Category: Textiles

  • An ancient war cloak returns home

    This week a pauku, a Māori cloak that was designed to be worn during warfare, was unveiled in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau after being rediscovered in Durham University’s Oriental Museum in England. The pauku was designed for strength with lightness, a very desirable quality when fighting, and its complex structure of tightly woven whatu aho pātahi,…

  • The language of textiles

    We all know certain words have come into common use from the textile industry, but there are some surprises out there. Chetham’s Library in Manchester, UK is the oldest public libraries still in existence in the United Kingdom. It was established by Humphrey Chetham, a sixteenth century textile merchant from Manchester, who left provision in…

  • Carrefour European Quilt Show

    The European Quilt Show is a four day event that brings together exhibitions, workshops, seminars and shopping in the villages of the Val d’Argent in France. Since 1995 the Quilt Show has been bringing together textiles artists, enthusiasts, and professionals and this year the focus was on New Zealand and Australian makers. If any readers…

  • Learn to weave

    If you have ever fancied having a go at weaving, the next taster class will be on Saturday 17th January 2026 from 10am until 1pm. This session will be for anyone who is interested in the fascinating craft of hand-weaving. Participants will be working on a table loom that will be set-up to use immediately…

  • beyond craft: the art fabric

    “The Art Fabric is one of the robust, vital arts of our time.” So begins a book that was published in 1986 that traces the beginning of the rise of textiles as art in the 1960s. This evolution took textiles away from purely decorative stitch and pictorial tapestry into the realm of sculpture and structure.…

  • Roz Mexted

    In the 1980s, knitwear designer Roz Mexted produced high fashion knitting patterns that could be made at home. Designer Knits, Roz Mexted’s publication from 1989 has just been added to the studio library. This book features 22 original handknit designs and has instructions on reading a pattern, making a tension check, adjusting patterns for size,…

  • Fiddler on the Roof

    It has been many decades since “Fiddler on the Roof”, a musical and movie was made but it still has a message to tell. Fiddler on the Roof is the story of a Jewish community in Russia at the start of the last century. The times were turbulent with persecution and unrest, and the family…

  • Update on the studio

    The studio has been busy this week. There been visitors from Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Scotland and England, and New Zealand and our volunteers have been in as well as some local people. It is the start of the summer season and with the good weather come the visitors. There has been a change-around at…

  • African print in the collection

    This week African print fabrics have been the topic du jour in the studio. Mary, our curator and conservator, has been hard at work cataloguing and sorting out the fabrics, many of which have been bought in London or South Africa. It can get quite complicated because where do wax prints end and printed textiles…

  • Grilled cheese art

    Who doesn’t like grilled cheese?! Thanks to a reader of the blog even those who are lactose-intolerant can partake!