From the loom
Three looms, two weavers, one very old dog
Felin Wen has been weaving in the Teifi valley since 1951. In 2019 the last owner retired, and his apprentice Elin Rhys and her brother Huw took it on rather than let the looms be sold for scrap.
Every blanket is woven double, so the pattern is one colour on the front and the reverse on the back. A double takes two days on the loom and another day to finish by hand.
Every colour comes from a plant
No synthetic dyes, ever. Which means every batch is a little different, and that's the point.
Madder
From the root of the madder plant, grown on the allotment behind the mill.
Woad
From woad leaves, fermented for a week in the old dye house. The smell is memorable.
Weld
From weld, a wild flower that grows along the railway line.
Walnut
From walnut hulls collected from the tree by the chapel every October.
Colourways: Madder and fleece, Woad and weld, Walnut and fleece, Slate and woad, Weld and madder.
The wool comes from four farms within twenty miles.
“My nain had one of these on her bed for forty years. I bought the same pattern for my daughter's first flat. It's lighter than I remember, and just as warm.”
Ceri W.
Aberystwyth
“Ordered the Seren throw in woad and weld. It arrived with a handwritten note from Elin about the star. Lovely people.”
James O.
Leeds
Visit the mill
The shop and weaving shed are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 till 4. Come and watch a blanket come off the loom. Felin Wen, Drefach Felindre, Carmarthenshire SA44 5UP.
siop@felinwen.cymru or 01559 370 418