Friday, February 23, 2018

Heritage Days at The Piccadilly Mall, February 19th - 24th.

Heritage Days at the Piccadilly Mall kept our Spinners and Weavers very busy. Friday February 23rd the ladies waulked their woven blankets.  We have had a couple of new weavers involved in this blanket project.  Anyone walking by this demonstration was encouraged to participate.  Looks like they were all having fun!
Ann was getting the ladies ready to start waulking the woven blankets.
Ann, Jackie, Elvie, Lis, Loanna and Marie.
Waulking is the technique of finishing the newly-woven tweed by soaking it and thumping it rhthmically to shrink and soften it - all done by hand in the old days.  Usually songs sung in the Gaelic language. The songs served to keep the rhythm and lighten the work.  This practise involved a group of women beating newly woven tweed against a table or similar surface to soften it. 


Ann, Noelle, Elvie, Lis and Marie.

Trying to beat to a rhythm.

Looks like a lot of hard work!



After they are done waulking, they brush the fabric.