About us
Hand-Woven in New Zealand
About Fearlessweaver
Beautiful hand woven textiles designed and created by designer-maker Sarah Jane Wilson. Woven from 100% natural fibres including merino, silk, cotton and linen these unique products are created on a traditional floor loom by the designer in her studio. Scarves, cushions, throws and other interior textiles can be commissioned to suit your own requirements.
I am a textiles designer-maker creating unique hand-woven products under my label Fearlessweaver. My unique designs are woven on a traditional countermarch floor loom in my studio in Wellington. Originally from the UK, I have exhibited with the prestigious Society of Designer-Craftsmen in the Mall Galleries and OXO Tower Gallery in London. My designs are inspired by the landscape and scenery in the environments I have travelled to, and use 100% natural fibres.I make hand-woven textiles such as scarves, cushions, throws, shawls, ponchos and bags, all from natural fibres and sometimes using yarns that I have hand dyed with natural dyes.
My focus is on colour combinations and textures in weaving and my work is inspired by colours and textures in the world around me. I take lots of photographs and reference these when wanting to create new ideas. I have enjoyed travelling around New Zealand since emigrating here, the scenery here is just so inspiring.
People often ask me how I got started with weaving, I loved drawing and painting as a child and through school and college developed this interest further. I went to Art College in Bournemouth in the UK to study Foundation Level Art and Design.
We had a visiting tutor that came for a couple of days a week called Harriet Wallace, she was a weaver in the early stages of her career as a designer. I found her woven designs fascinating and wanted to learn more about weave structures, so she brought in a small table loom, I had a go and have been hooked ever since. Harriet is now one half of the very successful designer label Wallace and Sewell based in the UK. I am still inspired by their work today.
I went on to study Fine Art and Textiles at Bath Spa University College. I studied there for two years and left with a Diploma in Higher Education after deciding I wanted to focus purely on weaving. I then went to The Surrey Institute of Art & Design in Farnham to study for two more years and get my BA(Hons) Degree in Woven Textile Design.
My loom, is a Swedish countermarch floor loom and it weaves beautifully. It has up to sixteen shafts and two warp beams which means I can produce an amazing variety of designs on it. It was built in the 1970s and I have owned it since I graduated in 1999. It is BIG and it has travelled with me up and down the length of the UK over the years and then four years ago I shipped it over to New Zealand. I can’t imagine parting with it ever. I have used many different looms over the years and each have their own quirks to get used to. I also have a very old Harris table loom, built in the early 1900s. I have owned it since around 2001. It is very heavy, has sixteen shafts and two warp beams also. I use it to try out designs on, for producing small scarf commissions and for taking to fairs to give weaving demonstrations.
My favourite yarn to work with is wool. I love exploring how the fibres react to different weave structures during the finishing process. Something that can look quite flat when it’s woven on the loom can turn into a highly textured piece once it has been milled due to the way the wool will shrink in the warm soapy water. Especially a very high twist wool, this will produce a crepe look to a fabric. Merino wool is my favourite, I use that most of the time. It is such a beautiful fibre to work with and produces lovely soft fabrics that are not scratchy at all.
Beautiful hand woven textiles designed and created by designer-maker Sarah Jane Wilson. Woven from 100% natural fibres including merino, silk, cotton and linen these unique products are created on a traditional floor loom by the designer in her studio. Scarves, cushions, throws and other interior textiles can be commissioned to suit your own requirements.
I am a textiles designer-maker creating unique hand-woven products under my label Fearlessweaver. My unique designs are woven on a traditional countermarch floor loom in my studio in Wellington. Originally from the UK, I have exhibited with the prestigious Society of Designer-Craftsmen in the Mall Galleries and OXO Tower Gallery in London. My designs are inspired by the landscape and scenery in the environments I have travelled to, and use 100% natural fibres.I make hand-woven textiles such as scarves, cushions, throws, shawls, ponchos and bags, all from natural fibres and sometimes using yarns that I have hand dyed with natural dyes.
My focus is on colour combinations and textures in weaving and my work is inspired by colours and textures in the world around me. I take lots of photographs and reference these when wanting to create new ideas. I have enjoyed travelling around New Zealand since emigrating here, the scenery here is just so inspiring.
People often ask me how I got started with weaving, I loved drawing and painting as a child and through school and college developed this interest further. I went to Art College in Bournemouth in the UK to study Foundation Level Art and Design.
We had a visiting tutor that came for a couple of days a week called Harriet Wallace, she was a weaver in the early stages of her career as a designer. I found her woven designs fascinating and wanted to learn more about weave structures, so she brought in a small table loom, I had a go and have been hooked ever since. Harriet is now one half of the very successful designer label Wallace and Sewell based in the UK. I am still inspired by their work today.
I went on to study Fine Art and Textiles at Bath Spa University College. I studied there for two years and left with a Diploma in Higher Education after deciding I wanted to focus purely on weaving. I then went to The Surrey Institute of Art & Design in Farnham to study for two more years and get my BA(Hons) Degree in Woven Textile Design.
My loom, is a Swedish countermarch floor loom and it weaves beautifully. It has up to sixteen shafts and two warp beams which means I can produce an amazing variety of designs on it. It was built in the 1970s and I have owned it since I graduated in 1999. It is BIG and it has travelled with me up and down the length of the UK over the years and then four years ago I shipped it over to New Zealand. I can’t imagine parting with it ever. I have used many different looms over the years and each have their own quirks to get used to. I also have a very old Harris table loom, built in the early 1900s. I have owned it since around 2001. It is very heavy, has sixteen shafts and two warp beams also. I use it to try out designs on, for producing small scarf commissions and for taking to fairs to give weaving demonstrations.
My favourite yarn to work with is wool. I love exploring how the fibres react to different weave structures during the finishing process. Something that can look quite flat when it’s woven on the loom can turn into a highly textured piece once it has been milled due to the way the wool will shrink in the warm soapy water. Especially a very high twist wool, this will produce a crepe look to a fabric. Merino wool is my favourite, I use that most of the time. It is such a beautiful fibre to work with and produces lovely soft fabrics that are not scratchy at all.