UK – Vulnerable (500-900) USA – Threatened (Fewer than 1000)

A Thousand Year Old Forest Breed

FIBER Art Show - earlier start time!

First Friday events generally start at 5pm so our Fiber Art Show will also start at 5pm!  Abbeth Russell of Hidden Ladder Collective, Portland is curator of this show - www.hiddenladdercollective.com/  

WOVEN SNIPPETS

Antrim Handweaving, Studio & Study has seen and heard extra active looms these past two months. More wools of selected British sheep breeds are being woven into Preservation Wraps.  These and the pieces of other fiber artists will be on display during the Fiber Art Show at the Union of Maine Visual Artists Gallery, CTN, 516 Congress St., Portland, ME.  The opening is the evening of September 2, Portland's First Friday.

Two Weavers Wheat & Wool first fiber show opens on 

Friday September 2nd and runs the month of September in Portland, Maine.

Roberta Horsman Wheat Weaver

Weaving Wheat

Wheat Weaving is an ancient, cross-cultural tradition, dating back to Egyptian times. House Blessings were woven from the last sheaf of wheat harvested from the field to capture the spirit of the wheat.
Weavings were placed on the hearth to bless the family through the cold months of winter. In the spring house blessings were replanted, returning the spirit of the wheat to the field to ensure a bountiful harvest.
The act of wheat weaving is repetitive, requiring a gentle focus, and can be a deeply meditative experience. By approaching this art form with an open heart and an open mind, we open ourselves to the path of the ancient ones.

An example of wheat weaving.

New weavings for our upcoming Fiber Art Show in Portland, Maine

 

Margaret B. Russell Handweaver

Antrim Handweaving

Studio & Study

www.antrimhandweaving.com

I am a handweaver with over 30 years of experience but my interest in this traditional art goes back as far as my memories take me. Even as a small child I listened to family stories and have always been especially fascinated with the ones about maternal ancestral weavers and wool workers from across the sea. One such ancestor, William Truland (Trulan), traveled from Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and settled in my native upstate New York in the early 19^th century, continuing his skill as a professional carpetweaver. I named Antrim Handweaving, Studio & Study as a tribute to him. I take immense pride in the connections with my fiber forebears, and all my handwovens reflect a desire to reintroduce family history.

My pieces are woven of natural fibers, with a focus on the timeless beauty of simple functional design. Though I weave pieces of various designs, fibers, colors and textures, I have a particular interest in primitive, rare, and threatened British sheep breeds and their wools. I work to promote awareness of their fragile future through my weaving, research, articles, and presentations. For the past 10 years, I have been weaving an extensive private collection of “Preservation Wraps”. The objective is for each of these vulnerable and watchlisted British breeds to be individually represented by a wrap woven exclusively of its wool. When complete, there will be over 70 wraps in the collection. Many of the wraps are already woven and accompany me during British breed presentations, known as “Weaving Legends”. Selections from this ever-growing collection are also displayed in art shows and public spaces.



Preservation Wraps

From top to bottom 

 Balwen, Soay, Herdwick, and Boreray (all UK wool with British Registered Soay) 

Beulah Speckled Face (UK wool)  

Black Welsh Mountain (USA wool)