My first visits to to see Juliet Bailey, Franki Brewer and the team at Dash & Miller and the Bristol Weaving Mill have been an eye opener. I have drifted around watching the women work on different projects simultaneously, juggling tasks as they work to meet weekly deadlines. I’m not really sure how they are doing it all. There is talk of trips abroad and samples from the previous week being sent off to international clients. I am trying not to get in the way too much and have lots of questions, which everyone is kind enough to find the time to answer. I admire their expertise. All the weavers, including the young apprentices, are highly skilled and take everything in their stride, despite the heat wave. The Bristol Weaving Mill is downstairs from the design studio of Dash & Miller and run by a different team, but everyone moves from space to space, having helpful conversations about the work, offering opinions and their hands as and when they are needed. It is a beautiful experience being here and seeing all of this creativity and collaboration.
What strikes me is that there is a lot of fine metal in the looms and the juxtaposition of this hard material next to the threads is visually exciting. Coloured stickers, tape, wood, paper, newsprint, string, rope, metal rods and canvas all play a part and appear to embellish the machinery of the looms. I presume that each element has an essential function either as a temporary sign, support, or to provide tension. All around me I can see threads in different stages of the weaving process: taught, knotted, cut, recoiled, attached, weighted. As she works on the Jacquard loom, Juliet tells me that people weave at different tensions depending on their natural strength and technique, that this is an important consideration when they take over from one another.
There is a calm atmosphere, everyone is chatty and friendly, yet there is a huge amount of work being done every day, intellectually, creatively and physically. Nothing can be rushed, no stages can be missed out or done carelessly. There is a methodical and contained process at work. Experimentation is evident in the breadth of the textiles being produced. This is all kept under wraps to protect the confidentiality of clients, designers, artists and collaborators. I ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at the exquisite textiles as they expand on the looms in the course of an afternoon. I witness the creation of eloquent, subtle weaves in natural fibres and then fizzing, textural fabrics woven in unexpected combinations of yarns and man-made materials.
