Franki Brewer and Juliet Bailey of Dash and Miller have been awarded scholarships by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust for their proposal to undertake an in-depth research project into woven textile manufacturing processes existing within the UK today.
Dash & Miller Studio has been creating hand-woven design for the textile industry since 2009, working with both national and global clients in all areas of the fashion and interior fabric sectors. The designs, which are all created on hand-looms at the studio, are often then utilised by the client in the development of mass-produced commercial fabric on an industrial scale.They exhibit regularly at Indigo trade fair, Paris
Franki and Juliet seek to expand their knowledge of industrial spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing processes both modern and traditional in order to inform their own hand-woven designing. By applying for The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, Franki and Juliet have secured funding and support to complete their research project, which will culminate in a number of talks and presentations in late 2014.
The project, which stretches from 2013-2014 will co-ordinate a series of visits by the hand-woven textile designers from Dash & Miller to various mills, production facilities, and educational institutes around Britain, incorporating technical inductions in commercial processes in order to explore the methods and skills used in creating finished fabric.
Through this exercise Franki and Juliet aim to highlight the relevance of modern craft within the global industry of textiles which also runs deep in our heritage, and hope that this exchange of knowledge between individuals will, in part, help to enrich the British textile manufacturing industry as a whole.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) makes awards ranging between £1,000 and £18,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers. Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £2.3 million to 319 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50 plus for study, training and work experience.
QEST, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. The Trustees look for well thought-out projects, which will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British Craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.
For more information about QEST or Dash and Miller, please see the following links:
www.qest.org.uk
www.dashandmiller.com
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