The stitched surroundings in which Sue carefully places her figures add a hint of mystery or surreal humour. And through her distinctive use of mark-making, free machine embroidery and mixed media, her characters come to life.

Sue’s career as an artist is one of discovery: learning how to harness the expressive potential of thread, experimenting with materials and gradually shaping the unique style that she’s known for. Find out how Sue’s love of textiles developed from an early age and discover her journey to becoming the renowned artist she is today.

Surreal narratives

How would you describe your work?

Sue Stone: I am best known for figurative, textural, stitched compositions which often suggest journeys through life, shaped by memory, observation and imagination. 

We all need light and shade in our lives, so my work continues to swing from the serious to a slightly surreal sense of humour whenever it needs to. 

The techniques I use during the making process are straightforward; a deliberately limited colour palette and a small vocabulary of hand embroidery stitches combined with machine stitch, appliqué and sometimes acrylic paint.

Recurring themes

Tell us about the stories behind your work…

Nearly all my work fits into one of my recurring themes. My two works created for the Broderers’ exhibition The Art of Embroidery, held at Bankside Gallery, London in 2025, hold messages around mental health, the innocent victims of turbulent times and the state of the world today.

I returned to pure hand and machine stitch for these two pieces. The only criterion for the exhibition was to use hand embroidery or machine embroidery or a combination of the two. 

A Glimpse of Calm Amidst the Chaos contrasts a 1940s family’s air of innocence with the turmoil around them. The work invites viewers to consider how much – or how little – the world has truly changed between the 1940s and the present day.

The Stuff of Nightmares evokes conflict, loss and chaos through layered textures, confronting viewers with haunting truths while revealing humanity’s fragility and resilience.

What I learned from these two works was that it’s hard not to reach for the paintbrush when you are used to the freedom of mixed media, but I really enjoyed the challenge of sticking to appliqué to add colour to the background. 

Evolving ideas

Would you share a little about your process?

Most of my work evolves during a long, slow period with major pieces taking months, or even years, to come to fruition. There’s a lot of thinking, gathering images and sometimes making drawings. As I begin to develop an artwork, it often starts life on a computer screen. The computer helps me to experiment and save time; I can reduce a composition to a simple line drawing and print it out.

Other times, I’ll develop samples during the research stages of a project and often those become part of a final composition.

Then comes the exciting part, starting the stitching. My stitched drawings are done using free machine embroidery or hand stitch. And I use hand stitching to add details, pattern and texture.

Sketchbooks & samplers

How do you plan your work?

I use a sketchbook to record thoughts, images and ideas, as well as for drawing. Drawing becomes a means of problem-solving as well as a way to express ideas on paper. A sketchbook is also useful for working out colour schemes and making notes of fabrics and suppliers. And it’s the perfect place to store small stitched samplers that can be used or referred to in the future.

I sometimes show my sketchbooks alongside my finished work. Most people are interested to see the process behind the finished piece, and I hope it encourages others not to be too precious about the contents – a sketchbook is only a means to an end.

“I enjoy exploring displacement, a sense of belonging or not belonging…”

Sue Stone, Textile artist

Search out the unexpected

What inspires your work?

I look for the out-of-place, the unexpected and the bizarre. I am an avid photographer and use my photos to create a constant visual record, both at home and on my travels.

I enjoy exploring displacement, a sense of belonging or not belonging, often by taking figures from old family photographs and juxtaposed into a modern day scene such as beside the work of street artists in London’s East End.

A life story in portraits 

Tell us about your long-running self-portrait series… 

A Life Story began in 2015 when I was invited by my former tutor and mentor, Alf Ludlam, to create an unusual self-portrait for an exhibition at Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre. With a six-metre wall to fill, I decided to make one portrait for each year of my life – then 63 in total.

My original plan was to pare everything back to simple line drawings, but my instinct for detail soon took over. By the exhibition deadline I had completed 42 portraits, each measuring 26cm x 30cm (10″ x12″), which were shown as a work-in-progress. I finished all 63 in 2016 and exhibited them at the Knitting & Stitching Shows in London, Dublin and Harrogate, before showing them again at several other venues. 

Finding reference material for some portraits was difficult. My Dad’s photographs helped with early years, but many portraits came from memory, often sparked by clothes and hairstyles I remembered wearing. 

For me, A Life Story has become a companion as much as a body of work. It is a stitched autobiography, a record of who I have been and who I continue to become. It is flawed, imperfect, and unfinished – just like life itself. And as long as I can, I will keep stitching, adding one portrait at a time to the story of a life.

“A Life Story is a stitched autobiography, a record of who I have been and who I continue to become.”

Sue Stone, Textile artist

Art & family

Who were your early influences?

My earliest influences were my Dad who gave me my work ethic and the determination to succeed and my Mum, who was a tailoress. She taught me to use her Singer treadle sewing machine at about the age of six. From a very early age all I ever wanted to do was design and make clothes, first for my dolls and then for myself.

Mum was unfaltering in her support when I wanted to study at art school during a period when ‘grammar school girls didn’t really do that sort of thing’. My Dad was a Grimsby fish merchant during the 1950s and 1960s.

My art always has a connection to my own life or environment. This might be family and friends, time spent in London and on my travels, both at home and abroad, or something I’ve heard or experienced.

Embroidery as art

What was your route to becoming an artist?

In the 1970s, I studied fashion at St Martin’s School of Art (now UAL Central St Martins) and then textiles and embroidery at Goldsmiths College in London (now Goldsmiths, University of London), where I was taught by the pioneer textile artists Constance Howard, Christine Risley, and Eirian Short.

Constance Howard was a small charismatic person with bright green hair and the first time I met her she introduced herself as Mrs Parker. I had no idea who she was at the time, or of her importance in establishing textiles as an art form in the 20th century. She was just Mrs P, an inspiration to all her students who gave me my lifelong love of stitching.

Christine Risley was an inspirational teacher who taught machine embroidery and opened my eyes to the versatility of the sewing machine and the spontaneity you can get with free machine stitch.

Eirian Short introduced me to the 62 Group of Textile Artists in 1975, when I was first a member for a few years until other commitments got in the way of my stitching.

After art college I went into business and made a living from designing womenswear for 28 years. But I always knew I would return to stitching eventually, which I did in 2002 at the age of 50.

Telling textured stories

How has your work evolved over time? 

When I returned to stitching in 2002, my work was purely decorative and mainly abstract. I eventually came to figurative, narrative work in 2005 when I made my first self-portraits. I got there via artworks featuring historic tiles, gargoyles and landscapes. My work soon became more figurative, humorous and surreal. 

In more recent years I have experimented with scale and different ways to present my work, like wall hangings, modular work, assemblages and stretched work.

Which direction would you like to explore in the future? 

In the future, I will definitely continue telling my stories and experiment with the layering of stitch and paint, which is a constant balancing act. I’ll use these simple techniques to find even more texture and pattern. I would also like to investigate using small stitched elements on larger soft backdrops. Maybe they will be easier to ship to exhibitions!

Nothing is impossible

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Be true to yourself and use your own voice to say what you want to say.

Always strive to make your next piece better than your last. If you falter, turn up the next day and try again!

Be determined and persistent, and always remember my Dad’s maxim:  ‘Nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes a bit longer’.

Her art is a visual journal of her life, capturing moments, processing memory and embracing imperfection. 

Ailish is influenced by the philosophy behind Kintsugi – the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold to highlight its history. And rather than aiming for a polished final piece, Ailish explores how the act of creation can enable transformation and ‘mending’ to take place.

Her multi-disciplinary work is deeply intimate. By using personal objects and memorabilia in her work, she ensures her portraits are not simply representations. They also offer a tangible connection to the people and stories they portray.

Ailish Henderson: I make sense of the world and my own experience through a juxtaposition of the written word and visual, artistic methods. 

I am finally coming to terms with what ‘artistic practice’ means for me. It’s not always a finished painting or an embroidery – it’s the story of me. Art is my life rather than about a place or a setting.

“I need to have a story or an experience in order to create.”

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Celebrating flaws

My work is heart driven. It’s made with the Japanese art of Kintsugi in mind. Kintsugi literally means ‘golden repair’. Instead of throwing away broken pottery, a precious metal like gold or silver is used to repair and enhance the broken pieces. 

Having been exposed to a pattern of traumatic events from childhood through to adulthood, I realised I needed to find a way of making sense of big questions and issues. This led to my study of the concept of ‘repair’ and investigating how we can potentially present our emotional repair in a textile conversation.

In Kintsugi, flaws are celebrated rather than trying to make a broken thing perfect. This idea has become an inspiration to me. I’m analysing what this practice can mean within the sphere of emotional repair. 

I also find that it’s soothing to see something come into existence via my hands. It’s not a final repair or cure but a ‘mending’ which keeps me going. 

Exploring these concepts either openly or discreetly through my teaching and writing practice is now my life’s work. This way, my audience can connect with this form of ‘mending’ too. 

“I’m inspired by a memory, a life experience or even a scar.”

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Inspired by life

My art is my visual diary. I am honest in my practice – what you see is what you get.  I’ve always had a reputation for wearing my heart on my sleeve. I tell my story with all of its emotion as well as the narrative line. 

Unhappy occasions provide as much artistic fuel as happy ones. In fact, sometimes more so. I’ve also used written pieces of prose to inspire imagery. I draw from these sources, creating a simple vignette, which gradually forms a retold narrative using textiles. 

I explore how those stories can become tactile.

The self-portrait Pistachio Smiles was inspired by a lone break in Paris. It’s stitched on a base of Irish linen (from my homeland) and created with many sentimental precious materials, such as my own clothing. The marriage of its inspiration and the hand embroidered fibres make it literally part of me. 

Alternatively, I might find an old photograph that triggers ideas. It intrigues me how the viewer simply sees the image for what it is, while I hold the unique knowledge or key behind the photograph. I love using that knowledge to extend the narrative into a stitched piece.

Drawing with a needle

Once I have my inspiration, my fabric becomes my canvas. The type of work I am doing influences my process, but for my self-portraits I sketch out the basics with pencil on the fabric.

I love working in a sketchbook. I like to make my own by stringing together odd leaves of paper or other memorabilia to work as paper. Each one is unique and my sketchbook might become the artwork itself. 

I might paint certain areas of the self-portrait. I’ll use watercolour or gouache paints as well as fabric dye. I am not precious about the type of paints I use as my self-portraits are not designed to be machine washed. 

I use a lot of drawing, collage, mixed media and paint. 

I appreciate the honesty hand stitching provides. My hand work doesn’t have to be intricate, and at times, it may be primitive. Yet I’m guiding its tension and I’m in control.

Although I adore my free machine embroidery foot, hand embroidery will always be my first love and I don’t do much machine stitch.

“My needle is my pen, whether I am stitching by hand or machine.” 

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Materials that matter

If I’m making a collage piece, I gather my inspiration and the materials I want to use. I have many large, lidded clear boxes filled with personal memorabilia that I treasure. By using these boxes, it’s easy to see what is inside.  

The memorabilia is usually directly connected with the imagery. For example, it may be a scan of a letter from a loved one, or some lace that they’ve given me. I use it all, even receipts from travel experiences or the odd chocolate packet. Thankfully, I have a large studio to house all of this ‘use one day’ fuel. 

