When I grow up...

....I want to be as inspiring a weaver as Sarah Sumsion.

Today, the Clyde Coast Guild had a trip out to meet Sarah Sumsion at Ardkinglas Estate.

She first took us on a tour around Ardkniglas House, which is her family home. It's a lovely ancestral type home dating back to 1907 and is still currently lived in by her son and his family. The house is surprisingly homely and full of a warm and honest character about it. It has no massive grandiose rooms. Instead, each room is proportioned just right for its use.

The level of detail in each room is stunning, down to the ornate door and window handles. Having a tour by someone who grew up there was great as well as you got a more personal feel to the place.

There was also an amazing treat in being able to see lots of Dovecot studio tapestries that were specially commissioned for the house. Quite a few of them were personal portraits, whilst others were pictorial tapestries. The level of detail in these tapestries always blows my mind.

After the tour we then headed down to Sarahs house for lunch and then a tour around her studio.

Her work is stunning and the blip is of 4 pieces that have really inspired me. The level of detail in the hand-dyed colours of the pieces is amazing, and the consideration given to each design is inspiring.

The studio space itself is bathed in natural light with views down Loch Fyne. We were also able to see her samples, current work, and sketchbooks, which again have given me lots of inspiration for future work.

It's been a brilliant day, and it was great to share it with like-minded friends who have all been blown away but the massive amount of inspiration.

I feel re-energised now to crack on with my college work and I'm looking forward to getting back into my sketchbook tomorrow.

I've put some more photos from today on my blipfolio, so do please take a look.