Correspond
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in f o r m
Dear Editor,
In issue 37 of your wonderful magazine there is an article about the many and various uses of feathers but notably absent was the use to which I and many weavers put goose and hen feathers...
I should explain. I work at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum where I weave to demonstrate working Lancashire looms which are driven by a steam engine called 'Peace' and 'powered' by Lancashire boilers. We believe ourselves to be the last steam driven weaving shed in Europe, if not the world. I use a feather to oil my spindles each time I start to weave. This lubricates the spindles and reduces the heat that would otherwise be produced by the friction of the buffalo hide picks on the steel spindles. The feather is held in a small, conical oil flask that is bolted to the front frame of the loom.... Margaret Nowak, Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Lancashire County Council, Harle Syke, Burnley BB10 2HX T: +44 (0)1282 412555, see article pg 46
The Art of Textiles: call for submissions Mary Schoeser, specialist author in textiles, is working on an exciting project commissioned by Thames & Hudson, London. Entitled The Art of Textiles, this major work, comprising over 1,000 images, will celebrate the breadth and depth of the field today.
Mary is keen to source images of the work of creative individuals. Of equal interest are pieces that have been collected as outstanding examples of ethnographic and historical material, since one aspect of the text deals with the impact of the ‘eye of the beholder’. In particular, detailed images are sought in order to illustrate the complexity and extraordinary variety of manipulations, surface treatments, materials and structures that textiles present. In addition, Mary is seeking personal statements elucidating why or how each piece is of personal significance.
Submissions for consideration may be in digital or slide/transparency format. Digital images must be supplied as TIFF files, RGB calibrated, on disc. Please supply a reference print for colour balance as well as the following details: name, image title, date, media and technique, photo credit and permission to publish. If the item is ethnographic or historical please indicate its origin. Selected images will not attract a reproduction fee, but will be acknowledged. There will be a resource list in the endmatter; please indicate whether or not you would like a contact email address to be included under the contributors list. Submissions should be posted to Mary Schoeser, 25 East Street, Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1SH, The deadline for submission is 20 June 2011.
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