Please treat this letter as your personal invitation to both a unique day of demonstrations by the cream of crafters from far and near, interesting visitors from many countries, and a memorable evening of music, stories, poetry and craic.
With our new outlet-shop in Berlin now open and absorbing a lot of energy (and time) as well as the mill here at Derrylane busier than ever, we have neglected communication with some of our friends a little bit. Here’s our promise:
Saturday, September 14th is going to make up for that – and more!!
The Old Flax Mill will provide the unique setting for a gathering of textile-experts, artists, crafters and visitors – as usual from many parts of the world – which you won’t find anywhere else. The complete programme for the day and the evening is going to the media within the next few days (as always, we are keeping a few special surprises “up our sleeves”) – here are some of the attractions “up front”, to water your mouth:
Crafts and Demonstrations Galore!
LYNDA KELLY on her spinning wheel. Lynda is one of the best hand spinners on these shores, her specialist yarns are reputed well beyond Ireland. Experience her in action!
EMMA WHITEHEAD will show hand embroidery. Her pictures on linen are unique and much sought after. Emma’s art of embroidery has no match. She will let you see how it’s done!
CHRISTINE BOYLE stunned many of our visitors with her dyeing-demonstration last year. The owner of the “colour and cloth” company uses natural dyes only and has done some unique work for Flax-Mill-Textiles recently. Her dye-pot will be boiling all day!
JACKI SLEATOR will come to our Open Day for the first time. The County Tyrone based felter and fashion designer will show how wool is being felted.
SHUTTLES FLYING!
We will demonstrate weaving on at least two of our looms. MAURA McKEE from Omagh is going to take the driving seat at one of them and we expect Ireland’s best designer beyond doubt, SARAH MORRISON from Derry City to give us the honour and give our fly-shuttle-loom “the works”.
We will have visitors from Ireland’s oldest linen-mill (Clarks of Upperlands), “old hands” in flax-scutching and some of the new crop of our flax here for you to see. Add to that tailors, knitters, and fashion-designers – where else would you get it?
There will be two blacksmiths showing red-hot skills. BRENDAN COSGROVE is going to give a demonstration in ring-making.
You will find hand-made soap from County Antrim, Ireland’s best wood-turner and his products, unique jewellery, some of it made from bog-oak, coffee roasted in Upperlands, buttons made in Belfast…..you name the high quality product – it’s there for you.
As always, our visiting crafters are “hand-picked” genuine manufacturers. Dealers and “cheap and nasty stuff” won’t be near the place.
Let us spoil you!
How would a piece of home-made cake, freshly baked by one of Germany’s top confectioners, go down? Or – if you care to stay into the evening – a 15 metre long buffet the likes of which you have never seen? Our catering brigade from Berlin is sharpening the knives as we write this.
Very special visitors!
There hasn’t been an Open Day without them and there were always very pleasant surprises. We won’t tell you all of them. We can reveal that BALLYMONEY OLD VEHICLE CLUB is coming to Flax – Mill with a large number of unique classic cars. Their visit in 2012 was absolutely spectacular and we feel honoured to welcome them back this year.
Old bicycles are going on the road to come all the way from England, a steam engine (first time!) will be there, MARTIN WHITEHEAD from Strangford hasn’t told us whether it will be his one-and-only Lagonda or the equally unique Riley – car, he is going to land in……
We could fill pages of good news like this!
N. Ireland’s oldest lady on the road!
Our friend CRAIG MATTHEW doesn’t do “half-measures” – he will drive the country’s oldest commercial vehicle to the Flax-Mill and rumours are that the 1929 Morris-lorry is going to carry a load of flax from our field in Upperlands!
This short version of the programme shows one thing:
It makes absolutely no sense to go anywhere else on September 14th – and that is only the day, never mind the evening!
The Flax Mill Open Day starts at 9 am and runs to 6pm!
The Evening Concert
“Ireland’s most spectacular private gathering”, a Dutch journalist called it once and 2013 will see another event in a league of its own.
WILLIE DRENNAN, folk-singer, Lambeg-drum-Rocker, fiddler and story-teller without anyone to match him, set the place rocking last year. HE WILL BE BACK! We experienced up to 9 musicians on stage in 2012 – we are going to beat that!
Take this in and tell us where else you could find it
Irelands best bodhran player (and maker), SEAMUS O’KANE! Banjo-maestro JOE DIAMOND! Guitar- and trumpet-virtuoso JOHN TROTTER! Songwriter/singer BOB SPEERS!
That’s just the tip of the ice-berg, we have a couple of real crackers in the back of our hands, watch out for the local press-reports.
Whether you are going to make it for the Open Day only or for day and evening – I (and all of us here at Flax Mill) would love to welcome you and your friends and family on Saturday, September 14th! Don’t be shy to pass this on to a good friend and remember:
THERE WON’T BE ANY STRANGERS HERE – JUST FRIENDS SOME OF WHOM YOU HAVEN’T MET!
MARION BAUR
Owner of Flax-Mill-Textiles