In 2019 one of the joint winners was Sam Goates, whose weaving business on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland produces handcrafted tweed and woollen cloth for traditional tailoring including in Savile Row.
The £500 award was towards the restoration of a loom made by the West Yorkshire textile machinery firm of Geo Hattersley which was founded in 1789 and closed in 1983.
The 1948 Hattersley Domestic Loom was originally developed for export to the colonies in the late 19th century and its dobby (head-lifting mechanism) had not been used in 50 years. The society’s funding has helped to ensure that the loom is now back up and running.
Two fairs
Key events in the society’s calendar are its two annual antique and vintage textile fairs.
One has run in the society’s Manchester heartland home for more than 20 years, with the next on Sunday, March 29, at the Armitage Centre. Here, more than 60 specialist dealers will be offering textiles and costumes sourced from Europe, Asia and America.
A second annual fair was launched in west London, at Chelsea Town Hall in 2012, with Sunday, October 11, as this year’s date.
Both events attract specialist textile buyers, galleries and collectors in equal measure.