I’ve always used materials which mattered. I find it hard to function creatively with synthetic fabrics. I love quality, so I’m naturally drawn to cotton, silk and wool. This is easily done in a sustainable way. I collect vintage items that no one else wants.

All the bits I want to use are collected, chopped and stitched on the fabric to form the portrait. However, as I work in a variety of mediums, this is just one way I develop my pieces.

Inspiring Stitch Club

Although I’ve long been known for my stitched collage portraits, creating my Stitch Club workshop, about capturing the essence of a person through stitch, was the start of a shift in direction. I’ve begun to investigate my own ancestry and think about where I fit in this life. 

These are big questions when we are talking about an artistic context. I’ve started to present my own background in greater depth and explore how it could be translated to others. 

I examine two lines of thought in my Stitch Club project. 

One is about looking at a family member whom we might not know well. For example, my dad’s family died before I was born. When I look at my dad’s family photographs, although I know them and feel connected with them, it’s not an emotional connection. This sparked my interest. How can we depict someone we do not know? 

Then, I looked at my mother’s mother – I used to stick to her like glue! She died recently, aged 99, so her loss feels very direct. Although in this instance I can create with knowledge, I wanted to challenge myself to think around this. How could I create art by looking at her qualities and the things she owned rather than simply representing her image?

Of course, in the workshop Stitch Club members will dive into their own personal adaptations. Their feedback will add to my own ongoing narrative projects. 

“We all can learn and be nourished by each other.”  

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Early inspiration

I was born in Northern Ireland at the height of the Northern Ireland Conflict (the Troubles). We moved back to the UK when I was quite young, so my family could offer full-time support to my mother’s parents. I was home-schooled until I reached sixteen and my focus shifted to the arts. 

Art has always been an integral part of my being. I didn’t aspire to become an artist. I just was. There was never that moment some have experienced when they feel they have gone from being an amateur crafter to being an artist.

I was always encouraged to be creative as a child. My Scottish grandmother on my father’s side was a painter, and on my mother’s side there were clear links to dressmaking and textiles.

My mother made her own clothes with Liberty print fabric which has since become the brainchild behind my digitally printed fabric collection called You Gave Me Liberty. 

She was forever trying to get a needle in my hand but I was a determined character and avidly rebelled. In fact, I didn’t pick up a needle until I went to college to study fine art.

In my early years, I was definitely inclined toward fine art. Every trip or holiday was filled with sketching time. Over the years, I accumulated a lot of sketchbooks and paintings, which I honestly thought would simply be stored away for sentimental value.

However, I always felt there was something missing. One day a textiles tutor happened to be covering my fine art class. From that moment I was hooked.

Discovering textiles

I had always thought of textiles as a patience-driven craft. Yet my tutor Julia Triston’s subtle vision sparked something inside of me. She showed me techniques that included fabric but were less taxing on the embroidery side. She revealed what textiles could be, and her patience and insight are something for which I will be ever thankful.

When I discovered textiles in college, I suddenly looked at fine art with new eyes. How could I translate my sketchbook and painting skills into a tactile form? So my textile methods reflect that ‘from-sketch-to-stitch’ concept.

My early practice revolved around utilising techniques with as little stitch precision as possible. I worked intuitively and creatively using my fine art brain. I have to confess I even used a glue gun at times when I didn’t know how to stitch a certain way. As I became more proficient, my work naturally changed.

Developing skills

When I left college after first studying fine art and then textiles, I felt lost. I remember panicking. Where would I go from here?

I ended up doing my City & Guilds Level 3 with Julia Triston and Tracy Franklin at their Stitchbusiness classes in Durham, which was a brilliant learning curve. I learned many textile and art-related skills, some of which I now teach.

After this training, I felt stronger and more focused. I knew deep within myself that textile art was something I had to pursue. I just had to make it work.

I began getting myself involved in teaching and lecturing to groups, such as branches of The Embroiderers’ Guild. The Knit and Stitch Show also took me on to provide classes, which opened up my work vision further.

I decided I wanted to continue learning and feeding myself with current and contemporary practices to open up my own practice, so I began studying for a BA in Textiles. 

Although I entered university level education later than most, my reputation earned through my own practice and teaching worked in tandem with my course. Teaching and other ways of working can potentially contribute to your creative vision.

“If you are an aspiring textile artist, I’d encourage you to think outside of the normal ‘job’ options.” 

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Follow your heart

During my degree studies, I was pushed to take more risks in my artistic practice. However, by the time I began my degree, I already knew who I was as an artist – so I found this mentally taxing. 

The work I loved most from my time studying is my stitched collage portrait narrative work. This work got the fewest marks, yet funnily enough it has been my most successful work outside of my degree.

“Be open to change and renewal, but always enjoy what you do – creating should never be a trial.”  

Ailish Henderson, Art textiles practitioner

Pass it on

I’d encourage you to always make with your heart. Art without heart lacks magic. Let the inspiration and the creation light you up. If it doesn’t, leave it.

Use materials you have a connection with. For example, memorabilia, letters, photos and passed down textile materials such as lace, old tablecloths or suchlike.

Don’t be afraid to use what’s precious. These treasured things will only die with you, so use it now and give it a new life. You never know, that cherished napkin you kept so carefully in a drawer may end up on a gallery wall someday.  

Coming home to myself

For many years, there was a period when I was teaching, writing and, I have to admit it, working off the back of my previous artworks, without feeling any need to make more. I hated this time and I felt as if I’d lost my way. 

I came to realise that my art is more than another stitched collage portrait, it is in everything I do. 

I am never without a pen or pencil in my hand. I write poems or I sketch odd little things just to make me happy. I write articles about art and I review other people’s art. In other words, I began to realise that I am an artist, I had just missed the point of what the term could be.

The last few years have been filled with exhibitions, losing my cherished grandmother, and all the noise that comes from writing and publishing a book. Currently I am working on some new teaching projects, as well as developing ideas for a second book. 

Importantly, I am taking time to contemplate on what my narrative future might be.

Anne’s favourite themes are folk art, the natural world, memories and travel. And all of her works feature magical mash-ups of unique and colourful ephemera locked together with stitch. 

‘Inspiration boards’ play a key role in Anne’s creative process, and she’s generously sharing a look into that process. She’s also giving us a peek into her signature overstitching technique using her trusty old Bernina sewing machine.

Mixed media is very exciting in Anne Kelly’s hands. Be sure to zoom in to see all her hidden gems.

Fine art background

Anne Kelly: I’ve always been a maker, even from an early age, when I was influenced by my Canadian grandmother who was a wonderful needleworker.  

I trained as a fine artist in Canada, but it was visiting my British grandmother in London that first drew me to the UK. I moved here in the early 80s to continue my training at Goldsmiths in London and to start a career in teaching that would work around family life. 

Mixed media work was part of my training, and I became interested in finding ways to combine stitch with photographic and printmaking processes. I turned to my garden for inspiration, and this is when the symbiotic relationship between image and stitch first began. 

Everyday ephemera

I’m interested in everyday things. We all have so much fabric and paper ephemera surrounding us. I also take lots of photographs and collect things like tickets and leaflets when I travel. It can be a lot to sort through when I’m looking for items to use in my collages, and I like to choose carefully. 

Some ephemera can be quite valuable and fragile, especially old photos. So, instead of directly stitching on these cherished items, I’ll make a fabric pocket from white or cream organza. I stitch the pocket to the background layer and slip the item inside the pocket. 

Other times, I’ll transfer the images of delicate ephemera onto T-shirt transfer paper or pretreated fabric that can go through a photocopier or printer. 

I use a very wide variety of ephemera, and I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to put them all together. For example, I made a series of Park Walk books for a solo exhibition at the Ruthin Crafts Centre. I used old maps, legal documents and the type of scrim used in hat making. 

“I am a great believer in using everyday materials and techniques.”

Anne Kelly, Textile artist 

Loving print

There’s always an element of printmaking in my work. I just love the way that print works on fabric. It’s very different from printing on paper, but the ink or paint takes so well on fabric. Sometimes my printing is quite subtle, but I think it really enhances my textile art. 

I use quite a few printing methods, including screen printing, block printing, transfer printing and digital printing. It just depends on what I’m doing.

The secret is to keep everything as open-ended as possible and I always work on more than one piece at a time. Using a baking analogy, if you’ve got all the ingredients out, you may as well make more than one cake. I think if you’re working on more than one creation at a time, you’re more likely to be happy and enjoy it when something comes through. 

“Working on several collages at a time frees me up, as I’m not investing everything into trying to create the one perfect piece.”

Anne Kelly, Textile artist

Inspiration boards

I’ll use sketchbooks and photography to research my themes. Drawing and keeping sketchbooks is an important part of my practice, and I refer to them frequently when working on a new project. 

I always tell my students to have a sketchbook to hand, but they shouldn’t have to feel they have to use it in any particular way. I use mine as scrapbooks and pinboards. But they should use them as they see fit.

I also use inspiration boards, similar to the mood boards used in interior design. Seemingly disparate elements are combined, going on to inspire a new series of work.

Inspiration boards are an invaluable resource. I have been using them for many years to reference themes when creating new work. Depending on the project, I’ll use pinboards, cards or sketchbook pages for my inspiration boards. The main thing is they must be accessible in my workspace. 

I often start with my photograph collection, adding motifs, found paper materials and drawings inspired by vintage natural history books. I bring them together using stitch and embellishment. 

“My inspiration boards influence the direction of my work – but I’m not wedded to them, as the work may change as it evolves and progresses.”

Anne Kelly, Textile artist

Isle of Skye reflections 

I remember creating an inspiration board after a teaching and travelling visit to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It allowed me to spend time reflecting on my travels, and I was able to combine collected papers and ephemera together in one place. 

I had everything from maps to Tunnock’s chocolate bar wrappers. I also looked through my collections of paper and textile scraps for colours and fragments that would work well with the project. 

“Starting with the idea of landscape, I used the board to connect disparate elements and combine them, in order to make new work.”

Anne Kelly, Textile artist 

I selected a variety of weights, textures and thicknesses of paper and textiles, from tissue paper and organza, to handmade paper and wool. 

That inspiration board led to a wide range of works, and it will continue to inspire further explorations referencing this theme. 

Layers of detail

When creating my textile collages, I like to start with a strong background fabric such as calico or canvas. I layer this panel with fabrics that match the subject matter. The panels vary according to the size and shape of the artwork I’m creating. 

I consider the elements that will make up the surface, using sketchbooks, drawings, templates and photographs to determine the final look of the artwork. 

I join everything together using a variety of stitches and appliquéd fabric. Generally, I finish with free motion embroidery and some hand stitching. I back my work using vintage fabric if it’s being hung without a frame. 

I have an outdoor garden shed that I renovated for my studio. It’s not very big, so I always say to people it’s not the size of your space that counts, it’s what you do. I love being able to go there to work and then just shut the door and leave my mess until next time.

Drawing with stitch

For me, stitching is a form of drawing. I use hand and machine stitching, collage and simple printmaking techniques to merge my selected materials. The stitching acts as a web to bind the components together.

I use a variety of stitch techniques, both hand and machine. I’m known for using a repetitive edging stitch on an old Bernina to join layers of fabric together and create a netting effect over the surface.

“I entrap elements of the world in my textiles, then draw over them, making a new piece of tapestry-like fabric.”

Anne Kelly, Textile artist

I also use free-motion embroidery, particularly in my recent portrait series. For the hand embroidery, I favour simple stitches like running stitch, back stitch, blanket stitch and french knots.

