Most of my life I’ve woven for myself, friends and family, but after attending Bradford College, in the UK, to study Hand Woven Textile Design, I set up Alison Yule Textiles and have been designing and hand weaving bespoke fabrics for interiors and fashion.

Since 1983 I’ve been teaching an evening class in weaving spinning and dyeing and running workshops across the UK for large and small groups as well as one to one Masterclass sessions.

My work has won awards with Bradford Textile Society, and I’ve won awards from the Arts Council and Design Factory. I’ve been selected to exhibit at galleries across the UK and in Paris and have been selected to exhibit at 100% Design in London for 4 consecutive years, as well as at Maison et Objet in Paris.

I 2006 I co-authored Creative Spinning with Jane Deane which was published by Gaia in October 2007. Alison Yule Textiles

“There is an inherent ethereal quality working on paper, especially rice paper. It’s unpredictable nature; fragile yet resilient lends an intuitive nature to my work. Examining our natural world, I look at the fractals in a leaf’s structure to the branching of a tree in the dead of winter. Other influences in my work come from the ethnographic textiles of Asia. Their simple geometric shapes are often a meditation on nature. Having spent many years in Asia working with remote tribes as an ethnographic art dealer, I am forever inspired by the artisan’s traditions. For example, I worked with ikat weavers in Sumba for several years; much of their imagery such as the fertility symbol, the mamuli is derived directly from nature. The rhythm, symmetry and repetition of the patterns in nature and ethnographic images illustrate the lifecycle renewing itself. Finding these patterns and closely examining them inspires my work.” Allison Svoboda

“I have always enjoyed all things pretty but not just pretty, interestingly different, edgy and eye-catching too. I am grateful to have a life-long love affair with colour. I am also an Afro/European hairdresser and had a salon back in ol’ Blighty. I used to work alot with glass, (fusing in my old kiln and stained glass). I have a strong passion for interiors and styling which rubs off into my fashion work, intentional or not.

I like to work with different textures and materials including glass, crystal, fabrics, wire, clay, paints, metal, paper and many other beautifying embellishments.

I am currently working mainly with textiles – lace, fabric and leather, alongside metals, beads and paper. I make clothes, bags and jewellery. I also make homewares, including unusual cushion covers, tablecloths and tea towels. I paint and work with decoupage for cards, boxes and ceramics. Wirework is another favourite art of mine – wire crosses, signage and wall art.

My goals are still being built and for now, I happily grow through a constant stream of the blissful unknown….I appreciate handmade items and enjoy collecting or recycling them….the story continues       🙂 ” AllThingsPretty

“Ames Douces (Ah-meh Doos) is French for gentle souls. It is the name I’ve chosen for the art dolls I create.