You might think such extensive mash-ups could lead to art that overwhelms, but that’s hardly the case. April expertly balances colour and composition to create cohesive works that are surprisingly neat at first glance. Even upon close inspection, April’s layers of texture and pattern seamlessly merge and often surprise the eye.

In addition to offering us a look into her process and favourite things, April also shares how renowned UK textile artists helped her discover the power of simple stitches and inspired her to let go of her need for control. She explains how Constance Howard and others have taught her that self-expression doesn’t have to be complicated when it comes to stitchwork. And we think you’ll agree.

Apron strings

April Sproule: My earliest memory of making something with textiles is making an apron with my maternal grandmother, Grandma Ollie, when I was seven years old. She was a tiny woman who lived in a small house filled with things she had made. She loved to sew, knit and paint.

I remember carefully cutting out the apron on her kitchen table and sewing it on her portable Singer sewing machine. Her patience was infinite as she taught me those brand-new skills. I was amazed we had made something useful out of seemingly nothing with a scrap of fabric and some thread.

Around the same time my paternal grandmother, Grandma Petersen, began teaching me to do hand sewing and stitching. She taught me how to cut old clothing into squares using a cardboard template. Those hand-pieced squares would later become a quilt top. She also taught me hand embroidery and lace making.

I have very fond memories of being sequestered away in one of their homes on rainy winter days happily stitching away for hours. It’s no wonder sewing and stitching are now like breathing to me. They are something I have always done, and those basic skills would go through many transformations in years to follow. Back then, I had no idea how those early experiences would impact my life.

Textile artist inspiration

During high school, I participated in a work study programme that involved writing a business plan and starting my first little business. I set about making a variety of leather goods, clothing and bags to sell at local shops and galleries.

After learning the technical skills I badly needed, at the San Francisco School of Fashion Design, I worked for several different US and Canadian manufacturers. My area of expertise was new product development and production management for companies making leather goods, accessories and clothing. Since 2001, I’ve been a full-time studio artist working as both a designer and workshop facilitator.

In 2011, I developed a commercial collection of 25 stencil designs inspired by Japanese Katagami stencils for painting on fabric. I began using the stencils for all sorts of things while teaching my painting techniques to others. I started making upcycled clothing for myself and linen bags to sell with the stencils, and then I added hand stitching to them. The stencilling and hand stitching worked well together. Next came a collection of hand embroidery patterns and kits in 2015.

Shortly after that, I started seeing online images from UK textile artists who were doing amazing work using hand stitching. I was especially inspired by Mandy Pattullo, Claire Wellesley-Smith, Louise Baldwin, Cas Holmes and Aideen Canning. These incredible women not only eradicated the notion of creating perfect little stitches, but they used stitching in such an expressive and expansive manner. Theirs was a much freer and innovative style of hand stitch that appealed to me on many levels.

I admired those artists’ ability to move away from the expected and express their own unique, wild and wonderful styles.

It was as if a door had opened, and anything was possible on the other side of that threshold.

April Sproule, Textile artist

Freestyle stitching

My new norm became letting go of the need for control and embracing the idea of self-expression.

Upon further investigation, everything led back to the work and influence of Constance Howard. I pored over her books, and my entire perspective on hand stitching changed tremendously. I didn’t necessarily change the stitches I used, but I became mindful of how those stitches were used. One simple stitch could be used in 20 or more different variations.

When I developed my collection of hand embroidery patterns, I thought using lots of different complex or unusual stitches added more interest.

Constance Howard took a different approach. It was more about starting with one simple stitch and then tweaking it, contorting it, and reimagining all its possibilities.

Now as I go back and look through Constance’s books, I especially love seeing her illustrations. These days I see hand stitching as another form of mark making. And as I switch back and forth between pen and ink illustration and my hand stitching, each medium provides inspiration for the other.

I studied Constance Howard’s approach and realised the complexity of stitches wasn’t as important as I’d first thought.

April Sproule, Textile artist

Natural inspirations

I am inspired by many things, but my greatest inspiration comes from nature. Nature provides me with a never-ending treasure trove of ideas. It could be insects, botanical specimens or even diatoms and other microscopic images that pique my interest and beg me to take a closer look.

