The Weaver's House

Category: Weaving

  • A Welcome Sight

    A Welcome Sight

    During 2021 some of the Weavers’ Workshop, a group who meet regularly at The Weaver’s House and who participate in the Open Days, were involved in the Welcome to Coventry sign, a collaborative piece of textile art.

    The community artwork, developed by artists Luisa Freitas and Charis Esther on behalf of Coventry City Council and in partnership with Avanti West Coast, is one of the new pieces of art at the railway station. It is located in the recently opened building on the first floor near the access from Warwick Road.

    Welcome to Coventry artwork at Coventry Station

    The individual embroidered pieces were made during the Covid-19 lockdown, via online sessions. Weavers’ Workshop member Margaret embroidered an image of her weaving loom which actually includes a small piece of weaving made from woad dyed yarn.

    Margaret’s embroidered loom
    Bicycle by Ingrid

    The collected work was then sealed in a clear resin in which it is now displayed. You can view some of the detailed images on Instagram @welcometocoventrysign or visit it next time you are at the station.

    Perhaps you can spot the two images in the main picture? Scroll down for a clue!

    Welcome to Coventry textile artwork

    Clue – you can find the loom and the bike if you ‘try’.

  • Weavers’ Lovely Lockdown Creations

    Weavers’ Lovely Lockdown Creations

     

     

    The Weavers’ Workshop have been busy during lockdown.

    Here is a gallery of some of their creations.

    grey & blue woven basket, sunset tones tunic, red and purple rug, rainbow, brown waistcoat, lady weaving outside, red tartan shawl, grey shawl

    Big thanks to the Weavers who sent in pics of their amazing creations:

    Anne-Marie: rag rugs and waistcoat, Merino/cotton woven tunic with knitted rolled collar.

    Ingrid: basket, open air rug weaving on twining frame, finished rug with Harris Tweed selvedges, red shawl woven in cotton yarn on rigid heddle loom.

    Beryl: Rainbow

  • Happy Blue Year!

    Happy Blue Year!

     

    We’re delighted to be involved with the Moving Blue project, which sees the colour with a Coventry history going back hundreds of years revived ahead of the City of Culture year.

    The project kicked off on New Year’s Day and will run throughout this year.

    Our trustee Sara Maycock is an experienced dyer and weaver and was able to contribute her knowledge to the project, as well as some pieces of woad-dyed wool!

    At The Weaver’s House we have long been fascinated by the history of the famous colour Coventry Blue. Sara explained: “We’re thrilled to be involved with this project as the subject of ‘Coventry Blue’ is very close to our hearts. In medieval times, when The Weaver’s House was built, Coventry was a centre for the weaving trade, when the city was best known for its fine Coventry Blue cloth.

    “We grow the woad plant in the garden, and although the plant is green and related to cabbages, it produces a fantastic range of blues. We have experimented with this natural dyestuff to see what shades of blue it produces, so we have an idea what Coventry Blue might have been like.

    “We’ll never truly know what the medieval Coventry Blue looked like as the recipe was a closely guarded secret, but it’s wonderful to see the colour being revived as we head towards 2021.

    “Blue is a thread that runs through Coventry’s history for hundreds of years and we’re excited that Moving Blue will be a connection to the weavers of old as well as looking to the future of the city.”

    During our tenth anniversary year the Weavers’ Workshop created weaving inspired by Coventry Blue. If you would like to see more of this previous experimentation with natural woad dye and weaving, you can read more here.

    During 2020 a different item will be painted in Moving Blue every day. You can read the full details on the 2021 website.

  • Artwork marks the connection of the River Sherbourne and weavers of old.

    Artwork marks the connection of the River Sherbourne and weavers of old.

     

     

     

     

    We enjoyed a sunny September for the first Heritage Open Days weekend of 2019, the 25th anniversary year of the festival.

    On the Saturday we, and visitors, were treated to an extra slice of culture as The Weaver’s House hosted part of the Spon Spun Arts & Heritage Trail in the form of an exhibition by Karen-Rose-Textiles.

    The Spon Spun exhibition featured artworks entitled ‘Scir Burna’ (Clear Stream in Old English) representing the river Sherbourne that flows through and under the city. The pieces representing the ‘life giving force’ of the river are made from naturally dyed felted wool and were accompanied by a soundscape during the installation.

    The river itself would have been used for washing and dyeing in the time when the house was lived in by the medieval weaver and family. The artworks, created especially for display in The Weaver’s House, connects the river and the history of Coventry’s weaving, dyeing and spinning industry and the house’s previous residents. The pieces also pay homage to the dye colour Coventry Blue “as true as Coventry blue.”

