Practice
Sustainable ethics are at the heart of Helen's creative practice. Weaving with only natural fibres, time is taken to source materials in-line with her slow-textile principles.
​Helen carefully selects her yarn from mills in Yorkshire, being mindful to choose British wool where possible. Discontinued yarns and leftover silk fabrics are thoughtfully sourced from fashion and textile companies.
​Loom waste yarn and off-cuts from Helen's practice are re- woven into new textile art panels.
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Helen recently began hand-dyeing yarns using natural plant-based dyes created in her garden out-building. This continues to be an area of exploration. Her first body of naturally dyed textiles were shown in June 2025
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"Ethical and environmentally considered textiles are
at the heart of my weaving practice"
Collections
Studio Milena collections evolve slowly to offer contemporary woven art panels, luxurious one-off scarves and limited edition interior textiles. Each carefully crafted piece is brought to life through Helen's passion for texture and off-beat colour.
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You can view collections here
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For early access to new collections, please subscribe to Helen's
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Inspiration
Helen's woven textiles are influenced by her fascination with the lines and patterns found in architecture.
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In particular, Helen is captivated by architecture's relationship with the surrounding landscape. Rural, urban and coastal. The rhythm, light and colours of the changing seasons are a continuous inspiration.
Helen captures her inspiration through a tactile interplay of colour, pattern and texture that invites a closer look. ​
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To learn more about Helen's design process, you can sign-up to her Textile Journal mailing list here:Textile Journals
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Weaving
Beginning with a carefully designed and wound warp, Helen spontaneously introduces layers of texture and pops of colour as she weaves.
Each individual weaving process takes Helen time and patience, with the beauty of a finished piece not being revealed until she rolls it off her loom.
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It is this wonderful journey that brings Helen a sense of connection with her handwoven textiles. A connection she hopes to share with others through her work.
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Hear more about Helen's weaving process by subscribing to her Textile Journals here
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Behind the loom
Helen Milen is a hand-weaver, artist and designer creating contemporary handwoven art panels, individually designed scarves and luxurious cushions.
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Helen follows a slow textile practice combining traditional hand-weaving techniques with a contemporary approach to design.
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Helen takes time to ethically source the materials she uses for her practice. She chooses to weave with only natural fibres, including British wool, re-purposed yarns and organic cotton. You will also find silk fabric remnants from the fashion industry entwined into Helen's handwoven art.
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Helen is now exploring new approaches to colour with the introduction of naturally dyed yarns in her handwoven textiles.
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"It's an exciting time for my weaving practice: bringing together my love of colour with my desire to be more environmentally conscious through my textiles"
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Contemporary handwoven textiles
Studio Milena collections are designed, handwoven and hand-finished
by Helen in her studio located on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.