Our Warped and Wasted Crowdfunder campaign is over half way, both in time and money raised – a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, helping us raise £3,345, two thirds of our £5,000 target! It’s really exciting, we are so grateful and thank you for all your kind messages.

I always enjoy taking part in September Textile Love which is why I’d like to support you with this installation – Good luck with the project
Carol Quarini

We just need a little more help with the Crowdfunder pledges in order to cross the mark and reach our goal of £5000 and there are only 11 days left!

Wonderful project. Delighted to be able to support you all.
Katie Shield

Our target is to enable us to secure match funding for our Warped and Wasted project and support our Arts Council application. We are planning Warped and Wasted with the hope of creating a large-scale, collaborative, textile art installation using 100% waste, existing second-hand or biodegradable materials. Our aim is to champion a positive and inspiring approach to sustainability, that gives people different entry points to engage with this complex issue, and to be empowered to ask sustainable and ethical questions in their everyday lives.

Excited to see what SEAM do next. Pioneers of all things Textiles ❤️‍🔥
Suzanne Green

The catalyst for Warped and Wasted came from our previous project A Visible THREAD. As part of that project we each completed a thought-provoking, individual sustainability audit. These audits led to further questions and deep discussions; helping us to reflect on our individual practices and how we can elevate the ambitions of seam. We have a shared belief in the Warped and Wasted project, and to help inspire others to invest in our exciting vision each of us in seam has contributed £200 to the Warped and Wasted Crowdfunder campaign. In addition to that, we are all contributing very special seam collective rewards – read on to find out more.

The Rewards

We have a huge variety of rewards to suit all pockets, which can be yours for donations ranging from just £10 to £100. We’re offering you, our wonderful community of textile lovers, lots of opportunities to engage with, learn from or collect from the many individual and talented seam members. Lots of the rewards have been snapped up already by you, our fabulous supporters, but there are still a few remaining gems:

Engage

Firstly there is an inspiring online talk from award winning artist, Julie Heaton, about how she uses the art of free machine embroidery to navigate loss. Join Julie, for a donation of £10 or more, as she explains how the use of her sewing machine enabled her to overcome her fear of drawing and allowed her to embody, in thread, conversations that she was struggling to have following traumatic loss. The talk will be held at 10:30am GMT online on 5 April 2025.

Learn

There are some wonderful online and in-person learning opportunities too:

• From Glory Youngye Cho, a recent MA graduate from the Royal College of Art, there is a portfolio critique for aspiring textile students. For a £100 donation, Glory is offering a one hour session, online, for students preparing to major in textiles, focusing on what to include in their portfolio. She’ll give some simple tips, followed by a personalised review of their portfolio to help them improve and stand out. Between April and June on a Saturday, date to be arranged.
• Oly Bliss has two remaining rewards, an Introduction to colour theory workshop and, a portfolio review. Each session is available for a £100 donation or more. The two-hour one-to-one introductory session on colour theory, is designed to inspire your creative practice. Explore the fundamentals of colour, including harmony, contrast, and the emotional impact of palettes, with a hands-on approach tailored to your artistic goals. Oly will guide you through practical exercises and insights, sharing techniques from his own vibrant textile work. Oly is also offering to elevate your artistic practice with a two-hour, online one-to-one critique session. Share your portfolio or selected works for an in-depth discussion tailored to your creative journey. Oly will provide constructive feedback on composition, technique, concept, and presentation, offering insights to help you refine your ideas & develop your artistic voice, for an exhibition, applying for opens etc. Both sessions are flexible with dates by arrangement.
• There is only one space remaining for Penny Wheeler‘s Introduction to back-strap weaving workshop using a rigid heddle loom on Tuesday 26 August 4hrs 11am – 4pm (incl. break for lunch) at ACEarts. For a donation of £35 or more, you will learn how to set up a rigid heddle loom, an ancient weaving tool, then create cloth from wool yarn and scrap materials, playing with colour and texture. All materials supplied.
• Join Nina Gronw-Lewis for an exclusive Sketchbook making workshop at ACEarts, Somerton, in May 2025 (date to be arranged with purchaser) – her only workshop in 2025! For a donation of £100 or more, Nina is offering a two and a half hour session designed for up to 3 people with personalized guidance & hands-on experience. Under Nina’s expert instruction, you’ll embark on a creative journey to craft your own unique A4 hardback sketchbook to learn the art of a bespoke sketchbook, ready to capture your artistic inspirations.

Collect

 There are also some gorgeous textile art works and more practical pieces for you to collect:

• From Desiree Jeans one-off FabWrap embellished with embroidery and ribbon. FabWrap is reusable fabric gift wrap, made from deadstock fashion fabrics with a permanent ribbon to secure the wrapping. For a donation of £50 or more, this set includes a medium size piece that has been hand embellished using embroidery and ribbons to make a one-off and totally unique item that can be used for years to come.

• Joy Merron is offering a choice of a recycled used-teabag cordage bowl or a conical vase. The middle image, above, shows Joy’s recycled used-teabag cordage bowl with jute edging. It is 14cm high with a diameter of 26cm. The image on the right is of her conical vase, again recycled used-teabag cordage which measures a height from 20cm and base width 19cm. Each piece is available with a £35 donation.
• There are only three handmade doorstops left from Angie Parker, see image above right. The doorstops are made using digitally printed fabric in Angie’s woven krokbragd design. Measuring 16cm by 16cm by 16cm. Printed on cotton and linen with a cotton backing and filled with rice. Each doorstop is available with a £20 donation or more..
• Helen MacRitchie’s Wool sling zipped bag 24 x 20 x 6cm made of wet felted Corriedale wool, silk with free machine embroidery, cotton cord, scroll through to see an image of her bag in her Instagram post below right. Available for a £40 donation.
• From Lydia Needle there are some wonderful bee rewards from her FIFTY BEES project. There are two sets of the following available: an archival print of the Bilberry Bumblebee, plus books from the second and fifth exhibitions, as well as seven various bee postcards. In addition there is an archival print of the Broken-belted Bumblebee, plus books from the second and fifth exhibitions, as well as seven various bee postcards. Read more in Lydia’s Instagram post below, left. Each set is available with a £40 donation or more.

We’d love to reach our target before the Crowdfunder finishes at the end of January, so please consider making a donation. Also, please share this blog with anyone you can think of who might be interested in supporting textiles in art or who’s on the lookout for an unusual gift.

Or how about treating yourself?

Angie Parker and Penny Wheeler