    Framed textile art in medieval house, beams and wall

    Earlier in 2019 Karen was commissioned by Artspace Coventry and Spon Spun to plan and deliver a community based intergenerational project linking together The Weaver’s House and the pupils from neighbouring Spon Gate Primary School. The project introduced pupils from year 3 and 4 to the ancient craft of weaving and its strong links with medieval Coventry. They also visited The Weaver’s House and learnt some weaving techniques from the Weavers’ Workshop.

    The work has been selected for exhibition at The Healing Arts Gallery at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire from November 2019 – March 2020.

    To find out more about Karen’s work visit karen-rose-textiles.com.

  • We are a part of the DesignLab Nation…

    We are a part of the DesignLab Nation…

    A woman talks to a group of teenager

    Last month our fantastic volunteers Tina and Janet hosted a visit by 30 students and teaching staff from Finham Park 2.

    The visit was linked to the innovative DesignLab Nation programme run by the V&A which brings together schools, artists, and museums to explore the approach to design. This particular visit was part of a collaboration between the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum and designer Gemma Potter, and we were delighted to be involved.

    A group of teenagers sit around a replica medieval table listening to volunteer

    During the visit, the students were given an in-depth insight into the history of the weaving industry in Coventry to assist in their current project. They had also visited Warwickshire-based game studio Rare as their project challenged them to question what they view as playful and productive activities. By designing prototypes for analogue input and output devices, students could links between the 18th/19th century Coventry based weaving trade and the current game design industry.

    You can delve more into the DesignLab  Nation programme here.

    Unlikely as it may seem, this isn’t the first blog post we’ve written with a connection between weaving and gaming!

    All photographs ©Victoria and Albert Museum

     

  • In the bleak midwinter…

    In the bleak midwinter…

    It’s certainly been cold today. Christmas seems a distant memory and summer a long way off. Yet the mornings are starting to feel a little bit brighter a little bit earlier, and a close look will reveal green signs of life outside.

    At The Weaver’s House, we’ve been planning our season of Open Days for this year, and you can find the full list of dates here.

    First up to look forward to, we have Signs of Spring on Saturday 13 April, from 11am until 4pm.

    This will be our first Open Day of the year with some springtime fun. Find out how you can use natural dyes to colour eggs for Easter, follow a trail and explore the house and garden. As usual, admission is free and tea, coffee and homemade cakes will be available.

    If you’re looking for something to occupy you during the rest of the wintry weeks ahead, why not give weaving a go? The Weavers’ Workshop group aims to promote the craft of weaving, its use as a creative medium and its place in Coventry’s history. They have open drop-in sessions to try out weaving techniques here at The Weaver’s House each Monday and Thursday from 10am until 12.30pm. There is a small charge, tea and coffee is provided, and everyone is welcome.

  • Guilds Together Inspires this October

    Guilds Together Inspires this October

    Coming this October – a one day event by Guilds of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.

    Exciting news from our friends at the Coventry Guild – they will be hosting this special event this year. The event, which takes place in Christ Church in Coventry on Saturday 6 October will include demonstrations, an exhibition and more!

    There will be a guest talk by John Arbon, and demonstrations of Saori Weaving and Takadai Braiding. Fibres, yarns and weaving supplies will be available to buy in addition to a book stall. The guilds will be putting on an exhibition of work to enjoy.

    Also as part of the day, there will be a raffle and tea, coffee and cakes will be supplied (bring your own lunch). The day starts at 10am.

    Tickets can be bought in advance for £8 or on the day for £10. To purchase advance tickets or for enquiries please contact covwsd@hotmail.com, text or call 07840 520850

    The full venue address is: Christ Church, Frankpledge Road, Coventry CV3 5GT.

    To find out more about the Coventry Guild, please visit their website.

    Please note that no bookings can be made via The Weaver’s House or its website.

  • A look back at the busy month of June

    A look back at the busy month of June

    The garden at The Weaver’s House had certainly burst into life and was looking stunning. What a difference a few weeks made, with the early May Open Day showing patches of green and tentative buds, fully blossoming into life for June. Visitors joined us from Coventry, Sheffield, Taunton, Rugby, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Northampton, Warwick, Kenilworth and Birmingham.

     

    Moving further into the month, The Weavers’ Workshop took part in Warwickshire Open Studios – Coventry Arts Trail across two weeks in June with open sessions from 10am – 12pm on the Mondays and Thursdays. Visitors were able to take part in make and take activities and weaving and admire a display of projects.

