News and Events
In Our Hands is a new feature length documentary by Black Bark Films, commissioned by the Land Workers Alliance.
It’s the inspiring story behind the blood, sweat and tears of the British farmers seizing the Brexit moment to outgrow an outdated industrial food system. This film explores the daily reality of nine real life farmers who refused the machinery of big agribusiness and are proving, every day, that an alternative is not only possible – it’s profitable as well.
The film unearths both seventh generation traditional farmers and new entrants to the farming world, who are taking back control of their lives ad their livelihoods, from the soil upwards. A way of farmining that will “bring back life to the soil, a fair wage to the farmer and a flavour to the tomato.”
This film is taking Bristol by storm, and many have seen it already. However, as the South West England affiliate for the Fibershed initiative, BTQ invites you to watch In Our Hands through a fibres and textiles lens. The worlds and systems of food and fibre farming were traditionally interconnected, on rare occasion still are, and we see this film as being wholly relevant to reimagining what a more local, resilient, and healthy textile economy should look like here in the South West.
PLEASE JOIN US AT 18:30 for pre-film drinks and mingling, followed by the screening and an open discussion, hosted by Botanical Inks, Tamay & Me, Project Pico and BTQ, and chaired by Lizzie Harrison of Antiform.
PLEASE BRING: drinks, nibbles or picnic + something soft to sit on! (only limited chairs / benches available….) + an inquiring mind and maybe some thoughts to share (not obligatory)
Tickets available through Eventbrite
July 31, 2018
Following on from the success of the Fashion Revolution Week event, The Clothes Swap and Mending circle is back and will be a regular addition to the BTQ calendar.
Do you consider yourself “sustainable” in the way you choose, wear and mend your clothes?
How can we, wearers of clothes, help to create a healthier textile and clothing system in Bristol?
Explore these questions and more at this casual networking/textile get-together at Bristol’s textile-focused co-working space. Bring the clothes you no longer wear (clean please!) or those that you need to mend, along with your sewing bits and bobs. Bring a bottle and/or nibbles and mingle, swap and mend* away.
In June, we would like to explore more visible mending techniques and hope to have join us some experienced Boro stitchers and Darners to impart their knowledge
*Hand-mending, no previous skills necessary – we can all help and mend together
max.6 pieces of clothing per/person
Tickets are free but please book your place on Eventbrite here.
June 26, 2018
What does “Fashion Revolution” means to you?
Do you consider yourself “sustainable” in the way you choose and wear your clothes? Why?
How can we, wearers of clothes, help to create a healthier textile and clothing system in Bristol?
Explore these questions and more at this casual networking event at Bristol’s textile-focussed co-working space during Fashion Revolution Week. Bring the clothes you no longer wear (clean please!) or those that you need to mend along with your sewing bits and bobs. Bring a bottle and/or nibbles and mingle, swap and mend* away.
Incidentally the evening will be co-hosted by Emma from Awamaki, Hannah from Tamay & Me, Pheobe from Project Pico, and Babs from Botanical Inks, who have each engaged with these issues through their work with artisan groups and have thoughts to share on how craftsmanship, slow textiles and bioregional production play a part in revolutionising fashion.
*Hand-mending, no previous skills necessary – we can all help and mend together
Tickets are free but please book your place on Eventbrite here.
April 24, 2018
Come and Chatter with Tamay, the Red Zhao half of Tamay & Me. (Hannah, the other half, works from our studio at BTQ HQ.)
Drink tea (Tamay’s is green tea.)
Find just the right jacket for you.
Bring your embroidery to share, interesting textile pieces you have made or treasure
When:
Wednesday 22nd November, 10 am – 4pm
How to book:
Please contact Hannah to book an appointment (these will be limited:)
Tel: 07725696984
November 22, 2017
Since Summer 2014 1A Barton Road has been evolving into a Bristol hub of all things textile. Now home to Antiform, Bristol Textile Quarter, Dash+Miller and, most recently, the Bristol Weaving Mill, we thought it was time to open our doors in celebration of our collective endeavours.
Join us for an evening on Tuesday May 17th!
Timings and Things
18:00 – 19:00 Open doors and welcome from local historian who situates Barton Hill and Old Market textile industries in wider historical context, together with exhibition of city archive images.
19:00 Bristol Weaving Mill: who we are, networks and collaborations…introduced by Lizzie Harrison Antiform)
19:30 Bristol Textile Quarter: who we are, networks and collaborations…introduced by Lizzie Harrison (Antiform)
20:00 – 21:00 Drinks and informal networking
***20:00 Tour of Bristol Weaving Mill **LIMITED spaces, please email info@bristolweavingmill.co.uk in advance to reserve a place.***
Your ticket includes free drinks AND access to our exclusive pop-up shop featuring designs from Bristol-based Antiform, Tamay & Me and Mae Scarves.
May 17, 2016
LAUNCH EVENING Thursday 17th March
6.30 – 9.00 pm Bristol Textile Quarter
1A Barton Road, St Philips, Bristol BS2 0LF
Tamay & Me are proud to launch their first collection of entirely traceable and fairly-traded indigo cotton jackets.
Hannah Cowie and Ly TaMay have created two versatile unisex jacket designs to provide reliable and flexible employment for the Red Dzao community in Taphin village, Vietnam. Our label also aims to raise awareness of the Red Dzao’s exceptional embroidery skills.
The jackets are made using a zero-waste traditional pattern. The cotton and indigo are grown in the same village where the cloth is spun, woven and dyed. The embroidery is reclaimed from old clothes and even the silk braiding is hand plaited. Hannah and Tamay’s intention is that a piece of clothing can have a positive impact and that we should be proud of what we wear, an idea that is central to Red Dzao culture.
Come and hear the whole story, see the jackets and drink a glass of wine with us to celebrate the beginning of Tamay & Me, we would love to have you there.
March 17, 2016
Starting this week, Tuesday 10th and lasting through until end of play Monday 16th, BTQ will be hosting a textile takeover and pop-up studio in the Bristol Green Capital Lab space on the Harbourside (next to the Stable.)
Visit the Made in Bristol Christmas shop AND get to see local textile makers and designers going about their work, including:
A Peculiar Grace – contemporary and vintage upholstery
Josephine Munsey – print designer
Lucy Lloyd – leather and suede moccasins and accessories
Laura Griffin – clean-lined, sharp, feminine clothing in beautiful fabrics
Jokoto Clothing -sportswear-inspired tailoring and panelling with a hint of traditional yet playful Japanese aesthetic
The Lab is open from 10am until 6pm every day.
November 16, 2015
Join us for an evening of celebration as we announce the winner of the Bristol Cloth competition and present them with a finished, woven length of the Cloth in their design.
Bristol & Somerset-based enterprises Bristol Textile Quarter CIC, Botanical Inks, Fernhill Farm, Dash + Miller Ltd and The Bristol Weaving Mill Ltd join forces to produce the Bristol Cloth:a 100% wool fabric of classic heritage-inspired design, prioritising locally sourced materials and manufacturing processes from the South West of the UK.
The Bristol Cloth design competition invited designers across the South West to submit weave design ideas throughout the summer, of which four entries have been shortlisted and displayed in the Bristol Green Capital Lab space during September. The Bristol public along with a selected panel of judges were then invited to vote for their favorite design and we ‘re delighted to now have the pleasure of unveiling the winning design as a finished piece of cloth in this Awards Ceremony on Wednesday October 28th.
Please book your FREE tickets on our Eventbrite page here.
The Bristol Cloth intends to challenge Bristol’s textile community to begin to explore what a more resilient textile economy may look like locally. For a city that has such a strong network that is working to make Bristol a sustainable food city, it seems logical that the next conversation could, and should be about textiles. The global food industry is the world’s most polluting industry, while the global textile and garment industry is a close second. With Bristol being Europe’s Green Capital of 2015 there really couldn’t be a better time to start a conversation that is currently missing from the local agenda.
The evening will be followed by a drop-in textile mingle – an opportunity for Bristol’s textile community to get together, chat and generally throw around lots of great ideas. For us the Bristol Cloth is a prefect example of what can be achieved when you join the dots and connect local producers, with manufacturers and designers. We hope it will serve as an inspiration for future Bristol collaborations.
Look out for future Textile Mingles in other venues around Bristol….or get in touch if you would like to host one form your workspace/studio!
October 28, 2015
Four beautiful designs by weavers from the South West have now been shortlisted for the Bristol Cloth design competition and are all now on display in the Bristol Green Capital 2015 Lab space down on Bristol’s Harbourside.
Pop down there between now and September 30th to register your vote – just ask at the shop for a sticker to stick next to your favourite!
The winner will be announced in an awards ceremony in the evening of October 28th.
September 30, 2015
Bristol Cloth: A 100% wool fabric of classic heritage-inspired design, prioritising locally-sourced materials and manufacturing processes from the South West of the UK.
With Bristol as Europe’s Green Capital in 2015, what better time than now to explore how a more resilient, local textile might look?
Bristol & Somerset-based enterprises Bristol Textile Quarter CIC, Botanical Inks, Fernhill Fleece, Dash + Miller Ltd and The Bristol Weaving Mill Ltd join forces to produce the Bristol Cloth and invite Bristol and the South West’s creative communities to get involved!
The competition is open to anyone with a South West postcode providing they’re design is submitted in the required format. Full details of the Design Brief and technical Specifications can be found on the Bristol Cloth website:
www.bristolcloth.co.uk
The competition deadline is August 31st with shortlisted designs being displayed in the Green Capital Lab space during September for public voting and panel judging taking place end of September.
The winner of the competition will be presented with a length of cloth in a prize-giving ceremony at the Green Capital Lab space on the eve of October 28th after which the finished cloth will be available for wholesale and retail purchase.
August 31, 2015
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