Handmade in Helme
Weaving with you in mind
Threads of life stories hand woven into one-of-a-kind pieces...
"Beautiful!
And with so much of me in it. I absolutely love it."
(H.H. West Sussex)
Welcome
About me
Hi. My name is Susan and I weave and spin on the top floor of a weaver's cottage where the Peak District and the South Pennines meet. This beautiful place is steeped in textile history but my first memories of loving woven cloth are of the traditional Welsh patterns surrounding me as a young child in South Wales; the capes, purses, skirts and blankets. I spent a lot of time with my mother in the wool shop where she worked and loved the feel and colours of the yarns, plus being allowed to play with and sort balls of wool into colour families. I cried for days when she left that job!
Subsequent years spent living in the south western states of the US and travelling the world have taught me that woven textiles can be so much more than beautiful material. It's the stories behind, that flow through the entire process of a weave, that bring a sense of life, meaning and a truly unique quality to a piece.
The essence of the weave
A person, a passion, a place, a moment in time... captured in unique and highly personal pieces. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. As simple as a request for a specific colour, as complex as multiple strands of a life represented by yarns, textures and patterns.
Whether it's a treat for yourself or a gift for a loved one, I look forward to collaborating with you on the path to creating distinctive, individual scarves, shawls, baby blankets, throws and more.
Recent projects
Wedding Weave
A traveller's shawl
A wedding gift in favourite colours. Elements of this weave were chosen to represent aspects of the client's character and her unique experiences travelling the world. Re-cycled Indian sari silk was used to create the border as a nod to her appearances in six Bollywood films! The handspun slubs that stream across the piece are testament to her never ending flow of creative ideas.
Made from: British Bluefaced Leicester wool with a touch of: Falkland Islands wool, recycled Indian sari silk, up-cycled ribbon and my own hand spun yarn.
We are both sitting here looking at the wonderful piece of art that you created for me and are completely in awe. To own something so fabulous is really special. I REALLY love it!!! Thank you so much💕 (Chris, West Yorkshire)
Neutrals Plus
A mother's wrap
A birthday gift from daughter to mother. The brief was for a wrap with largely neutral colours and with an injection of "something else", that could be comfortably worn all year round indoors or out and about. I chose a soft pink to blend with the natural cream and two colours of sand. The meeting of pink and golden sand creates a gentle coppery hue and the handspun yarn brings added texture and definition.
Made from: 100% British wool blend plus 100% Shetland Island and Falkland Islands wools, with a touch of my own handspun.
A huge thank you for the fabulous shawl! I love the colours and design and I will definitely be using it a great deal. I can't imagine how much work has gone in to it. It is beautifully made and I am most appreciative. (Marylin, Stockport)
A birthday gift from daughter to mother. The brief was for lar
Heather
A couple's throw
A surprise wedding gift for a young couple, where the brief was for a small throw/knee rug with patterned texture and the colours of lilac/purple heather. Woven in a 'window pane' pattern, each side of the piece offers a different texture. To highlight the paler colour, I included a darker shade of purple in the warp. Freshwater pearls were added on one side just above the short fringe to mark their nuptials!
Made from: 100% re-cycled British wool (paler colour) and 100% British wool blend (darker colour)
I just wanted to say how perfect the throw was that you made. What a beautiful colour and the pearls are exquisite! The pressed heather too-what a special touch! They were bowled over by it ~ it means so much as it’s so personal. Thank you! (Linda, Herts)
Greens Please!
A 21st Birthday short scarf
A 21st birthday present. The request was for a short scarf in greens, with texture and not too concerned with softness.
I chose a mixture of yarns for the warp to create vertical stripes in a gradation of colours and a variety of textures. The weft is the wonderfully robust and hardwearing British Heritage wool, Exmoor Horn. A close, tight weave that will soften with wear and careful washing.
Made from: British wool/silk blend, bamboo, Exmoor Horn and my own handspun silk/wool/non-mulsed merino mix.
