Although I come from a cotton mill town in East Lancashire, I love sea swimming and dipping — especially in cold water. I’ve lived near the sea for the last twenty years, but it’s only in the last seven years, that I’ve actually come to enjoy going in the water, particularly through the winter months.It is not therefore surprising that the sea influences my craft.
Cardboard loom weaving
Being gifted a large bag of wool, whilst I am enjoying learning to weave was a great opportunity to make weavings that represent Lundy and North Devon,. Like me, You can buy a cardboard loom which is re-suable. Once you have a template you can use it to create others.
Weaving Inspired by the Sea
Both pieces were made on homemade cardboard looms, using a variety of fibres and patterns to represent the sea. They were hung with pieces of wood drifted in from the sea.
The first weaving represents the beach on Lundy where the seascape of Lundy where the waves wash up on the Landing Beach and the sea stretches out to the horizon. The second one was inspired by Saunton Sands, it long beaches, its waves which are popular with surfers. These two beaches look across the Bristol Channel, at each other.
The weavings represent the seascapes of Lundy (A SSSI and Marine Protected Area ) and North Devon’s Sandy beaches ( Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and now home to the UK’s first Surf Reserve.)
I have also used the cardboard looms when running mini weaving workshops at the St Helen’s Education Centre.
These are now sold.