Jules

I was taught to knit and sew by Granny and Mum as a child, and have used those skills to make and mend many family garments and homewares ever since. More recently, with family needs saturated, my knitwear has sold well via Scottish Island Gifts. I discovered and fell in love with weaving in 2020 and this has given scope for new areas of creativity and a wider range of products.

To say I find inspiration for my creations in all the ‘scapes’ - land, sea and sky - is too vague. More specifically, it is colour combinations and patterns that fill my senses and have me rushing back to the studio to sketch out a new piece with my rainbow pot of old school crayons.

I can find those colours and patterns in everything from a lichen covered rocky outcrop, to an old fishing net, to the stunning plumage of our wild birds, or sunshine across a swathe of machair. But I can also find great colours on food packaging (those tea boxes!), artworks, textiles, furniture, and even in other folks’ clothing and eye colour! A memory bank chock full of colours and textiles from my many years travelling the world further informs my creativity. Colour gives me joy, especially those colour combinations that truly zing when juxtaposed.

Yarn is another source of inspiration. Everything I use is natural - wool, alpaca, mohair, cotton, linen, silk. I find great joy in using yarns from many different sources the world over, and always seek to know the story behind each source, be it wool from a Scottish sheep farm or leftover silk from sari makers in India.