Kat von Stenglin

Weaver | Picher, Germany

Woven images

Kat specialises in Gobelin tapestries
Her experience in plant-based dyeing goes back 40 years
Her tapestries are woven from graphic images

Kate von Stenglin and her husband, the ceramicist Alexander von Stenglin, own an idyllic farmhouse and garden in Mecklenburg Vorpommern, which they affectionately call Eichenhof. It houses both Kat's hand weaving workshop and her husband's ceramics workshop, and also serves as a living and exhibition space for the couple. Kat is a master hand weaver and an avid math enthusiast. Her Goblins are woven from planographic images. The square is her starting point to translate images from her mind to paper and then the loom. Black, white and red are her preferred colours. However, she also enjoys showcasing the entire colour palette of plant based dyes in her plant inspired tapestries.

Interview

©Alexander Langenhagen

Do you master a specific technique?: The lightfast dyeing of wool and silk with plants has been my speciality for almost four decades. As a carrier material I spin my own wool from raw sheep's wool. Yellow and green colours come primarily from native plants such as yarrow, oak bark, apple tree bark and gall apples. I like using crab root for red and indigo for blue shades.
Do you and your husband collaborate on projects?: We both work hand in hand and assist one another in various work processes when necessary. Over the years, we have laid out the little park around the house together. Visitors to Eichenhof are drawn not only to my textiles, but also to the wide variety of ceramic objects, especially the lovely garden pieces.
What is important for you in your practice?: Weaving for me is a very pleasant experience, almost sensual. Each material I use is prepared by me with great care. With solid construction and materials of the highest quality, I strive to make pieces to treasure for a lifetime.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: My work is largely traditional, almost archaic. From spinning sheep's wool to dyeing the yarns and weaving on the high loom by hand. My innovation is using Excel to create my planographic patterns. After decades of drawing ideas on graph paper, Excel gives me much more efficient design options.

Kat von Stenglin is a master artisan: she began her career in 1980 and she started teaching in 1991