ELIZABETH I'ANSON

ABOUT

The Elizabeth I’Anson brand has been a creative baby in the making for some time now, and in my supporting blog, I'm hoping to give a bit more insight into the inspiration, stories and journeys behind the products. As a trained textile designer and weaver, I’ve been lucky enough to work in studios and companies as far apart as Wales and Shetland, and more recently to teach Textile Design in universities. I with my husband, little boy Magnus, and our wayward whippet, Mabel. Settling down in the Cotswolds with this happy and chaotic bunch has allowed me to design, weave and make from my home studio with help from my two and four legged friends.

My studio is nestled in the beautiful town of Northleach, the ‘Wool Town’ at the centre of the Cotswolds, whose legacy of being a thriving wool market in days gone by makes it the ideal place to weave and create today. I always work with wool – Shetland, Merino and Lambswool are some of my favourites, as well as Cashmere and a touch of Silk – and love sourcing different fibres and yarns and exploring their possibilities.

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My weaving is all done by hand on an 8 shaft wooden loom, much of it using a special structure called ‘doublecloth’. I learnt a lot about this way of working through my time spent at a traditional Welsh woollen mill, and love it for its incredible possibilities of pattern, function and structure. You’ll see it throughout my work in various forms – many of my bags are double thickness and have unusual pockets and secret spaces, and my scarves are particularly special because they come with two layers of fabric and can be worn in multiple different ways! I love to share my work with people who have a passion for quality and design, and through it to pass on some sense of the tradition and heritage through which weaving has evolved. My greatest pleasure as a craftsman is to make you a product which will bring joy, happiness and comfort, and make life just that little bit better.