From tv advert saturation requesting charitable donations for third world country famine/disasters to more homegrown 'fragmented' appeals for funding, I have spent a lot of my recent recovery time getting cross in front of the box.

I just cannot understand why the multitude of charities supporting similar or identical causes do not team up and provide a unified approach to fund raising?

Two or more charities 'competing' for the same donation is never efficient, to say nothing of the costs involved in running each competing organisation, duplicating service delivery, financial operations and admin and the heavy burden of marketing and advertising. Why not just merge these duplicate charities and make more of our donations about helping people rather than funding the cost of running multiple organisations?

To be fair it isn't just the 'tv' charities... Coloursmith belongs to various national and international industry organisations who seem to constantly miss the opportunity to group together, network, support and influence government, academia and their considerable (but fragmented) memberships in order to:

- raise the industry's profile - particularly in the UK
- to provide a consistent and stable platform to develop new talent in a structured environment
- to create and design new initiatives

The day our industry membership organisations forget the politicking, ignore the historical feuding that still exists for some and move towards a partnership super organisation which supports and engages everyone, will be a good day indeed.

There is a lot of momentum at the moment about UK Textile manufacturing and the potential of manufacturing returning to the UK.  I had a conversation this morning with a friend and colleague and it seems we have similar ideas about the subject and a general lack of appreciation for the way that certain people are jumping on the bandwagon in the interests of good PR.

The UK textile industry went off shore in the 90’s because certain retailers  were driving prices down and the growing manufacturing markets in Asia were the perfect source for the low cost garments that we all loved.   At the time of this change the consumer did not care about carbon footprints or sustainability and they certainly did not  care  about the UK manufacturer. 

What the British consumer wanted was 3 shirts for £10 or 5 pairs of knickers for £5.00,  run forward a few years to the new millennium and we are all talking about sustainability and trying to be caring sharing, we are living in austere times,  with financial meltdown occurring on our doorsteps and the cries from the same consumer to save our jobs and more especially to create new ones.

So step forward the very retailers who caused the death of the UK textile industry in the first place to position themselves as its saviour “we are returning to the UK “,  step forward retail guru Mary Portas  with her British Knickers experiment. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2117642/Mary-Portas-Great-British-Knicker-Experiment-underwear-goes-sale-Boots.html.  We can make knickers in the UK for the same price as they are made in China.  Great but why bother?  why are we trying to re invent the wheel or compete with foreign imports and make cheap products? The British market was always quality competing with cheap foreign imports is why the industry failed in the first place .  Do Ferrari care what Kia do ?

  We should be proud to be making British products and make a quality product that ok may cost a little bit more but its British and its quality and that’s what the British textile industry is about.  We are famous for our Harris Tweed,  Worsted Suiting Cloths they are world renowned and I think most of them have come through the recent textile crisis quite well doing what they do best and sticking to their principals.

When I worked for a dyehouse in Keighley  Yorkshire in the late 1980’s we had a contract to produce the yarn for the jackets that went into making the jackets for the Tokyo golf club members.  The wool was high quality Merino was spun to fine counts and made into fantastic fabric by companies over the hill in Bradford.  The jackets were expensive, membership of this particular golf club was expensive and exclusive and they decided that the only thing that their members would wear for the official jackets was the world renowned Bradford made worsted cloth. 

These are the markets the UK should be looking at,  while expensive jackets are out of many people reach there are garments that could be made that are much more accessible and do not have to cost less than a packet of detergent.

The colleague who I was speaking too made a very good point the UK Textile market does not need a return, it merely needs a restart.  The industry is populated with quality companies making quality products, doing it very quietly and efficiently, the media , consumer etc just need to sit up and take notice.  The government, media celebs like Mary Portas should be supporting these companies not only for the  home market but also to help them export a quality British product. 

Unfortunately the mentality of the old UK textile industry was not good and this is why it ultimately failed, the companies that survive have good mentalities and philosophies and have achieve the right success.  This current resurgence in interest in British Manufacturing will ultimately wane as the media move onto the next reality program and new campaigns are started and to be honest the quality British companies will probably keep going,  but while the UK textile industry is in the limelight at the moment I would ask Miss Portas to champion quality companies they are something to be proud of they have history, quality products and they are The Best Of British.

There isn’t really a colour aspect to this blog,  just a few thoughts to while away the minutes as I travel north for a meeting at the Society of Dyers and Colourists,  I am getting the train so no need to worry about blogging while trying to negotiate the M1 etc.  When I started to drive back in 1988 I soon became a convert to the car and did not want to use public transport in any capacity.   As time has gone on and especially in recent years I have found myself coming full circle.  Now much preferring the train for any long distance where the advantages of a car,  multiple stops etc, are not needed.  I am somewhere between Grantham and Doncaster, somebody has to be,  writing this looking out of the window seeing areas of the country I have not seen before and a lot of greenness,  lets be honest the only type of green you get on the M1 is the livery on the Eddie Stobart Trucks.    It’s also, usually a lot quicker,  7,30 in Kings Cross,  9.12 in Doncaster try doing that in a car especially with all the road works and speed restrictions on the M1.

