Poetess & Seamstress
Weaving & Meditation Teacher
How it all Began
Unexpectedly I fell crazy in love with weaving from my very first basket!
I love the feel of natural fibres running through my fingers, the rhythmic flow of the stitches, the endless creative possibilities and the meditative state that one falls into.
I love the circles of women chattering, friendships that form, the nourishing care expressed and the bursting wild excitement as the creative juices flow.
Who are my Teachers
I learnt to weave from Kate Rydge and Ingrid Riverstone of 'Bare Weaving'.
I attended many many in person workshop, gatherings between 2011 and 2024.
For three consecutive years I devotedly attended Bare
Weavings year long immersion programs. As each year passed I acquired more and more skills, techniques and understandings of the Art of Weaving. Read my Blog Bare Weaving Teacher Training
To add some extra flavour I devoured Catriona Pollard's and Harriot Goodall Online Weaving Courses.
Roslyn
Yolgnu Elder
Master Weaver
Roslyn
Lea Evergreen
Roslyn
Kate Rydge
Ingrid Riverstone
Australian - Arnhem Land Indigenous Tradition
I was introduced to Kate's adopted mother Roslyn, from an Arnhem land lineage of master weavers.
Roslyn is one of the dearest people I have ever meet, her hugs have the warmth of eternity in them. To weave with her is the epitome of Magic!
Roslyn taught Kate and Kate taught me to to forage from the natural environment for the fibres to weave and dye with.I have developed an extensive knowledge of fibres and dye plants in the Mid North Cost of NSW.
I developed a deep custodian care and astute attunement for all the sentient beings of the natural environment as a result of studying closely the plants that are weaveable. In this communion with nature I began to deeper respond to the seasons, weather patterns, birds, animals and elements. Read my Blog Losing My Domestic Self
With many hours of playful experimenting and mischief I saw my own unusual nuances appear in baskets. I am adept and accomplished in coil and twining basketry and wall hangings. View my Basketry Gallery
The Remembering
As my Mother watched along she began to remember that in our family ancestry she had uncovered two family members who had been weaving artisans in the 17th Century England.
My forefathers Samuel and William Mudford from Cornwall were revered textile weavers artisans and craftsman. They traveled extensively studying and teaching weaving!
I began to have flashes of memories of my grand mothers woven baskets in her house amoungst all her crafts.
Becoming a Teacher
I became so absorbed by weaving that I put aside my business as a seamstress called She Sews so I could focus exclusively on Weaving.
I began to get nudges to teach other women to weave. I felt unworthy of doing such a noble thing and sought out Kates guidance on this mysterious calling. Kate encouraged me to begin to teach in a humble way honoring the traditional knowledge I had been gifted with.
I renamed my business She Weaves and began to teach workshops and classes to small group of local women.
I incorporated the weaving and meditation to create weaving circles where women are nourished and opened into new levels of creativity. Read about Women Weaving Circles
New Zealand - Maori Indigenous Tradition of Weaving - Raranga
In 2024 I moved to Governors Bay on the South Island of New Zealand where I immediately enrolled in a University Course called Maori and Indigenous Arts - Weaving.
I began to dive into the history of basketry from a Maori tradition. Returning to being a absolute humble learner as this style of basketry was completely different to what I had learnt in Australia.
However there was an essential unchangeable thread of commonality. The ones who hold the lineage of basketry hold the lineage of connection to land and to community connection.
In Maori language the word for land, home and placenta is the same word. Demonstrating that we come from the land, are nourished by the land and of the land itself.