Trained as a textile designer I specialise in breeding Shetland sheep and weaving with the natural palette of wool from these native breeds. My creative practice explores the potential of circular and generative approaches as a way of making-to-make sense. I am interested in craft as a form of advocacy and activism that embodies consciousness, consideration and care. I am inspired by the possibilities of a new ‘field to fabric’ aesthetic, which emphasises the subtle nuances of texture and tactility, unique within hand crafted processes - created both individually and in collaboration - with other makers.

I focus on breeding my flock ‘of Barclay’ Shetland sheep to re-establish the fineness of fleece reminiscent of the traditional Shetland 1927 breed standard. Scottish provenance is a central tenet of my philosophy, which encompasses a circular approach - within a 50 mile radius - contributing to the responsibility and sustainability of contemporary craft approaches. Creating fabrics that are honed by the hand and created in concert with nature, which impart the natural qualities and sensibilities of the local landscape, culture and terrain.

  • Wool is important environmentally, economically and culturally, particularly in rural communities. Traditionally, sheep were bred for wool, which had considerable value, however the onset of fast fashion and synthetic fibres, recently exacerbated by Covid-19, has resulted in wool having relatively little economic value, with current rates being reported of less than 10p per kilo. As a result, it costs more to shear sheep than the amount paid for wool. This has led to crofters and farmers, deciding not to send their clip for processing and in extreme cases burning or burying the wool.

  • Local culture, provenance and environmental sustainability is embedded throughout my ‘end-to-end’ process including vernacular materials, the ethics of production, (animal welfare, fair pay, human rights) and environmental sustainability (climate change / climate resilience). Small-scale farming, craft and production systems are acutely attuned to climate change though weather patterns, waste / recycling, chemical / mulesing free, ensuring environmental sustainability and diversity.

    Circular approaches contribute to supporting the sustainability of producers at a human scale in local contexts. Natural socio-cultural ecosystems offer a mode of understanding and ways of ameliorating local practices of production that speak to the consideration of gender, cultures, practices, skills, histories and societal structures. Craft in this context is an equitable method of production and an ‘ecological act’.

  • Please contact lynn@lynnmchattie.com for Biography and Narrative CV