Maker of the Week - Sally Weatherill

Sally Weatherill produces beautiful woven textiles for interiors and fashion. She will be showing her work at MADE LONDON.

Where did you train? What did training teach you and what do you wish it had taught you?
After completing a BA in Art History at Brown University (Providence RI), I worked in an art gallery and then a graphic design firm, taking evening classes in anything art-related; I tried metal smithing, ceramics, painting, drawing and finally textiles.  I then went back to college to study textiles properly at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, CA.  I learnt how to screenprint, weave, make baskets, etc....basically learnt how to indulge my creative instincts but not how to make money.

Besides the formal education already mentioned, I worked for a small company that designed and printed their own furnishing fabrics and also for a weaver/knitter who designed and produced clothing and fashion accessories.  I also had a brief internship with Esprit and worked one summer in the design department of Jeanne-Marc (a San Francisco based women’s clothing company). 

Is being a designer / maker your only job, or do you have other employment?
I work part-time in the graphics department at the Economist. 

One favourite living / historial designer?
I admire Kay Bojesen, for his belief that the lines of a design should ‘smile’, Junichi Arai for his exhaustive experimentation and Bridget Riley for her exploration of light, colour and perception.

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?

I really enjoyed the challenge of designing and producing a collection of ties for the British Museum a few years ago within a very short time period.  I liked working within the parameters of a brief and I liked the deadline pressure as it kept me focussed and off the internet (just kidding).

What is your most prized item of design / craft?

Rabbit by Kay Bojesen; it was given to me as a christening present by a family friend.

What item of design / craft do you covet most?
I'd like a glass owl by Iittala

At age 16 who most influenced your style?

The B-52's

Last book / film that blew your mind?

I've just been given a copy of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark illustrated by Tove Jansson which is really entertaining.

 

 

What music are you currently listening to? 

Handel's Farramondo and Rufus Wainwright's Out of the Game

How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?

Far too many

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

San Francisco bay area because it has everything to offer from beaches, museums, forests, etc.

 

Where and what is your studio?
My studio is a spare bedroom in our house and is much too small. I need a larger loom but at the moment have nowhere to put one.

Do you have a good work/life balance?

Not too bad.

What one word would describe your feeling of doing your work?

Obsessed.