About me
‘I like every part of designing and making textiles but, for me, the best bit is when I start to weave – I love being on the loom! If a pattern isn’t too complex you can work at speed – it’s a very rhythmical, focused and calming process.’
I’m fascinated by the different qualities of my materials – the rich colours and softness of merino wool, the stiffness of silk, the ways fibres buckle and felt when you combine them. I like to use eco cottons because they are recycled from the textile industry’s cotton waste, but also because of their history and handling – spun, woven, washed, cut, sewn, worn, washed, worn again, washed….. And there’s always the lucky dip of the grab bag of yarns I’ve collected over the years or been given by other designers – necessity being the mother of invention.
The women in my family have always sewed, knitted and crocheted so working with fabric is something I’ve responded to. I’m always looking out for evidence of the maker’s hand in the idiosyncrasy of a hand-turned hem or buttonhole.
I never know where I’ll find my next idea. It can be in a historical textiles collection or an exhibition. But just as often I find them in the little boxes of stuff I’ve collected over years or in a backstreet shop in an unfamiliar city selling tablecloths and linens.
‘For me, weaving is about creating something from nothing: colours that catch the eye or imagination in a book, in a kimono at the V&A, or the inky silhouette against a dusky pink sky.’
See a video of me weaving
here.
Featured in The Times and The Sunday Times Home instagram Maker Monday slot championing the handmade and unique products and makers of the UK (@timesproperty) in March ’21 here.
I studied Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and gained a BA in 1997. I have stocked my unique handmade cushions and handwoven scarves in stockists in London, Canterbury, Leeds, Salisbury and Shetland, as well as the William Morris Gallery. I regularly exhibited at shows including the East London Design Show, Hidden Art, Country Living and others. I made unique fabric samples (in felt and crochet) for designers including the Luella label, Lezley George, Elena Garcia Eco Couture, Ptolemy Mann and Academy Costume (theatrical and film costumiers) over the past twenty years.
I have worked as a visiting artist educator at the William Morris Gallery, and for the past fourteen years, as the founder of E17 Designers, a group of 100+ artists, makers and designers. I have organised many designer-maker markets in my local area, and in conjunction with The Barbican and Create London at the annual Walthamstow Garden Party., where we had a whole marquee! I have been a trustee at the Blackhorse Workshop since its inception, always fascinated by the working methods of other makers.
You can find me either sitting at my loom in Walthamstow, at a small table at Ince Umbrellas, Bethnal Green (est.1805) hand finishing umbrellas, or running marketing campaigns for other small, local businesses.
(Photography Nicola Tree)