kate kilmurray

From Kate:

“Weaving Meditation is a process of remembering who we are.”

I practice weaving as a form of embodied meditation. Making beautiful handwoven textiles helps me to tap into my inner stillness and creativity; and I teach women to do the same—to slow down, engage the rhythms of the body, and tap into a state of wholeness and flow. 

I come from a long line of women who worked with their hands, which inspired me to pursue a career in the visual arts. After graduating with a degree in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania, I ran a small textile business and worked for several years at Swan Gallery in Philadelphia. I loved making and working with artists, and, at the same time, I found myself facing health challenges. It was in pursuit of wellness and true health that I discovered yoga and meditation and found myself called to the path of conscious, contemplative living.

I always used breath and asanas to quiet the mind, but several years ago I unearthed a forgotten item from my childhood and discovered an unexpected and transformative tool: a simple 7 x 7-inch metal handloom. Holding that loom, I remembered my grandmother’s hands teaching me to weave and realized that my introduction to meditation had happened in childhood, weaving on a handloom.

When I rediscovered weaving, I remembered something that we, as a culture, have forgotten—we can always access inner stillness and peace through simple, embodied practices. By using our hands in craft and contemplation, we can quiet the mind and reconnect with our innate creative essence. This is the inspiration behind my “Weaving As Meditation” classes. I teach women the principles of handweaving, while guiding them to slow down, connect to the breath, and tap into their creative channels. Women leave my workshops with a new set of skills to create their own inner calm and beauty in their corner of the world.

I believe that by incorporating handweavings in our homes, we can bring more depth, beauty, and meaning to our daily lives. In addition to teaching “Weaving As Meditation,” I have also developed a line of handwoven potholders and textiles, and I’m proud that my pieces are now sold at lifestyle stores across the United States, as well as shops in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Austria, France, Australia and Japan.