London Craft Week  6 – 10th May 2015 is a new annual, not-for-profit event which showcases exceptional craftsmanship through a journey-of-discovery programme featuring hidden workshops, celebrated makers, other lesser known makers and highly specialised skills alongside famous shops, galleries and luxury brands.
Founded on the ethos of making, London Craft Week aims to put craftsmanship at centre stage of the world’s creative capital by introducing the talent, people and techniques behind beautifully made things to a wider audience. They will be able to experience craft not just as static branded objects in smart shops but understand the context of how they were made, why they are special and even have a try themselves.
Weavers involved in London Craft Week include :
Daniel Harris, who set up The London Cloth Company in 2010, has single-handedly sourced, rebuilt and restored numerous power looms of historical significance dating from as early as 1870 to 1970. Since then the London Cloth Company has grown into a renowned international brand, supplying a range of cottons and woollens to top designers. He will set up a power loom and be weaving at DAKS, 10 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4PL, on May 7th 2015 from 10.30am – 17.00
London Cloth Company image credit: Beth Saunders
Catarina Riccabona is a textile designer and weaver, who has been featured previously on The Weave Shed. Her work can be seen at Made of Mayfair- The New Craftsmen and Cockpit Arts Open Studios. 9th -10th  (Saturday-Sunday) May 2015. Times 11:00 – 18:00.
Inspired the woodcarvings of Grinling Gibbons in the church of St James, Picadilly, she will be in residence to develop a series of samplers on thursday 7th 10am-6pm and friday 8th 10am-1pm
Catarina designs and makes cushions, scarves and throws. Each piece is hand-woven on a traditional loom and produced from start to finish in her studio in Southeast London. Her work is often inspired by tribal textiles, vintage grain sacks and linen towels as well as by memories of textiles from her childhood like mattress ticking or antique kilns.
The look of her work is also determined by her very eco-friendly choice of yarns: linen, hemp, wool and alpaca (all undyed/unbleached and sourced from the UK and Europe). Coloured yarns are plant-dyed, recycled, second-hand (from donations) or the natural colour of the animal fleece. Catarina studied Textile Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She started her own textile design business upon winning a Cockpit Arts / The Clothworkers’ Foundation Award to join Cockpit Arts in May 2012
Text and image from own website and London Craft Week website
Naomi Robertson is Dovecot’s Tapestry Studio Manager and Master Weaver.  On Fri 8th May 2015. 10.00am – 17.00 beneath the vast Kitaj tapestry in the British Library (woven by Dovecot weavers in the mid-1990s), apprentice weaver Ben Hymers and master weaver and studio manager Naomi Robertson demonstrate weaving techniques on a wooden handloom. With guidance from Naomi, Ben will highlight the importance of nurturing craftsmanship and traditional tapestry weaving skills for future generations.
Naomi joined Dovecot Studios after graduating from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA (Hons) in Tapestry in 1990 and is a member of the Incorporation of Weavers of Glasgow. A highlight of her tapestry career was weaving a corset, shoes and headpiece in collaboration with fashion designer Chrissie Clyne. Naomi has worked on some of the Studio’s highest profile projects, both designing for and weaving on commissions.
Rattan weaving at Soane Britain
Dates: Fri 8 & Sat 9 May, 11am–3pm
Soane Britain, 50–52 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8LP. 020 7730 6400
Discover the historic art of rattan-weaving in Soane Britain’s Pimlico showroom, with a demonstration from the talented craftsmen of Britain’s last-surviving rattan-weaving workshop.
COLLECT, presented by the Crafts Council is a chance to buy world-class, museum-quality contemporary craft from 35 international galleries each representing established and emerging artists. is at the Saatchi Gallery, London from 8 -11 May 2015. Tickets £12 in advance.
Alongside the top floor at the Saatchi Gallery will feature COLLECT Open, a space created for artists to explore new ideas, and a preview of the latest Crafts Council Touring Exhibition I AM HERE. Over the course of the fair there will also be a programme of talks from curators, gallerists and many of the exhibiting artists.
Text and images from London Craft Week, COLLECT, artists own  and Dovecot websites
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