The Point Paper Art Company who access my textile archive for their Artwork and Greeting card range just had confirmation they have been accepted as an exhibitor at The Festival of Making on 12th 13th May, St Georges Hall in Blackburn. Some of their recent Art range has been reproduced from archives of Lancashire mills origin!  The point paper pictured ref WB106 was drawn up in 1954 for weaver W. Birtwistle (Damask) ltd of Navigation Mill, Blackburn. There are just short of 1 million squares on this ‘binary code’ point paper art piece. Each individual square had to be painted (or not painted) before the  Jacquard looms pattern cards were cut for the loom to weave their fabric… CAD did away with the need for textile point paper and the ‘slow’ loom card reading. Ironically CAD technology has enabled The Point Paper Art Company to reproduce this lost craft to show point paper to a new audience.    www.richardmrsmith.com/archive

Richard M R Smith