KATHY WILLIAMS - WOVEN TEXTILES
28 NOVEMBER '20 - 10 JANUARY '21
Kathy has been weaving, spinning and dyeing since the mid 70’s. Her work ranges between large tapestry woven rugs and luxurious scarves and stoles woven with cashmere yarn. Some include silk and/or a small amount of wool. Kathy loves the sensuous feel of the cashmere and occasionally adorns the selvages of stoles with the lovely curly staples of the Wensleydale fleece which makes them quite glamorous to wear. Some are Shibori dyed with Indigo and/or other natural dyes, which makes each one quite unique. Her rugs are mainly geometric design and are up to 5ft wide, very often in handspun yarn from the clients own sheep. Colours range between the natural colours and dyes both natural and chemical; occasionally she will also add texture to enhance the rug.
Kathy's interest in Braids started many years ago. She has several Marudai which she has taught small classes on and urges pupils to experiment (one of her sessions is called ‘braids out of the box’). She should have been taking part in several exhibitions with the Braid Society this year but sadly with the pandemic most of these have been postponed. "The titles of these events really inspired me – ‘Reflections on Nature A Braiders View, - A Walk on the Wild Side – Inspired by Nature’. I was looking at one of my samples and thought that one section could be an Ivy Leaf, so taking a walk around the garden and the farm yard to look at the Ivy leaves I was amazed at the variety of shapes, sizes and colours of them. This year’s lockdowns have given me the opportunity to spend time experimenting with my braids. I use the Takadai to make the leaf, the foam disc to form the stem and then on the Marudai I join them onto a branch, each leaf is made individually and they all differ in colour and design."
Kathy is a founder member of the Makers Guild in Wales. "We have been on quite a journey since we formed - from The Old Library, ‘The Tin Shed’ and Corys Building - before coming to this wonderful building we now live in."
Kathy's interest in Braids started many years ago. She has several Marudai which she has taught small classes on and urges pupils to experiment (one of her sessions is called ‘braids out of the box’). She should have been taking part in several exhibitions with the Braid Society this year but sadly with the pandemic most of these have been postponed. "The titles of these events really inspired me – ‘Reflections on Nature A Braiders View, - A Walk on the Wild Side – Inspired by Nature’. I was looking at one of my samples and thought that one section could be an Ivy Leaf, so taking a walk around the garden and the farm yard to look at the Ivy leaves I was amazed at the variety of shapes, sizes and colours of them. This year’s lockdowns have given me the opportunity to spend time experimenting with my braids. I use the Takadai to make the leaf, the foam disc to form the stem and then on the Marudai I join them onto a branch, each leaf is made individually and they all differ in colour and design."
Kathy is a founder member of the Makers Guild in Wales. "We have been on quite a journey since we formed - from The Old Library, ‘The Tin Shed’ and Corys Building - before coming to this wonderful building we now live in."