February 2010

February 21

Added: Sun., Feb. 21, '10

For some strange reason on this miserable Sunday morning, I found myself thinking about a beautiful Sunday coat that my mother made for me, oh so many years ago, from Harris Tweed. It was gray and pink with a small overall check. I loved that coat and thought I was the most fashionable girl in church! The fabric was beautiful and my mother's skills as a seamstress were able to show it off to it's best advantage.

Harris Tweed is still made, as it has always been, from wool which has been dyed and spun on the Hebridean Islands just off the north west coast of Scotland and handwoven by weavers in their own cottages. From there the fabric goes to the mill for finishing and finally to be given the orb stamp which authenticates the fabric as Harris Tweed.

Harris Tweed is sought after by many of the top fashion designers and is often referrred to as "the Champagne of fabrics". The wool that is most ...

New Women's Center Opens in Bolivia

Added: Fri., Feb. 19, '10

Like many alpaca breeders we have a keen interest in the culture of the Andean region of Peru, Chile and Bolivia where the original alpaca imports to the US came from. Their culture is rich in colorful textile design but there are areas of great poverty. While doing my daily check of the BBC News website to see what was going on in the 'old country' I found this fascinating article of how one young British journalist, Lola Almudevar , from Nottingham - home of Nottingham lace - was remembered in the small village of Choritotora, Bolivia. Funds were raised in Nottingham to build a women's center, called Centro Lola in her memory. The women of the village will now have a place indoors to work on their textiles which is the mainstay of their income. The Center will also be used as a heath and educational center.

The opening of the center involved exchange of gifts - Nottingham lace for Andean textiles.

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