JOANNE MATHER

Joanne Mather is a handweaver based in Formby, on the North-West coast of England, where she creates textiles for the home, to wear or as woven artwork.  She is inspired by the landscape and history of the local area, celebrating it’s Viking heritage, sweeping sand dunes and changing coastline.

 

Having received training on an 8 shaft loom in early 2020, the majority of Joanne’s time during lockdown was spent learning the craft. Gaining a place on the 2 year Diploma at the Handweavers Studio in London in 2022, was the perfect next step in her education. Much of her work involves double weave and are designed on a 16 shaft table loom, where the mixing of colours is explored to produce beautiful shades reflecting the natural environment. Wool is the perfect yarn to achieve this, along with its environmentally friendly properties. Joanne also works on a restored 8 shaft George Maxwell countermarche loom, which is a wonderful connection to keeping this heritage craft alive. Designs are created through research into a topic or an idea, to ultimately produce meaningful textiles which form a connection between cloth and a story or place.

 

Joanne is a member of Find a Maker and Design-Nation (Graduate member) and has exhibited at Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey in 2025 and 2026. An exhibition at Verdant Works Museum, Dundee with the 7 Sisters Handweavers in October 2026, will be her first exhibition since the Diploma final project. Joanne has also been teaching ‘Introduction to weaving workshops’ from home, where attendees can also experience weaving on the floor loom. There are many aspects of her hometown that she is looking forward to weave as future designs.

Joanne Mather is a handweaver based in Formby, on the North-West coast of England, where she creates textiles for the home, to wear or as woven artwork.  She is inspired by the landscape and history of the local area, celebrating it’s Viking heritage, sweeping sand dunes and changing coastline.

 

Having received training on an 8 shaft loom in early 2020, the majority of Joanne’s time during lockdown was spent learning the craft. Gaining a place on the 2 year Diploma at the Handweavers Studio in London in 2022, was the perfect next step in her education. Much of her work involves double weave and are designed on a 16 shaft table loom, where the mixing of colours is explored to produce beautiful shades reflecting the natural environment. Wool is the perfect yarn to achieve this, along with its environmentally friendly properties. Joanne also works on a restored 8 shaft George Maxwell countermarche loom, which is a wonderful connection to keeping this heritage craft alive. Designs are created through research into a topic or an idea, to ultimately produce meaningful textiles which form a connection between cloth and a story or place.

 

Joanne is a member of Find a Maker and Design-Nation (Graduate member) and has exhibited at Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey in 2025 and 2026. An exhibition at Verdant Works Museum, Dundee with the 7 Sisters Handweavers in October 2026, will be her first exhibition since the Diploma final project. Joanne has also been teaching ‘Introduction to weaving workshops’ from home, where attendees can also experience weaving on the floor loom. There are many aspects of her hometown that she is looking forward to weave as future designs.