the length of yarn. It’s not the end of the world, and is something I shall remember for next time.
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November
November with Rebecca Harvey-Browne
05/11/2024
After having the last week off due to it being half term and Rebecca being off with her children I returned to threading up the countermarch to make two lampshades. Rebecca had already tied up the loom so unfortunately I did png get the opportunity to do that. She has said that she will teach me as soon as the Christmas rush is over.
While I was threading up Rebecca was teaching a morning session of basic weaving. I have listened in one time before this and found it so useful just refreshing my memory on all of the key information. Today I helped out a little when any of them had a question. I always enjoy chatting afterwards as I learn a lot.
I then started weaving… was a lot of fun. I had to really keep an eye on threads not lifting as one of the feet didn’t lift up the highest. There were multiple times I would have to go back because it would have skipped slightly. This was time consuming, however, I felt much better once it was done. It was have really frustrated me knowing there were a few mistakes.
07/11/2024
Today I continued weaving. I told myself I needed to be a lot quicker. I do worry I am a little slow when weaving. I think it’s because I am constantly checking the quality etc. I compare myself to how quick Rebecca is, she could have woven what I did in half a day in an hour. I don’t want to be a hinderance as opposed to help!
I finished both lampshades by 11:45. So around 2 1/2 hours for a just over a metre of fabric…
I then had the task of getting yarn wound for the loom kits to be sold at the next few weeks Christmas events.
Rebecca was so pleased with the quality of the cloth and said I had been super productive which was nice to hear.
12/11/2024
Threading up the loom for a commission lampshade. While I was doing this Rebecca was teaching a hand loom workshop. It was so useful listening. I’m trying to learn how to create a smooth sailing workshop so picked up some good tricks.
After this I continued winding samples of yarn for the kits.
14/11/2024
Today my tasks were to get the weaving kits ready and make the baubles. Rebecca and I sat listening to Christmas music and chatted all day while getting the endless list of tasks done. It was really nice just being able to speak for a while. I really really like Rebecca, we just get on so well. I can see myself in her when I am older, we just have very similar views on life and what is important to us.
19/11/2024
Mor bauble making… although quite a monotonous task it’s Ben really fun choosing what colours and patterns go together etc. It’s nice that Rebecca feels as though she can trust me to choose the colour combinations
21/11/2024
Today I travelled to The Maltings in Farnham. Rebecca was there for the Christmas Fair. I was joining her for the second and last day of the event. My task was to weave and speak to potential customers. I felt a lot more confident than last time as I knew the kind of questions I would be asked. I do really enjoy speaking to people at these events, it’s always really interesting hearing people’s experiences with weaving and their creative journey. I also started taking orders and helping with pricing. I felt proud of this as the last time I was at the Maltings I was worried to be left alone in case of a potential customer. Growth! I then stayed an hour later (despite Rebecca saying I really didn’t need to stay) to help pack up the car and transfer everything down the stairs. She was so great fun for my help. I then received a message in the evening saying she has sent me £70. It was very sweet as it’s an unpaid internship.
This event was really successful, it was so nice to see how busy it can be at the Maltings. Definitely a big change from the Festival of craft.
26/11/2024
Today we were prepping for the next event that Rebecca is completing at Guildford Cathedral. I completed some more baubles; took scanes and turned them into balls of wool; then wrapped them into smaller sizes. Today was quite monotonous, however, was useful to get done.
A lady also collected her made to order lampshade today. It was interesting chatting to them. Previously, she had sent a harsh email, asking to change the colours after the fabric had been made up.
Rebecca kindly explained that she had already spent 10 hours on the lampshade, she was happy to remake it for an extra cost of the yarn.
It was interesting to see how you deal with tricky customers. I realised how important it is to sleep on a response. You then don’t become defensive and work with the customer, meaning everyone feels happy in the end.
28/11/2024
More baubles today. The last day I shall be completing this…
I have realised how repetitive some tasks can be, and how little time the creator can actually be doing the things they want to be doing.
For example, weaving. Because there are so many other things to do, it gets pushed to the bottom of the list.
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November
November with Ann Sutton OBE
04/11/2024
Today we finally started working on some art! I have enjoyed the build up to this moment, but am so glad it’s here! We were experimenting with various materials and seeing how the paints worked with them.