    This year’s public weave is underway with a warp which has been woad-dyed in the Japanese Ikat style. This means there will be variations in colour along the warp using resist dyeing methods, which should give some kind of geometric pattern in the weave. It’s all very experimental so it’s been a steep learning curve and the result is likely to be random variations in colour akin, perhaps, to a river flowing. It will be a piece very different to our public weaving last year. The weaving has been part of  theCoventry Arts Trail offer, giving visitors the chance to have a go at loom weaving and as last year, is proving very popular.

    Also part of Warwickshire Open Studios, was Jane Cobbett’s special patchwork exhibition War & Pieced. An array of beautiful and intriguing pieces was on display throughout the house and garden. There was also a display of projects inspired by the theme, with the opportunity for visitors to vote for their favourite. Lots and lots of visitors stopped by despite (or because?) of clashing with the World Cup including an England game!

    There will be another chance to see some of the quilts at The Textile History Group’s Celebration of Crafts on Saturday 10 November, 10.30am to 3.30pm. Taking place at St Barbara’s Church in Earlsdon, there will be crafts for sale and a pop-up tea shop – sounds perfect! More details are here.

    Out next Open Day is on Sunday 22 July and sees the return of the very popular Tudor Games Day.

  • Sun’s out fun’s out: first Open Day of this year

    Sun’s out fun’s out: first Open Day of this year

    We’re still reeling (or spinning) from the fact that the sun actually came out on Saturday after what’s been a dismal few weeks, weather-wise. We had lots of visitors, for this, our first Open Day of 2018.

    Table covered with woven textiles and wool, lots of people in the garden

    We were able to get outside for displays of spinning and weaving.

    a man weaves on a small portable loom, spokes of a spinning wheel

    Signs of life in the garden!

    Lots of naturally dyed textiles on show including last year’s big project, Coventry Blue.

    We had visitors of all ages, we were pleased to welcome both first-timers and familiar faces – thank you all for coming!

    We had some great reviews following the Open Day:

    “Wonderful place to visit and the volunteers are so full of information.”

    “Just outside the city centre is this gem weavershouse beautifully and lovingly restored, house and garden. Excellent guides on hand for its monthly open days. A wonderful experience.”

    Excellent little place with lots to see in a very small area. Funding is by donation and the volunteers are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. There’s a little café with tea and coffee and home made cake. A perfect place on a spring day for an hour or so…”

    Thank you to everyone who visited us, we appreciate your lovely comments and are so pleased to hear you had a good time!

    As we can’t get enough of weaving, afterwards we headed to the CET Pop Up to see Permutations by Theo Wright. It’s on until April 21, so still time to catch it along with much more.

    Our next Open Day is our Heritage Crafts Day on Sunday 6 May. 

  • News: Open Days in 5, 4, 3, 2…

    News: Open Days in 5, 4, 3, 2…

    This Saturday, 14 April, will be the very first Open Day this year! We open at 11am and close at 4pm, so pop by and see us any time, though we recommend arriving by at least 3.30pm to have a look around.  We’ll be honest, there may well be no homemade cake left by then!

    We are a compact site so it is possible to drop in and have a quick look around but many visitors stay a good while longer delving into the history of the house and chatting to our knowledgeable volunteers. In fact, that’s how many of our volunteers got started, by attending an Open Day and being drawn in to the fascinating story of the life and times of this singular little house.

    If after your visit, you are interested in finding out more about becoming a volunteer you can find a brief overview here. Who knows, if you really love the house, you might even like to move in! (We currently have one of our flats available to rent, these do not come up very often, details are here.)

    If you are visiting us and heading in from Coventry city centre, be sure to check out a couple of things along the way…

    New art installation The Bench of Unity:

    A three seater bench representing three seated figures in silhouette; one with short bobbed hair, one with a brimmed hat and one with a hijab.

    Find this bench right at the top of Spon Street, before heading into the subway through to The Weaver’s House.

    New Post-It comments as part of the Spon End Subway Consultation:

    You will spot these as you make your way through the subway, as we did a few weeks ago. We’re liking the suggestion of a history mural, yes please! There’s lots more to enjoy on your way to or from visiting us, take a look at some nearby public art, see the ruined medieval chapel and the Sherbourne.

    This particular Open Day enjoy a perfect pairing of events with a visit to us followed by an exhibition of handwoven textile artworks by Coventry based weaver, Theo Wright. This exhibition takes place at the CET Building, less than ten minutes walk from us, and runs until 21 April.

    See you there!