My Story
Hello I’m Anita Lomas, and the name behind much nita weaving. I work from my garden studio in South Manchester, and I love taking seasonal nature and weaving it into a different form of beauty, bringing new life to fibres that would otherwise fade away back into the earth.
Following a career in graphic design, and years in an office, my yearning to be connected to the outside grew stronger. After a few short day courses in basketry I wanted more. I signed up to the City and Guilds course at Westhope College in Shropshire, and was fortunate to be tutored by the top ‘Weaving Dreams’ man, Eddie Glew from Blithfield Willowcrafts.
In 2018 I completed the course with distinction. Initially my weaving creations were all in willow, however needing more space to work, I put my willow into temporary storage to build a garden studio... then lockdown struck. With a need to weave and no access to my willow, the garden plants took a hit. I soon found a new love with soft materials and so a new chapter began.
I’m a member of the Basketmakers’ Association, and also their graphic designer compiling The Journal, a members’ publication, three times a year.
I’m also a member of the Peak District Artisans, a group known for its high standards and outstanding creative works.
Materials
The natural fibre materials I tend to weave with include dandelion stems, daffodils, daylily, iris and crocosmia leaves. All have considerable strength when woven together. When strength is key, more robust natural materials such as phormium flax leaves or willow bark are used.
All plant materials used are grown in my garden or foraged locally and sustainably. All materials are harvested at the end of their natural lifecycle to ensure full regeneration of the plants to allow them to flourish again the following year. This practice is centuries old, and very low impact and truly sustainable
All materials are first dried, which can take several weeks. Once dry they are stored until needed. This process is necessary to allow for natural shrinkage as the materials dry, which would leave gaps in the weave if woven when freshly sourced.
Materials are then rehydrated in water and left to mellow before weaving can begin.
