Tag: textiles

  • Preparing wool

    A few years ago a friend gave me a set of rather splendid books; The Textile Industries is a comprehensive yet easily-read catalogue of all the information that anyone could want about textiles. In these volumes – 8 in total – the ways in which “Fibres, Yarns and Fabrics in every branch of Textile Manufacture”…

  • Knitwear from the 1980s

    A new book has been added to the library recently: The Pure New Wool Designer Knitwear Collection published in 1986. The 1980s stand out as a time when fashion became neon bright, when day-glo hues were de rigueur and when it was considered good taste to be dressed in flashy colours. This book though shows…

  • Releasing kiwi

    Kiwi are the icons of Aotearoa New Zealand but, like many of the native birds, are in danger from introduced predators. Since people arrived in the country, kiwi have been under attack. Although they are a taonga (a highly valued treasure) and their feathers were used in the making of kahu kiwi (Māori kiwi feather…

  • Mount White Station

    New Zealand Aotearoa is known for its farming culture and Mount White is home to one of the famous high-country stations. Mount White Station is on the Canterbury side of the Southern Alps/ Kā Tiritiri o Te Moana, the huge range that runs the length of Te Waipounamu/ The South Island. With much of the…

  • Spotify – the playlist

    Each week a curated playlist of audio goes along with the blog. A separate blog post about has been reinstated this week that describes the tracks and why they have been included in the list. Paying subscribers to Spotify, the platform that hosts the list, can hear all the tracks by clicking on the player…

  • The Safari Suit

    I am looking to add a 1970s safari jacket or suit to the textile collection. This iconic piece of fashion history has mostly fallen out of favour but was once sported by film stars, royalty, men and women. If anyone knows where I can find a vintage one made locally please get in touch.

  • The blog this week

    This weekend we are going to a high-country farm, Mount White Station, for a tour of the operation and to meet some of the people who work there. Mount White is in the central part of the South Island, roughly midway between the East and West Coast and lies across the Waimakariri, a river that…

  • Black History Month

    February is Black History Month, a celebration that is marked by the birthdays of famous abolitionist Americans: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Black History Month is recognised in the North America, Europe and Africa, and in the USA the annual event has a theme. This year it is “African Americans and Labor“ The music, fashion…

  • The Way We Wore

    An insightful and fascinating series on Netflix at the moment explores the evolution and history of fashion in Australia. Presented by Celeste Barber and made in 2023, The Way We Wore is a three-part series that takes a chronological look at how fashion has influenced history Down Under and has helped to create the modern…

  • Like the Turf

    Caroline McQuarrie’s Like the Turf has just opened at the Left Bank Art Gallery in Greymouth Māwhera. Caroline is an artist from the Coast who now lives in Wellington Pōneke. She was interviewed in 2023 as part of the Conversation and Cloth series and has returned to Māwhera to open this show, previously at the…