PickOne

PickOne is owned & operated by James Donald. Based in Edinburgh, James trained at Duncan of Jordanst PickOne is a company owned and operated by James Donald.
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Based in Edinburgh, James trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and completed his B(des) in Constructed Textiles with a First Class Hon in 1993. James returned to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 2007 to successfully complete a Masters in Design. PickOne features woven scarves and shawls inspired by the colours of the Scottish land and seascapes. Collections have previou

sly included yarn mixes of Merino lambs wool, Shetland yarn, mercerised cotton and wool crepe. Currently James is experimenting with treble cloth constructions and using experiemental yarn types inculing retro reflective yarns and polyester coated with phosphorescent pigment. Customers have included actress Susan Sarandon.

05/09/2026

It’s a glorious day here in Portobello+ this is where I’ll be today, tomorrow + next Saturday Tribe Porty as part of till 18.00 each day!

I’m exhibiting along side a rich + diverse group of chaps - Peter Jones + Ian Newton who have a variety of wares for sale as part of this exciting event!

I’m exhibiting a raft of upcycled, recycled + repurposed homewares as well as a range of handwoven inspired wareables from a variety of collections!

I hope to see you at some point over the weekend - you’re all invited! Bring your chums!

31/08/2026

For the third year running I am chuffed to announce that I’ll be exhibiting in Portobello, Edinburgh over the 5th, 6th + 13th of September 2026 Tribe Porty

This year I’m sharing space with three hugely talented chaps - (an amazing cartoonist) Peter Jones (painter of beautiful watercolours) + Ian Newton (innovative sculptor)

For all details of this fantastic festival please do visit

I’ll be exhibiting + selling from new collections of handwoven homewares + wearables all featuring my investigation’s into inspired woven structures as well as on hand to talk about all things warp, weft + workshops!

I’m very excited to be a part of this exciting group of chaps who have very kindly invited me in to exhibit with them.

Please do visit if you can + bring all your chums … you’re all welcome!

27/08/2026

This is a beautiful thing, a wonderful thing.

This long term student has just completed what I’m calling a of woven lengths that all play with supplementary warps … this piece utilises a cottolin warp + weft from Venne B.V. with a mercerised cotton, which has been kicking round the studio for as long as I can remember.

The colour choices are stunning + will cheer up a driech day any day of the week!

This long term attendee has already warped up her next project + is raring to go!

I am now happy to state that I’m at full capacity with both my day + evening classes, with several new starts beginning in the next week or two, which is very exciting!

I do however have availability in my weekend classes from October 26 through to November 27 if you’re interested in attending. All details are linked in the bio or by clicking on the following link - https://www.pickone.co.uk/all-classes/ -weave

Advanced weekend weave classes also available!

Happy Thursday ! 😀

13/08/2026

This is a lovely thing!

This exciting length came off loom a week or so ago + is destined to be made into homeware items for a new home!

Based on one of the Batemen structures, woven in beautiful Knoll Yarns Ltd merino lambswool at 20
e/p/i this fabric is to be made into cushions for an imminent house move + will look brilliant as decorative cushions.

Sadly, but excitingly this student will be taking a rest from the PickOne studios to concentrate on a fairly big upcoming personal project … which means, Thursday evening has a space going!

If your interested in becoming part of an exciting + vibrant group of weavers, please do get in touch via the following link - https://www.pickone.co.uk/all-classes/ -weave or by dropping me a DM or using the link in the bio! These spaces rarely come up so do act quickly if you’re interested.

Again many congrats to this student + the best of best of congrats + luck moving forward with your future “projects” - exciting times!!! 😀

Happy Thursday!

11/08/2026

Last night we completed our second inspiring sashiko based workshop with the brilliant Karen Giroud this time round it was looking at repairing much loved clothing - sashiko style! Samples were made + starts were made to bringing life to much loved garments.

There was a bit of chilled chat as participants completed given tasks. Everyone really enjoyed the mindful + contemplative nature of the processes involved. It was the perfect end to a busy Monday as we eased into the week ahead!

