Heather Shields

Weaver

©Rosslyn McCormick

©Susan Castillo

Zero-waste woven textiles

Heather is a Scotland-based textile designer and weaver
She specialises in double cloth weaving and blanket stitching
She studied at Glasgow School of Art

Heather Shields combines geometric patterns and a love of colour in her traditional woven textiles. She puts a big emphasis on high-quality materials, craftsmanship, and a small-scale, sustainable production. She is known for her playful approach to colour and her masterful fusion of traditional and contemporary methods in weaving. For Heather, the loom not only serves as a tool for making but also an integral design tool. Having graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 2010, she currently works part-time as a weave technician, passing the knowledge on to many apprentices. The artisan started her own workshop in 2014 on the west coast of Scotland. All of Heather’s pieces are produced with a zero waste philosophy.

Interview

©Susan Castillo

©Phil Gorry

What are your sources of inspiration?: I find inspiration in everything – in everyday experiences, nature, architecture, domestic settings, or objects. My new collection, for example, was primarily inspired by basalt rock formations on the Isle of Staffa, Scottish cliffs and coastal landscapes.
How do tradition and innovation intertwine in your work?: The slow nature of my handwoven work, making double wool cloth pieces, and the finishing of my scarves and blankets expresses tradition, whereas many of my samples are designed using digital software or woven with modern combinations of structures and materials.
What do you love most about weaving?: There are endless possibilities and opportunities for lifelong learning. Weaving is such a vast and fascinating craft, encompassing many specialties and techniques beyond what I create at the moment. Designs evolve during the weaving process ensuring constant experimentation.
What does well made mean to you?: It means refinement, durability and quality. It means that consideration, care and attention to detail have been present during every stage of the designing and making process. It involves trial and error, it is evaluative, and improving all the time.

Heather Shields is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2012