Loom Room originated on the Coromandel Peninsula in the late 1980s where I, Jackie, took up my first full-time employment as an apprentice weaver at True Colours studio in Coromandel town with local artisan Maureen Lorimer. Loom Room as an online store is now displaying the fruits of my experience and labour.

I have been weaving for more than 30 years and love the honesty of making something from start to finish. Being involved in the process of creating a beautiful garment from the raw yarn to a finished product on someone’s shoulders is incredibly rewarding.

The majority of the yarns used in my products are manufactured in New Zealand, primarily from New Zealand’s famous merino sheep or possum fibres. I weave with yarns where the provenance is known to be sustainable throughout the manufacturing supply chain. My all time favourite yarns to work with are the possum blends. The finished result is supremely soft, light weight yet warm, and remarkably durable. Possums are a tremendous pest to New Zealand’s native forests, so it is a silver lining that yarm made from them is so specail. For more information about the possum blends I use please visit https://woolyarns.co.nz/ .

Selected yarns are woven on my floor looms with great care and attention to detail - I am somewhat a perfectionist when it comes to weaving. (On the rare occasion I make a treadling error, if it is not possible to repair it, it becomes a second, even though few people would be able to see it - I know the fault is there). My looms are entirely hand (and foot) powered using no mechanical equipment (though I do use an electric drill to wind bobbins). Unlike a mass production factory, I produce in small runs, and sometimes one-off pieces.

Loom Room has at its heart, values of trust, integrity and balance. I am passionate about creating something that upholds an authentic process - I know the origins of the fibre I use and always strive to produce high quality, handmade products. I am always happy to engage in conversations and answer questions about weaving in general or my work, so I invite you to reach out here: https://www.loomroom.co.nz/contact