There are two new day long sashiko workshops scheduled for earlier November, the first is all about making a Japanese styled bag + second is a day long repairing workshop both of which can be found at the following link - https://www.pickone.co.uk/all-classes alongside all the other workshops I lead from the PickOne studios.

There are also two new links in this bio which will take you directly to the booking pages of each workshop.
With numbers restricted to 8 per workshop, the last two sashiko workshops sold out quickly , so I’d be quick in booking a slot … snooze you lose!

Happy Tuesday!

07/08/2026

It’s been quiet the week as I play catch up after a successful Coburg House Open Studio event. A time to reflect on successes + things that may not have gone to plan. It happens.

Part of the exciting thing about teaching enthusiastic weave students is that many of them set up their own wee home studios to carry on with their own adventures in warp + weft. As part of that I’m very happy to assist with warp preparation in the PickOne studios to get things going. These images are an example of this with home project, giving a very vibe with this Snail Trail like structure utilising a variegated/dip dyed woollen weft … beautiful work! For a richer picture of what he gets up to, DO check out his IG account to check out what else he gets up to, some of which I will document on my account.

Happy Friday! 😀

02/08/2026

… and that’s a (w)rap!

August Open Studios is now complete + the studios have gone quiet. It’s safe to say it was a busy one + I’m very pleased to announce that a fair few handwoven one off homeware + wearable textile pieces went off to new homes around the world this weekend. Happy Happy.

Thank you to one + all who came along to Coburg House this weekend to chat about all things warp + weft as well as make those all important purchases, that make + shape my wee creative world. Thank you! V much appreciated!

I also want to say a very big thank you to my brilliant fantastic students who were on hand across the weekend to talk about their beautiful projects + what goes on in the PickOne studios, giving a richer insight to all who visited! Thank you, very much appreciated + I know visitors REALLY enjoyed your input + chat - thank you.

There will be extra cheery biscuits for everyone this week!

Our next Open Studios event will be December 2026, so do please look out for that in due course!

I’m on strict voice rest as I recover from all the chat + Domino is pooped from all his snoozing!!!

Happy Sunday an thank you again one + all for making this a memorable Open Studio Event!❣️🥰❣️

01/08/2026

… OPEN …

Teas is on, the 80s vinyls are out + on + Domino is snoring his head off in his wee bed … Zzzzzz …

I’ll be in hand to talk about all things warp + weft as will a number of students who are here working on current projects … so all good!

I also have new homewares + scarf collections for sale … all featuring my favoured sashiko styled weave structures!

We opened today at 10.00 + close at 17.00 + again tomorrow! Cafe Domenico are on hand both days with all there fab treats … so if your out and about do come along to our fantastic Open Studio event as there is something for everyone! 😀

29/07/2026

Can a month be jinxed?

July has been a challenge + I’m glad it’s drawing to a close. This morning I was so discombobulated that I went into a kebab shop + asked for a haircut.

Should i be worried? Is this a cause for concern? Have I reached burnout? I do wonder sometimes … Life goes on.

Anyhoo .. I, for one am looking forward to August + to this weekends Coburg House Open Studio event … additional information at the end of the carrousel…

I’ve just spent a bit of time cutting + trimming my latest collection of double sashiko light scarf lengths, all hand woven in Knoll Yarns Ltd merino lambswool, which will be available to purchase this weekend … it’s been interesting inspecting the backs + fronts of the pieces individually + as a collection. However, I have a dilemma … do I press or leave unpressed? I’m liking the unfettered surfaces after a wet finish + an overnight air dry … I like how the surfaces have found themselves + am unsure if a pressing will flatten out these interesting, natural, jaunty + undulating small landscapes….

What would you do?

I shall ponder …. I hope you like the images 😀

Address

15 Coburg House Art Studios
Edinburgh
EH66ET

Website

http://www.pickone.co.uk/

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