Clothworkers' Foundation Award Success

Prizewinning 'Woven Fabrics for Interiors' competition entry - woven by MYB Textiles in Ayrshire. 

My competition entry has won second place and a prize award in the Clothworkers' Foundation Award competition. This attracts entries from students and industry from all over the country so I am delighted to have been successful. I will receive my award next month at the presentation ceremony at Salts Mill, West Yorkshire. 

My work will also be exhibited on the third floor gallery at Salts Mill - which is the home to the largest collection of David Hockney's art and the work of Henry Marvell Carr R.A.

More images and information to follow. 

Woolmark Company Award

This is a highly competitive award and I am delighted that one of my fabrics have received a Commendation. This is great news. It is extremely gratifying that the highly experienced team of professional judges have selected my work as of particular merit. 

The award will be presented at a Textile Industry seminar in Saltaire in May. 

More news and photo to follow soon.

Silk fabric now available to purchase - Made in the UK

Silk fabrics from the "Cool Heat" collection are now available from David Walters in Sudbury UK.

http://www.davidwalters.co.uk/

MYB Textiles in collaboration →

See here : More news and info from MYB Textiles

MYB Textiles have been working with me to produce sheers for my collection. They have been tremendously helpful and great to work with. Thank you MYB.

Fabrics find a ready market at Interiors UK

Last week my fabrics received a great deal of attention at Interiors UK. They were praised for their modern bold aesthetic and striking colours. The designs were based on my research drawings of ancient artefacts, buildings and ceramics but have been translated into soft geometrics and clean graphics. 

My new fabrics on the stand at Interiors UK

All of the fabrics have been woven here in the UK and I'm delighted to report that all the silks are now in commercial production with the prestigious David Walters Fabrics of Sudbury (contact Richard Norris 01787 466677 for more info) who have included my designs and colours in their new collection.  

Silks and Lace

Wool and Cotton 

I am now in conversation with a British mill, hoping to produce my heavier- weight fabrics and make them available to purchase. These large samples pieces were woven at the University of Derby on the Jacquard loom and are fine wool on a cotton warp. They would be ideal for upholstery and created quite a buzz with prospective buyers - they were definitely favourites at the show. These will of course need to be tested for durability prior to becoming available for sale, in line with furnishing industry normal requirements and I can't wait to see them in production .

One of four fabulous Scottish Madras Lace panels 

The lace, above, woven for me by MYB Textiles in Ayryshire, was also widely admired. This unique voile fabric has a fine base (in this case cotton) into which the pattern is gradually woven. Once complete, all the non-woven threads are snipped away leaving the pattern as if floating in the gauze. My striking designs and this age-old technique are united to create a contemporary translucent fabric which would work well in both modern and traditional spaces. I would love to experiment further with this beautiful fabric.

In addition to working with the companies above I also had invaluable help and advice from DHJ Weisters of Darwen. They worked with me on a number of other designs, one of which was on show with my small samples. I am still working with Weisters, so hopefully there will be more to show here soon.

Designs Shortlisted for Prestigious National Award →

More info here: http://www.interiorsuk.com/page.cfm/Link=65

The New Design Britain Awards is an established competition for new design talent. The judges have just announced the finalists in each of the four categories. One of these categories is 'Fabrics', and I'm delighted that I have been selected to go through to the final stage which will be judged at the trade show Interiors UK in January 2014.

My collection, Cool Heat,  which will be shown there, takes its colour palette from the baked earth and cool water of the Mediterranean. Using fluid hand-worked graphics, the designs come directly from the heritage of Southern Italy - its buildings, ancient artefacts and ceramics. Some of my artwork can be seen here, but designs are much simplified and hopefully bridge the gap between geometric and organic patterning.

The judges are buyers Diane Goode (Fromental) and  Anna Rigby (John Lewis), the director of Rubelli, Vivienne Griffin, photographer Barbara Chandler and Dids Macdonald (CEO of Anti Copying in Design). They are looking for new and innovative work for interiors. 

Whilst clearly it would be fabulous to win this award, I am delighted that my work will gain exposure within the interiors market by being exhibited at the N.E.C. alongside established textiles companies.

Prizewinning Finalist in Goodweave Rug Design Competition

WORK TO BE SHOWN AT DECOREX

I am delighted that the judges of the GoodWeave Rug Design Competition 2013 have chosen my design (right) as a prize-winning runner-up in this competition. 

My work will now be featured on the GoodWeave stand at the leading interior design show in the UK: Decorex International, which runs from 22-25 September in London. A sample 'strike-off' will be hand knotted for this display in Nepal. 

The brief was to produce a series of mood boards based on 2013/14 catwalks but re-interpreted for the interiors market. The judges were designers Roger Oates and Ella Doran , Katrina Burroughs the style journalist, and competition sponsors Lucy and Richard Meager (Jacaranda Carpets) and Paul Vowles (WovenGround).

GoodWeave works to end child labour in the carpet industry and offers educational opportunities to children in Nepal, India and Afghanistan. It works alongside a wide range of prestigious companies to create luxurious rugs in an ethical way. I am so pleased to have had my work chosen to feature in their display and hopefully, contribute to their success.

Below are my winning design board images and my design statement.

“Monochrome fashion trends are a consistent thread of the 2013/14 runways, sometimes laced with hints of vibrant colour. Fabrics are strong on graphics, but disrupted in some way. My rug design takes an interiors twist on this trend.
My patterning is reminiscent of ‘op-art’, with bold and repeated shapes, but softened to suit the aesthetic of today’s interior space. With the use of hand knotting and traditional materials and techniques, I aim to create modern classics, smart and luxurious, designed for contemporary living.”

Bradford Textiles Design Competition Success

CLOTHWORKERS' FOUNDATION AWARD  'A Woven Fabric for Mens or Womenswear'

I am delighted to have won a commendation for one of my fabrics in this prestigious competition. The Society's annual competition attracts almost 1,000 entries from students throughout the UK. 

The commendation was awarded for my Meandering Checks fabric (right) which is 97% wool, 3% polyamide and was woven on a Bonus jacquard loom. This fabric marks the beginning of my 'Black & White' range and was a development from previous work on the handloom.

The sample below shows my original trial piece, which was woven on an 8 shaft Harris table loom using British wools.