Ann Richards trained and worked as a biologist, before going to study woven textiles at West Surrey College of Art & Design, where she later also worked as a lecturer. She has exhibited widely, both in the UK and overseas and was awarded First Prize (MITI Award) at the Fourth International Textile Design Contest in Toyko. Her work is in many public collections, including the Crafts Study Centre, UK; Design Museum Denmark, Copenhagen; and the Deutsches Technikmuseum, Berlin. The ideas and techniques in this book are based on her experience as a designer-maker and teacher.
The breadth of study is wonderful, moving from historical textiles, to yarn types to natural engineering. Throughout the authors voice is knowledgeable and approachable - everything a good tutor should be! We would thoroughly recommend this book to any weaver who is looking for a different challenge, to anyone who wants to see just what might be possible on their loom, to a weaver that just needs that supportive tutor at their elbow. -- Liz Croft, reviewer The Loom Shed * The Loom Shed * This is a book that developing weavers should return to time and again as they navigate their own design journeys. -- Sonya Hammond, WS&D reviewer * Journal of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers * Richards, who is a Lecturer at West Surrey College of Art & Design shares her in-depth expertise and often refers to historical examples. Accompanied by a rich abundance of photos of textiles from well-known designers. Supplemented with a large library graph, index and a list of providers, one adheres to a well-founded and comprehensive book. Reading is recommended to all who are in the soul of fabrics, in material and weave. You will get a lot of inspiration to create textiles that transform. (Translated from German) -- Monika Franz Svozil, Textilforum * Textilforum (German Magazine) *