Inspiration

Natural dyes and photographs of Canada

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Photoshop Manipulations

Playing with the colours of nature.

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Thread Wraps

Depicting colour combinations with thread wraps

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Collected Materials

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Work in Progress Exhibition

Display at the Work in Progress Exhibition in January and close ups of small frame weaving samples.

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Ripsmatta Munkabelte Samples

Samples woven on a table loom.

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Frame Weaving Samples

Samples woven on a frame with collected materials.

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British Wool

Development weaving for the Bradford Textile Competition with British Wool

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British Wool

Final sample sumbitted for the Bradford Textile Competion British Wool entry.

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Handspun Wool

Larger sample woven with handspun wool.

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Re-Thinking Rag Rugs

This collection is inspired by the small details and colours in the West Coast of Canada’s natural environment, combined with Scandinavian weaving techniques and patterns. A major influence has been my long personal familiarity with the Swedish “trasmatta” (a flat woven rag rug) which is found in many Scandinavian households and is still a common way to up-cycle old textiles. With this personal connection and being aware of today’s relationship with things such as fast fashion, it was my goal to use only donated and secondhand materials or fabrics and yarns. This created a challenge of using colours and textures dependent on what I could source through industry (such as Wallace and Sewell providing wool selvedge from scarves they produce) family, friends, and donations.

The project split into two main outcomes: pieces created with ‘rags’ woven on a frame loom and other pieces woven with secondhand yarns on a table loom (which was donated to me by a local Swedish weaver). Throughout this collection I have been very interested in the natural aspects of weaving, from the inspiration provided by Nature to dyeing my own rags with plants and flowers found in my grandparent’s garden. To keep with the theme of recycling I stored the dye in bottles I collected from working in a pub. Alongside this work my ‘complimentary collection’ was created using British Wool and I am now developing this with 100% raw wool donated by a local farm on the West Coast of Scotland. I turned this raw wool into useable yarn myself. The whole collection showcases the potential of reusing secondhand materials and creating something with a new life.