Freeweaver SAORI studio

Freeweaver SAORI Studio is owned by Erna Janine, who has been involved with natural textiles for over 20 years. She studied hand spinning with animal and plant fibres, botanical dyes and Viking age textile construction: warp weighted looms, tablet weaving, nalbinding, etc. at the Icelandic College for traditional handcrafts in Reyjavik. For the last four years, Erna Janine has been visiting Japan regularly to study Saori freeweaving, a handweaving technique developed by Misao Jo. Unlike traditional textile techniques, which rely on repeating patterns, Saori Weaving is freestyle, personal to the weaver and so expressive that each cloth is unique, a work of art. In addition, over the last three years Erna Janine has travelled to India for textile residencies and conferences. She has block printed in Bagru, travelled around Odisha with the D.I.S.C The Art program, attended AWAKE 2 Khadi Conference in Ahmedabad and spent time in Assam for the Art as Food, Ritual and Offering program by the Assam State Museum in Guwahati. In the early months of 2020 she also made an appearance at the International Conference on the Globalisation of Khadi in Jaipur, Rajastan and spent time with the loinloom weavers in Nagaland, Assam and Megalaya.