Textile Links & Blogs

On this page I am gathering together some of my favourite websites to do with textiles.

Museums and Galleries

The Textile Museum of Canada has an online exhibition which I can’t keep away from.

The V & A of course – and if the proposed link with Dundee University comes about then I shall be the happiest of bunnies.

Meanwhile we do have an online exhibition space for craft in Scotland; it is not always textiles, but who wants to be narrow?

And while I am on the trail of online exhibitions, how about

• Navajo weaving at Arizona State Museum
• Classical Persian carpet fragments at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

Guilds and Groups

I recently joined the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and, now that I have completed my HNC, I hope to spend a lot more time here.

The Online Guild is part of the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. I am glad I don’t have to say that every day, though.

Over there they have the Handweavers Guild of America and Complex Weavers – membership of both is open to UK weavers as well.

Another completely online community can be found at Weavolution: lots of groups, projects and discussions with weavers of all kinds (like multi-shaft, tapestry, backstrap and many more).

Suppliers

Shopping!

First and foremost there’s the ever-wonderful Twist Fibre Craft Studio run by the ever-wonderful Laura and Peter, who got me into this in the first place.

And then there are

• Uppingham Yarns for great big cones of silk at modest prices
• Texere Yarns for all sorts of things
• the House of Hemp
• for beads I particularly like Magie Relph’s African Fabric Shop

Textile Blogs

Some of my favourites are

• Leigh’s Fiber Journal
• Talking about Weaving
• ArgoKnot
• Lady of the Loom
• Curiousweaver
• Dot’s Fibre to Fabric
• My Life is but a Tapestry

Plus there are several other current and former Bradford weaving students who blog, including

• Doni
• Margreet
• Nigel
• Jane

If you’re on the prowl for more, then there’s a good list on the members’ blog page of the Online Guild.  You can also go through WeaveRing.

Other Stuff

There are so many people busy putting interesting things onto the internet. I particularly like this directory of breeds of sheep.

Weaving Basra is a beautifully written article by Meghan Nuttall Sayres, subtitled “On an artist’s loom, poetry, politics and prayer entwine”.

My weaving time is greatly enhanced by listening to Syne Mitchell’s WeaveCast and, when I am not at the loom, I can now read WeaveZine.