George Weil Blog & FAQs

I've had a little play with the Derwent Inktense Pencils on watercolour paper. I won't win any prizes for my drawing but it does demonstrate how satisfying it is to use these water-soluble pencils. Drawing with Derwent Inktense Pencils The pencil core (or "lead") feels quite waxy on the rough textured paper, and the pigment transfers easily. I used

How a Dobby Loom Works A dobby weaving loom has a dobby mechanism, which is used to program the harness combinations for the weave pattern. Dobby is short for “draw boy” which refers to the weaver’s helper who controlled the warp thread by pulling on draw threads. The dobby mechanism replaces the treadle/lam combination of the traditional flo

It's been a busy few weeks here at George Weil so it was good to get together and let our hair down. Thank you Ian for our Christmas treat! Top, left to right: Cara, Sophie, Jo and Ian Middle, left to right: Ian, Susan and David Bottom, left to right: Simon, (Cara in the background), Allison and Sophie

Reduce, reuse, recycle - here's a fun way to add bling to used glass jars for Christmas, parties or weddings. Simply make up a solution of the glistening Pearl Ex pigments and clear Deka Cristal glass paint and decorate away! How to Mix the Pearl Ex and Glass Paint Solution Jacquard Pearl Ex Pigments can be combined with practically any viscous m

Have you ever been disappointed by the results of the washing machine dyes you find at the supermarket? The zip or the stitching didn't take the dye colour? This is why it is important to know the fibre content and which dyes to use to get an even colour which stays washfast. Here we include a listing of the dyes available from this website, and th

It's never too late to change direction in life and customer Jo Aylwin is living proof! Before training as a solictor, Jo had discovered weaving as a student in Norway in 1975. Although in love with the craft, she did not encounter weaving again for another 30 years. The workshop she attended at UCA Farnham in 2005 rekindled her interest and now sh

Here's another colourful craft project for children from Cara Barrell. These personalised towels were created using a waterproof adhesive tape as a resist and Procion MX fibre reactive dyes. Procion MX dyes are formulated specifically for dyeing natural plant fibres such as cotton and linen. They are permanently fixed to the fabric when combined wi

Dye-Lishus Cotton Sliver is an undyed, PFD (prepared for dyeing) cotton fibre that has been treated to accept dye colour directly using any dye stuff. The cellulose structure is changed so that it behaves as if scoured and mordanted in preparation for dyeing before it goes to the mill; there is no chemical added to the fibre. There is no need to us

What indeed! Poor Sophie had a minor disaster this morning while picking a customer's order. She reached out to pick up a jar of yellow Javana Silk Paint which promptly fell out of her hands. The lid cracked when it hit the floor and Sophie was covered in a citrusy yellow paint. It was very amusing to find her in the warehouse mopping up the spill

Welcome to the brand new George Weil website for your art and craft supplies. We're delighted to provide our customers with this much improved shopping experience. What's different about the new George Weil website? The enhanced product search gives you instant, accurate results. There are more top level categories to let you browse the website by

We're often asked by customers if we do any of the many crafts featured on the George Weil website. And yes we do! This still life was painted by our colleague Allison using Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylics on Canvas Board. She chose a limited palette of Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine, White. "I chose to keep the number of colours to a minim

Here we include tips on how to dye polyester clothing with Fibrecrafts Disperse Dyes and Jacquard iDye Poly Dyes. Things to Concider when Dyeing Polyester Clothes Firstly you need to be absolutely certain about the type of fabric and select a dye which will work on it. Polyester has to be dyed using Disperse dyes in boiling water. These dyes are

Understanding a little about colour theory can help you to decide which colours to choose for art or craft projects. The success of a project, whether it be woven cloth or a watercolour painting, can be determined by choosing the best colour relationships. Primary Colours The primary colours red, yellow and blue are the only colours that cannot be

Simple and effective Christmas Wreath decorations made from Merino Wool Tops by Cara and Jo Barrell. How to Make the Christmas Wreath You will need a framework on which to attach the wool tops, and these can be found in floristry sections in garden centres. If you can't find one, you can bend a wire coat hanger into a circle, leaving the hook a

Congratulations to our friend and colleague, Julie Scanlon who begins her retirement journey this week. If you have placed an order by phone, or called us with a query, you may well have spoken to Julie who has been part of the George Weil sales team for nearly 14 years. Julie has plans to fill her time travelling all over the world, doting on her

I am new to tapestry weaving and this is my first attempt at using a loom. To try weaving I used the Schacht Lilli loom. This is a simple design so it was easier for me to understand how the loom works. The first thing I did was print off a set of instructions on how to warp the tapestry loom and a simple guide on how to weave. This included diagra

You may have seen our post Tie-dyed Onesies using Jacquard Procion MX dyes in which professional nannies Cara and Kim did some fun tie-dyeing with the children they look after. This post shows what the children made with the left over dyes! Tie-dye Pillowcase Project The white pillowcase were first prepared for dyeing and then soaked in a solution

A visit to the Weald & Downland Living Museum takes us on a journey through 950 years of English rural history. There are 50 historical buildings which were carefully rebuilt within the 40 acre site, demonstrations and exhibits, plus an extensive artefact collection housed in the award-winning Downland Gridshell Building. Throughout the year, t

Wishing Liam (the tall one!) every success and happiness in his new job. We at George Weil will miss you. Liam has been working with us for a couple of years now and as much as we would like to keep him, he has received a job offer he can't resist.

Did you know that Doctor Ian Bowers, Managing Director of George Weil & Sons Ltd, has run the business since it merged with Fibrecrafts, over 20 years ago? Fibrecrafts was set up in 1982 by Anna Bowers, to offer textile crafts supplies for hand spinners, weavers, dyers, felt makers and knitters. Anna set the standard for the service we are prou