What goes into an Ashculme Textiles Piece?
We have a determination to make beautiful quality pieces free from travel miles, chemicals & plastic. Apart from a few natural dyes that I cannot grow, everything that goes into our products is local - from Australian Merino and our alpaca yarn, to the dyes used. I am slowly building up a dye garden and hope to be able to source all my colours either from the garden or adjoining bush in the next few years.
Our dyes
Weld, Indigo, Woad, Coreopsis, Madder to name just a few
Sustainable Colourfast
our story
Nestled on a few acres in the NSW Riverina, the Ashculme Textiles studio is a hive of quiet activity. It all began at the end of 2015 with the purchase of our very first loom. Together with my mother, we drew on our two lifetimes of fibre and textile art and tentatively made our first pieces.
The alpacas followed soon after the loom, and more looms followed the alpacas. It has now transformed into a beautiful light filled studio, housing 7 floor looms, a couple of table looms, a spinning wheel and all the paraphernalia a fibre lover can dream of. The dye work has found its home outside, where tank water can flow freely from tank, to dye bath, to garden. There are usually several projects on the go, and the looms are also available for workshops, for visits to schools, or for individuals to use for their own projects.
Eight years on we are still striving to keep up with our creative ideas and the passion for making is as strong as ever. Now in her late 80’s, my mother has taken a step back. Fortunately my husband has been able to step forward and has become an integral part of the business. Our daughter-in-law also plays a huge role, continuing the mother/daughter legacy.
Our aim has not changed. It is to make beautiful and original pieces and to do it to the best of our abilities. The other objective is to do it without causing damage to this precious earth. With our desire to tread lightly, we use only natural dyeing techniques. Some of our colours come from our local flora, some are plants we grow and a few are natural but purchased. With just a few quality dyes, such as indigo, madder and weld, a whole rainbow of colours can be produced. We are now growing our own weld which is incredibly exciting for us and we hope to grow some indigo next season.
Alongside the alpaca yarn, we also use Merino. Grown and processed in Australia, we are incredibly proud to have many of our lines certified as Australian Products by Australia Made.