I have realised that one of Anns work doesn’t take ages to make, it just has a lot of thought behind it. She was saying today how she now wants her pieces to be simple and effective. This means she is sourcing alternative materials, instead of weaving everything in the studio. It’s funny because now we are seeing that makers are finally getting that understanding from others that work can take a long time. We all laughed about how Ann is doing the opposite and wanting pieces out quickly. She also explained that she has so many ideas, if they drag on for too long they often get forgotten about and are never completed.
We always have lovely conversations about her past etc. Today she mentioned when she cut and painted on her woven samples, a tutor spat on her because it was so against the grain and not something that was done. Funny how times have changed. Now we are all pushed to think of things no one has done before.
11/11/2024
Today Ann mentioned about me working an extra morning with her in the week as work is now on a roll. I was very excited to hear this, I knew there was potential for her to ask so it’s nice to confirm this.
We continued experimenting with the piece from last week. The acrylic paint was slightly tacky and chipping when you touched from when we had painted on the material, so wouldn’t last long term. We added some acrylic varnish so shall see how that looks next time.
Ann has also decided she wants to look back at her old ways of working. So is going to start using a frame loom again. This is super exciting to me.
We often have many chats, one of which today she explained that the care home doesn’t provide enough art sessions. I have already been toying with the idea of asking to complete sessions teaching weaving there, so this has come in good time.
By everyone weaving a small square I shall be able to piece them all together to create a beautiful piece of art showcasing how creative, integrated and collaborative we are as a home! I am really excited. By running these sessions I shall be able to learn how I teach and gain confidence in an environment that I am familiar with.
18/11/2024
This week was less productive than normal. My initial task was to transfer scowls of plastic yarn into cones. I am quite familiar with this task from working with Rebecca at Dobby and Rose so thought I would complete it quite quickly. However, a lot of the scowls were tangled and kept sliding off each other when being wound. This meant the remainder of the session was spend trying to untangle and wind the yarn. It was very frustrating as we had planned to complete many other tasks. I have taken some of the yarn home to continue untangling so that next week can be more productive.
Despite the annoyance, we all had such a laugh today. Chatting about Christmas meat, teaching and the general care home chit chat. ..‘Chicken bullets’. Ann was very complimentary about me. It was very sweet. She said I had done so well speaking in front of everyone last minute. She said wouldn’t say she was impressed unless she meant it. She also mentioned how I had a good understanding on the world. I really appreciate it when she says things like this. I know Ann genuinely means it which is what makes it so special.
25/11/2025
Today was very productive. I had felt a bit flustered starting the day as there was a lot of traffic on the way. I never like being late but it was going to be close with the extra 20 mins it was adding to the journey, so I felt all over the place today.
However, despite this it was very productive. I completed a lot of experiments for upcoming projects. Tried a new yarn on the knitting machine… it didn’t work as the yarn was far too thick. Ann also kindly gave me one of her books. There is also going to be someone coming into the studio in the New Year to film some content for a secret project which is exciting.
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Book List
- Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
- Sister Outsider Audre Lorde
- The selected works of Audre Lorde
- The most beautiful job in the world by Giulia Mensitieri
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DPS Notes Autumn Term
07/10/2024
General Meeting
- 5000 word report describing and evaluating the placement
- presentation in June which forms grade
- Squiggly Career
- 31st May earliest to end placements
14/10/2024
My Blog
- Be reflective
- Photos, drawings, bullet points, diary entries, how you feel, strengths and challenges, new/ developing skills, readings, podcasts or videos etc.
- Research is KEY
- How will your blog COMMUNICATE the KNOWLEDGE you have gained through the PROCESS of ENQUIRY that has allowed you to REALISE your goals.
25/10/2024
Positionality
- The social and political context that creates your identity AND
- How your identity and biases your perception of an outlook on the world.
- Maslows Hierarchy of needs
- Audre Lorde Sister outsider
- The selected works of Audre Lorde (books)
- YELLOW WORLD , social purpose at the centre
- Fashion Minority Report, learning support
- Unspoken rules, behaviours and expectations within the workplace
- The most beautiful job in the world (book)
- Positionality shapes perspectives
- Critical awareness
- Challenge and change
How do I experience the world?
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October
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.