Bristol is lucky to have Bristol Textile Quarter (BTQ), a space dedicated to textile making with a thriving textile community.

Textile studio spaces

What makes an excellent environment for designing and producing textiles? Space, light, accessibility, community? For most of us, creating a working studio is a personal choice based on logistics, and economics and is often a case of simply finding somewhere that isn’t the kitchen table or a corner of the living room.

An awareness of the shortage of studios was the thinking behind BTQ in 2014. Founding director, Emma Jane Hague, wanted to set up a space for textile and fashion like-minds to meet, connect, and collaborate. There was an urgent need for a large, clean, textile-focussed workspace in Bristol and a curiosity about what could happen if it were to exist.

Nine years later, BTQ is firmly established in the community and minds of those ‘in the know’ and reaches new audiences all the time through textile workshops and the impressive alumni of creatives who benefited from having the space in the heart of Bristol.

An eight-minute walk, (or five-minute drive) from Temple Meads railway station, BTQ has a prime location. Under the same roof, you will find Dash and Miller, Bristol Weaving Mill, and Jacky Puzey design. An abundance of textile talent and facilities in one place.

Youngye Cho

New seam collective member, Youngye Cho, is an alumnus of BTQ. The textile artist, originally from South Korea found herself in Bristol having done her MA at the RCA in London.

Her work, through weaving, explores rhythm, repetition, links, and spatial relationships between structures and space. She explores the rhythm of repetition and pattern, complex colour contrasts, textured surfaces, and the feel of the materials moving in her hand. She is inspired by her experiences, social issues, and natural phenomena.

Community

The strong community stood out for Youngye during her time in the well-equipped shared studio space.

“The people in BTQ are kind and friendly. They are always happy to support and help each other. Sometimes they collaborate and share their work and skills. Being able to see various interesting works up close stimulated and inspired me”

As well as community connections BTQ boasts an impressive list of facilities available to members and is always on the hunt for high-quality, industrial (or semi-industrial) textile equipment that needs a new home.

The space is also available to hire for private workshops and meetings. seam collective has held meetings there in the past, and more recently novice and experienced embroidered came together to create a ‘Bristol Army’ for Louise Gardiner‘s incredible Stitch an Acorn/Cape of Creative Courage project.

Local TV star

And it would be hard to talk about the members of BTQ right now without giving a shout-out to their local celebrity Lizzie Everard, aka Betty Silk Sews, currently appearing in the hit BBC show The Great British Sewing Bee. At the time of writing, Lizzie looks like a strong contender to make it to the final with some stunning garments and beautiful stories behind her inspirations.

The name comes from Lizzie’s Mum, whose maiden name was Silk, so the Betty Silk sewing alias is in memory of—and thanks to—her. She fondly remembers her hands around her own, showing her how to do it with so much love.

She sews for many reasons, from sentimental to political, for nostalgia and for the future, for her mental health, and for soulful wealth, She is passionate about crafting a meaningful wardrobe she loves, that looks good, is sewn beautifully, and doesn’t exploit anyone.

It’s exciting to see a member of the Southwest textile community flying the flag for well-made and sustainable wardrobe choices in her work and on national television. Good luck Lizzie!

Connections

If you’re adding BTQ to your little black book of textiles connections you will want to include studio manager Saffron Darby.

Saffron owns Brown in Town Tailors with her husband David Minns and previously worked for many years as a clothes designer, and was Senior Designer at Toast for 10 years.

Saffron runs MEETMAKEMEND, a mending collective that has been running since 2019 – a regular textile get-together and mending circle.

Check out Bristol Textile Quarter and their events page. Contact Saffron at hello@bristoltextilequarter.co.uk regarding any BTQ membership inquiries and workshop-related questions.

Angie Parker