Ingrain carpets, Ceinture Flechee, Rag Rugs and more

I'm way behind schedule trying to keep up on all the weaving related activities, projects and events associated with the class  and the class participants (and past participants) because it's just been a whirlwind of activity....and of course, all good and very exciting. Way back in the Fall I mentioned Neil Brochu, one of our weaving class students, and as a year end field trip for the weaving classes, he invited us to view part of the textile collection that the City of Toronto has in its archives. We were limited as to how many people could go and the maximum was 20. We were given a tour of the conservation lab, the storage area, and Exhibition/ display preparation areas. The facility is not open to the public, and is available to museums for their activities as well as to those doing research in the field. The city of Toronto has been collecting textiles as well as domestic household objects since 1837. Originally the building itself was a bank vault for the Bank of Commerce, with its  original operating elevators. The city also takes donations as well as makes purchases. The collection and this department of the City of Toronto services 10 historic sites, some of which include Fort York, Colbourne Lodge, Spadina House, and McKenzie Museum. The interiors of these sites remain faithful to the period, not just in terms of the textiles used but other domestic items used at the time. The city is over capacity in terms of storage by about 35% so if anyone out there is wealthy enough to provide storage space I'm sure they would welcome it.

Some of the people employed here doing the various jobs are Joan Fussel who works in conservation, Chris Baker who is Exhibit Coordinator. Here are some of the textiles that Neil showed us while we were there. This kind of weaving or rug was called Ingrain. I had never heard of the term before that day. They have a radiant gradation in the background. In this example, a begonia leaf detailing.

 Rugs of the period with sections that look like ikat.

 An early piece of Ceinture Fleche.

This is a fascinating piece.....although it was wool on one side, its lining was fur. I had a picture of it but it was too blurred to post.

 Richard Gerrard is the man who runs the show and he was preparing items that would be on exhibit relating to the War of 1812, as seen in the uniform below.

Lastly, many of you asked for a photo of me after doing my Heart and Stroke bike ride and here I am looking a little worse for the wear....doing 25 km was easier than I thought. My husband did 50 in the time it took me to do 25!!!!!

NEWS FROM YOU
Kate Kitchen writes that she has an exhibit at Cafe Bernat 1024 Queen Street West at Ossington in Toronto. The food and coffee are delectable.

Laura Dymock also works for CIUT....doing a radio show for the University of Toronto. Here is her link http://www.theinvestigativemusicologist.com/page/episodes-playlists.aspx and she says that one night she played a song for weavers and you can find it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfwJ387cs00&feature=player_embedded .

Andrew Walsh wrote us to tell us about a fellow who is blue jean maker and Weaver I think. Click on the link here to know more  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7407648n&tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea
and here is more about his company.

Blue Jeans: The fabric of freedom

Serena Altschul explores the history of denim, from America's mines to the designer jean stores of today. Here is the company website and the back story...http://www.roydenim.com/story

There's still a lot more you've sent me but it will have to wait for another newsletter! Happy weaving and stay cool.