...and a belated ‘thank you’ When I stood down as Secretary at the 2018 AGM, the Guild gave me an extremely generous cash gift. I really didn’t know what to say, I was so shocked. I didn’t spend the money for ages as I wanted to use it for something worthwhile. Towards the end of 2019 I spotted a request for crowdfunding to revive the weaving industry on Orkney. I pledged nearly the whole amount towards the project, the reward for which would, eventually, be a hand-woven scarf. By 9 January 2020 they had successfully raised £13,085 with 141 supporters in 37 days. The Orkney Cloth Company is a start-up weaving business, founded by India Johnson. After completing a degree in Fine Art from Newcastle University in 2018, and a graduate weaving placement in Orkney, she decided to set up her own cloth weaving business to revive the weaving industry in Orkney. Their aim is to create sustainable hand-woven products which support traditional craftsmanship and the local community. They hope to revive the traditional weaving industry in Orkney, through training and weaving workshops and by creating small collections of blankets and scarves on a double width loom, eventually weaving lengths of cloth to sell by the metre. In her request for crowdfunding, India said that weaving ceased in Orkney over 20 years ago, due to reluctance to invest in larger, double-width looms. She was keen to buy a second-hand, double-width loom: the Griffith Loom, enabling production of wider blankets, multiple scarves and lengths of cloth. Pledges towards the project would help fund the loom, and any extra money raised would go towards further weaving equipment, such as a sectional warper to help get the yarn onto the loom. A wider aim is to invest in traditional skills and craftsmanship, helping younger people get into the textile industry by offering training and mini workshops using the Griffith loom; helping young people to see the potential in working in the textile industry in Orkney.
My lovely grey hopsack scarf arrived last summer. I don’t know whether the Orkney Cloth Company will survive and prosper but, at least, I have a new scarf with an interesting back story! The work can be seen at Orkney Cloth | Contemporary Weaving in the Orkney. So, my thanks to everyone. Mary Hicks January 2021 Comments are closed.
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