The trains have been much maligned in the UK but I do not think we do too bad,  we get a good service out of Charing Cross for most of the year,  as long as there is not snow and the recent experience of both the East Coast and West Coast services have been very good.   Also here at Coloursmith we have a commitment to being green so I think the use of electric trains etc probably far outweighs the impact of a car.  So I am going to sit here for another 40 mins or so and then will be in Leeds Station on my way to Bradford. 

Hope everyone has a good day / week etc,  I cannot believe it will soon be March.

Ian

Normally when you start a new educational course you are bombarded by information and we look at these books and DVD and online content with a mix of horror, trepidation and dread.  I have recently gone back to education and the box turned up with all the literature in it and it got me thinking About how these documents of doom can turn into a historical document that reflect the thinking and ideas of the time.  I have on order,  thank you eBay,  a book on dyeing of natural fibres that is 80+ years old.  First published in 1924 this is to accompany the book I recently bought from eBay “ scouring and dyeing with vegetable dye recipes  by K Grasett” first published by The London School of Weaving and priced at two schilling and six pence.

The book gives an excellent insight into the teaching of dyeing and finishing at the time and takes you through the various process to get a finished product.

I do like the section on washing of cotton that begins “ Cotton is much more Troublesome to wash and prepare for dyeing than either wool or silk.” I am reading this wondering when the word troublesome was last used in a dyehouse to discuss a particularly “troublesome” batch with regards to levelness or fastness.  Certainly times have changed.  The book does represent a time that has long since gone for the textile industry,  I wonder how many workers have been employed / retired, sadly in recent times being made redundant, all the time this book have been sat in a box on a shelf etc  watching the industry change.  How many people has this book and its partners in the series,  this is volume 2, helped to train.   The book is probably becoming relevant again as there  is a whole section on Dye plants,  and I know that there is a certain area of the craft market that is gaining interest in vegetable / natural dye arena.  So maybe it is a case of if you stay around long enough you will become fashionable again. 

Looking at something like this you also realise how things have changed and probably become easier for us modern dyers,  as an example here is the recipe for dyeing a dark red on Wool

Wool: One Pound Hand spun

Mordant: Alum four ounces; cream of tartar four ounces.

Dye Cochineal, four ounces , Madder quarter of an ounce, Indigo paste , one egg- spoonful

Method: Mordant with alum four or five days previously, and hang up in a dark place in a linen bag.  Enter into the dye bath the cochineal, madder and tartar and when thoroughly dissolved, enter yarn and boil for 20 minutes.  Then take out the wool and add one egg spoonful of indigo paste well mixed in hot water, and add to the dye bath.  Mix well and re-enter wool and boil for twenty five minutes.  I wonder if anyone has tried this recipe and what the results were.  I think we should start a campaign to return to more traditional types of dyeing and more importantly the “egg spoonful” is woefully under used in the modern dyehouse.  So if you have tried this recipe let me know and more importantly if you have some old books from college or university keep old of then they are historical documents and in 100 years from now, someone may sit looking back wistfully at the way we used to teach web design or computer programming.

I am always amazed at the ideas people have!

Check out Inhabitat's article on a record player that can play the 'rings' from a slice of a tree trunk!

Intriguing!

 

18th, January 2012 by Joseph Stashko

Preston College’s new £5 million visual and performing arts centre has been officially opened by BBC North director Peter Salmon.

Salmon, a BAFTA winning producer from Burnley, switched on a 3D light projection display covering the front facade of the building which stands at the entrance to the college’s Fulwood campus.

The unveiling was watched by an audience including hundreds of students along with representatives from the county’s business, education, political and creative sectors.

Commenting on the new facilities, Salmon said: “At a time when colleges and universities are facing a difficult and challenging environment it’s great to see investment and confidence in the future.

“It’s heartening to see such a clear and confident investment in our future workforce. I’m incredibly impressed with the performance and production facilities here at Preston College but equally with the enthusiasm and passion of everyone I’ve met here at this fantastic facility.”

Salmon spoke about integrating with Preston in the Guild year, including the plans to film the upcoming live BBC Passion drama. He also described plans for BBC North in Salford Quays, saying: “It’s part of a new collaborative approach, to find ways for people to come together and benefit the local communities.

“We need to make sure that education compliments what industry needs.”

The new centre is home to all creative arts students, including dance, drama, photography, textiles and music. Its features include a 100 seat theatre, dance, music, photography, television and radio studios and as art design rooms. The building also houses an Apple Authorised Training Centre.

Jason Turton, head of visual and performing arts at Preston College, said: “Our new facility is a superb addition to the College’s visual and performing arts provision where courses attract students from across the UK.

“Its been built with our learners, for our learners.

“We are delighted that Peter Salmon was able to join us to mark this special occasion and look forward to welcoming many more people to the building, from students to members of the wider local community, in the months and years ahead.”

Dr Lis Smith, principal of Preston College, said: “With the creative industries rapidly expanding in the region it’s now more important than ever that young people in the North West are afforded chances to take advantage of the opportunities that exist for them in this area.

“The high quality teaching and learning environment we have at Preston College means that our students have the best possible chance of securing employment once they have completed courses with us.”

The Second Turning Textile Group will demonstrate the process of creating their tantalising artworks at an event this Saturday.

Many of the artists have qualifications in the field of textiles and teaching experience in further and adult education.

If you would like to know more about various textile techniques visit Amcott House on Grove Street from 10.30am to 12.30pm.