About My Work

 

I studied Design for Handweaving at Bradford College of Art. Much of the work I do is still inspired to some extent, by themes I worked on then.

 

I like working with paper yarns, which is something I experimented with for my ‘African banknotes’ series at college: I had recently made trips to Swaziland and Rwanda, and spare currency is something I always like to keep as a souvenir. I like to mix the paper with natural fibre yarns such as linen, wool and silk, and in this way produce woven vessels, and sometimes other items such as notebook covers. Sometimes, and probably increasingly so this work is becoming more ‘mixed-media’ as I use stitch, paint  etc.

 ’sea urchin’ – mixed media textile.

 

Another side of my work is producing scarves and bags. Producing texture in my ‘wearables’ is important, so I often use the different properties of yarns and fibres to produce interesting end results in woven fabric. Woven fabric is rarely ‘finished’ when it comes off the loom, and there are different treatments such as steaming or ironing recommended for different yarns – so when they are mixed you can ‘plan’ for a particular end result, but sometimes serendipity plays a part too…

My first weaving experience was on a tapestry loom, and this is something I am again doing more of – mostly producing work to be hung.

I also dye yarns – some I use in my own work, others I sell at local craft fairs as Jillian Morris Textile Designs.

You can see some more examples of my work on my Gallery page.