'Mill Maker' Jasmine O'Hare

Walford Mill Crafts have many talented artists and makers amongst its staff members. In the lead up to the exhibition Walford Mill Crafts will be putting the spotlight on each specially selected ‘Mill Maker’ featuring the work of eight very different disciplines including silk weaving, embroidery, photography, jewellery and printmaking. 

On the 28^th November 2013 from 5:30-8:00pm, Walford Mill Crafts would be delighted if you could join them for a very special late night opening as all of the ‘Mill Makers’ will be selling and some will be demonstrating, there will be entertainment, PLUS 10% off everything you buy.

Meet the Maker: Jasmine O’Hare – Fine Art

28^th October – 3^rd November 2013

Jasmine O'Hare is currently studying a BA (Honours) in Fine Art at the Arts University Bournemouth. Jasmine works in a wide variety of mediums, focusing mainly on Photography and Sculpture with underlying themes of trace and preservation. Recent projects have included mapping drawing pins on telephone poles and documenting artificial animal enclosures at tourist attractions.

Jasmine often uses photography to abstract and elevate common mundane subjects. Jasmine's cards depict macro shots of winter scenes, captured using a digital SLR. The images are then edited and cropped into circles on the computer. When cropping Jasmine picks out small areas of detail and texture, slightly abstracting the subject matter. 

You can see Jasmine’s work from 28^th October to 3^rd November and she will demonstrating on our late night opening on the 28^th November from 6-8pm.

FREE entry as usual.

Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm

Walford Mill Crafts, Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1NL. Directions here

01202 841400 info@walfordmillcrafts.co.uk

'Mill Maker' Jen Goodwin

Walford Mill Crafts have many talented artists and makers amongst its staff members. In the lead up to the exhibition Walford Mill Crafts will be putting the spotlight on each specially selected ‘Mill Maker’ featuring the work of eight very different disciplines including silk weaving, embroidery, photography, jewellery and printmaking. 

On the 28^th November 2013 from 5:30-8:00pm, Walford Mill Crafts would be delighted if you could join them for a very special late night opening as all of the ‘Mill Makers’ will be selling and some will be demonstrating, there will be entertainment, PLUS 10% off everything you buy.

Meet the Maker: Jen Goodwin - Hand Embroiderer 

21st - 27th October 2013

Walford Mill Crafts newest resident maker Jen Goodwin graduated from the Royal School of Needlework in 2003 and has been embroidering professionally ever since.

 In 2011 Jen was lucky enough to be invited onto the team of embroiderers that worked on Sarah Burton's design for the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress. This is a project Jen was immensely proud to be a part of and if you seek her out in 30 years time (when her contract expires) she will be able to share some of her secrets!

Jen enjoys mixing traditional embroidery techniques with stylized designs to create modern stitch pieces that can be recreated through her workshop program or via her range of embroidery kits.

 Heading into the festive season Jen is focusing on increasing her range of embroidered jewellery. These pieces are individually stitched using fine silks along with gold & silver embroidery to create unique future treasures.

FREE entry as usual.

Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm

Walford Mill Crafts, Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1NL. Directions here

01202 841400 info@walfordmillcrafts.co.uk

'Mill Maker' Kathryn Arbon

Walford Mill Crafts have many talented artists and makers amongst its staff members. In the lead up to the exhibition Walford Mill Crafts will be putting the spotlight on each specially selected ‘Mill Maker’ featuring the work of eight very different disciplines including silk weaving, embroidery, photography, jewellery and printmaking. 

On the 28^th November 2013 from 5:30-8:00pm, Walford Mill Crafts would be delighted if you could join them for a very special late night opening as all of the ‘Mill Makers’ will be selling and some will be demonstrating, there will be entertainment, PLUS 10% off everything you buy.

Meet the Maker: Kathryn Arbon – Jewellery

14^th October – 20^th  October 2013

Resident silversmith Kathryn Arbon has been designing and making jewellery for nearly twenty years and has been at Walford Mill Crafts for seven.

Kathryn enjoys exploring different techniques and is currently working on collections in silver, 9ct gold and 18ct vermeil, which incorporate carefully selected precious gemstones, including a collection of ethically sourced gemstones from mines in Sri Lanka.

