Andrea Williamson
Maker of the Month (February 2010)

Andrea Williamson is a Textile Designer and Maker who works from a studio space at home on the Shetland Island of Whalsay. She designs and makes colourful knitted accessories and interior pieces.

Here, Andrea talks to HI-Arts about her background, inspirations, being part of the Text-Isles group and her plans for the future:

I have to make things, it’s a bit of a compulsion!

My business developed gradually since moving back home to Shetland after graduating from the University of Brighton in 2004, where I studied Fashion Textiles.

As I’ve become busier it’s turned into a full time occupation making colourful knitted textiles in cosy wools drawing on elements from traditional Shetland knitting to create cheerful contemporary accessories and interior pieces.

I enjoyed my time ‘South’ but never really saw it as a permanent move I feel more creative and have more space to think here in Shetland.

The main disadvantage to being in Shetland is the distance involved in sending orders to customers or ordering in materials that can’t be sourced on the islands and all the additional time and shipping costs it incurs.

The same applies when exhibiting at a trade or craft fair on the mainland. Also it’s not practical to visit as many exhibitions and events as I’d like to. For me though, the positives of living and working in Shetland outweigh any logistical disadvantages.

I like using natural materials and it’s nice to make use of local resources, I enjoy the connection of making something using wool that’s been grown from sheep that you see everyday.

There’s a long history of knitting in Shetland and it has constantly evolved, I refer to traditional patterns in my work as it becomes part of the story too. It’s too small to be anonymous and getting to know other makers through local craft fairs over the years is fine and lightsome.

I sell directly by mail order through my website and at craft and trade fairs and I drop ship to a couple of catalogues/websites and have work stocked in boutique type shops, department stores and galleries.

 

We formed Text-Isles to create a more official base for sharing experiences and combining resources for group exhibitions and promotion. It means we can try things out that individually we might not manage do on our own.

It can be quite solitary working for your self especially in a remote area, so it’s great to meet up with the Text-Isle lasses and hear what everybody’s been up to.

There’s some good support for craft makers, Hazel Hughson at Shetland Arts is great at keeping in touch with makers and keeping informed about opportunities.

The SIC Economic Development can provide business advice and can help with things like funding to offset some of the extra expense of travelling out of Shetland to promote your business. It helps reduce some of the worry and financial risk of trying out something new.

Future plans include looking at a move to a dedicated work space, I still work from home and it’s not very practical anymore almost every room has bits of yarn or something stuffed in corners, I stash every odd scrap in case it comes in useful for a project later on.

I’d like to do some garments again as well as continuing with interior accessories. I always want to do far more than there are days in the week.

Andrea Williamson, January 2010


Contact Details:

Andrea Williamson
Tel: 01806 566468
Email: info@andreawilliamson.co.uk
Website: www.andreawilliamson.co.uk


NOTE: Andrea has also been chosen as one of six Highlands and Islands based makers who are exhibiting at the Stroud International Textile Festival in May 2010. More details about this Festival and how the makers got on there will be posted on the HI-Arts website in May.