Tuesday 20 June 2017

Freya Jones

Today I drove over to Wendover (in the Chilterns east of here). I will pass over the drive which was plagued by closed roads and single track roads. The objective was to join a friend and her daughter and go round some of Buckinghamshire Open Studios. Well I am jealous. How can they manage a wonderful show when West Berkshire cannot? There was a bookbinder (mostly Japanese style but a few Coptic style), several jewellers, glassblowers, metal workers, textile people (yes really). And some painters, printers, makers of textile pictures. About 10 in an old poultry barn!! and a lot were in a church but some were in individual studios. Great stuff. I bought cards and Christmas presents.

The biggest find was Freya Jones who had a shop, full of spinning and weaving materials and tools. For examples, Toika raddles in various sizes, Venne cotton, Maurice Brussard bamboo, both for weaving. I have never seen Brussard in Europe before. He is Canadian - and good. Colours lovely. I was very tempted. And lots of spun and unspun materials.

Top, a wall of boxes. Lower, space dyed by Freya herself. She also weaves on an Ashford rigid heddle. Scarves mostly. She has a good colour sense and goes in for weaving with multi-coloured knobbly yarn.

Details are Unit 1, Layby Farm, Old Risborough Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP22 5XJ.
website www.freyajones.com

I resisted the temptation to buy some of the bamboo but the others bought what I thought were Christmas presents but back in Wendover, this turned out to be them buying for themselves. And there was I feeling virtuous!

One good thing about visiting that sort of exhibition is that my mind is buzzing with ideas. What if I did that? Or maybe it would be better in red and grey? Or - - - -

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I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.