Inspiration for Kathryn’s work is drawn from many different sources, sea themes being a strong influence.  Her latest collection incorporates sea shells found whilst sifting through the warm summer sand on Shell Beach in North Devon, cast in silver. The Ammonite collection also draws on these by incorporating sterling silver ammonites cast from actual fossils. Both collections include earrings, bangles and necklaces in silver and 18ct vermeil.

As well as designing and making her own collections of jewellery, Kathryn is a tutor at Walford Mill Crafts and now considers it a privledge to have the opportunity to impart the skills and knowledge she has acquired over the years to others. This year Kathryn has started to offer the opportunity to 'Make your own Wedding Rings'.  Opening her studio to the bride and groom to be, so they can make wedding rings for each other, under her supervision. Kathryn also welcomes commissions. Reworking old materials and gemstones, breathes new life into jewellery and gemstones which would otherwise sit neglected in the bottom of a jewellery box.'

FREE entry as usual.

Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm

Walford Mill Crafts, Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1NL. Directions here

01202 841400 info@walfordmillcrafts.co.uk

'Mill Maker' Debby Kirby

Walford Mill Crafts have many talented artists and makers amongst its staff members. In the lead up to the exhibition Walford Mill Crafts will be putting the spotlight on each specially selected ‘Mill Maker’ featuring the work of eight very different disciplines including silk weaving, embroidery, photography, jewellery and printmaking. 

On the 28^th November 2013 from 5:30-8:00pm, Walford Mill Crafts would be delighted if you could join them for a very special late night opening as all of the ‘Mill Makers’ will be selling and some will be demonstrating, there will be entertainment, PLUS 10% off everything you buy.

Meet the Maker: Debby Kirby – Silk Weaver
7^th October – 13th October 2013

From her Mezzanine workshop and studio at Walford Mill Crafts in Wimborne, Dorset, Debby Kirby creates a wide range of distinctive, hand-woven pieces. Scarves, cushions, bags and a selection of accessories, along with framed and unframed pictures are created by Debby’s unique process of dyeing the silk yarns herself before weaving, ensuring every design is exclusive.


Debby graduated after studying woven textiles at The West Surrey College of Art & Design (now Surrey University) and moved to her present workshop at Walford Mill Crafts in 1986. Debby began her career by supplying her hand-woven silk scarves to many of London’s retailers, including Liberty & Co. and Fortnum & Mason. Over the years she has also seen her work exhibited at many leading galleries including New Brewery Arts, Platform Gallery, Black Swan Arts and The Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Working alongside a calligrapher, they instigated a national touring exhibition – ‘Woven Words’ – which ran for almost two years and visited 12 venues across the UK.

During her career, Debby has built up such a loyal client base that she now concentrates on her studio at Walford Mill, as her customers enjoy observing her working directly on her Harris countermarch loom.


Debby's inspiration comes from many sources: architecture, sky-lines, colour in nature and in the modern world. Using these ideas as a starting point, Debby sketches out her designs to calculate the amount of silk threads needed, the silk is then wound off to the required length as anything up to 250 feet of silk is used to weave a run of scarves. The threads are dyed using colour and light fast acid dyes, each colour powder is weighed, mixed with fixing mordant and then dissolved in hot water. The silk is immersed into the dye and simmered, until Debby is satisfied with the intensity of the colour. The threads are plaited and tied, to build up layers and this way of dyeing (almost painterly in effect) ensures that no two lengths of silk will ever be the same.

This very individual way of working has led to Debby combining her skills with a variety of makers from other disciplines. These include artists, photographers, wood-workers and jewellers, for which Debby has specifically adapted her working process to incorporate each media. 2013 has been an exceptionally busy year, with ideas for collaborations and new designs keeping her creative process innovative. 

 Collaboration with Caroline Parrott

Keep up with the latest news from Debby on Facebook & Twitter! 

FREE entry as usual.

Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm

Walford Mill Crafts, Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1NL. Directions here

01202 841400 info@walfordmillcrafts.co.uk