I love it! Thank you! (Rhiannon, West Sussex)
Autumnal Tones
A cosy shawl
A Christmas gift from daughter to mother. The brief was for a lightweight but warm, generous sized shawl in a mix of favourite autumnal colours. The idea was that it would be used regularly to bring comfort and keep chilliness at bay. The client also felt that her mother would like a plaid or divided squares/rectangles pattern. There are eight colours combined in this piece.
Made from: 100% British wool blend and a re-cycled acrylic/wool blend.
I commissioned Susan to weave a shawl for my Mum for Christmas and was blown away by what she created. It was a truly collaborative process as I described the colour palette I would like and Susan suggested specific shapes and patterns. It was clear how invested she was and so thoughtful in her approach. I was able to give my mother a beautiful, unique gift that she absolutely loved. Thank you, thank you , thank you!
(Fiona, Surrey)
Working with you
The process
Consultation
A consultation with you in person or via Zoom/Skype where we discuss ideas, colours, yarns, patterns, size, what the piece represents, its 'feel' and some sense of the person or people involved.
A second consultation happens once I have sourced possible yarns. You then decide which ones you would like used.
I keep you up to date on progress made, including sending photos.
Sourcing
I explore potential yarns for the project e.g wool, silk, cotton, linen, alpaca, cashmere, tencel, bamboo, nettle...
I try to source as locally as possible and from suppliers with best animal welfare and environmental practices in place. Sometimes I source yarns from further afield, largely from women's collectives that ensure good working conditions, wages and fair trading.
I do not use mulesed* merino wool or buy acrylic yarn, but occasionally include re-cycled or re-purposed synthetic fibres.
* Mulesing is an intensely painful, inhumane process involving cutting off strips of skin around the hind quarters of lambs in an attempt to avoid fly strike. Australia produces a huge percentage of the world's merino wool. Mulesing remains widespread and legal there.
The weaving process
I currently work with two rigid heddle looms, a vintage 80's Ashford spinning wheel and a variety of drop spindles.
The process begins!
Pattern planning.
Warping and threading the loom.
Weaving.
Finishing - including: hemming, fringing (or not), washing, pressing.
Your piece is wrapped and prepared for posting.
Prices
The options for your piece will be discussed, carefully planned and priced accordingly, but here are some general guidelines.
Prices are inclusive of everything except postage (see below).
Scarves: start from:
£75 for e.g. 8"/20 cm wide x 55"/140cm long made with a British wool blend.
£85 for (same size as above) made with an inclusion of quantities of alpaca, silk, tencel.
Shawls/wraps start from:
£105 for e.g. 20"/50 cm wide x 65"/165cm long made with a British wool blend.
£150 for e.g. 28"/71 cm wide x 80"/203 cm long made with mix of e.g silk, alpaca, wool.
Weaving is a wonderful and involved ancient craft including several intricate processes. The cost of an individually designed, hand woven piece depends on many variables: size, types and combinations of yarns used, inclusion of home spun, specifically dyed, complexity of pattern, additions e.g. beads, pearls etc.
A piece made from or including cashmere or silk will be more expensive than one made from e.g a wool blend or cotton. In between lie e.g. heritage wools, alpaca, and plant based yarns such as linen, bamboo, banana and the Tencel fibres made from wood pulp.
Postage and Packaging
Packaging - I aim to use as much re-cycled and sustainable packaging as possible.
Postage - I use Royal Mail 1st and 2nd class post depending on your preference. Occasionally, Royal Mail's Special Delivery Services are requested.
Who's enjoying Handmade in Helme?
Jewellery designer and maker, Victoria Phillips, of Silver Anvil Jewellery.
Newcomer, Baby O, with it all wrapped up.
Self-described, "obsessive gardener", Chris.
The late, truly great British actor, David Warner.
Actor and audio director, Lisa Bowerman.
Gardener, Charlotte ... "Windswept in Wellhouse" ...
Contact me
Privacy Policy
I highly respect your privacy.
In order to respond to your enquiries through this website and to enable the services of Handmade in Helme, I will need to gather some personal information from you including some or all of the following: your name, email address, phone number, address.
Your personal data is stored for the purposes and processing of each project and for no longer than necessary.
This website does not share personal information with any third parties.
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If you have any questions or concerns about your personal data you can contact me on susan@handmadeinhelme.co.uk
© 2019