A deep connection between nature and practice
About
My name is Sasha and I am the creative maker behind Loom and Bloom.
The loom was ever present in my grandparents house back in Belarus where I grew up. One of my earliest childhood memories was being in a room that was dominated by a large wooden loom. Through my young eyes I perceived my grandma to be almost like a conductor, orchestrating magic on her loom. I have always treasured these memories in the hope that one day I would get the chance to discover the craft myself.
It was not long ago, that grandma’s loom was found in a relatives barn whilst putting the property up for sale. This reactivated my memories and was the start of my own weaving journey. I then decided to attend a course run by Janet Phillips and learn the craft. This was a big break through as I now understood the process of how to dress the loom and prepare a warp. I now have my own 8 shaft loom, and dressing the loom has gradually become easier, the more I practice.
I am still at the beginning of my weaving path and there is so much more to discover and master. I see weaving as a 3-dimensional art form. There are so many factors that contribute to the finished woven fabric, such as the characteristic of the yarn, threading pattern, lifting sequences and colour. Combining these different attributes gives you endless opportunities, and a lot of fun experimenting at the same time.
What I like about weaving is that you can have a loose creative flow, but there is a mathematical and methodical process behind it. There are physical components such as weight of yarn and length of warp, but you also have to consider the number of ends, picks, and quantity of shafts to use. Designing any fabric requires detailed planning and a vision of a final result, with a few adjustments along the way.
My main source of inspiration for my work is nature. I am working towards establishing a deep connection between nature and my practice. Today our clothing is most likely to be created using fossil fuels and toxic chemicals, which damages health and the nature’s ecosystem. My recent discovery of the natural dye process as a source of yarn colouring is helping me get closer to my goal of establishing Loom & Bloom as an ethical and mindful brand. I have already started to use local natural resources to help create sustainable solutions.
Please take a look through my online catalogue of products. I hope you will find something you both like and enjoy wearing, as much as I did creating it.