The work I make fits into both the traditional and contemporary genres. While appearing traditional, I use a variety of techniques in a contemporary way. The naïve references and influence of the natural world make it relevant and topical.

Telling stories 

There’s always a story to be found in my work. For example, my series Friends and Family series looks at family and friends’ environments and passions.

Paul in the Garden showcases how my husband likes to read in the garden. It was inspired by a photo of him surrounded by plants. I used vintage materials, machine embroidery and hand stitch. The work is backed with a piece of linen and mounted on canvas for display.

I’ll also stitch stories from my own life. Resting and Jenny’s Owl came to life after I had a bout of flu. I wanted to recreate the view from my bed. My friend, Jenny, made the owl as a present and it is displayed as a focal point on my shelves. The artwork also features vintage materials, machine embroidery and hand stitch.

A seaside Stitch Club workshop

The artwork Small World was inspired by my larger work called Undersea. I wanted to take a closer look at the details of the sea, creating a jewel-like focus. 

I used machine embroidery, hand stitch, and textile collage including buttons and metal charms. I then mounted the work onto a hoop and sewed it into the frame.

I pursue a similar creative project in my Stitch Club workshop where members create sea-inspired textile collages using existing materials found in their stash. I think it’s an enduring and accessible theme for many, and I’m excited to show members new ways to combine materials.  

These treasured journals, first published in the 1930s, became a catalyst for Darren’s creative journey, their images of so-called ‘women’s work’ sparking his imagination.

He turned to textiles and, working intuitively, began to embroider and embellish rich, jewel-like vignettes, incorporating found and repurposed fabrics, or vintage items such as old handkerchiefs.

Years later he’s still inspired by those magazines. The domestic scale of his work resonates with the traditional domestic pastimes they championed, and reflects his interest in the relationship between making and well-being.

Although Darren looks to bygone times for inspiration, his artworks couldn’t be more contemporary. Find out how he developed a unique approach to exploring narratives through textile art.

Darren Ball: I love exploring textile surface qualities and bringing them together – silk, satin, velvet, sequins, beads and other embellishments – to create a play of light on the materials. I think it is this, rather than a tactile response to textiles, that I particularly enjoy.

My work is domestic and intimate in scale. It encourages closer inspection and consideration. Created on a domestic sewing machine, I use vintage handkerchiefs or textiles as the canvas, and my narratives are fed by their textile qualities.

My collection of magazines and ephemera is central to my work and adds greatly to its individuality. My pieces reference the domestic making of the 1930s and 40s and the current recognition of the importance of well-being and making.

I am particularly interested in the knitting, hand embroidery and fashion found in magazines of that period.

“I exploit these images to create my own narratives from imagination or memory.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Vintage inspiration

My artwork is populated by figures taken from my collection of vintage Stitchcraft magazines given to me by a friend and fellow teacher. They were published from the 1930s onwards and cover all aspects of women’s domestic life.

I had never seen knitting magazines of that age before. I was amazed that they had survived and been treasured for so long. I discovered that they had been kept because there were so many memories tied up in them – hours spent sewing with mothers, sisters and grandmothers – and the intimacy of that shared time.

The draw of domestic life

As a knitter, I loved the beautiful, fitted garments of the period. The magazines provided a window into the everyday lives of women at home in that era.

The magazines and their content formed an intriguing link, bringing me back to the knit that I had studied previously and a new way of using that knowledge.

I found I was much more interested in domestic life and what was often known as ‘women’s work’, and the way it related to my life, rather than any more grandiose subject matter.

A full-time practice

After many years teaching fine art and textiles, having trained in fashion textiles, specialising in hand knit, I now work as a full-time artist. My practice is underpinned by meticulous craftsmanship.

I explore hand knit, appliqué and machine embroidery techniques to achieve my imagery – bringing together methods of making learned over many years. I don’t use any digital embroidery, rather I control the sewing machine with artistry to create completely bespoke pieces. I respond strongly to the materiality of textiles.

“Through my use of vintage magazines, I have found a new visual language – referencing the past in a contemporary way.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Stylistically, I am influenced by the fashion drawings of the 1930s and 40s and their economical use of line, their relationship to free embroidery and their relevance to the Stitchcraft magazines.

I am particularly inspired by the illustrations of Carl Erickson, Christian Bérard and René Gruau. I also love the domestic interior paintings of the artist Edouard Vuillard for his use of colour, pattern and the intimacy of his work.

Tools of my trade

I use a basic Janome domestic sewing machine. It’s the same one that I previously used in school with my textile students. The other must-have is my fabrics.

I source fabrics from my stash, often salvaged from fabric bins in school or from discontinued fabric sample books. I also use vintage materials as these often suggest a narrative for my work.

My use of handkerchiefs references past domestic life and imposes a scale at which to work. Handkerchiefs were still commonly used during my childhood. I transform them thereby adding relevance to the present and the future.

I’m really interested in exploring and contrasting textile surface qualities in my work.

I don’t use any paints or dyes but exploit a collected palette of fabrics and threads that I’ve gathered over the years. These provide rich contrasts of surface as well as a uniquely personal colour palette.

“I try to buy as little new material as possible, to be as sustainable as I can.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Stitch Club embroidery tips

In my Stitch Club workshop, I demonstrate my approach to appliqué and machine embroidery. With the free machine embroidery, I encourage Stitch Club members to consider how detail can be edited and to explore the use of different weights of line for emphasis. If you work by hand, lines can be created using back stitch or something similar.

I have made the workshop as inclusive as possible, keeping the domestic starting points broad, including suggestions of family photos, gardening, food, outings and so on.

I hope that it will give those members new to the processes the confidence to have a go. For those who have some experience of appliqué and machine embroidery, I’m hoping it will encourage them to explore my crisp, graphic approach.

How I work

Everything starts with an idea. I keep a note of these on my phone so I don’t forget them – and they can be saved for a long time before I start on them. I may make work for a particular show or to make use of a handkerchief or fabric that I’ve found.

I’ll look through my collection of Stitchcraft magazines, my vintage French seed pack labels from the 1920s, or whatever subject matter may be appropriate. I choose a selection of images and then narrow them down.

I’ll consider scale and the fabrics I want to use. Then, I simplify the images and bring them together. I hand cut, layer and appliqué the fabrics and add embroidery.

Then I’ll think about how to complete the piece. Usually, I’ll include areas of machine satin stitch to add emphasis and heavier weights of line. Sometimes if a fabric has frayed on the edge, I may use satin stitch to crisp it up.

I don’t do any preliminary drawing but work intuitively into the piece until I feel that it’s complete. I may use beads or sequins for embellishment, enriching the surface further.

Presentation & framing

How I present my work has developed over the years. I view it as art so I frame and mount it in a contemporary way.

Framing also protects the work and emphasises its precious quality, and it also enhances it aesthetically. Mounting a piece behind glass also draws attention to the textiles.

I emphasise the textile quality by leaving the work unstretched with ripples.

I go to an excellent framer who has a really good eye. She makes sensitive suggestions and is more aware of contemporary approaches than me.

Driven by curiosity

I was initially attracted to textiles through a desire to experiment. I remember being inspired by something I’d seen in a magazine, and experimenting with batik and very simple stitch when I was doing A Level art. We didn’t have lots of textiles at home but we did have those craft magazines in the 1980s that you could collect to make a set.

My mum and dad were interested in crafts and making but not in the usual way. I never saw my mum sew anything but she would French polish or paint models. My dad knitted, did macramé and made pin art in the 1980s and later cross-stitched. Like my parents, I enjoyed making.

“I began to see that working with textiles was a way of achieving results that couldn’t be produced in paint.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Pictorial potential

I loved exploring ceramics, jewellery, textiles and painting during my art foundation course. I was always interested in colour, pattern and texture but for me, textiles had the greatest possibilities. I experimented with weave, simple dyeing and embellishment.

I began looking at degree courses and particularly Middlesex Polytechnic (now Middlesex University). It offered a BA Hons Fashion Textiles focusing on knit, weave and woven tapestry but, unlike most textile degrees it didn’t include printed textiles.

When I visited Middlesex, I was stunned by the tapestry work being woven on scaffolding poles. It was bold, ambitious and impressive.

“I discovered the pictorial potential of textiles and using imagery rather than repeated patterns. This was a pivotal point that influenced the art that I make.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Making for myself

After a number of years teaching full time, I wanted to make my own work again. I completed an MA in Textile Culture at Norwich School of Art and Design (now Norwich University of the Arts). It was an art-based course as I wanted to exhibit with galleries rather than design for knit. It was there that I began to make textile art.

“I could see the potential of textiles as an expressive medium and how it could be used conceptually.”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Another important turning point was the decision to start showing and selling my embroidered work. This came about through the same friend, Janis, who had given me the Stitchcraft magazines.

We both taught art full time but decided that if we shared a stand at an art fair we’d have enough work for it. She made hand-built ceramics and I had framed textiles. We both sold pieces and it was the starting point for all my embroidery to date.

I have much to thank Janis for and it was an alliance very much in the spirit of Stitchcraft.

“Judge your artwork’s success by your intentions. Are you pleased with the final result? How can it be developed in the next piece?”

Darren Ball, Textile artist

Giving yourself time

Make work which is individual to you. Everyone is informed by the work that they see around them. Think about how you absorb those influences whilst making your work your own.

Be passionate about your subject matter. It may be completely individual to you or it may be a subject matter that lots of people explore, but tackle it in your own way. You are making work for yourself. It can look any way you want.

I recommend working on several pieces at the same time. They don’t all need to be large scale. This creates a little distance between yourself and the work to allow you to consider the next steps.

Giving yourself time to consider possible developments in a piece is really important. It can also reduce the feeling that you’ve made a wrong decision or spoiled something.

Have pieces of work out or pinned up where you do your making so that you can come across them afresh. This lessens the pressure of feeling that you must finish something before starting a new piece.

It’s also worth keeping work if you think it has gone wrong. You can look back at it to make sure you recognize the problem areas and avoid them next time.

Consider how you want to present your work and explore different options.

When Amarjeet K. Nandhra’s family immigrated to the UK from Tanzania, her parents did everything they could to help their children blend into their new setting. They were to adopt Western ways as best possible, including no longer speaking Punjabi at home.

But when Amarjeet was in her 20s, her Indian heritage started calling to her heart. She decided to reclaim her Punjabi language and explore the incredible Indian textile traditions she left behind.

Ultimately, Amarjeet started using modern print techniques and traditional textile methods to express the challenges she faced trying to straddle two cultures. She had grown to love her UK life, but she didn’t want to lose sight of where she came from.

Amarjeet’s practice has led to a larger mission to broaden people’s understanding of traditional Indian textiles. She wants viewers to not only admire their beauty but to also understand the personal and political backdrops each traditional cloth carries.

Aha moment

Amarjeet K. Nandhra: My mother was an incredibly accomplished embroiderer who stitched all our clothes and embroidered household items. But when we came to the UK, she had to work and raise six children, which didn’t allow her any personal time.

Mum never taught me to embroider either, but that was okay, as I was focused on art. I avoided stitching because of its association with domesticity and femininity.

However, whilst studying for an art and design diploma, I felt something was missing. Then a close friend bought me a book about machine embroidery, and that was my ‘aha’ moment. I enrolled in Pam Watts’s machine embroidery course, and I was hooked.

In 1998, I enrolled in a City & Guilds Embroidery Part I class at Harrow Weald College, and I completed Part II in 2001 at Missenden Abbey. I then took an Advanced Textiles Workshop with Gwen Hedley and graduated with distinction in Higher Stitched Textiles Diploma. I also gained First Class Honours in Creative Arts…

“All of that learning helped fill my days and allowed me to navigate some difficult times in my life.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

I was able to learn from some big names, including Janet Edmonds, Jan Beaney, Jean Littlejohn and Louise Baldwin.

Later, Gwen Hedley asked me to take over teaching in Advanced Textiles, and I also started teaching for the Higher Stitched Textiles diploma alongside gaining my certificate in further education teaching. It was a very busy time for a recently divorced mother of two young children.

Reconnecting to my heritage

Navigating the world of textile art without guidance and support that mirrored my experiences was challenging. My desire to embrace and connect with my Indian heritage was accompanied by complex emotions and expectations of authenticity.

I also lacked confidence as a young artist, and my work was significantly impacted by receiving conflicting feedback from tutors and event organisers…

Some said my pieces were not ‘Indian enough’, while others felt the colours were too ‘ethnic’.

It wasn’t until later in my creative journey that a renewed passion for the colours, patterns and symbolism associated with traditional Indian textiles began to inform my work. I researched the historical patterns and symbols seen in phulkari, Kantha work, embroidery and mirror work.

That exploration prompted a significant shift in my artistic practice. I’m now excited to explore the vibrant and diverse colour combinations and stitches commonly found in Indian textiles.

Passion for phulkari

India’s 1947 partition caused one of history’s largest forced migrations. As Pakistan and India gained independence from Britain, a bloody upheaval displaced 10-12 million people, including my ancestors. Communities were fractured and many cultural arts were lost.

In light of that loss, I wanted to reconnect to textiles from my Indian heritage, especially exploring the traditional patterns and symbols featured in phulkaris. Phulkari is an embroidery technique from the Punjab region – ‘Phul’ means ‘flower’ and ‘kari’ means ‘work’.

“In addition to being beautiful, phulkaris were powerful symbols of Punjabi cultural identity.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

Maps & patterns

Phulkaris were forms of ancestral maps that documented the daily lives and social relationships of the makers. These textiles became visual diaries packed with symbolism and significance.

The patterns of phulkaris have become my palette for sharing my own migration story. One of the traditional motifs I use is the four-faced Kanchan design, featuring triple V-shaped lines repeated in four directions. I also use stylized Mirchi (chilli) rectangle shapes repeated in a cross form. And I use small multicoloured lozenges that mimic Meenakari enamel works.

For my more contemporary responses, I create my own stitch motifs. For example, in Mapping, I used diamond shapes and long blocks to represent fences and borders.

Meaning and memory

Indian textiles have a captivating allure that can sometimes lead to a superficial understanding of their significance. So, I encourage viewers to look beyond the beautiful and intricate embroideries and recognise their vital roles in carrying meaning and memory.

“I seek to explore and promote Indian textiles in a broader context.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

While I’m fascinated with the decorative qualities of Indian textiles, I believe it’s equally important to consider how textiles tell stories about their creators, the history they embody and the memories they hold.

Still, narrative and aesthetic qualities are equally important to my practice. I want to make work that is beautiful as well as thought provoking. Work that celebrates tradition while also creating a relevant and contemporary dialogue.

Thought books

I start a project by exploring my thoughts in a book where I draw, write and doodle anything to help generate ideas. I call them ‘thought books’ instead of sketchbooks.

Once I have an idea, I formulate a plan. I begin by drawing out a rough sketch of the piece and decide how to build the layers of print. While I’m careful with my planning, I’m also mindful that the work will evolve and I will adjust accordingly.

I also work with other sketchbooks to experiment with different materials and processes, explore mark making and colour relationships, and build up layers with text and collage. These books don’t always have an end goal.

Printing the unexpected

Print has always played a big role in my art since my first job at a print cooperative. We produced banners for trade unions and many social causes. I was struck by the bold designs and repetition of images that could carry a message and communicate a story.

Building up layers is the foundation of my practice. And there is something magical about revealing the print and discovering the unexpected.

But I wasn’t always comfortable with the unexpected. At the print co-op, everything had to be precise and accurate. That led to my work becoming rather dry and boring.

As I became more confident with the processes, I overcame the fear I might spoil something. I realised building up layers was far more interesting and adding more to a work made it look better. I had to practise my practice.

“I love the physicality of printing, the smell of the inks and the sound of ink being spread out using a roller.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

Pigments & dyes

I have used Selectasine fabric binder and eco pigment. And I’ve recently started to explore traditional Indian textile natural dyes such as madder, cutch and indigo.

When I want to remove colour in my print, I use a ready-to-use printing paste that allows me to take away areas of colour from natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk and wool.

I’m excited to teach several experimental mono printing approaches in my Stitch Club workshop, where members produce a variety of layered prints using colour, mark making, pattern and texture. These printed fabrics will then be collaged together and embellished with stitch.

Stitch Club members will use the process to create a series of works that are related but also have interesting differences that will engage viewers.

Subjective materials

My fabric choices really depend on the project. I like experimenting with different natural fabrics, as I feel it’s part of the serendipitous nature of printmaking. I don’t like working with synthetic fabrics.

For larger printed and stitched works, I tend to use 7.5-ounce cotton duck or cotton canvas from Whaleys or Wolfin Textiles. For other projects, I might use linen, cotton lawn or organdy.

Most fabrics work well when screen printing as long as they’re pinned to create tension. But for mono printing or collagraphy, fabrics need a smooth surface.

When it comes to hand stitching, I use a combination of silk, cotton perlé and stranded cotton threads. I tend to use running stitch, surface pattern darning and straight stitch. The stitches I choose depend on the project and my response to the subject.

The complexity of identity

My Other Words is a personal reflection on the dynamics of straddling two cultures and navigating the complex notion of identity. When we arrived in the UK, my father was determined we would ‘fit in’, so we were told not to speak Punjabi at home.

“Growing up and being ‘othered’ impacted my sense of pride for my heritage – keeping invisible was the goal.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

In my 20s, I decided to speak and embrace Punjabi, and this work connects to that shift.

I used Punjabi text as the foundation of this piece to reflect that reconnection. The text was printed, then erased and then overprinted. The text is complemented by fabric shapes and patterns typically used in phulkari, then emphasised with kantha stitch.

Mapping place and space

Mapping Place and Space uses the concept of phulkari to map and document the maker’s activities. I recorded my movement through urban and natural landscapes.

The background was painted with fabric paint using binder and pigment. This freed me to mix my own colours with reference to my sketchbooks. I then overprinted with mono printing and additional details were added using acrylic markers.

The diamond shapes and bars were a nod to the traditional phulkari patterns and stitches. I originally planned to create one large piece, but I liked the idea of being able to change the sequence and configuration.

I also played around with the idea it could be folded like a paper map.

An immigrant’s story

Five Decades is the story of growing up in the UK after moving as a child from Tanzania, Africa. Each scroll represents a decade of my life in England.

It documents the trials and tribulations of living as an immigrant and how an unwelcoming country eventually became home.

Each fabric strip is dyed, painted and printed with carefully selected colours representing each decade’s theme. A range of printing methods, collagraphs, mono and screen printing are used to capture the mix of my painful and joyous memories across those 50 years.

“Every strip contains an image of my mother to represent the substantial influence she had on my life – our strong and special bond has influenced both my life and artistic journey.”

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

Conversations and stories are captured, with the final layer of each scroll binding memories together through kantha stitch.

Various text is featured across the strips. For example, there’s an image of a sticker with the words ‘Fight racism’. I had printed those vinyl stickers when working at a print collective in the 80s and wore them when I attended demonstrations.

The phrase ‘Self Defence is No Offence’ comes from when the National Front decided to hold a meeting in Southall’s town hall. Thousands, mostly Asians, took to the streets in protest against the far right and police brutality.

‘Finding my voice’ represents me finally being seen and finding my visual language. It also expresses the joy textiles have brought to my life.

Living in an isolated part of Australia while raising her young family, Dijanne had little access to materials and tuition. Undeterred, she taught herself to dye, print and stitch her own fabrics.

She learnt to use natural vegetation from the Australian bush for her experiments on fabric and paper. Making sustainability and environmental concerns a priority, she developed skills that she could teach to others.

Dijanne has travelled, taught and exhibited in Europe, Australia and Asia, often working with small indigenous communities to upskill women.

She loves to tell stories about her travels and her interests in history, art, nature and the environment. Let’s take a look at how her richly textured cloth does that in the most tactile and visually pleasing way.

Dye, print & ink

How do you develop your colourful and textural art?

Dyeing and printing fabric has been a part of my arts practice since the beginning. I had a limited budget when I started creating textile art, as I had a young family, and also because we lived in an isolated region. So I had to be inventive in creating my own fabrics. As time progressed, it became an important element in my work.

I’ve always been inspired by nature and environmental issues, as I’ve lived in a reasonably wild region of the world. I’ve seen the catastrophic effects of pine plantations, fires and farming, and how they’ve impacted all of nature.

My earlier work dealt with issues of bushfires – the Hellfire Series. That’s morphed into working with natural inks, again using sustainability and environmental concerns in this practice.

I’ve collaborated with Australian artist Cheryl Cook, under the name Inkpot Alchemists, to make natural inks with vegetation from the bush and from our gardens. I use them to colour and print on fabric and paper. Some of the vegetation for the inks has been sourced in very small amounts from the Crinigan Bushland Reserve, where I walk regularly.

The printing has developed into more elaborate linocuts over the years. I also print with nature itself, particularly when using natural inks. I like to think of it as a partnership with nature, which is full of surprises.

Today, my home is my studio, as I live alone in Morwell, Australia, a small city in the industrial Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, Victoria. When I collaborate with Cheryl, we work together in her studio in Tanjil South.

See, play & stitch

You’ve created a Stitch Club workshop – tell us about the artwork you developed during the process.

The artwork I created incorporates two of my favourite techniques: linocut printing and hand stitch, as well as a favourite subject matter, travel. The workshop is all about observations, play and stitch, and is inspired by travel, gardens and nature.

The motifs for the workshop were inspired by my travels in Perugia, Italy in 2023. I spent two weeks there visiting galleries and museums and enjoying the countryside. I was inspired by the ambience and history of this hilltop town in Umbria.

The work incorporates printing one’s own fabric inspired by travel encounters, and then stitching into it to recreate the rich textures.

I chose emblems I’ve encountered, which included rabbits on woven cloth in the artisan weaving workshop, Giuditta Brozzetti Museum and Atelier, and many representations of trees seen in paintings. I also include sculptures and posters, the griffin – the heraldic emblem for Perugia – and the many madonnas in paintings and textile designs.

The stitching enlivens and connects the images. This process is adapted from the type of work I do in my Traveller’s Blanket series, which are vehicles for telling stories of encounters and travels. The linocuts allow me to make printed fabric incorporating images from the place, and the stitching is the mark making that connects those images to create a whole.

History of lace

How did you develop your artistic skills over time?

I was born in the Netherlands and my parents migrated to Australia when I was nine years old. When we first arrived we lived on a very large station (63,000 acres) 18 miles from Jerilderie, a country town in New South Wales. I attended the Australian National University where I studied Arts Law and practised for 10 years as a solicitor.

I was initially self taught in art and textiles, but in the early 2000’s I embarked on a master’s degree in visual and performing arts through distance learning. It saw me create work inspired by the history of migration in my own family, and interpret that using lace.

I could trace part of my family to the early 1600s and Huguenot French, which was a similar timeline to lace developing in Europe, and so I created lace reflecting this journey.

My work has always been about themes and series; in a sense, they’re stories and record my interests in history, art, nature and the environment.

Exploring through journalling

When planning and researching, how do you develop ideas for your work?

I keep a journal, not a sketch book as such. I do draw in my journal and might keep interesting snippets of brochures or some such.

But a lot of my journal is writing – I might write about encounters, but often also the ambience of a place and the feelings it might inspire. The writing might be as prosaic as ‘I need to do more work’, but on the other hand might explore thematic or philosophical ideas.

This journalling process allows me to write about the work in an essay style, expressing ideas about, for example, the environment. It may or may not develop into a body of work or an exhibition, but it helps me to explore themes.

“My writing is a process of exploration and evolution – it can allow me to develop poetry around the theme, as well as visual imagery to use in my art.”

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

I think about my work in writing, but not as individual pieces – more as a thematic body of work. I also go down many rabbit holes. I enjoy researching by way of books and or other media. I have quite a formidable, eclectic library.

I also mind map themes. If I’m really exploring a theme in depth, I’ll dedicate a separate journal for that. I’ll often start with a mind map to help me keep on track, but also to add things to, as I spend time exploring.

Narrative layers

How do you begin a new artwork?

As I explore my theme by way of mind maps and my journal, I develop some ideas for printed images on fabric that help to tell the story. I then embellish those prints with stitch to create a rich, almost narrative, layer.

A lot of my work is intuitive, one thing leads to another, and I don’t necessarily plan or record those – it comes out of the process itself and I get carried away.

I’ll dye the fabric, as all my work commences with white or unbleached khadi fabric. I’ll then add print. I usually work with whole cloth and add stitch by machine and/or by hand. Sometimes I’ll add appliqué if the piece needs it.

In my artworks Coqueclicot I and II I used a technique called Tifaifai. If the designs are cut carefully, you end up with a positive cutout and a negative cutout, both of which can be made into finished pieces.

In my piece Medieval Concertina Book I’ve hand stitched mulberry paper, which softens beautifully as you stitch.

Natural cotton fabrics

What fabrics, threads and other materials do you like to use in your work?

I use cotton fabrics, especially unbleached khadi cotton, obtained from The Stitching Project in India, which I hand dye.

I sometimes buy ordinary white cotton purchased from IKEA, or linen sheets bought secondhand at brocante markets in France. I source flannel for batting or other lightweight batting, textile printing inks, and cotton – usually cotton perlé #8 thread or linen (merlin) threads – from Fonty in France.

Stitching while travelling

Where do you like to create your art?

I work in a dedicated workroom, though I tend to use most of my house for creating. My kitchen table is regularly used for the work I do with natural ink, and when the weather is fine I also work outside.

When I travel, I usually work on one of the travellers blankets, as this requires a relatively small kit: scissors, cotton perlé #8 threads and some needles, which means it can pack very small.

The blankets take so much time that it keeps me occupied the entire time I travel. But having said that, I usually am carrying an exhibition and my hand printed panels for sale, so there’s not much room for anything else.

My image of Journey Through My Surface Design is of works created in 2018 for an exhibition of travellers blankets. It was entitled Exploration Australia, Atauro Island, The Temptation of Persephone. All were entirely hand stitched and hand dyed khadi with a mix of applied linocut motifs or simply hand stitched.

Teaching in the community

Tell us about some of the art projects and residencies you’ve done.

My residency with Boneca de Atauro on the island of Atauro in South-East Asia was all about community, as well as teaching skills and ideas I had for the women to develop a marketable product.

Boneca de Atauro is a women’s group of 60-70 women: that varies depending upon need and capacity. It’s not fostered by an NGO but directed and driven by the women themselves. It’s been one of the most inspiring and communal ways of working I’ve seen.

As such, it wasn’t really about developing my own work, though it inevitably did.

It was more about helping to improve the women’s skills. As a teacher in an environment where scholastic learning was absent, except amongst the younger women (and then usually only basic level education because they were girls), it took a little while to settle in. Also, they spoke very little English and I spoke no Tetun and only small snips of Portuguese.

I couldn’t just march in and lay out the skills; I had to observe how they worked and how they learnt.

They worked a lot with treadle machines. I’d never actually worked on one so I thought I should learn. In a way, it was this that broke the ice.

I wasn’t instantly good at using a treadle machine, and so nearly every woman there showed me how, or would gently guide me.

“This learning interchange resulted in equalising our relationship, so the women became receptive to learning from an outsider.”

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

Culturally, their hierarchies are circular, not linear like Western societies. They needed to make a presentation to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs for a working grant. So we sat and mind mapped so that I could comprehend, but also present, their case for them in a more understanding way. It was an amazing experience and I do hope to go back.

It’s very difficult for the group to source supplies, and the fabric they work with isn’t good quality cotton. The small island is 20 nautical miles from Dili, the capital of East Timor, so there are many logistical difficulties, which makes their story all the more inspiring.

I’ve also worked with The Stitching Project in India, working on stitching and teaching skills to some of the women. As they use a lot of woodblock print, I showed them ways to incorporate stitch into the patterns created by the woodblock.

Exhibiting art quilts

My one big takeaway has been to be inspired by other ways of working, and to look, watch, understand and learn.

In the year 2000, I co-curated, with Frederique Tison, a travelling exhibition of Australian Art Quilts. They were shown at Chateau de Chassy in the Morvan region in France.

Coincidentally, 2000 also happened to be the year that the Olympics were held in Sydney, Australia. We were the only Australian Textile and Art exhibition in Europe, so it attracted much attention in France and ended up being shown at the Australian Embassy in Paris.

This led to curating more Australian Art quilt exhibitions, one of which travelled to the Middle East at the invitation of Robert Bowker, the Australian Ambassador to Egypt, Syria and Libya. I accompanied the exhibition for much of this, demonstrating and installing it.

These exhibitions included 30 works by Australian quilt artists and were much appreciated for their innovation, colour and expression of place.

Interpreting nature

Which piece of your textile art is your favourite?

I don’t have a particular favourite, but I do enjoy working on the travellers blankets, as these are entirely stitched by hand and are storybooks of a sort.

I also enjoy working on my sewing machine, usually on whole cloth heavily stitched pieces. My favourites amongst machine work are the forest scenes, as these allow me to make comments about the environment and nature, and to interpret nature.

Vision makes art

What do you think are the biggest challenges you face as a textile artist?

Breaking down the prejudices of textile being art and the perceptions that it’s a little hobby that women do. This lowliness in esteem means that textile artists often have to teach their techniques in order to sustain themselves, which means taking away energy from art creation.

Galleries have been very slow in accepting textiles as art. It’s the double whammy of being perceived as having been ‘made’ by women and actually being ‘created’ by women. And we all know that women are underrepresented in the gallery system.

“Technique alone does not produce art – it’s the ideas, interpretations and visions that make the art.”

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

Individual expression

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Mind maps really help – it helps to focus ideas and establish avenues of research and exploration.

And keep doing the work: working consistently and daily helps establish a pattern of work, but also allows daily time for exploration. Working sporadically means you start over each time, but working daily, even if it’s only for an hour, helps establish continuity.

The techniques I use and the materials – dyeing and printing my own fabrics – allow me to tell stories of places visited and encounters with nature. These kinds of techniques allow for very individual expression and help me to develop my own voice.

“My needle and thread are my pencil and mark making tool – the fact that the stitching produces texture is an added bonus.”

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

‘The sun and moon represent our Latino heritage and our last name Luna. The X’s represent love (as in XO). It was such a pleasure to hold him in my hands and heart as I worked on this piece.’

In the words of the famous song – memories are made of this. But what exactly is ‘this’?

We gather memories throughout our lives – from families, friends, education, travel and life experiences. Often brimming with emotions, we treasure tangible associations through photographs, videos, keepsakes and clothing.

Memories can act as a rich source of inspiration for textile artists to build emotion and meaning into their work.

Powerful personal quilts

Stitch Club is a vibrant online community where textile art enthusiasts gather to learn, create and share their creative journeys through expert-led workshops.

In this intimate glimpse into a workshop entitled Photo Memory Quilts, members transform cherished photographs and memories into deeply personal and powerful pieces of art under the guidance of acclaimed artist Lauren Austin.

Lauren specialises in making quilts that honour her ancestry, family and friends. She hand-dyes, prints and paints fabric, using collage, photo transfer and a variety of other techniques to make expressive images and artworks.

Under Lauren’s guidance, members transformed personal photos and treasured fabrics into intimate art quilts using her accessible collage method, bringing their stories to life through embroidery, beading and hand quilting.

Stitching stories

Lois Standish illustrates her story with photographs of her great grandmother and her two sons with fabrics from her stash, while Val Fisher focuses on her daughter’s love of the Anne Frank book, embellishing her artwork with fabric from cushion covers and her daughter’s dress.

Linda Langelaan pours her heart on the page as she traverses the emotions of becoming an empty nester using images and fabrics associated with her daughter.

Sue Partington recounts her voyage across the world as a babe in arms, and Nancy Luna-Walker reconnects with her father’s tough journey through life, adding a precious photo and metal charm that she combines with eco-dyed and found fabrics.

We might conclude from their stories and their artworks that the ‘this’ from the famous song is something our members discovered within their families and their hearts. We thank them for their honest sharing.

Lois Standish immortalises ancestors

Lauren’s Stitch Club workshop gave Lois Standish the impetus to revisit a stash of photos that she found after her mum’s death. She selected those of her great grandmother, her grandfather and his brother. She realised she knew little about them, except that her grandfather died from TB aged 30, and his father was a preacher.

Working intuitively, Lois chose accompanying fabrics in shades of blue and white from her own collection. The light blue napkins, used at the sides, had once been a wedding present to her mum. The background floral fabric came from an old pub curtain, and she’d completed the cross-stitch motifs many years earlier. She made the heart motif by melting fabrics together.

Lois added quilting to give the piece texture and incorporated a book charm as a symbol of her great grandfather’s role as a preacher.

Although Lauren had recommended using printer transfer paper, Lois didn’t have any, so she experimented with an alternative solution.

She transferred the photocopied image to fabric by wrapping it in clingfilm plastic wrap and placing it onto the fabric. Covering it with parchment paper, she ironed it on a high heat, causing the clingfilm to melt which adhered the image to the fabric.

Lois then covered each photo in thin acetate, which she stitched into the cloth as a protective layer.

Bringing a face to life

Lois Standish: There are no photos of my grandfather’s two sisters. I find it strange in today’s world of instant pictures that there’s nothing left, but it’s fuelled an interest to find out more, and I’ve gone on to do that since making this piece.

After hot ironing my great grandmother’s photocopied image onto the fabric, I hand coloured it with watercolour pencils. It was delightful to see this stony face come to life.

Lois Standish lives in Cardiff, UK, and has been a member of Stitch Club since April 2021.

Lois enjoys the Stitch Club workshops as they lead her on a creative journey to discover more about traditional and contemporary embroidery.

Instagram: @oakendoriginals
Facebook: oakendoriginals

Val Fisher collages Anne Frank’s story

Val Fisher was inspired to combine Lauren’s techniques with those from Sue Stone’s Say something with stitch workshop.

Val had visited Amsterdam twice but never managed to see Anne Frank’s house. When her daughter was younger, she’d often ask Val to read the story of Anne Frank to her. Val had always thought what a remarkable young person Anne was, and saw her story as a poignant reminder to value our freedom and to remember that not everyone is as fortunate as ourselves.

Stash busting

Val Fisher: I recently discovered some T-shirt transfer paper in a cupboard – I think my daughter must have bought it many years ago – so I used that to transfer the images.

The fabrics I used were from my stash. Most of it was used to make cushion covers for my children’s bedrooms when they were little. The small strip of fabric below the picture of Anne Frank was left over from the only dress I made for my daughter 27 years ago.

“I chose the fresh colours of pinks and greens as they remind me of spring, fresh beginnings and renewed hope in the world.”

Val Fisher, Stitch Club member

I wanted the images to portray that part of her life – also referencing her diary, where she was in hiding, her writing and to include a positive quote.

I played with the composition of my piece until I was happy and, like many textile artists, I enjoy using just the basic stitches – like running, cross and fly stitches – which have so much versatility.

The piece is now displayed in a large journaling book.

Val Fisher lives in Newcastle, Northumberland, UK, and has been a Stitch Club member since May 2020.

Although having stitched all her life, participating in one of Mandy Pattullo’s courses inspired Val to develop her techniques and skills. She then joined Stitch Club to continue her learning.

Linda Langelaan, sew lonely

Linda Langelaan has worked with textiles all her life, from making doll clothes, crocheting, knitting and embroidery, to mixed media projects and working with natural materials and dyes.

Her natural curiosity drives her to challenge herself constantly with new techniques and experiment with new materials – and Stitch Club has been the perfect way to keep up that momentum.

After watching Lauren’s workshop, Linda spent time researching her photo archive and asking her family for information. She decided to focus on the empty nest feelings she’d recently encountered when her daughter moved out to live with her boyfriend.

In the second week of her workshop, Lauren suggested annotating the back of the piece with handwriting to explain the reasoning behind the composition. Linda did this both in English and Dutch and felt that it made the work even more complete and personal.

As Linda worked on the piece, memories came flooding back. Searching for fabric offcuts led to finding other fabrics to include, which prompted yet more recollections.

“Although this started out as a workshop practice piece, it became a surprisingly special one – I hadn’t foreseen the emotions I would feel as I worked on it.”

Linda Langelaan, Stitch Club member

Linda Langelaan: The images are of happy memories spent with my daughter when we made a trip to Malaga. ​​I chose bright and sunny colours to match the photo.

I cut out the sun using reverse appliqué to reveal my daughter’s photo and appliquéd the sun onto the right hand side of the work.

The fabrics are mostly offcuts from things I’d sewed myself, including a bridesmaid dress and a baby playpen, and some yellow and white squared fabric from a summer dress. Both my mother and mother-in-law are no longer with us and my daughter is named after both of them, so I included two pieces of fabric that remind us of them.

I included a hem and labels from my daughter’s favourite jeans brand, Only. This inspired me to write in my notes on the back: (L) only, only, only. It referenced the Police song So Lonely – the sentiment I felt as I surveyed my empty nest.

The text on one of the labels states ‘Every girl deserves great jeans’, which reminded me of my pride in my daughter.

Two pieces of jewellery that my daughter wore as a teenager are also included. She was really pleased with the piece, particularly as I included her rabbit charm and memories of going to Paris.

Linda Langelaan lives in Amersfoort, Netherlands and has been a Stitch Club member since October 2020.

She teaches art to 12-18 year olds at a secondary school. Workshops, Instagram and Stitch Club provide her with inspiration for her own work and her classes.

Instagram: @lindart20

Sue Partington & the journey home

It was 1955 and Sue and her mother, Sylvia, were embarking on an eight-week sailing passage from Wellington, New Zealand to Southampton, England on the MS Ruahine.

Sue was two weeks off turning two and was to have her birthday party on board the ship. It was an exciting time; Sue was to meet members of her extended family for the first time when the ship docked in December.

The ship featured in Sue’s memory quilt is the SS Tamaroa, the one her pregnant mother had travelled to New Zealand on two years earlier. Her husband was flown there separately with the rest of his RAF squadron.

Treasured photos

Sue Partington: I chose some of the treasured childhood photos my mother had passed on to me, scanned them into Apple Photos on my home computer and sharpened them. I transferred the images onto fabric by printing them onto computer printer fabric made by June Tailor, Inc.

All of the fabrics and embellishments were things I already had in my stash. The tablecloth I used as a background was inherited from my husband’s family. Most of the rest, such as the broderie anglaise trimming, came from charity shop garments. I remember animal buttons from my childhood, but the bunny buttons I used were from cardigans I made for my own daughters.

“I have little from my own childhood – clothes were discarded, not stored for future generations, as we moved around different air bases in the world. Maybe that’s why I’m a hoarder now.”

Sue Partington, Stitch Club member

I called this piece ‘Coming Home’, using quotes, as England wasn’t a home to me at that stage. This work holds a strange nostalgia for a time and place that I have no memories of. I only knew about this because my mother talked about it often, despite the short time she lived in New Zealand.

The photo of my mother holding me is emotive; she looks so happy, carefree and loving. I plan to stitch this piece onto one of my existing cushion covers.

Sue Partington lives in Brighton, UK. She is a founding member of Stitch Club, joining in 2020.

She studied illustration and graphic design and went on to devise art and craft projects for children’s books. She also practises mural painting, making mosaic pieces and painting on canvas.

Nancy Luna-Walker & her dad’s story

A young boy’s face smiles out from the memory quilt; the eye can’t help being drawn to the joyous image. It’s a technique used, not only by textile artists, but the advertising industry, and adds a whole new element to any artwork.

When Nancy Luna-Walker’s grandfather passed away, leaving his wife disabled from diabetes, Nancy’s father was just two years old. The five children had to support the household.

The smiling boy in Nancy’s artwork is her father, aged seven years old. He worked at a service station and had multiple jobs growing up. He paid his way through college with the GI bill veteran’s assistance programme, and was his company’s top salesman throughout his career. He was so proud of the Cadillac that he drove across the country to make his sales calls.

Eco-dyeing & recycling

Nancy Luna-Walker: The sun and moon represent our family’s Latino heritage and surname, Luna. The X’s represent love, as in XO. I eco-dyed and printed the X’s on the fabric in the bottom right with oak galls and soy milk. I found the little metal charm in the sewing box I inherited from my mom.

I made a copy of my dad’s photograph using my Canon inkjet printer. Using the technique we learned in Cas Holmes’ Imperfect Memories Stitch Club workshop, I brushed over the printed photocopy with Golden soft gel matte medium and placed it face down on the fabric.

I used a roller to go over it firmly until the picture was securely attached to the fabric. I let it dry overnight and removed the paper the next day by gently spritzing it with water and using a soft sponge to rub it away.

“It was such a pleasure to hold my dad in my hands and heart as I worked on this piece.”

Nancy Luna-Walker, Stitch Club member

Most of my fabrics come from FabMo, a nonprofit in Sunnyvale, CA that rescues discontinued designer samples and donated fabrics, making them available to the public. I also inherited my mom’s stash; she was an avid sewist. I primarily use purchased DMC threads, but I like to look for unusual threads at estate sales or at locally owned thread shops when I travel.

I recently visited my sisters and it was fun sharing this piece with them and reminiscing about my dad. One sister said one of the best life lessons my dad taught her was to ‘stay the route’ so she was happy I’d included a road in my piece.

I’ve put this artwork in my studio since my dad always encouraged me to do big things in life.

Nancy Luna-Walker lives in Orinda, in San Francisco’s East Bay, California, USA. She has been a member of Stitch Club since October 2021.

Nancy enjoys experimenting with a variety of materials and her textiles are primarily sourced from designer samples rescued from landfills.

Instagram: @namoonwalker

Key takeaways

1. Take a moment to connect with your innermost feelings. What stirs your emotions? What story, from your recent or more distant history, do you want to tell using fabric and thread?
2. Photos are a powerful representation of people, whether they feature family, friends or others. Look through any photos you own or have been given – is there anyone who calls to you to be represented? If you don’t have your own photos, ask friends and family, look in antique shops or online.
3. If your chosen subject has fabrics or ephemera associated with them, such as charms or labels, consider how you might include these in your work. Reflect on their history and your connections with them.
4. Take your time when building your composition. Move fabrics, images and ephemera around until you are happy. This is an emotive activity, so work intuitively, adding new elements that feel right as you work.

For more ideas on stitching your stories, take a look at The language of loss in stitch, which features the work of five Stitch Club members who tackled their grief and fear in their own touching and creative ways.

If you enjoyed reading about our Stitch Club members’ stories and seeing their work, let us know in the comments below.

Now an award-winning mixed media artist based in London, Woo Jin’s soft sculptures and embroideries delve into the significance of traditional folk stories in today’s culture – with more than a playful twist.

In her hands, an Ikea bag conceals a wild tiger; an odd sock becomes a Korean Dokkaebi or goblin.

Just as importantly as the stories she conjures, her work evokes a sense of enchantment and magic in ordinary things. Found objects and random textiles, she says, are vital sources of inspiration for unleashing her imagination.

If you’ve ever wondered how your past can become part of your art, then read on.

Woo Jin Joo: My practice explores East Asian mythology and folk culture and how these ancient belief systems and storytelling manifest in contemporary culture.

I use mythical creatures, spirits, ghosts, animals and demi-gods to explore our connection with objects and non-humans. I am searching for stories about objects with spirits. I conjure tales of multispecies entanglement and collaboration where human beings are not centre stage. 

My work is magical, playful and colourful. It touches on big themes like multispecies, spirits, environment and heritage, yet it’s joyous and accessible through its character and colour. 

Take my artwork People Who Deny the Existence of Dragons Are Often Eaten by Dragons From Within. It’s one of a series inspired by the book Arts of Living on a Damaged Planted: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene. Here I’m exploring ideas of ghosts, monsters and other mythological creatures as agents of the damage we cause to our planet.

Sometimes, my artwork may seem like it’s caught between the physical and the imaginary world – awkward yet appealing, enchanting yet funny.  

“I am trying to evoke and explore a sense of enchantment and magic in ordinary things.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

Korean folklore

I am fascinated by the mythology and folk culture of Korea and how these ancient stories effortlessly weave human and non-human elements in magical ways.

Korean folk paintings inspire me in more ways than one. The concepts and stories from traditional folklore and mythology inform my sculptural pieces. 

For example, Dokkaebis (도깨비) are creatures from Korean mythology and folklore. Also known as ‘Korean goblins’, these creatures are formed from a spiritual possession of an inanimate object. This series of works is an exploration of ways of re-enchanting the way we perceive and value inanimate objects.  

My two-dimensional pieces are more visually inspired by Korean folk paintings, particularly in terms of motifs and colours. And the way colours are arranged or selected, or the depiction of natural elements like clouds, water, waves and mountains are great sources of inspiration even when I am imagining my own mythical hybrid three-dimensional beings. 

Although the techniques and materials I use differ from traditional Korean embroidery, these visual inspirations and my interpretation are another way of celebrating and embracing my cultural heritage.

Making sense

I’m looking for the relevance and significance of traditional folk stories in today’s culture. Creating my own stories is a way of making sense of the world, connecting the tales heard and internalised through my cultural upbringing with the physicality of objects and space around me in day-to-day life. 

In the series titled 水神 Water Deities, which includes A Saviour and And Can You Keep the Still Waters Deep and Clear? and The Urchin Man, unexpected species are raised to the status of deities, mutated with human body-like limbs and odd forms. 

Increasingly, we are finding scientific evidence that reveals the roles of overlooked species, microorganisms and microecology in maintaining the balance of the earth’s environment. Situating these sea creatures on a mythological pedestal as deities, the series suggests a new story that deems the significance of these critters in an enchanting and engaging way.

Bridging the textile gap

One of the questions I’m exploring is our relationship with textiles. With the advent of mass production, textiles have been transformed from a valued and repairable object to 300,000 tonnes of used clothing going to landfill every year (in the UK alone). 

Textiles are integral to everyday life yet we’ve become disconnected from their value, importance and capabilities. How can we bridge this chasm that’s arisen? What does this relationship reveal about us as a species? These are questions I am exploring. 

虎死留皮，人死留名。(When a Tiger Dies, It Leaves Behind Its Skin. When a Man Dies, He Leaves Behind His Name), embroidered on an old IKEA bag, is from this series.

“I want to create ways of bridging the gap between us and objects, by creating playful sculptures out of discarded or old textiles.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

Finding stories

I love working with old and found objects. These might be hats or gloves I’ve found on walks or clothes donated by people close to me or during workshops. I like to view these items through the lens of mythology and folk culture, imagining new stories about them.

Every object brings its own history. They add another layer of narrative to the work. Also, I find that the objects themselves are often an endearing entry point for the audience.

“Restricting myself to using found objects is creatively stimulating as the limitation provides a structure to work within.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

Nurturing the flame

My starting point for my sculptural pieces is found and old materials. It always starts with an initial spark of an idea. 

I then develop and work through it by drawing. Drawing is the foundation of my practice. It helps to bring my ideas to life. It’s less time-consuming to work up ideas through drawing than stitching.

“The idea usually comes from the object that I am working with – its shape, colours, feel and patterns.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

My imagination is quickly inspired just by looking, then I have to put in the work to bring the idea to life. 

I start with planning the internal structure, building it with wires and cane rattan. Then I cover the structure in wadding or old scrap fabrics. Finally, I add embroidered textures, which I create on dissolvable embroidery backing fabric. 

Freestanding embroidery

For my two-dimensional pieces, I’m painting with thread using freehand machine embroidery. It’s a much quicker process than creating a sculpture. 

“I prefer to use Madeira’s viscose thread due to the vibrant colours and also its strength – essential when I’m stitching thick layers.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

I select colours instinctively. I like to work on dissolvable embroidery fabric as this creates an ‘embroidered tapestry’, with the stitches supporting themselves as a standalone piece. 

Initially, I began working on dissolvable embroidery backing fabric for my sculptural pieces as a way of creating sculptural forms and textural details, and I’ve continued to use it in my two-dimensional work… 

It’s mainly an artistic choice. I like the way I can create curved and unusual outlines with the edges of the embroidery. Also, I’m drawn to the fact that the threads support themselves, creating standalone embroidered works, free from a fabric’s surface. 

To create freestanding embroidery in this way, it’s best to work with thicker dissolvable embroidery backings such as the non-woven variety rather than the film type. Layering the dissolvable embroidery backing, to make two or three layers, helps to stabilise the piece and enable it to support the dense, heavy stitching.

Working smarter

My biggest challenge is often time management and my expectations. 

It’s difficult balancing deadlines and exhibition schedules with the amount of time and energy that I want to pour into a piece to get it to a place where I’m satisfied. Many of the works – especially the big ones – always take a lot longer than my initial estimate.

Sometimes it feels like no matter how much extra time I factor in, I’m still working right up to the deadline. I think it has to do with not making firm decisions as I go along, particularly regarding the details. 

“I am practising making decisions quicker – and sticking to them.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

Inspiring folk

I loved selecting the different Korean folk paintings that form the basis of my Stitch Club workshop. It was exciting to go through all the resources I’ve collected, to choose a few for the members to take inspiration from. 

It’s been fun imagining how people might respond and find joy in certain images – and what these precious images might offer them. Especially knowing that this might be the first time some members will have seen Korean traditional folk paintings.

Cultural roots

I was raised by my grandmother as both of my parents were working full time. She has been the biggest influence on my life, not just in my work but the way I perceive things. This informs the heart of my work. 

My grandmother is a natural storyteller. I loved hearing the vivid stories of her childhood, the food she ate, her early school years, and even stories of her childhood during the war. My love of listening and finding stories came from her raising me. 

I initially studied printed textile design as an undergraduate. However, towards the end of my degree, I began to shift from creating prints to creating objects with found beach plastics.

Wanting to explore this object-making further I decided to continue my postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art in London. 

It was during this time that I developed my current practice; my love of freehand machine embroidery and working with embroidery in sculptural ways. 

Making as learning

I am grateful for the space the 62 Group and its members provide in stretching my comfort zone. This year’s exhibition was ‘Making as Learning’, inspired by and dedicated to the late artist and 62 Group member, Audrey Walker. 

I loved responding to this theme. It encouraged me to let go of producing a perfectly executed exhibiting piece and instead, allowing the work to guide me and then celebrating where it led. 

“Being part of the 62 Group has helped me to expand and challenge my making and experimentation.”

Woo Jin Joo, Mixed media artist

Nurture & support

My studio is based at Cockpit Arts, Deptford, London. I joined Cockpit Arts as the inaugural recipient of the Bagri Craft Award, funded by the Bagri Foundation. The Bagri Craft Award is for a maker with Asian heritage, or from the Asian diasporas. 

The generous funding I’ve received from the award has been significant in developing my practice. The three-year award period means that I’m able to settle into the funded studio, providing the time and space to focus on my practice. 

The business mentoring, open studio events and the nurturing community of Cockpit also provide invaluable support for an emerging artist like me. The award has come at a timely moment, allowing me to grow artistically and also to establish a sustainable financial foundation.

It’s a dichotomy that Rosemary Meza-DesPlas has often witnessed as visitors peruse her works stitched with her own hair.

Rosemary incorporates fibre art, drawing, installation, painting, performance art and video into her studio practice. But in 2000, prompted by a friend’s suggestion, she started gathering her hair to produce artworks stitched solely in this material. Recent works have intertwined hand-sewn human hair with watercolour, thread, speciality fabric and collage.

Why stitch with hair, you might ask?

Rosemary recognises the relationship between the qualities and symbolism of hair with issues of body image, femininity and identity. Her mother and aunts had migrated from Mexico across the United States as a family of agricultural labourers, and, as Rosemary pondered the hardships they endured, she committed to exploring these feminist issues.

Since then, her artwork has been thematically centred upon women: their narratives, societal challenges and resilience. Hair is the perfect material and the human form the perfect image.

Experimenting with hair

What made you decide to stitch art using your own hair?

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas: I started working with my hair after an artist friend suggested the line work in my wall drawings correlated to human hair. She equated the scratchy and undulating lines on the wall to the texture of hair.

I became intrigued by the idea of utilising hair in my art and so I spent time experimenting with it. It resulted in trial and error: glueing it to paper was messy and unruly.

I have academic degrees in drawing and painting from the University of North Texas and Maryland Institute College of Art, respectively. When I tried sewing with the hair, I found it allowed me to translate drawing techniques – such as hatching, stippling and cross-hatching – into stitches.

I haven’t been trained in sewing hair – I’m self taught. My mother and aunts learned to sew due to the economic challenges and scarcity of resources. As a child in the 1970s, I wore shorts and shirts made by my mother from Simplicity patterns. But neither my sister nor I were interested in picking up basic sewing skills.

My first few hair artworks were graphite and colour pencil with just a touch of hand-sewn human hair. After becoming more confident with sewing the hair, I’ve created subsequent artworks completely with hand-sewn human hair.

In 2002, I began to embed these artworks into three-layer resin casts. Some recent works have intertwined hand-sewn human hair with watercolour, thread, speciality fabric and collage. Since 2018, I’ve made hand-sewn human hair artworks with my grey hair.

The symbolism of hair

Sociologist Rose Weitz published a work called Rapunzel’s Daughters: What Women’s Hair Tells Us about Women’s Lives. She examined the hair’s relationship to sexuality, age, race, social class, health, power and religion.

Hair conveys symbolism in literary works such as the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope and Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm. There are religious connotations to hair, which coincide with symbolism reflecting strength, sensuality and reverence: Delila cut off Samson’s hair and Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Jesus with her hair.

“I like the dichotomy of using hair. Hair can be sexy and engaging to people; on the other hand, it can be repulsive.”

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Textile artist

Consider finding a hair in your soup or a hair on your hotel pillow. When viewers see the works in person, the imagery beckons the viewer to move in closer. I’ve seen gallery patrons impressed with the technique, yet repulsed by the material.

Repurposed materiality

Transformation of hair into artwork is repurposed materiality. Materiality of hair coincides with feminism at the point it speaks to issues of body image, femininity and identity.

Due to its correlation to material culture, hair may reflect political agency. In 2022, women filmed themselves cutting their hair; ordinary actions became acts of protest. Hair for Freedom showed solidarity with Iranian women and protested the death of Mahsa Amini.

Crafted hair in contemporary artwork can be interpreted as exoticizing women, ritualistic movements, critical gendered commentary or multidimensional stories.

“The materiality of hair coincides with feminism and ethnicity at the point it speaks to issues of body image, femininity and identity.”

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Textile artist

Feminist ideology

Tell us how the tenacity of your eight aunts contributed to the feminist ideology that you express in your art…

My mother comes from a family of eleven; eight out of the eleven siblings are women. Her family, originally from Allende, Mexico, travelled across the United States as agricultural labourers. The migratory existence was difficult for the women. Family stories have given me an appreciation and understanding of the hardships they endured as women.

My artwork has been thematically centred upon women: their narratives, societal challenges, and resilience. The female experience within a patriarchal society is one of inequality.

From brunette to grey

What were your feelings as you went from brunette to grey, and how did this affect your hair art?

I’ve been collecting my hair daily since 2000. Collection of hair is a ritualistic activity; I gather it by running my fingers through my hair each morning or by accumulating that which falls out during a shower.

There’s a meditative quality to sorting hair as preparatory work. I enjoy the texture of the hair through my fingers. I slide my fingers down its length and create work piles correlating to length.

Over the years, I’ve dyed my hair different shades of brown and red to obtain a greater variety of values and tones. When my hair began to grey, I would dye it. Colouring my hair was an act of vanity. The grey was visual evidence of my ageing process.

“At the point I stopped dyeing my hair, I came to terms with time’s salt and pepper paintbrush.”

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Textile artist

My greying hair became another art material to experiment with in my studio. Incorporating grey hair into my practice involved trial and error; therefore, I began a quest for the appropriate ground fabric. I currently use a black twill fabric. The texture of the grey hair is coarser and easier to manipulate.

Sketching and stitching

Tell us about your process and techniques when you’re working on a new piece.

Once I’ve collected my hair, I store it in plastic bins referenced by colour or year. At the beginning of a day’s work, I create piles of hair correlating to length: short, medium and long. These work piles of hair are then ready for me to use.

I select my needles according to the ground I’ll be working on. Some of the grounds I’ve worked upon include mylar, vellum, parchment, stretched watercolour canvas, chine-collé paper, stretched oil canvas and raw unprimed canvas.

I then create a gestural sketch of imagery on the selected ground. The sketch is usually created with an H pencil; however, I’ll use a white pencil for the black twill fabric.

This preliminary sketch is necessary because sewing hair is an unforgiving medium. Once the hair is sewn it can’t be undone. The removal of stitches leads to gratuitous holes and a blemished appearance.

“As I stitch my hair into the surface with a needle, I create a variety of values which serve to define the imagery.”

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Textile artist

Closely stitched lines or darker hair strands correlate to dark value. Sparsely spaced lines or a lighter brunette hair equates to lighter values. Drawing techniques, such as hatching, stippling and cross-hatching, translate to stitches.

Depending upon my intention, techniques are varied to achieve a range of textures, values and emotions. My academic degrees in drawing and painting mean that my technical approach is drawing-based.

As I sew the value patterns across imagery, I erase the initial gestural drawing. Visually, the end result is solely embroidered hair.

Tying off the hair when I am done sewing a section involves leaving the strand long; the hair protrudes from the surface. This interaction of hair and negative space creates a three-dimensional appearance. Initially, I tied off the hair and closely trimmed it to the ground; however, by 2011 I began leaving the tied-off strands long.

Human figures

How does your hair art fit in with your other work?

I incorporate fibre art, drawing, installation, painting, performance art and video into my studio practice. The human figure is the unifying image in my artwork, notwithstanding what medium is being used. Thematic continuity links my visual artwork with my academic writing and poetry.

The installation artwork, Groundswell, that I set up in 2020 in the Amos Eno Gallery in Brooklyn, New York has hand-stitched hair around its border. The smaller elements of it contain hand-sewn hair.

My performance artwork encompasses the creation of costumes. The skill set from sewing hair is applied to sewing the costumes for my performances.

Hair as archive

How has your hair artwork developed over time and what direction do you think it will take in the future?

The hair artworks have served as an archive of my body and ageing process.

I prefer not to speculate as to what direction future works might take. Studio experiments are predicated on freedom. Presupposed outcomes can hem in latitude, restricting future choices.

Drawing and exploring materials

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist wanting to try out your kind of materials and techniques?

If an aspiring textile artist wanted to use my drawing techniques, I would recommend they take college-level drawing classes including figure drawing. Experimentation, research and study of materials are also integral to my studio work.

New ways of making art invigorate my practice; thereby, the visualisation of thematic issues becomes innovative. I move comfortably between varied materials to create art.

“I am a process-oriented artist who finds personal growth within the investigation of unfamiliar materials.”

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Textile artist

Presenting a figure’s profile or a view of the back of the head is a key part of Sila’s thread paintings. When the faces are hidden, the viewers’ imaginations take over. Some may see themselves, others may see someone they know, and almost all invent each subject’s life story.

Hair styles and denim fabric also take centre stage, through Sila’s intricate layering of threads. Her interest in urban fashion design adds style and sizzle to her art. Detailed clothing, flowing tresses and physical poses all echo high fashion magazine spreads.

The fact that Sila is entirely self-taught and first picked up a needle in 2018 adds to the excitement of her portfolio.

Enjoy this look into Sila’s fashion-inspired embroidery art.

Thread painting

You describe your work as thread painting – can you explain what that entails…

Traditional embroidery has so many different types of stitch possibilities. But my work largely uses long and short stitches in a freestyle fashion that’s very intricate and quite realistic.

My stitching is essentially like painting on a canvas but using thread.

I’m inspired by almost anything, including nature, a city, a particular texture, something I see in a magazine or fashion blog. Even an advertisement or pose from the red carpet gets me thinking.

It’s fun to imagine the possibilities, but it can also make it difficult to pull all the ideas together to work in harmony to tell a story. Every day I have new thoughts about ways to make hair, maybe adding a scarf, making denim trousers, or what colour palettes I could use.

I always have new ideas and images in my mind for future projects, which can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, especially if I’m in the middle of another project. It’s definitely a distraction, but I can’t shut off my brain.

Who’s that girl?

Most of your work features the backs of figures, rather than a front view. Why is this?

Thanks for noticing that! Yes, most of my textile art purposely features the backs of figures because I don’t want to expose or reveal who they are. It makes me so happy when people say a figure in my work looks like their daughter, mum or friend.

I enjoy it when viewers imagine who my figures are or who they remind them of. It’s more engaging and makes me feel like I’m connecting with viewers. That’s so precious to me.

Denim takes a front seat in much of your work. What is it about denim you find appealing?

I love the timelessness of denim. It’s always modern and always fashionable. I enjoy stitching denim because it has high contrast on the sewed lines, making the artwork more eye-catching.

I prefer using DMC 930 and its lighter and darker shades for stitching denim. First I line up my colour shades from light to dark, and then I start with the middle tones. Next, I add the darker shades and lastly the lighter shades. I constantly blend the threads along the way.

It’s all about the hair

Of course, we must ask about the way you stitch hair. How did you come upon the idea for embroidering such incredible free-flowing hairstyles?

Stitching hair was very challenging at first because it has curves, highlights and shadows. Trust me, it takes lots of practice.

I used to use six different colour shades for hair when I started. Today, I use more than 20 different colours. That sounds crazy, but it’s what it takes to make the hair look realistic.

Darker hair is a bit easier, as you don’t need as many shades as you need for highlighted blonde or copper hair. Wavy or curly hair is also a bit harder compared to straight hair, as I have to make all the curves.

Braided hairstyles are my favourite.

Discovering embroidery

What’s your earliest memory of making something with textiles?

Sila Gur: I’ve been artsy and creative since childhood. I love to make things and experiment with different techniques and materials. And though it might seem cliché, I did sew all my Barbie doll clothes and even crafted accessories.

But none of my family or friends were interested in textiles, sewing or fashion design, so I don’t know how I became so interested in using a needle.

I studied fine arts during high school and then fashion and textile design at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey. I studied fashion styling at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

What was your route to becoming a textile artist?

When it comes to embroidery, I’m entirely self-taught.

It came about when I moved from Turkey to Scotland in 2018. I’m originally from Turkey, but my family moved to Scotland because of my husband’s work.

Our daughter was only one year old when we moved, and I became a full-time mum at home in a different country with no friends or relatives close by. I’m not at all a domestic person, so I felt the need to make and create something apart from being a housewife. I missed working and feeling productive and busy on a daily basis.

“I started stitching and discovered my love for hand embroidery.”

Sila Gur, Textile artist

I saw a couple of embroidery artists on Pinterest whose works were so modern, new and fresh. I especially enjoyed Elin Petronella’s amazing architectural embroideries on Pinterest.

I wanted to try something similar, so I figured out what I’d need and ordered everything from Amazon. I chose a few different sized bamboo hoops, aida fabric (which is actually used for cross stitch), embroidery needles and a very cheap set of embroidery floss threads in 100 colours.

I didn’t want to spend too much money, as I wasn’t sure I’d like embroidering. So, when everything arrived, I found they were of poor quality.

After that, I properly researched materials and visited a craft store to purchase better quality supplies. I then taught my daughter how to embroider and passed along the poorer quality materials for her to use to practice.

Where do your stitch stories come from?

I usually have a couple of ideas going in my head at the same time. I don’t rush my thinking. I’ll give myself time to think and imagine, and it’s like a silent gap between projects.

But once I decide on what to create, I become very excited and there’s no stopping me. I simply have to draw, choose colours and start stitching.

With that said, embroidery is ultimately a very time-consuming and slow process. It takes me weeks to finish stitching one piece.

Creative process

Do you use a sketchbook or computer software for planning, or something else?

I always sketch with a pencil on A4 paper first. It doesn’t take me long to draw something. I’ll also sometimes jot down notes.

I then take a picture of my drawing and import it into the ProCreate app on my iPad. The app allows me to add details, play with colours and experiment with backgrounds.

Once my design is complete, I redraw it on the fabric using an erasable pen. People think I transfer the drawing from the app, but I actually redraw the image. Because I’ve always been an artist, it’s fun for me to do so and it’s not a hard step for me.

Once I finish my embroidery, I use a blow dryer to get rid of the erasable pen marks.

Any preferred stitches you use for your thread painting? And what threads do you use most?

My favourite stitches are long and short stitches in a freestyle motion. French knots are also fun to make, and I usually use them for small details.

While it looks like some of my threads lay loose on top of the canvas, they mostly go to the back. But sometimes I’ll use turkey work stitching on specific objects like the end of a scarf.

I usually use DMC embroidery threads. They are absolutely the best quality in the market. I also use Gütermann machine threads if DMC doesn’t have the exact colour I’m seeking.

What are some of your must-have tools and materials?

I use thick cotton calico and linen fabrics most of the time. A few years ago, I did a series called I’m Here for You (see below) for which I used vintage lace as my base fabric. I enjoyed that and plan to use lace again if I can find something I like.

My forever must-haves are my Nurge embroidery hoops and hoop stand. The hoop stand is a game changer, in that it allows me to use both hands, and I have more control over my embroidery.

I also like a pair of scissors that are small and fine. No particular brand, just nice embroidery scissors.

And a Pilot FriXion heat erasable pen – I can’t work without it.

A closer look…

Table For One is a great example of how you create detailed and flowing hairstyles. Can you tell us a bit more about this work?

I wanted to use an autumnal colour palette for this piece, so I thought copper hair with highlights would work. It took me 80 hours just to stitch the hair. I used intricate realistic stitching in front of a single lined background to help the piece breathe.

“The background is fairly simple because I like paintings that balance realism with abstract.”

Sila Gur, Textile artist

Why did you choose lace as a background for your I’m Here for You series, and what challenges did it pose?

I created this series right after the pandemic when people’s lives had changed, mentally and physically. Many loved ones were lost, and it was a hard time for people all around the world.

Lockdown made me realise how my family and friends bring meaning to my life and are what I care about most. This series is a tribute to that realisation.

I wanted to stitch on lace, as its threads are very delicate yet attached to each other, just like us. It was the most challenging art I’ve ever created. They’re small pieces, and each took ages to make. The gaps and big holes were especially problematic, so I had to stitch and cover them first before I could actually embroider.

If anyone is interested in stitching on lace, I’d recommend they do so only if the holes are tiny and the lace doesn’t stretch.

What’s your most favourite work?

Girl With A Camera is my favourite – I wanted to emphasise the denim texture, and I like how the jacket has one shoulder off and folded. It creates both movement and a bit of drama. I love all the highlights and high contrast shades.

Navigating social media

What’s your relationship with social media? Love it? Hate it?

I must admit Instagram used to be a better place. Five years ago, I could post a work-in-progress picture in bad lighting and get thousands of likes and comments. Today, I have to create short videos, add trending music, edit, add captions and think about algorithms. That’s not easy!

I’m an up-to-date person and I don’t fight with new trends or technologies, so my relationship with social media is fine. But I do know many artists struggle to engage with others or to find their communities.

My advice is to keep sharing your work and keep posting.

“Don’t wait for people to discover you – if you want them to see your work, you need to go ahead and show people what you make.”

Sila Gur, Textile artist