#299 Autumn 2026

There seem to be a lot of women featured in this issue of The Journal WSD. But there the similarities end. Our women span several thousand years, are of all ages and are spread across the globe.

On p.5, Elisabeth Viguié-Culshaw describes indigo experimentation in Thailand earlier this year working with elders of the Radical Grandma Collective whilst on p.18 Catharine Ellis offers a very different persective on indigo dyeing. Dr Carey Fleiner shifts the spotlight back to the classical world of the Greeks and Romans on p.30 to survey the social significance of weaving for women of that time.  Returning to the UK, and moving from the elders in Thailand to women in their early careers, on p.26 there are profiles of four women who have embraced the Fibreshed ethos and are carving out careers for themselves in the north of England.

But if you would rather learn a skill than hear about others’ work, there are practical articles as well. These cover wool combing, tablet weaving and spinning from the fold. Take a look at the contents list to the right to see everything in this issue.

Our next issue will be our 300^th and to mark that milestone we shall look at what has gone before and how it paves the way to the future, with an issue based around the heritage of The Journal WSD.

Finally, I am sorry to tell you that as we were preparing this issue, we learned that Paddy Bakker, Life President of the AGWSD had died. Her name will be familiar to many longer-standing members and there will be an obituary in the Winter issue of The Journal WSD.