The first ever industrial weave ticket I ever made was for a black watch tartan.
The younger me wished never to “design” a tartan again!
I was more interested in the myriad of other ways of intercepting warp and weft. Play with structures colour and weave effects and not be that person who weaves 2/2 twill be the “more intelligent” designer the more contemporary.
Well I’ve got over myself.
It’s about the cloth. I still get excited when I’ve designed from scratch to watch it build up as I weave.
To be honest now with the powers of the internet everyone has access to the myriad of weave designs. You don’t need a degree or serve an apprentice a few click and you see the peg plan or these days the computer program lifts easily. There’s very little new historical weavers have already discovered most interlacing, there is not much new just new generations discovering and using maybe new colour ways.
So here I am celebrating cloth of my country. Contemplating traditions, family identity and heritage. Enjoying the mindful counting of picks, watching the skill of even tension and beating up, following the colour sequence, knowing that it is a very useful cloth that someone wants to celebrate their own life.
