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Sheep, spinning, suits and Savile Row

Rugby School holds an annual Festival in the Close, which tends to coincide with another Rugby town events that the spinners have taken part in in the past - Rugby Festival of Culture. Sadly we cannot take part in RFOC this year (its cancelled but we hope will be back in 2022). However, via the Rugby Artists and Makers Network I learned that Rugby School would run its festival this year, albeit in scaled-back, internal-to-school mode. I was very drawn to the idea of demonstrating with a talk and demonstration alongside another RA&M network member - Savile Row trained bespoke suitmaker Nicholas Hammond. https://nicholas-simon.co.uk

Drum carding a batt based on the colours
in apple and blackberry crumble,
with spiral spun yarn made from this

There will be two demonstrations on the afternoon of 30th June at the school. We really hope to provide something interesting to see and some things that Rugby students won't have tried before. So six local spinners/weavers from the Spin Spun Sisters (all members of Stratford-upon-Avon Guilds of Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing) will bring looms and wheels - including we hope a saori floor loom. We will have all sorts of fluff for hands-on carding machine experiments including 'wild ones' with inclusions. Students can design and make their own on-off batts and rolags which the spinners can spin up samples from.

Nicholas-Simon jacket
under construction

 

 

Meanwhile, exploring the very fine end of woollen production, Rugby-based tailor Nicholas Hammond will provide fascinating insights into Savile Row and suitmaking, as well as sharing information about how he selects woollen cloth and transforms it into bespoke clothing. Unfortunately no live sheep will make an appearance, but there will be plenty of wool. And perhaps a hint of firestar ...

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