TALENT SPOT
From her home studio overlooking the stunning North Cornwall coast, you’ll find hand weaver Teresa Dunne busy creating colourful lambswool cloths on her vintage floor loom. A loom with a view, the traditional device can produce up to two metres of cloth per day, which Teresa then makes into beautiful scarves and cushion covers. Having worked in textiles for many years, it was only recently, during a degree in Textile Practices at Plymouth College of Art, that Teresa discovered her love for hand weaving. ‘I was instantly hooked,’ she says. ‘So I purchased a pre-loved, four-shaft floor loom, collected together wool, tools and books, and began to teach myself using online tutorials. Gradually I gained confidence; it was so wonderful to create cloth from raw materials.’ She begins by selecting a palette of coloured yarns. ‘I’m inspired by everything; from the wild flowers of the Cornish cliffs and the sea with its ever-changing blues, to old books and paintings.’ Then comes the lengthy process of dressing the loom, which can take up to a day. The following day Teresa begins weaving, using the foot treadles to lift certain warping threads, passing the shuttle holding the weft thread between them and beating down with the reed. (teresadunnewoventextiles.com)
Woven blanket scarves, from £85-£150 and cushions, £75.