About me

My name is Cally Booker and I live and weave in Dundee on the east coast of Scotland.

I have been an east coast girl all my life. My family come from east and north-east Scotland, but I grew up in East Anglia, on the edge of the fens.

To this day I thrive under big, open skies. I am drawn to places at the edge, where land and water meet… river banks, cliff-top paths, urban waterfronts… and feel a strong connection to the landscape and history of the east coast of Scotland.

Signposts to The North lift my spirit.

My approach to weaving

Weaving is a craft that can be meticulously planned or improvised at the loom and a combination of these approaches appeals to the different parts of my nature. I have a strong geeky streak, which can be seen in my use of complex weave structures and my use of data as a rich source of design inspiration. I am happy to spend hours plotting a course for my design and setting up the loom.

But my curiosity is restless, and while I’m weaving I typically can’t resist the impulse to see what happens when I …. Thus no two pieces are ever quite the same, as I vary colour and weave to explore all the possibilities. This practice is the basis of my Bonny Claith label, where I create micro-collections of luxurious hand-dyed and handwoven accessories, as well as the more experimental work that I make.

Making connections

I am passionate about making things by hand and share my love of weaving through The Weaving Space, a programme of weave classes held online and in my colour-filled studio, as well as through workshops for Guilds and groups around the UK. I have served on the editorial committee for the Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers as weaving features editor and as committee chair, and I am a Past President of Complex Weavers.

Recent exhibitions

2023

| APPLIED | Makers’ Offerings, Edinburgh

2022

NORTH, Visual Arts Scotland, Inverness

Transformations, Society of Designer Craftsmen, London

Creative Entrepreneurship Showcase, Aberdeen

2021

Meet Make Collaborate, Banchory

Meet Make Collaborate, Inverness

Sound Exchange, Edinburgh

2020

Borders Art Fair, Kelso

2019

Scottish Craft Showcase, Yokohama

Hybrid Contemporary Art Fair, Madrid

2018

Tangible Sounds, Forres, Scotland

Craft Scotland Summer Show, Edinburgh

The Hand of the Maker, Society of Designer Craftsmen, London

Complexity, Reno, NV