In full swing

The Dundee Design Festival opened on Wednesday night, and we have hardly paused for breath since. There was a great opening night party and then yesterday afternoon I was leading the drop-in weaving workshop, so there was much running around all day: from an early start dropping off looms at the venue, through a crazy spell of everyone ‘dropping in’ at the same time, to an exhausted piling of looms back into the car – to drive them 300 yards along the road back to the studio. (I need a loom-barrow, don’t you think?) I was very lucky that my friend Kate was on hand to help, especially from 1 – 2 when it was going like a fair, because I could not have multi-tasked any faster!

I must go back to the studio and tidy up the debris this afternoon as we are opening tomorrow from 12 – 4 pm, but I’ve spent the morning catching up on email. No, ‘catching up’ is misleading, because I will never catch up. But I have answered a few, sent a few (sorry, people) and that will have to be enough for now.

And I would like to go back to the festival and look at a few more exhibits! The space is great. I’d say it was transformed from the empty industrial shed we visited a few weeks ago, and in a way it is; but it is also still very recognisably an industrial shed and that is a big part of its appeal. It’s been fitted out by Old School Fabrications, and everyone’s favourite part is the way they have used the shape of the roofline in the design of the exhibit stands.

The stand you see on your right as you enter is all textiles, including my own Firth of Tay alongside pieces from fashion designers Hayley Scanlan and KerrieALDO. And you may just be able to see the bottom of a brightly coloured illustrated panel – part of a series by another Meadow Mill designer, Louise Kirby, which was specially commissioned for the festival.

There’s a very illustrious line-up in the gallery, and I am highly amused to find myself heading the list. Thanks must go to my parents for choosing such an excellent first initial.

And here’s the Firth of Tay herself, getting a rare opportunity to bask in some sunshine.

The workshop space was also excellent: simple and spacious.

Behind the partition are three large tables. We had one for samples and yarns, one for looms and one for wet finishing. It was too busy for me to take any pictures, but we were well documented by others so if I spy any images on social media I will share them. You can see that the festival colours also appeared in the window films, and I was really pleased that everyone immediately recognised our woven tie-in – the colours must have been a pretty good match.

Update: I knew there’d be photos!

“In full swing” was posted by Cally on 27 May 2016 at http://callybooker.co.uk