William Jefferies at Morley Gallery
Given how much I admire the work of weavers Anni Albers, Tadek Beutlich, and Peter Collingwood, it probably comes as no surprise that I loved this retrospective of William Jefferies – A Life in Tapestry at Morley Gallery in London. When I first started attending textile classes as a student at Morley, William’s tapestry class […]
Hawaiʻi at the British Museum
Hawaiʻi: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans is a superb exhibition of feathered cloaks, basketry helmets and fans, and intricately patterned bark cloth. It also traces the links between the kingdoms of Hawaiʻi and Britain, which were so strong that the Hawaiʻi flag incorporates the Union Jack. These links began in the late 18th century, when Kamehameha […]
A foray into upholstery
This is a bit of a diversion from my normal subject area. But I’m posting about it because upholstery is a subject I knew very little about, and it’s not until I tried it that I became aware just how much work is involved (a bit like basketry!). We have a set of six ladderback […]
Peter Collingwood at Margaret Howell
Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am a great fan of Peter Collingwood. His book The Maker’s Hand (aka Textile and Weaving Structures) is one of my favourite reference books for the way it analyses techniques from around the world, and I admire his engineering ability that can […]
Twining with bindweed
Much of my practice involves playing with different materials. Often I repeat the same technique with different materials, as the qualities of the material can have a significant effect on the result. Thickness, rigidity, flexibility, and even colour can make a piece look very different. Previously I’ve made spiky dodecahedrons by twining with hemp and […]
Claudia Alarcón and Silät at the De La Warr Pavilion
Many years ago at a Slow Food event in Italy, before I got into basketry, I bought a bag made in Argentina. What appealed to me was the cleverness of the open-weave structure, the colours (I took it for granted they were natural dyes), and the strong smell of woodsmoke, which persisted for quite a […]
More looping with two colours
Following on from my previous looping experiments, I decided to continue working with two colours. When I worked with simple and cross-knit looping in two colours before, I was working around a tube to create a cylinder, so no increases or decreases were required. But to make a basket base you start at the centre […]
Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern
In this beautiful, thought-provoking exhibition, Korean artist Do Ho Suh explores the concept of home, based on dwellings he has lived in in three cities – Seoul, New York, and London. By physically recreating aspects of these houses and apartments through rubbing and stitching, Suh explores the relationship between architecture, the body, and memory. What […]
Sukumo indigo vat
If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know that I used to do a lot of indigo dyeing before the basketry bug took hold. I’ve worked with synthetic and natural vats and also grew Japanese indigo in my garden. I used freshly picked leaves to create beautiful turquoise on silk, and also fermented the […]
Looping experiments
Now that my Morley College teaching year is finished, the July issue of the Basketmakers’ Association Journal has gone to press, and the weather has cooled down a bit, I have more time to play. One thing that I really enjoyed during the pandemic lockdown was having the time to try things out and experiment, […]
