Once upon a time, tweed was briefly woven on the West Coast of Te Waipounamu/ the South Island. The cloth was useful in the cool, damp climate of the Coast but it had to be imported from elsewhere. The tweed that was woven in Hokitika – you can see an example here – was similar to that woven in Scotland and used the same looms, Hattersley-type, that are still in use for Harris Tweed. Those looms now belong to McLean and Company in Oamaru.
We are about to sign a lease on a space in Māwhera Greymouth to start making new tweeds on the Coast. The equipment that has been in use in Shetland is coming over towards the end of the year and will be installed in the new space. We will have room for handlooms (so we can run classes and workshops), space for the larger looms (to sample on and to weave lengths), and eventually we will have the industrial loom up-and-running so we can get back into production.
Over the next few months we will be working to transform the building, making room for a shop as well as hanging textiles on the walls once again. The library will be moved into the new area and we plan to have everything ready by the end of the year.
It is Rather Wonderful to be contemplating weaving in earnest once again. There is so much inspiration around us, as you can see from the photograph of fungi, fern and berry taken this week by the studio-on-the-hill, and I long for the day when I can begin to translate the land, sea and sky into cloth. Long live West Coast Tweed!
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