The first cloth ever for the West Coast Cloth Company is nearly ready to come off the loom.
The warp and weft in this cloth is Jamieson’s yarn from Shetland, the last of the cones that I brought over when we moved to the West Coast. I was inspired by the colours of the Coast, and the gorgeous light that we get being so close to the ocean and these cones gave me a lot of colour to play with.
While I was weaving this I alternated the weft between a light grey and a white so that the cloth has two tones to it, changing hue whenever a spindle ran out in the shuttle. There is a pattern that adds a textural element to the cloth but it is subtle so as to allow the colours to blend and work together. You can see the warp colours in the last photograph at the top of the image and then see how the plain weft brings everything together.
This cloth is limited to a few metres – fewer than 10 – being the first ever to come from the Cloth Company. If you like it and want to reserve some send an email and I will keep a length aside once it is washed, any skips repaired and the cloth is pressed. I will work out the price too and let people know how much it is.
It feels very good to be working on tweed again. There is something comforting about wool and working with my hands. Listening to music in the studio upstairs with the windows open and a sea breeze blowing gently in, weaving with these glorious colours and enjoying the peace of making something reminds me of many happy hours in Shetland doing the same thing. How fortunate is that?
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