The Silk Spinner's Studio

Bernadette Witchalls Plus

“Welcome to the Silk Spinner's Studio. In the shop you will find handcrafted silk items either spun, dyed or made by me.”

Shop collections

All items by The Silk Spinner's Studio

  • Art Batt for Spinning and Felting, Colour: Northern Lights

    Art Batt for Spinning and F...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £15.50

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  • Monet's Garden, a collection of Hand Dyed Mulberry Silk Embroidery Skeins.

    Monet's Garden, a collectio...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £25.50

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'The Silkie Shawl'  Colour: Lilac

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'Th...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'The Silkie Shawl' Colour: Delphinium

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'Th...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'The Silkie Shawl' Colour: Silver Birch

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'Th...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'The Silkie Shawl' Colour: Chartreuse

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'Th...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit The 'Silkie Shawl' Knitting Kit Colour: Sunset

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit The...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'The Silkie Shawl' Colour: Apple

    Silk Shawl Knitting Kit 'Th...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £135.00

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  • Bourette Silk Yarn 100g Skein, Hand Dyed, Colour: 'Zingy Citrus Burst'

    Bourette Silk Yarn 100g Ske...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £18.50

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  • Bourette Silk Yarn Skein, Hand Dyed, Colour: 'Once in a Blue Moon' 100g

    Bourette Silk Yarn Skein, H...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £18.50

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  • Bourette Silk Yarn, 100g Skein, Hand Dyed, Colour: 'Berry Delight'

    Bourette Silk Yarn, 100g Sk...

    The Silk Spinner's Studio

    £18.50

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About The Silk Spinner's Studio

The Silk Spinner's Studio

I am lucky enough to spend each day working with Silk with it's beautiful texture, lustre and colour!

I learnt to spin when my children were young, almost 40 years ago, when wanting a craft hobby that didn't involve sharp pins or needles and joined my local branch of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers Guild. When spinning, I feel an affinity to my Celtic roots and privileged to be continuing a traditional craft that has been integral to our lives for hundreds of years. I have concentrated my skill set to work with silk fibre primarily, which I enjoy spinning the most, although I have recently begun working with ethical friendly plant fibres. I spin, dye, occasionally weave and work with silk in a variety of ways, as you will see from my shop items. I hold a City & Guilds qualification in Silk Painting.

Working from home means my days are quite flexible and varied but even when on holiday my Louet wheel usually accompanies me, as you can see from my silhouette on my shop logo (yes, that is me with my wheel, in front of one of my silk paintings, as the background). Also never far from my side is my Quality Control Assistant aka my beautiful Deerhound, who reminds me during the day to take breaks and take her for a walk. We are lucky to live on the edge of the East Anglian Fenlands in a Cambridgeshire village and within a few minutes walk from my house we have open countryside to enjoy.

My dyeing and silk painting draws inspiration from natural colours and the work of the Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. My homage to him is my 'Monet's Garden' A collection of hand dyed embroidery skeins. I supply a bespoke range of hand painted scarves under the title 'The Cathedral Collection' which are exclusively available through the Stained Glass Museum, which is situated in the magnificent Ely Cathedral. I give demonstrations, talks or workshops for smaller groups about being a Silk Spinner and I regularly take part in the annual Cambridge Open Studios event held during the weekends, each July in Artist's studios. I will accept the occasional commission, so if you have a particular colour for a scarf or want a 'Silkie Shawl' in white or cream for a bridal shawl, please message me to discuss the project you have in mind.