Textile Techniques - Handmade textiles from around the World

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Diane and Jim Gaffney run Textile Techniques and their shop Textile Traders.

We specialise in buying, selling, and exhibiting hand made textiles and learning and talking about the people who make them and the techniques they use to make them.

We have been in business together since 1984 and have built up our family business at the same time as many of our suppliers who have become good friends over the years. Fair Trade has always been an important part of our business and we do our best to keep things fair by buying directly from the maker wherever possible. That way we know everyone is happy with the deal. It also helps to give money to those who continue to make high quality textiles in the teeth of considerable global economic pressures.

We particularly specialise in silks, brocade and ikat weavings from Laos, Thailand and Indonesia, batik from Java, Malaysia and Thailand, kilims, carpets and flat weaves from Turkey and tribal costume and textiles from the hilltribes of the Golden Triangle. Going to see the people who supply us with textiles and tools is the best part of our job and we try to visit at least once a year. 

On our website you can find all the equipment you need for making batik yourself, as well as genuine Javanese batik fabrics - anything from a 5 inch square to a bedspread. We offer talks on textile related subjects (have a look at the Talks page) and are happy to visit any group in the UK and beyond with an interest in the places and people we visit and the wonderful textiles they make.

Our shop, Textile Traders, in Bishop's Castle, south Shropshire, stocks a wide range of handmade textiles and also crafts, clothes and jewellery. If you can't visit the shop, many of our items are available by mail and can be ordered online. Take a look at the Special Items section for these. We have recently expanded the site to allow you to shop for more of the things we sell in our shop - many of them are unique, and all have been personally chosen by us!.