The Dorset Weave Goes Public

After just two days of training in community weaving the Quangle Wangle Choir set off with some trepidation to share their new found skills with others in their community. The loom went up smoothly and the choir was delighted to discover that people love to weave. A great time was had at Dorset Women's Day on Saturday and in Goulds garden centre on Sunday. A great range of people joined in from toddlers to grandparents. There was lots of chat, with people meeting old friends and making new ones and terrific enthusiasm for the project as a whole and the wonderful colours. Monday saw the choir at Acorns, a day centre for both elderly and disabled people. Another really good day was had, hard work but very rewarding. The youngest person to get involved over the weekend was 20 months old, today the oldest was 87!

Below are photos of the local community taking their turn to weave into the Dorset Tapestry.

The Dorset Weave is underway

This week The Big Weave artists visited Westfield Arts College in Weymouth. Members of local schools and community groups attended a two day training workshop to learn the skills of community weaving. The various groups will now take the community loom, with The Dorset Weave tapestry, to public venues in and around Weymouth. They will share their new found skills and give local people the chance to be involved in creating a unique community tapestry; a potential local heirloom.

The Quangle Wangle choir, a community choir based in Weymouth, will be the first to take the loom out. Members of the choir will be on hand to help and encourage the visiting public weave their thread into the Dorset tapestry at the following venues -

Sat 5 March Dorset Women's Day The Dorford Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester 2-4pm.

Sun 6 March Gould's Garden Centre, Littlemoor Road, Weymouth. 10.30 - 4.30pm.

Photos taken on the training days:

Hello

The Big Weave is reaching out across the country with the aim of creating a tapestry in every county. Dorset is leading the way, and during March 2011 The Big Weave will be working with Westfield School in Weymouth to share our skills and enable the school and local community to create a community tapestry together. Why not click the icon on the right to follow this blog and keep in touch with this exciting new project as 'The Dorset Weave' gets underway.