Ruby Webster - BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
From Field to Fabric
I am a hand weaver, spinner and natural dyer, working to celebrate the power of handcrafts and the value of slow, intentional making.
Over the past year, I have been exploring how far back in the process of cloth-making I can go, learning to source, process, and transform raw fibres using sustainable, ethical methods inspired by traditional practices that have been passed down and shared across cultures for many generations.
There is a growing movement toward mindfulness, sustainability and therapeutic practices in response to our increasingly fast paced and digitalised world. My work speaks to this and incorporates a sense of regional heritage and local craftsmanship. In my practice, I strive not only to value such traditions, but also explore how they can evolve and remain relevant in contemporary life.
I aim to create textiles that are both rooted and forward thinking, innovative within traditional confine. This is a multi-layered body of work that speaks to a wide range of audiences, while being deeply personal and reflective of my own journey with these crafts. I seek to bridge the past and present in meaningful, tactile ways.
My practice embodies a ceremonial and ritualistic ethos, rooted in community and shared knowledge. I adopt an intuitive, exploratory rhythm in my process, viewing weaving not just a technique, but as a concept— one that holds space for storytelling, connection and reflection. I strive to create work that begins conversations, raises important questions, and enhances the environments it inhabits through materiality and presence.
'From Field to Fabric' centered on creating handmade cloth large enough to enshroud a person, drawing on traditions of gifting cloth to loved ones, often embued with care and protection. Using handspun, hand-dyed wool and a linen/silk blend, the pieces embody warmth, comfort and intention.
