The Proof is in the Pudding
Hand-weaving in the studio has always been an important part of my practice. Often it has been a stage in the design process rather than an end in itself - all of the fabrics which I have put into production with a mill have started out as hand-woven samples. Here and there over the years though, alongside design and production projects I have welcomed and valued opportunities to make one-off hand-woven work in the studio.
Here above you can see my lovely old George Wood peg-and-lag dobby loom a couple of weeks ago. The piece in progress is a sort of deconstructed double-cloth which you can see as a finished wall-hanging below. It draws on the techniques and themes I have been exploring through this autumn and winter, and which I can’t wait to return to in the new year.
Weaving, by it’s nature requires a lot of planning and preparation long before you start to construct a fabric. It’s a careful balancing act between planning ahead, whilst also allowing for spontaneity and creativity in the process of constructing a fabric.
Even after many years of weaving, what emerges on the loom always has some element of surprise and revelation. However much you plan, project and anticipate, there is nothing like trying it for real… the proof, after all, is in the pudding.
Over the years, I’ve been lucky to work on some wonderful hand-woven projects - these have included large woven banners for the National Trust Central Office, couture fabric for Christian Lacroix and vestments for Ely cathedral, alongside numerous private commissions.
Here are a few of the hand-woven pieces I have made in more recent times. The pieces above are woven with a supplementary weft yarn spun from nettle stems, and the one below is made with high-twist singles wool weft floats.
For more on these projects please see the links below: