About Plush Woven
Plush Woven is a Melbourne-based collective where tradition meets innovation. With locally/internationally sourced wool and silk, hand-dyed colors, and independent/custom/unique pattern design, woven on a traditional handloom.
We create handwoven textiles that are as unique as the hands that craft them. No two pieces are ever the same.
Our materials are carefully selected for quality and wearability. Wool and silk are dyed by our expert dye-technician to achieve the perfect hue, then woven into intricate designs created by Christina and Virginia. We value the craftsmanship of each step, ensuring that the final product is of the highest quality.
Get to know the artisans behind Plush Woven. Christina, Virginia, and Pat each bring a unique set of skills, passions, and creativity to the studio.
Their work celebrates the craft of handloom weaving, bringing each design to life with care and dedication.
Meet the Makers
ChristiNa Turner
Christina Turner is a designer-maker with 25 years of experience in weave design. After an initial career in IT, she trained in Textile Design at Melbourne College of Textiles, where she was among the first in Victoria to acquire a compu-dobby loom. She later taught fellow students and lectured on this (then) cutting-edge technology. She has also lectured in Computer-Aided Design and Business Management at RMIT University, Studio Textiles.
A dedicated member and proactive contributor of the design community, Christina co-founded the Australian Textile Design Association (ATDA) in 1994, which later merged with the Design Institute of Australia (DIA).
Committed to advancing pathways and skills within the profession, she was as a judge for the DIA 2013 AGOTYA Awards and served on the board of the Meat Market Craft Centre.
In 1996, Christina co-founded PLUSH! with Virginia Harrison, and has since been prolifically designing, weaving, and producing hand-woven fabrics, soft furnishings, accessories, and other creative pieces. Their work has been featured in Craft Victoria, select Melbourne boutiques, and Sturt Gallery in Mittagong, NSW. PLUSH! has also produced sample fabrics for the Australian Wool Board’sannual fabric forecast service.
PLUSH! regularly participates in exhibitions, and Christina’s work has featured in three earlier solo exhibitions.
Virginia Harrison
Virginia Harrison is a designer-maker and dye-technician with over 40 years of experience in handloom weaving and dyeing. Her passion for colour is central to her practice, making dyeing an integral part of her work. She specialises in designing luxury handwoven textiles, including fine Merino wool and hand-dyed silk scarves, alongside using unique fabrics for apparel and interiors.
Since 1996, Virginia has collaborated with Christina under PLUSH! Luxury Fabrics & Design, producing an annual scarf collection and exhibiting regularly. Alongside her design work, she has lectured in RMIT University’s Studio Textiles Diploma Course and, in 2003, received an International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) fellowship to study Handloom Jacquard Weaving in Florence, Italy.
Virginia is a member of the European Textile Network (ETN) and has attended and participated in textile conferences and workshops across Ireland, Italy, the UK and Türkiye. In 2005, Virginia, Christina, and Pat attended the ETN conference in İzmir, Türkiye, and participated in the pre-conference felting workshop in Konya, given by master felt-maker Mehmet Girgiç.
Pat Jones
Pat Jones is a textile designer with 40 years of experience. After studying Fashion Design and Production at RMIT University and working as a designer pattern-maker in the industry, she followed her love of textiles to complete a diploma in Textile Design.
Her expertise bridges fashion and textiles, allowing her to create original, well-constructed, professionally finished handwoven garments and fabrics.
Outside of creating, Pat spent 37 years working in RMIT University’s Studio Textile Department, serving as Programme Coordinator for 30 years. She played a key role in expanding the department, developing pathways that now lead into a degree. During this time, she was involved with the International Textile Institute, European Textile Network (ETN), and Convergence (the conferences of the American Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild).
Off the back of attending the 2005 ETN conference’s felting workshop with Mehmet Girgiç, Pat was successful in receiving a grant (through RMIT University and the International Fibre Centre, Australia) to bring Mehmet Girgiç to Australia for an exhibition, lecture, and a series of workshops.
Pat has collaborated with Christina and Virginia, transforming their luxury fabrics into garments and furnishings, and exhibiting and selling their collaborations under “PLUSH! and Pat Jones”. Pat also co-leads (often with Virginia) textile tours to Türkiye and Austria, and leads workshops in handweaving and garment construction, supporting skill development within the field.