Being a Designer Maker

The Point of it All

I was recently approached at a Makers’ market by a well known outdoor apparel and surf wear company, whose focus is on functional and sustainable products. The conversation started off well and I felt there was genuine interest in my high quality handwoven homeware and gifts.  The very pleasant and professional marketing people then continued to question me about where I get my goods made up. They were truly shocked to learn that everything I make under my Godrevy Textiles brand is constructed by me. The cloth is woven entirely by myself in our kitchen and every item is sewn in my workshop shed on a domestic sewing machine. These lovely people could not get their heads around how a one person Artisan business can grow and thrive in today’s world without outsourcing at least part of the process abroad.

This conversation led me to muse on other comments I frequently receive about my weaving practice.  I’ve had all kinds of assumptions made about the practicalities of my work. “You must have a jacquard loom or at the very least a dobby” is one I hear a lot. “Do you use a flying shuttle or computer aided design?” is another frequent observation.

The thing is, I don’t have or use any of these things. For me it’s the actual point of my work: that every part of my practice is manual. I work my designs out on graph paper, draw down my own drafts.  My loom is a basic mechanical eight shaft floor loom. There is no electricity or computer assistance at any stage. It is my pleasure and pride to work this way.  After nearly five years with my current loom I feel it’s an extension of my own skeleton. I use every bit of its capability. If I want to try a technique, I break it down into component parts and create methods to recreate the same end result thread by thread.  

My motivation is a sense of “enoughness”, which is a topic I shall explore in another post. I want to create incredibly beautiful textiles that literally don’t cost the earth and remain accessible to purchase for a large majority of people.  This also determines my selling choices, which don’t include galleries or middle men of any sort. From reaching customers at source, at Artisan Fairs  and through my website, there is a real connection between Maker and User and that sits very well with me. 

Oh as a PS, you may be very pleased to hear the talent scouts left my stand with several significant purchases for themselves 😉