Who am I and why do I do what I do?
Hi, I'm Sharon and I am an artist/maker/crafter based in Devon.
My love of Harris Tweed® (and all things Scottish) started with a holiday to Scotland many moons ago.
On that holiday, I saw a wonderful sight of wool, freshly spun and dyed, drying on a stone wall. This wool was destined to be woven in to cloth.
And that was it, I was in love!
Harris Tweed® is a fiercely protected brand, covered by the Harris Tweed Act 1993.
In accordance with the Act, Harris Tweed® cloth must be: “Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.”
The production of Harris Tweed® is overseen by the Harris Tweed Authority, who's role is to promote and maintain the authenticity, standard and reputation of the world famous Harris Tweed® cloth.
I purchase my Harris Tweed® from a small selection of weavers who, on the whole, weave the designs they want. This means that the designs are often bolder, wackier that what you would expect from the more traditional tweeds.
This also means that I often can only get a tweed once, so once it's gone, it's gone!
All the weavers I use are affiliated to the Harris Tweed® Authority, meaning that their tweeds have to pass a rigorous examination before it is given the stamp of approval.
My process is mostly done by hand; hand cut, hand printed & hand sewn.
I'm sure it would be 10 times quicker to do it all by machine, but for me it's all about the process and the time it gives me to think. It's almost like a mediation
I make a range of cards and home decorations and am always up for a commission piece ;-)
My love of Harris Tweed® (and all things Scottish) started with a holiday to Scotland many moons ago.
On that holiday, I saw a wonderful sight of wool, freshly spun and dyed, drying on a stone wall. This wool was destined to be woven in to cloth.
And that was it, I was in love!
Harris Tweed® is a fiercely protected brand, covered by the Harris Tweed Act 1993.
In accordance with the Act, Harris Tweed® cloth must be: “Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.”
The production of Harris Tweed® is overseen by the Harris Tweed Authority, who's role is to promote and maintain the authenticity, standard and reputation of the world famous Harris Tweed® cloth.
I purchase my Harris Tweed® from a small selection of weavers who, on the whole, weave the designs they want. This means that the designs are often bolder, wackier that what you would expect from the more traditional tweeds.
This also means that I often can only get a tweed once, so once it's gone, it's gone!
All the weavers I use are affiliated to the Harris Tweed® Authority, meaning that their tweeds have to pass a rigorous examination before it is given the stamp of approval.
My process is mostly done by hand; hand cut, hand printed & hand sewn.
I'm sure it would be 10 times quicker to do it all by machine, but for me it's all about the process and the time it gives me to think. It's almost like a mediation
I make a range of cards and home decorations and am always up for a commission piece ;-)