The process of designing and making a stole has many steps. In this post I hope to give an insight into what is involved so that you will understand how I work. The first step is a discussion with the client. This might be in person at my studio or at a vestments fair at one of the theological colleges. It might all be conducted through emails, or it might involve a combination of zoom chats and emails, with perhaps the odd telephone call as well. Whichever way the discussions take place, the important thing is that we arrive at an outline of what the client wants that works with what I am able and willing to make. Designs often evolve through this discussion process. A client might start off simply asking me to make a design exactly as they have seen in an earlier photo of my work, but then through discussion they become aware of different variations. In one of my Google Photos albums I have posted photos of my Celtic Angel design so that you can see the huge range of design
I have just taken delivery of a new loom - but it's all in pieces! Scandinavian flatpack..... The loom is a Toika from Finland and I chose the 16 shaft Llisa model with computer dobby. It arrived beautifully packed in a large wooden pallet box which for some reason had been put on top of a standard pallet which was too small to properly hold the box. However with the aid of some extra strapping and a bit of muscle power from my neighbour we managed to get the box across the gravel driveway and into the loomshed. I had read somewhere online that it needed a crowbar to open the box, so I was prepared for that. But there were two steel straps tensioned around the crate. Fortunately my side-snip wire cutters were up to the job and I managed to chew through the straps and set to work with the crowbar. Inside, all the pieces were well wrapped, anchored and secured so it took a good hour or so just to unpack the box. At the end of that there was an enormous pile of polystyrene