A handwoven Tencel shawl with a hand-crocheted seashell edge - woven and finished by Emma Baker in Salisbury
 
This shawl is the result of two traditional textile crafts: it is woven by Emma Baker on a Louet 8-shaft floor loom in Salisbury, Wiltshire using Tencel yarn in purple, lilac and a soft pale green, and then finished by hand along both long sides with a seashell crochet pattern. The woven body and the crocheted edge are made from the same Tencel yarn, so the sheen and colour of the border echo the sheen and colour of the cloth.
 
The seashell crochet edge
The seashell pattern is a traditional crochet stitch that creates scalloped, fan-shaped repeats along each edge of the shawl. Applied by hand after the woven fabric leaves the loom, it replaces a plain finished edge with a decorative handworked border that has movement and texture of its own. Each seashell shape is formed by a group of stitches worked into the same base point, creating a small rounded fan. The effect along the edge of the shawl is a continuous scalloped border that adds visual interest and frames the woven cloth.
 
Tencel - why this fibre
Tencel (lyocell) is made from sustainably sourced wood pulp using a closed-loop production process that recovers the solvent used, producing significantly less waste than conventional viscose or acetate. The resulting fibre has a natural silk-like sheen, a fluid drape, natural moisture management, and a softness that makes it comfortable against the skin. In a shawl, Tencel’s drape quality means the fabric falls and moves with the wearer rather than holding a rigid shape. The purple, lilac and pale green shades work together in the woven structure, shifting in the light as the shawl moves.
 
Hemstitched fringe
At each end of the shawl, the warp threads are hemstitched - a technique that bundles the remaining warp threads into groups and secures them at the weave boundary before they are twisted and knotted into a fringe. The hemstitching creates a clean, stable boundary between the woven fabric and the 9cm twisted fringe, preventing the weave from unravelling while giving the fringe a neat, structured base.
 
What makes this shawl special
Handwoven by Emma Baker in Salisbury, Wiltshire on a Louet 8-shaft floor loom
Tencel (lyocell) yarn - sustainably sourced, silk-like sheen, fluid drape
Three colours woven across the warp: purple, lilac and pale green
Hand-crocheted seashell edging along both long sides - a second craft applied after weaving
Hemstitched twisted fringe at each end - part of the woven structure, not applied separately
Can be worn as a shawl draped over the shoulders, or wrapped as a scarf
One of a kind - individually woven and hand-finished, not reproducible
Presented in a gold-embossed branded gift box
 
Dimensions
53cm wide × 170cm long, with 9cm twisted fringes at each end.
 
A stunningly beautiful gift
Two traditional crafts in one piece - 8-shaft floor loom weaving and hand-crocheted seashell edging - make this the most labour-intensive and technically accomplished accessory in Emma’s collection. The Tencel drape, the seashell border, and the twisted fringe combine to create something that rewards close attention: the more you look, the more there is to notice. A significant anniversary gift, a retirement present, a wedding gift for someone with beautiful taste, or a personal treat. Arrives in Emma Baker’s gold-embossed branded gift box.