Local weave designer awarded £10,500 scholarship

Local Weave Designer and Maker Sophie Zajicek from Yelverton, Devon, is celebrating having been awarded £10,500 by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST).

Sophie was presented with her award by the President of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, Mrs. Jenifer Emery at a special awards lunch held at the London Hilton Hotel on Tuesday 4 June 2013.

Sophie has been a freelance weave designer and maker since graduating from University College Falmouth in 2010.  She recently travelled to Peru to learn traditional back-strap weaving and natural dyeing techniques to give her a firm understanding of colour and yarn construction and now excels at luxury and unusual yarns with interesting weave structures and finishing processes to produce tactile fabrics that can also be appreciated as works of art.  This aspect of her work will be enhanced by attending the Royal College of Art’s MA.

QEST was endowed by the Royal Warrant Holders Association to advance education in modern and traditional crafts and trades in the UK.  Scholarships of up to £18,000 are open to men and women of all ages and are awarded twice a year.  Since 1991, the Trust has awarded £2 million to 296 craftsmen and women aged between 17 and 50+ to develop their skills through study, training and work experience. This summer the trust awarded 23 scholarships totalling £162,600.

QEST, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 with money contributed by its members, to mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Association.  The Trustees look for well thought out projects, which will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.

Application forms for QEST Scholarships can be downloaded from the QEST website: www.qest.org.uk.