Sarah Hilditch Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

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A handweaver and passionate about sustainable textiles, Sarah also has a smallholding and breeds pedigree Border Leicester sheep. She uses the fleece from her own sheep and from other local farms to create bespoke yarn to use in her woven articles.

After living for many years in Italy, Sarah returned to the UK in 2016 and went on to complete a FdA in Textiles Practice at Bradford College. She inherited her mother's hill farm in 2019 and has been working to create a small flock of pedigree Border Leicester sheet, with the aim of using their wool to create bespoke, ethically produced and sustainably sourced textiles. She has also been involved with the Homegrown Homespun project in Blackburn, giving spinning and weaving workshops and helping to spin some of the locally grown flax that has been made into a garment as part of the Super Slow Way project. Sarah also gives talks about sustainable fabric and how wool and flax are processed and spun. Her goal is to spread the awareness of wool as a sustainable, breathable, naturally fire retardant, eco-friendly and truly lovely fibre, in the hopes that it will encourage people to move away from synthetic fabrics and also increase the demand for the raw material and as a result the price paid to farmers. To this end, she has joined the Campaign for Wool, promoted by H.R.H. King Charles III. Much of Sarah's practice regards the creation of homeware collections, including rugs, throws, cushions and lampshades, but she also takes on commission work and has recently carried out work for the Loose Ends Project, completing a woven rug left on the loom following the tragic death of the original maker. A member of the Bowland Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, she also forms part of the "Gathered Threads" collective, which has exhibited work in Skipton, Wakefield and Bradford.