Sometimes being quiet means being busy. Or so I tell myself when my blog posts get delayed. I have so much to write about but somehow…

My studio has actually been quite busy lately. I’m learning from others about how they came to weaving and how much it means to be able to mix threads and create cloth.  Weaving is more than just creating a fabric and the Saori way of looking at cloth gives an instant energy. Here you see Lyn totally enthralled with the production of her textile. It’s a mesmerizing process the final cut off the loom. Now she’ll go home and work to create another 30 metres threaded on her loom.

I’ve also been visiting new weavers and once again been taken aback by their aesthetic and design when let loose to their own ideas.

These pieces were woven by 13 year old Talitha. Yes, her mother couldn’t get near the loom as she devoured the warp with her expressive colourways and design ideas.

In Saori, studio owners aren’t really teachers in the conventional sense. We try to encourage the natural creative traits within the weaver as they become one with the loom and materials. Misao Jo called herself a ‘miner of jewels’ at one point, illustrating firstly the belief  in something essentially important within all and her ability and confidence in coaxing it from the weaver into their own textile design. I think this is why I love the Saori approach so much. A little bit of freedom in a world that isn’t always so.