About
Arra Textiles || Lucy MacDonald
I am a textile artist and designer with a rural studio on the edge of Banchory in North East Scotland. I work primarily with hand woven textiles which explore the relationships between place, material, and memory. My practice blends heritage weaving techniques with contemporary digital design, using natural fibres and sustainable processes to create site-specific capsule collections, artworks, and commissions.
Rooted in a respect for traditional craft, my work is often inspired by the landscapes and seascapes that surround me. I incorporate natural dyeing, hand-weaving on multi-shaft looms, and a self-taught tapestry approach, building layered textile compositions that echo the textures, rhythms, and stories of place.
Since launching Arra Textiles in 2016, I have developed collections for home and body, exhibited nationally and internationally and taken part in a residency which continue to shape how I make and think. Sustainability is central to my practice and I am currently transitioning toward a fully traceable and locally grounded studio model, connecting materials back to land and process.
I see textiles as both a sensory and narrative medium. My practice is driven by curiosity, care for materials and a desire to create work which invites a closer look.
In 2025 I started a Masters degree in Textile Conservation at The University of Glasgow. You can find out more about how the course is going on my blog: Notes From The Weave Shed.
Over the past few years, my practice has grown to encompass a wholesale element alongside the bespoke, commission based projects both large scale and small.
