Meet The Maker

I’ve always been drawn to places where creativity and curiosity meet. Growing up in Western Australia and later living in Canada, Finland and the UK, I’ve found inspiration in the different landscapes, materials and ways of making I’ve encountered along the way.

I discovered weaving while living in Finland, and something clicked. I was captivated by the quiet balance of creativity and precision — the rhythm of the loom, the structure hidden within cloth, and the endless possibilities held in a simple combination of threads. When I returned to Australia, a floor loom made up a rather large part of my luggage. It was the beginning of a journey that eventually brought me to Edinburgh, where Loimi & Ko. has grown into my handwoven textiles practice.

The name Loimi & Ko. comes from the Finnish word loimi, meaning the warp threads that run through a woven cloth. I like the idea that these threads form the structure from which everything else can develop — much like the foundations of a creative practice.

My work explores the meeting of colour, texture and structure, using natural fibres such as wool, linen, cotton and silk. I’m particularly interested in materials with a past, and often work with yarns sourced from industry waste and surplus materials. There is something satisfying about taking a collection of individual threads and slowly turning them into cloth, one pass of the shuttle at a time.

My handwoven pieces have been exhibited across the UK and Europe, including exhibitions with the Seven Sisters Handweavers at Køng Museum in Denmark, Whitchurch Silk Mill and Textile Tower House in Hawick. My work has also been shown at direct-selling events including Glow in Edinburgh and Dalkeith Country Park, and I contributed Completing a Handweaving Diploma to issue 32 of The Wheel by Ashford Wheels & Looms.

For me, weaving is as much about the journey as the finished cloth. Every weaver knows that no matter how many metres pass through the loom, there is always something new to discover. That sense of curiosity is what keeps me weaving.

Alongside my own studio practice, I run relaxed, hands-on rigid heddle weaving workshops from my studio at Coburg Art House in Leith, Edinburgh. I love introducing people to this wonderfully tactile craft and watching that same moment of discovery happen when someone makes their first piece of cloth.