The Artful Weaver

The Artful Weaver Hand Woven Designs; west cork Creator of unique, free form, hand woven sculptures for your unique home based in West Cork, Ireland

A small detail from a piece currently on my workbench.I have been exploring the meeting point between weaving and surfac...
03/06/2026

A small detail from a piece currently on my workbench.

I have been exploring the meeting point between weaving and surface, pressing fibres into drywall compound and seeing what marks are left behind. The resulting patterns remind me of old pottery, weathered walls and traces of the hand.

One of the things I love most about making is that materials often reveal possibilities I wasn't expecting. Sometimes a simple experiment opens up a whole new direction.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this one leads.

In two weeks I'll be at Kilcoe Studios in Ballydehob, guiding participants through the process of making their own hand ...
30/05/2026

In two weeks I'll be at Kilcoe Studios in Ballydehob, guiding participants through the process of making their own hand broom.

I'll be bringing along some of my favourite materials: natural broom corn, which rustles like dry grass and hides the most beautiful seed nodes within; black arenga fibre, with its distinctive texture; and wonderfully soft tampico fibre.

One of the things I love most about teaching broom making is introducing people to these materials. Simply handling them gives an immediate understanding of why they have been used for generations. Each fibre has its own character, strength and feel.

During the workshop we'll use a traditional turkey wing binding, working with a foot brake to create a functional and beautiful hand broom to take home.

Suitable for complete beginners, this is a lovely way to spend a morning. You'll leave not only with your finished broom, but with the skills to repair your own brooms or make them for friends and family.

If you'd like to join us, Kilcoe Studios can be contacted directly for booking information.





Like us all i was out in the garden soaking up the sun. I have been looking at sticks in a new light, my apple tree caug...
29/05/2026

Like us all i was out in the garden soaking up the sun. I have been looking at sticks in a new light, my apple tree caught my eye as it has gorgeous straight branches with no off shoots so I cut a small bit of it, testing to see if it bent well, also no! But the bark peeled very easily and left this gorgeous knobbly stick behind which my son has taken to call his "elder wand"
I wrapped the bark in a coil for later use
I left the bark out in the unexpected shower of rain and it left this gorgeous orangey yellow on the linen that I tied it with... magic

Back to basics.I love learning new things, testing ideas, and challenging myself. The downside is that I can become impa...
21/05/2026

Back to basics.

I love learning new things, testing ideas, and challenging myself. The downside is that I can become impatient with progress and uncomfortable not knowing what I'm doing.

Lately I've been wondering if the biggest improvement in my work won't come from learning another technique, but from slowing down and paying more attention to finish.

So rather than rushing on to the next project, I'm spending time refining this copper piece—filing, shaping, smoothing, and seeing how far I can take it.

Sometimes the challenge isn't learning something new. Sometimes it's staying with the thing you're already working on.

What part of your creative practice are you focusing on right now?

Over the past year I’ve been part of the West Cork Collective. I joined because I wanted to experience another side of c...
15/05/2026

Over the past year I’ve been part of the West Cork Collective. I joined because I wanted to experience another side of creative life — to grow, learn, share work, and see my practice through a different lens.

But life shifts. My children are growing fast, and I feel myself entering a new chapter. The pull towards experimentation, learning, and play has become stronger again.

As family life and the demands of the collective grew, I noticed my creative process changing too. I moved away from exploration and towards making for quickness, and I’ve realised how much I miss the slower, more curious side of creating.

Long before family life, I studied metalcraft. At the time I didn’t have the money or space to pursue it fully, but lately it has been calling me back. I hope, in time, to integrate those ideas with my weaving practice — but right now I want to give myself space to experiment without pressure for things to feel cohesive or productive.

So I’ve decided to step away from the collective for now.

I’ll still be teaching classes again in the autumn, but for this season I’m allowing myself time to learn, play, make, and follow curiosity wherever it leads.

12/05/2026

Early summer work slowly beginning here.

Stripping willow bark, gathering fibres, testing forms and building a small seasonal collection inspired by the hedgerows and materials around me.

This early summer drop will include hand-bound brooms, coiled earrings, cards, DIY kits and a few gathered one-off pieces.

Launching in June 🌿





07/05/2026

A few years ago, when we first moved into our home, I built this willow fence as I was just beginning to explore weaving. I didn’t really know what I was doing then, and there are plenty of things I would do differently now — but I think that’s part of the beauty of making by hand.

Every year it teaches me something new.
This spring, after a good trim and a bit of care, it’s looking alive again. The sparrows dart in and out of the woven branches, rabbits graze underneath, and I can finally imagine extending it further.

What began as an experiment has slowly become part of the landscape here — growing, changing, and teaching me alongside it. 🌿

If you have any questions about living willow, weaving, or how the fence has aged over the years, leave them below. I’m thinking of writing a blog post answering them

It’s my favourite time of year again… when my table slowly fills with little bits of plant fibre gathered on walks, read...
03/05/2026

It’s my favourite time of year again… when my table slowly fills with little bits of plant fibre gathered on walks, ready to be experimented with and transformed into something new 🌿

Cutting back my willow dome has left me with armfuls of willow for weaving, and beautiful bark for crafting too. There’s something so satisfying about working with materials gathered by hand and shaped slowly over time.

If you’d like to learn more about harvesting willow bark, now is the perfect time of year for it. I’ve written a blog post all about the process —
https://www.theartfulweaver.eu/blog/harvesting-willow-bark-in-springtime

This summer, Sonia at Kilcoe Studios has two lovely traditional craft workshops planned — and I’m delighted to be one of...
02/05/2026

This summer, Sonia at Kilcoe Studios has two lovely traditional craft workshops planned — and I’m delighted to be one of them.

Join me on Sunday, June 14th for a broom-making workshop, where we’ll create beautiful hand-bound brooms using traditional techniques. Later that same day, join Tadg for a wood whittling class and carve your own butter spreader.

If you’d like to book either of these workshops, please contact Sonia directly ✨

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