I am available for demonstrations and talks. I am also available for individual tutoring in a variety of textile-related techniques. Please contact me for further information.
Inspiration
My background in textile design and the watercolour illustrations I produce in my sketchbooks are the inspiration for creating the embroideries. I am fascinated by architecture and nature; these are the themes that often appear in my work.
Technique
I create realistic textile illustrations which are ‘drawn with thread’ using a domestic sewing machine. The designs are painted on cotton using procion dyes or acrylic paints mixed with a textile medium and embellished using free-motion embroidery.
I use several layers of thread to ‘draw’ the image, resulting in a raised, textured appearance. The intricate layering and blending of embroidery threads make the work appear illustrative. In some designs, the colours of the fabric paint dominate the artwork; the embroidery highlights a few features. I choose which method to use based on the subject I am illustrating. Most recently, I have used soluble fabric, encasing the designs in resin. I allow the soluble material to dissolve, resulting in the finished piece as purely embroidery.
Commissions
If you would like to commission an embroidery for a special occasion, please contact me with the details. Names and dates can be embroidered on to the work. I have been commissioned for portraits, pet portraits and places that evoke sentimental memories.
Public Commissions
- 2022 · Warwickshire Pandemic Stories. Wall hanging for Arts Uplift inspired by stories people have shared about lockdown.
- 2021 · Wall hanging for Worcester Charter 400 Festival celebrations on display in Worcester Guildhall.
- 2021 · A quilt for the Commandery Museum, Worcester. The quilt showed the textile processes of making broadcloth in the Tudor period.
- 2020 · 'Sewing for Mindfulness' course for Arts Uplift.
- 2020 · #CreativeConnections. A digitally interactive textile artwork in response to the positive community support during lockdown. Funded by Severn Arts & Worcestershire County Council.
- 2020 · Embroidered artwork for the 'Art in the Garden' project funded by the Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust.
- 2018 - 2019 · 7.5 m x 3.5 m hand-painted silk backdrop for McCarthy-Felton School of Irish Dance.
- 2016 · Wall-hanging to support the launch of the book 'How the Pershore Plum won the Great War' by Professor Maggie Andrews and Jenny Waugh.
- 2016 · Wall-hanging celebrating the centenary of World War 1 for Bishampton History Society. On permanent display in St James' Church, Bishampton.