Handweaving has a long and venerable history in the art of textile production and is still used worldwide to create unique pieces of fabric for clothing, interiors and simply for art's sake. It also offers a sustainable solution to industrial fabric production, largely due to its near-zero waste process.
In this Masterclass, we are taking you through the process of working with a weaver to produce your own handwoven textile. We cover the basics of handweaving, from choosing a loom, to which yarns to use, to working with artisanal weavers.
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An Introduction to Handweaving Fabrics with Maria Sigma
with Maria SigmaSummary
Maria Sigma is an award-winning textile designer/weaver specialising in 'zero waste' ethical hand-woven textiles for interiors. She studied at Chelsea College of Art & Design, and since she graduated in 2014, she has developed her own weaving practice in London.
She has collaborated with brands such as Soho House, Selfridges, The New Craftsmen, London Craft Week, OXO Tower and TOAST. Here, she met with us to explain the basics of handweaving and how she incorporates a zero-waste, sustainable approach to her practice.
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Basics of Handweaving: Downloadable Guide
with The SFC TeamSummary
This handy downloadable guide introduces you to the basics of handweaving, from demystifying weaving terms to choosing the suitable loom for your weaving project.
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Choosing the Right Ethical Yarn for Your Handweaving Project: Downloadable Guide
with The SFC TeamSummary
All yarns are not the same - even yarns made of the same fibres! Depending on their type, they can behave differently in a finished cloth. This downloadable explores different, sustainable fibres suitable for weaving and their properties when handwoven into finished fabrics.
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Questions to Ask When Designing Your Own Handwoven Textiles
with Charlie Bradley RossSummary
Designing your own handwoven textile is such an exciting prospect, and the possibilities are endless. To help guide you to a pain-free collaboration, here's what to bear in mind when making your final decisions.
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How Handweaving Clusters Support Livelihoods And Wellbeing
with Amit SinghaSummary
Handwoven fabrics form an integral part of Indian's rich textile culture and, in Bengal, the tradition is particularly strong with a significant cluster of handloom workers operating to produce everything from fine jacquard saris to khadi fabrics.
This interview with an expert in the field explains how handweaving clusters in East India operate, how they support family life and wellbeing, and why they are a stable form of livelihood for this area of the world.
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Supportive Solutions To Restore Regional Weaving Practices
with Dianoshiya Dorothy ClementSummary
Weaver and designer Dianoshiya Dorothy Clement joins us to introduce her work with artisans in the Chennimalai province of the Tamil Nadu region of India. With the population of weavers decreasing due to lack of demand and increase in faster textile production elsewhere, there needs to be sympathetic solutions that will provide the craftspeople with both income and creativity to restore the pride in this profession.
This is a beautiful explanation of how to work supportively with an artisan community, along with insight into the affects of declining production on poverty levels. The lesson also includes a film from Dianoshiya that gives you a real look at what handloom weavers do.
Past Events
Find More
Masterclass: Fighting Poverty with Fashion [The Sustainable Fashion Collective]
Khadi and handloom: India's indigenous reply to shrinking jobs and ecological damage [The New Leam]
About weaving [Maiwa]
Additional Reading
Ethical silk fabrics and what the complex terminology really means
Saturday Mar 13th, 2021
Indian Handwoven Khadi Fabrics For Clothing And Interiors
Tuesday Jan 5th, 2021
In Conversation With: Stag & Bow, Purveyors Of Historic Craft And Haberdashery
Wednesday Oct 14th, 2020
What can you make with our Recycled Polyester Satin fabrics?
Wednesday Jul 1st, 2020
Eco producers, manufacturers and innovators at Première Vision September 2019
Monday Sep 30th, 2019
Tips for attending fabric trade shows like Première Vision
Monday Sep 30th, 2019
Start treating your offcuts with respect with these creative upcycling ideas for fabric scraps
Monday Aug 19th, 2019
Recycling for Fashion: Should We Give Plastics a Second Chance?
Monday Jul 22nd, 2019
The Rise of Fashion's Obsession with Plastic Fibres
Monday Jul 8th, 2019
Innovative Materials for Fashion: The Questions You Should Be Asking
Monday Jun 24th, 2019