CladThrow - an  installation recycled

In November 2009 a derelict traditional Mid-Wales timber-framed cottage was wrapped in the fleece of 300 local-breed sheep for Oriel Davies in Newtown, Powys, Wales. (see Clad)

Clad Throw is a limited edition of pure woolen throws made entirely from the installation. Woven by one of the finest bespoke mills in Wales, the throws are not just a legacy of the installation, but of the heritage of the Welsh wool industry as a whole.

The installation drew on the textile heritage of Newtown and the vernacular black and white architecture of East Montgomeryshire. Both in turn a product of the landscape surrounding the town.
The fleece used was Kerry Hill - for the white, and Black Welsh Mountain with black Kerry Hill for the pattern.

Clad used raw fleece from locally bred sheep, the natural oils in the fleece making it robust enough to withstand the rain and snow through a particularly harsh winter.

In February 2010, the fleece was removed from the building and sorted. The fleece was then scoured and spun by the Natural Fibre Company in Launceston, Cornwall. The wool was kept unbleached or dyed to maintain the subtle colour variations in the original installation.

The spun yarn was woven in a traditional Welsh weave by Melin Teifi at the Welsh National Wool Museum. Raymond and Dianne Jones of Melin Teifi have been weaving in the historic Teifi valley for most of their lives and are now the last mill in what was once the largest textile producing areas in Wales.  The traditional check pattern has been exaggerated to create a unique pattern of the same proportions as the original installation.

Finished to the highest standard, CladThrows is the story of the Welsh woollen industry and represent the cream of what was once the national product.

Each throw is hand numbered and accompanied by a signed archival print of the original installation.