Bringing the Outside In
About Me
Tweed runs in my family’s blood. My grandma Alma was born in Philadelphia, but orphaned at two and sent back to Yorkshire to live with her maternal grandmother Letitia Grimshaw. Here she was brought up among aunts and uncles. Her uncle Vernon ran Grimshaw Brothers Ltd with his cousin Aubrey, who made fine wool tweeds and whip cords (a diagonal weave cloth made using worsted wool) at Clover Greaves Mill in Calverley, West Yorkshire. During wartime, the mill produced airforce cloth and khaki. The mill continued to make tweed until the mid 70’s. I like to use Yorkshire tweed in my work and imagine my grandma causing mischief around the looms that made it one hundred years ago.
Great Grand Uncle Vernon, Uncle Tony and my Grandma Alma
Welcome to my colourful world of quirky textiles, where you will find beautiful blooms, tweedy birds, charming critters and inspirational characters. My name is Kathryn Baker and I’m a textile artist based in Hebden Bridge, deep in the Yorkshire Pennines.
All of my designs are inspired by my love of nature, stirred with a good dollop of childlike imagination. They are brought to life from simple drawings into a series of templates, from which I cut fabric chosen for its suggestion of feather, fur, face or petal. I use other techniques including needle felting, applique, free motion embroidery, hand- stitching, bead and wire work to give each piece its own distinct character.
Come and join me in my studio, in an old baptist chapel up on the hill above Hebden Bridge and learn a little more about my work and my inspirations. I share this wonderful creative hub with an incredible community of artists, makers, musicians, writers and dancers.
I am a serial magpie when it comes to sumptuous shades, patterns and textures. The majority of my fabrics are carefully sourced Scottish and English tweeds that come with their own stories of wool, looms, and skilled hands. However, I also like to play with re-purposed vintage fabrics, old velvet curtains, a rainbow of felt, sari cloth, unspun wool, and gardeners twine.
I hope you enjoy your foray into my textile landscape and enjoy meeting all of its inhabitants!
Thanks for stopping by!
Kath
My Fabrics
I come from a tweed manufacturing family.
Because of this the sourcing of my fabrics is as important to me as the designs themselves. All of the tweeds that I currently use are pure wool and made in the UK.
I am particularly passionate about promoting Yorkshire tweed as a nod to my tweed making great grand uncle Vernon Grimshaw.
Because of this the sourcing of my fabrics is as important to me as the designs themselves. All of the tweeds that I currently use are pure wool and made in the UK.
I am particularly passionate about promoting Yorkshire tweed as a nod to my tweed making great grand uncle Vernon Grimshaw.
Yorkshire Tweed
Harris Tweed
Upcycled Fabrics
My Suppliers
Yorkshire Tweed
Harrisons of Burleywww.harrisonsburley.net 01535 637410 https://www.harrisonsburley.net/Huddersfield Fine Fabrics www.huddesfieldfinefabrics.com 0333 0502285
Moon Fabrics www.moons.co.uk 01943 873181
Harris Tweed
Harris Tweed Isle of Harris www.harristweedisleofharris.co.uk 01859 502040Harris Tweed Hebrides www.harristweedhebrides.com 01851 702862
Christina’s Harris Tweed: www.christinasharristweed
Handmaiden UK www.harristweedfabric.com 01458 448112
Stockists
Scotland
The Cats Miaou, Edinburgh www.thecatsmiaou.co.uk
Coach House Coffee shop, Luss www.facebook.com/coachhousecoffeeshopluss
17 Reasons, Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway www.17reasons.co.uk
Masie and Mac, Cupar, Fife www.maisieandmac.com
Maisie and Mac, Dundee www.maisieandmac.com
Room 15, Oban, Argyll www.facebook.com/pages/category/Gift-Shop
Wales
Canal Central, Oswestry www.canalcentral.uk
The Midlands
Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent www.stokemuseums.org.uk
Winterbourne House and Garden, Birmingham https://www.winterbourne.org.uk
The North
Hebden Crafts, Grassington www.theoldschooltearoom.com
Sutton Bank National Park Visitor Centre, Thirsk www.northyorkmoors.org.uk
The Craft Shop, Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne www.newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk/thecraftshop
Pretty Penny, Haworth https://prettypennyhaworth.co.uk
Water Street Gallery, Todmorden https://www.waterstreetgallery.co.uk
The South
Fosse Beads & Friends, Castle Cary www.fossebeadsandfriends.uk
The Art Cohort, Bath https://the-art-cohort.myshopify.com