WAITAKI TARTAN UPDATE

We are seeking a solution to our breaking warp yarn issue, so please do not pre-order any fabric or products.

WE WILL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE ARE BACK UP AND WEAVING.


designing the waitaki tartan

our goals

To design and weave a tartan fabric that tells the stories of the Waitaki;
the land, river, and people – with authenticity and respect.

To produce a commercially viable artisan fabric with a limited carbon footprint, as locally, sustainably and ethically as possible.

To create a sustainable, marketable, registered tartan design, as a legacy
for future Waitaki culture and heritage fundraising opportunities.

we believe in what we are doing

Sustainability and ethical practice is important to us.
We love creating textiles with meaning.
We create textiles that are kind to our planet.
Textiles that tell a story of time and place.
Textiles that tell of passion and commitment.
We love that they connect people with the handmade.
We love that our fabrics are beautiful and useful.
We love that they are treasured for their integrity.

Crafted with love.

the process behind our tartan design

There are always constraints around designing something.

Telling someone else's story is complex on a number of levels. We are still working on these narratives, trying to ensure we tell the stories of others with respect and integrity. We believe the stories we are telling on behalf of those who came before us will both refine and expand as we learn more. Sharing the stories of the Waitaki is an honour. Weaving a tartan fabric that tells some of these stories is something dreams are made of.
We are so very grateful for this opportunity.

Our c1895 Hattersley Domestic Weaving System also provided us with a few design challenges. One of the limitations is the rotating shuttle box, which can only click once to the left or right for each colour change. We have five colours and six shuttles, so trying to tell complex cultural, historical and geographical stories is tricky; they need to be reduced to their essence.
Another limitation is our warping frame; we can only warp up one three inch section at a time, therefore there are a lot of bobbin changes. These limitations are all part of our Waitaki tartan story.

We acknowledge and appreciate the work done by Waitaha, Ngai Tahu, Vanished World, Waitaki Whitestone Geopark and Waitaki Culture and Heritage in guiding our understanding of the cultural, historical and geographical history of the Waitaki region.
DISCLAIMER: Any errors are unintentional and will be remedied as we learn and understand more.

The first people of Te Waipounamu (South Island) were Waitaha. They journeyed from Hawaiki on the Uruao waka and settled on what became the Canterbury Plains. Ngāti Māmoe and then Ngāi Tahu followed. Over time and with warfare, intermarriage and political alliances, a common allegiance to Ngai Tahu was forged.

The traditions of Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu are embedded in the landscape and our history of our region. As the stories, place names and traditions are interwoven throughout the landscape, we have attempted to weave them into our design.

the colours we have chosen, and what they mean to us

BUSH GREEN

Speaking to the native and exotic flora of the Waitaki, personal journeys and reflection.

AQUA

Interpreting the myriad colours of the Waitaki River and the Pacific Ocean, and the migration routes of peoples to, from and within the Waitaki.

ROCK GREY

Signifying the bedrock of the mountains, the volcanic basalt, the greywacke of the river stones, and the winding roads of the Waitaki.

FAWN

Reflecting the beauty and colour variants of fossil rich limestone and tussock of the Waitaki.

RED

Representing the peoples of the Waitaki: takata whenua and those who have migrated and settled here since.

 

step by step, the design unfolds

 

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