I have always been creative even as a child I loved drawing and painting. I come from a very creative family, my uncle is Dr Julian Hume a Palaeontologist, my sister paints huge flowers on canvas, my cousin Jeradine is a tattoo artist and my grandparents and great grandparents were painters, embroiderers, seamstresses and lace makers.

I chose textiles and art for GCSE and absolutely loved it and so carried it on through to college when finally choosing Fashion and Textile design at Winchester School of Art for my degree.

2010 - There were four pathways to choose from, printed textiles, knitwear, fashion and weaving. I thought I had already made my mind up to do printed textiles, I loved drawing and patterns and it made sense to. We then had our first practical class on weaving and I just absolutely fell in love with it. It was so hard, technical and yet therapeutic. So I completely changed my mind and chose weaving for my degree.

2012 - In my second year I had the incredible opportunity to study weaving at the Swedish School of Textiles in Boras, Sweden for five months as part of the Erasmus exchange. This is still one of the best decisions I ever made, the facilities and weaving equipment they had were amazing. I learnt how to weave on jacquard, terry towel, carpet and traditional Swedish looms. The Scandinavian style still influences my work today.

2013 - When I graduated from my degree I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I knew I didn’t want to work in the fast paced textile industry. I started working in retail for monsoon who sell beautiful clothes and accessories. I also really enjoyed the film industry after being an extra in the film The Riot Club. Alongside my retail job I worked as a costume and art department assistant for Lionsgate, Pinewood Studios and Sky Arts.

2014 - I went to old Portsmouth and walked along the top of Hotwalls above the arches. I said I would love to have a studio here looking out to the sea. At this point I had no idea they were making this area into studios and they were empty arches. I also found out that my ancestors were Flemish weavers from my grandma and my family name used to be Vanderhume.

2015 - My dad became really unwell and had to have major heart surgery and the stress of it gave me shingles and I was ill for a year. With us both being off sick we started making frame looms out of mine and my sisters childhood bunk beds, we called them Hume looms. I started teaching my first weave workshops in Portsmouth and absolutely loved it. I would do weave busking and demonstrations on Southsea common to promote my workshops.

2016 - I was still working in retail and the film industry but really wanted to get back into weaving. I attended a female entrepreneur networking event and found out they were making Hotwalls into artist studios and applied, the exact place I said I wanted to have a studio. In July I got made redundant from my job at monsoon and received the keys to my studio the next day. This was life changing for me, as I never sold my work before.

2017 - I had my first ever solo exhibition at Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth and made a new collection of work inspired by the sea and refugees. My small business at Hotwalls Studios was growing, I was taking on commissions, taught macrame workshops at wilderness festival and won a platinum award for my weave workshops with craft courses.

2018 - I received a commission to create nine giant merino Wool hangings for Allbirds first UK store in Covent Garden. I created an interactive weave at hotwalls for the public to weave in plants and tie in paper labels with messages. I collaborated with fashion designers, and created new copper textile moons with my father.

2019 - I successfully received arts council funding for my project Interactive Weaves. I went to Japan and studied weaving at the Saorinomori and created my first woven garments. I worked on textile events and ran workshops for soho house, larmer tree and wilderness festival. I got to the interview stage for the hothouse programme with crafts council.

2020 - I received arts council funding again for my project community textiles. I started my first virtual workshops and zoom classes, which were recommended by time-out magazine. I received a commission from Hotwalls to create a piece for the pause, reflect, create project to be part of the Portsmouth museum archive collections.

2021 - I successfully completed my project Interactive Weaves, ran textile events and workshops for University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Chelsea Flower Show and Natural England.

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Weaving on a 24 shaft arm loom at Winchester School of Art, 2012

Solo Exhibition called Wild Water at Aspex Gallery 2017/2018

Giant woven teepee at Victorious Festival 2019, part of my arts council project Interactive Weaves. Photograph by Alex Fountain.

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My Journey into Weaving