Blanket designs for Gather Wool

Gather Wool based in Somerset, UK have recently launched their first range of British Wool textiles for the home. I created four designs for them, all using the two natural colours of the breed without the need for dyed colour.

We collaborated on the first project of this newly established business, which was to use the wool from their own Pedigree Ryeland sheep to produce premium blankets with provenance.

To be able to process their wool cost effectively in bigger batches, they offered to purchase wool of the same breed and quality from other local farms. The wool was processed into yarn by an Artisan Spinning Mill in Cornwall, then handed to me to develop designs for blankets using extensive hand-woven sampling.

Two Yorkshire mills were commissioned to weave the fabric to my specifications in the quantity required for each design, then complete the transition from woven cloth to blankets by specialist ‘finishing’.

The Gather Wool blankets are available directly via their website and through their carefully chosen outlets.

Fibreshed Exhibition at New Brewery Arts, Cirencester

As a member of Southwest England Fibreshed I have collaborated with the curation team at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester, on their Exhibition to show the circular journey of locally produced natural fibres – from regeneratively farmed sheep’s wool to woven cloth (in my case) via sustainable plant dyes. I’ve provided a weaving loom, a spinning wheel and woven samples to help illustrate the story.

Weaving course at West Dean College

I returned to West Dean College nr Chichester, last week to teach a 2 day course ‘Weaving on a Body-tensioned Loom’. The 8 students wove on two prepared warps- the first all white wool to master the basic techniques and the second Black Welsh Mountain and White Ryeland wools to start their experimentations with pattern and colour. For their third warp, students chose yarns and colours then wound their own warps and threaded their looms. The diverse outcomes from these beginner weavers was amazing – some wove in just one yarn and colour, others incorporated material they had brought with them.

SDC Members Exhibition at Bankside Gallery


Transformations at Bankside Gallery, London 


I will be showing a piece of work alongside over one hundred members of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, as we join together to show the collective skill of our community in transforming material to object.

If you would like to attend the opening event on the evening of Tuesday 14th June please get in touch and I will send you a link to the Eventbrite page.

Made for the Rhythm Exhibition

Pound Arts, Corsham, Wiltshire. From 15 April 2022 to 28 May 2022.

“An exhibtion exploring multi-sensory rhythms of making and composing art through diverse media including, light, sound, ceramics, drawing, typography and woven textiles”

Featuring a diverse range of my woven work including a room screen with woven paper panel, also works from five other participant artist/makers.

i will be teaching a 4 hour Weaving workshop on 7th May as part of this event (info under Tuition tab). Also a ”Live Art Event” will be taking place on Friday 20th May, featuring “experimental live art and music collaboration”

FibreQuest at Fernhill Farm

I have been invited by the organisers of Stitchfest Southwest to run weaving taster workshops at FibreQuest, a new venture for 2022. Fernhill Farm in the Mendip Hills has a well established Blade Shearing Farm Open Day, which has been expanded to include other fibre related exhibitors and workshops co-ordinated by Stitchfest, for whom I’ve taught before.

I have managed to squeeze in 4 sessions of 1 hour 15mins during Saturday, with space for 4 participants in each. Using a Body-tensioned loom, setup ready to go with local rare-breed Ryeland wool, you will have an hour to weave a sampler in un-dyed coloured wools and natural dyed yarns. What you weave is yours to take home.

Click here for link to FibreQuest for information and to book a workshop.

Studio reopens to students

From 17 May 2021 I will be pleased to welcome you back to my studio near Cirencester for mentoring, individual tuition or workshops.

The monthly ‘casual’ group weaving sessions are on hold for the present time, however in its place I am offering workshop sessions of 3 hours for individuals or two friends comfortable with each other’s proximity! A morning session can be extended after lunch is you want to stay all day. These sessions can be arranged on any weekday or saturday. For more details see under the COURSES tab.

Studio Weaving Sessions for 2020

Backstrap Loom with a rigid heddle

Dates and information for studio weaving sessions in 2020 can be found under the COURSES tab.

An opportunity to “do some more weaving” has been requested by several of the ‘students’ who have recently attended one of my Introduction to Weaving day workshops. I plan to open my weave studio one day a month to facilitate this; I will be on hand to provide equipment, yarns, know-how and hopefully inspiration to those who want to continue their learning and exploration of weaving.

Cumbria cushion collection at Get Fresh

The curator at the Devon Guild has done a wonderful job in displaying my pieces within the gallery space, complimenting the work of the other designer makers around me.

For ‘Get Fresh’ I wanted to show these two contrasting collections to reflect the diversity of my designs. Most of my patterns can be woven large or small in scale and be transferable from a rug design to a light soft furnishing fabric.

Although aesthetically quite different, both are designed through extensive sampling on the loom, then woven by hand, in British Wool from breeds not used widely (due to colour or properties of the wool or because they are designated as rare). I avoid using petrochemical dyes by extracting colour from nature or just using ‘non-white’ wool in browns, shades of grey and black.

The subtle patterning is created using just two alternating tones of grey in both warp and weft; simply put, where a pale weft weaves over a dark warp, a horizontal pale line results and a pale weft weaving under a dark warp results in a vertical pale line.

The cushions bear the names of places in Cumbria; the hardy Herdwick breed of sheep are native to it’s fells. I stayed in Newton Rigg on an Agricultural student exchange on my first visit to the Lake District many years ago.