Authentic Designs / Dyluniadau Dilys
The Welsh woollen industry of today is a shadow of what it was over a century ago. Hardly a parish in the land didn’t have its weavers and spinners, fullers and dyers. The mills that still remain today are often found in remote valleys and on the banks of streams that once supplied power to drive machinery.
The word ‘tapestry’ is used in Wales to describe a double-cloth fabric where two cloths are woven on top of the other, interchanging in elaborate clear-cut patterns. The weave enables areas of clear single colour to be obtained in bold patterning. These designs were often used in hard wearing bed covers and were first recorded as being woven on elaborate looms in North Wales, notably the Trefriw and Brynkir Mills. In the 1920’s mills in South Wales began to weave these patterns in two or three patterns, which are unique to Wales and often attributed to an individual mill. Originally woven for bed covers and blankets, with large and bold designs, the same structure and patterns can be used for many different products, but until the establishment of Hunant never on bed linen.
At Hunant we are taking old authentic patterns and replicating these in bold single colours on sustainable 100% organic cotton. We consider it a natural progression for these traditional patterns, common on bed covers to be used on bed sheets, whilst staying true to the original Welsh designs. This is at the heart of Hunant story.
Elvet Pattern
ELVET WOOLLEN MILL was one of the last remaining working woollen mills in West Wales, and closed its doors only a couple of years ago. Situated on the banks of the River Duad in Cynwyl Elfed, Carmarthenshire, the mill has a history dating back over 130 years. Thankfully it has recently (2022) been bought by The London Cloth Company who are currently crowdfunding to transform this 1870’s mill for sustainable weaving. The London Cloth Company was established in October 2011 and is the first micro-mill to open in London. They specialise in quality woven cloth, particularly woollens, produced on a range of carefully restored shuttle looms dating from the 1870s.
The Welsh tapestry pattern from Elvet Mill in our second collection dates back to the 1960’s, and used with the permission of the owner at the time Mike Tolputt.
Pattern F courtesy of Trefriw Woollen Mills.
Special thanks to owners Morgan and Elaine Williams for permission to use the pattern F designed by their mother Mrs. Freda Williams in the 1950s.
The mill was bought in 1859 by Thomas Williams and is still run by the same family.
The F pattern is currently not in production, but Trefriw Woollen Mills still weaves Welsh bedspreads in the traditional pattern, Welsh tapestry by the metre, tweeds and travelling rugs. These pure wool products can be purchased in the shop at Trefriw or online at www.t-w-m.co.uk
More details on the Trefriw Wollen Mills
Very Old Traditional Caernarfon Pattern
The origins of the original design are disputed by scholars. The design has been used for centuries in the weaving of blankets in Wales and used by numerous Mills.
The Caernarfon pattern, sometimes called the Portcullis design, is an iconic Welsh pattern dating from the eighteenth century. In the 1960’s, COSIRA, Council of Small Industries in Rural Areas, was set up and given the task of revitalizing the mills of Wales. They re-introduced this pattern and issued it to all the mills in Wales which resulted in its wide and diverse use.
At Hunant we have translated this traditional Welsh design onto bed sheets in three colourways and are delighted with the results.