Christine Brimer’s passion is to weave with naturally coloured wool from New Zealand sheep, producing beautiful textiles inspired by Aotearoa’s light and landscape. Working and teaching from her Niche Textile Studio, overlooking Wellington’s south coast, her continuing exploration of materiality and processes is underpinned by sustainable design considerations and grounded in the natural environment.
What do you make?
I design and weave cloth for contemporary interiors, with wool grown and processed in Aotearoa, in natural hues of the fleece.
Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I studied textile design at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington. By my fourth year I knew that weaving with strong and undyed New Zealand wool was the way forward for me, to respect the land I live in and to articulate my experiences and research findings into cloth.
Describe your creative process:
Weaving to realise a new cloth is a long and iterative process, beginning with identifying a problem, a question or a theme to be explored. A lot of time is committed to setting up the loom in various configurations to sample how the yarns relate and perform, visually and functionally, in cloth. Cloth is not finished until it is off the loom and taken through various finishing processes depending on the type of yarns used. If the yarns don’t play nicely together, I put them aside until I identify a weave structure and product that best showcases their character. And behind all this is telling a story or conveying a message that will resonate with others for years to come.
It takes a lot of time and hard work to find fluency on the loom; to wrangle ideas, technique and materials to realise new cloth. Weaving is not called a practice for nothing!
Tell us about some of the techniques involved in producing one of your pieces:
I invested in a wide, multishaft loom to enable me to design and weave complex double cloth weave structures that hero strong and undyed New Zealand wool yarns.
It’s really hard sourcing yarns suitable for weaving; most wool yarn produced in New Zealand is spun for knitters. As a small, artisan weaver it is difficult to source an ongoing supply of yarn that is grown and processed here, without having to order minimums of over 100kg. Because I’m really particular about the provenance and character of the yarns I use, I have a very small yarn library. So I look to build layered surfaces and shadow in my cloth principally with fine natural cream wool yarns. For contrast I source wool from sheep bred for deep chocolate or soft grey fleece hues, and chunky yarns for luscious texture moments. On a more pragmatic level, because it takes such a long time to sample and edit a body of work, and to set up the loom through all the stages in readiness to throw the shuttles (the stage that most people see as “weaving”), I need to weave runs of each cloth. For example, it takes 30 hours to dress and thread the loom with the 1800 warp ends for the 54 inch wide double cloth sofa throws. So I set up to weave a run of eight to ten at a time, which is over three months of solid weaving, before I can begin a new cloth.
I weave my designs on an AVL Compudobby IV loom, beautifully crafted in California from American Ash. It is a wonderful interface of mechanical and digital technologies. Like all looms, and the musical instruments they resemble, it requires care and tuning to play at its best. As I get acquainted with this beautiful machine, it has become an extension of my thinking and of my hands.
Is there a philosophy behind your work?
I am interested in exploring surface and form to articulate themes of belonging and our connection to the natural world. My first training was as a plant scientist. Like scientific enquiry, weaving is an intentional iterative practice reliant on curiosity, observation and experimentation. My studio name derives from a niche being the special role that each species has in an ecosystem, the place where it belongs and contributes from.
What has been a highlight of your maker journey so far?
I enjoy collaborating on projects with other designers who recognise weaving as a mode of design and who understand the technical skill as well as the creative realisation in a piece of cloth. Because I work solo I treasure these opportunities to nut out problems and solutions with other people.
Describe your workspace:
I am really fortunate that there is room in my home to work, with a beautiful view of the south coast and all that intense weather that comes in from Cook Strait and further afield. And I get to share this space with students who come for weave workshops. On the walls are works by other people, including my daughters, that mean a lot to me and remind me that creativity is universally important.
Five words that describe your mind:
Curious, analytical, doubtful, forgetful, determined… some or all of the above at any given time.
What does it mean to you when someone buys your creations?
Probably it is most rewarding when someone walks away, and then comes back, having thought hard before they buy. I want the materials, and the work involved in designing and making cloth, to be in someone’s home for the long haul.
What are you currently listening to?
My favourite podcast is Grant Gibson, Material Matters. He is a very astute interviewer who researches thoroughly and asks really interesting questions, so the conversations are rich and thought provoking. I especially enjoy interviews with designers and craft practitioners who work with other materials and processes.
What’s your favourite childhood book and why?
That would be Winnie the Pooh, the first book I remember unwrapping, my first own treasure. The illustrations are so tender, and the smell of the pages…
What are you reading now?
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, loaned to me by my youngest daughter. It calls us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world and to understand and champion indigenous world views, knowledge and practice.
Who is your hero/heroine? Why?
In 2019 I had the privilege of meeting Ann Sutton, a UK weaver, who has helped launch the careers of many contemporary weavers through generous internship and has shared a wealth of knowledge in wonderful publications.
Tell us about your pets:
I miss our little dog Molly who passed in March. The right foot pedal of my loom doubled as her back scratcher when she sat close as I worked. Now my favourite pets are the bees and birds that visit my tiny garden, seeking out bugs, and flowers to pollinate. Watching them work slows me down, reminding me to observe and just be.
What would your advice be for those starting out in a crafty business?
Work out what is important to you, and what you won’t compromise on. It will become part of your point of difference.
Why do you think it’s important to buy handmade and/or locally made goods?
Artisan made objects remind us to choose wisely and value time and resources.
What was the last handmade item you bought and what attracted you to it?
A wooden coffee scoop from a craftsperson in Dunedin; it is beautifully made from a timber offcut, and it does the job! And I love the rattan basket made by almondseed and bought on Felt; it is beautifully proportioned and holds my loom threading tools and snips.
What’s your favourite item in your shop right now?
I will always love weaving Sunday Drive cushions, especially Castle Hill. The cloth came out of my Honours research project, exploring and coming to understand why I feel at home in the hills.
What’s in store for 2023?
Currently I’m working on a new body of work for exhibition in Auckland in April. It feels like standing at a precipice, a mix of anxiety and anticipation, as the pieces become resolved or edited out in equal measure.
Special offer for Felt readers!
Christine has very kindly offered Felt readers 10% off any of the beautiful handwoven products in her Felt shop, when you enter the voucher code NICHEMARCH2023 in the voucher code field at checkout. This offer is valid throughout the month of March 2023. Thank you so much Christine!
Kia ora Christine,
I love love love your work. I am a weaver too and I would love to come to a workshop with you. Where can I find out about them?
Bernice