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While I was a textile student in London, many years ago, the Victoria and Albert Museum was by far the best place to visit, study and draw inspiration from their huge collection of textiles. Back then, they had row upon row of custom made cabinetry that you could slide out to see the various fabrics that had been collected over 100's of years from around the globe.

I was very glad to be reunited with those cabinets, but they are no longer housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum, instead you can find them at the Clothworkers Centre in Hammersmith, London. (The image below shows one of these cabinets)

At the clothworkers centre It is not only possible to book into regular tours, but it is also possible to book one on one time with your choice of archive fabrics. You need to spend some time researching on their website, which is an almighty task, and then once you have decided, you secure an appointment at the Clothworkers centre, settle yourself by one of the large tables, and they bring out your chosen selection

Behind the screens

The logical way to shape our economic system is by replicating what has always worked in Nature. everything gets reintegrated into the system and waste doesn't exist. That is the basis of our future circular economy

​For me, this exhibition highlighted Albers' compassion and concerns between commercial design and craftsmanship. It showed me some powerful links between creativity and production, and the exploration of innovative materials and her consistent development of new techniques.

My thoughts on Sonia Delaunay who has had and continues to have, a significant influence on my textile practice. Here is a bit of a summary of her life and work and why I find her so inspiring. Although her artistic career spanned well into the 1970s, I am going to focus on her early career.