The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers - UK - Issue 289, Spring 2024, The Sustainability Issue

#289 Spring 2024

Welcome to the Sustainability Issue.

As we worked on creating this issue of The Journal WSD it became clear that sustainability can mean many things and our contributors have reflected this with their different interpretations. Rather than impose a definition, we’ve embraced this diversity of approach in the hope that our readers will each find something that inspires, results in thought or action or even provokes their disagreement. Perhaps this is the time to point out that, as usual, ‘the views expressed are the authors’ own’.

Those who were fortunate enough to attend Summer School will find not only the reports of the successful Certificate of Achievement candidates, but also the first batch of the course reports. There will be more of those to come in the Summer issue. A speaker at Summer School was Teresinha Roberts who is a contributor to this issue with a thought-provoking article entitled Sustainability in Textiles.

Weaving sustainably is considered by three weavers who share their perspectives on minimising waste in the transition from fabric to garment. The articles about the use of plants such as flax, nettles, spinach and woad interpret sustainability as meaning the use of renewable sources for fibre and dyestuffs.

Finally, it would be rare for there to be no mention of sheep in a copy of The Journal WSD and this issue is no exception. Teresa Cabellos describes two Spanish breeds that provide an animal-based renewable source of fibre.