Jenny Wilkinson

Tiger 2/Armadillo

£750

Hand woven rug

Thoughts of tigers have been around for some time, about 30 years. Translating tiger markings to loom woven pieces is tricky within the constraints of warp and weft. Tapestry or knotted pile would work, but are not my choice, rather to struggle against the odds. This is why few iterations have seen the light of day. This one has the colour, though far from the spirit of the creature. With a fair wind there will be more. There was a good leopard rug, so why not? Intention aside, what I make reveals itself only when off the loom, hence Armadillo scales.

Materials and processes:

The materials are of the highest quality, as local and sustainable as humanly possible for me. Dyeing kilos of wool with ‘natural dyes’ in my kitchen is slow, very slow. The results are interesting, and variation not available in commercial yarn is crucial. All is process, and all is hands on, from the sheep to the finish.

Irish linen warp

Wool weft. Yellows, Buckfastleigh yarn dyed with pomegranate or weld.

Blacks, own produce Shetland dyed with pomegranate, spent madder, spent cochineal, logwood and saddened with iron. Natural black Devon Zwartbles wool.