I live in an astonishingly diverse beautiful area in northern California. In just a few minutes, I can be exploring tide pools along our rugged coastline or trek deep into a Redwood forest where rays of sunlight pierce the thick canopy of branches and illuminate the areas below in a spectacular display.

Things that are in a state of erosion or decomposition are much more interesting than a perfect specimen. And surface design with textiles, pen and ink illustration, printmaking, collage, and watercolour are all mediums that supply me with lots of ideas and inspiration.

I’m interested in capturing the essence of my subject matter, rather than in replicating it in a photorealistic way.

April Sproule, Textile artist

Creative sketches

My work is developed in different ways, but it usually begins with a feeling or mood I want to convey. Early in the morning, I often work in a little handmade book where I experiment with different ways of combining paper, fabric and stitch in new and interesting ways that can lead to larger projects. 

Often my work begins with what I call a production sketch. It’s just a vague idea and a starting point, but it’s a very important step because it takes what only exists in my mind into the physical world where it becomes tangible.

Introducing colour

Next comes colour, which is one of the most valuable design elements. Colour is what first attracts or repels viewers to our work. I usually start with white fabric or pieces on which I’ve applied some sort of surface design techniques.

Scale, the overall finished size of the piece, comes next. Are the details going to be lost if a person sees it from a distance? Those choices inform all my decisions on which mediums to use.

I’ve learned to worked much more intuitively. All I need is one idea to get started. It could be the colour green and then everything develops from there.

Every piece I make takes me on a journey of learning and exploration.

April Sproule, Textile artist

Figuring things out

I feel incredibly fortunate because I rarely get really stuck on a piece and give up on it. I am good at problem solving and figuring things out. It seems like a waste of time, energy and materials to give up on a piece and not finish it.

When I start a new project that is very involved, I clean up my studio and put everything in its place. Initially clutter can be a distraction, but that’s only in the beginning. Once my ideas start to flow, it is total chaos. I don’t clean up until the project is completely done.

Mixing things up

I use a wide variety of mixed media on fabric and paper. I especially enjoy working with dyes, paints, stencilling, printing, pen and ink, cyanotypes, and hand or machine stitch. Learning to do all of these things has been so much fun!

I’ve done lots of shibori dyeing with Procion dyes and indigo over the years. It’s so exciting to unwrap the cloth and see what has happened. And now I have all those fabrics to choose from and add to my textile art.

Using paints and inks on fabric and paper has been a great addition to my work. I use textile paints that don’t alter the hand of the fabric, and I’m pretty picky about that. I also love using walnut ink, sumi ink and India inks. Sometimes I just sit and draw stripes or dots with a pen or brush. Then it’s fun finding new ways to incorporate those pieces into my work.

I am also experimenting a lot with different papers. I won’t use papers that are either too delicate or too hard to stitch through. I still have a lot to learn about different types of paper, but that’s part of the research and excitement of learning something new.

Favourite fabrics

My absolute favourite fabrics to work with are linen, cotton sateen and silk. I use both vintage and new fabrics, but many of the vintage fabrics are just wonderful to work with. The linen is like butter to stitch through, and I love the texture of it. 

My next favourite fabric is cotton sateen, as the weave gives it a subtle sheen. It has a very nice hand, dyes beautifully and it is really easy to stitch through. And silk has long been a favourite of mine. I don’t ever use fusibles on it, as that would ruin the hand of the fabric. I have lots of silk left over from having a custom sewing business for 10 years. Now, I’m glad I saved all those fabrics.

Threads & stitches

For threads, I mostly use DMC cotton along with some hand-dyed threads. I‘d like to try linen thread but haven’t yet. My favourite stitches are the running stitch, stem stitch, straight stitches, rice stitch, couching, and the versatile blanket stitch. I also like the cretan stitch a lot, because it can be used in lots of different ways.

I took Sue Stone’s Exploring Texture and Pattern course in 2018. After finishing all the exercises, my style of stitching changed from using more complex decorative stitches to using very basic stitches in different forms and combinations.

My needle has become like my pen, and my hand stitching is now another form of mark making.

April Sproule, Textile artist

A few basic tools

I enjoy using good quality tools that last a long time, so I don’t have to replace them.

Really sharp scissors are very important. I have embroidery scissors, appliqué scissors, regular scissors, paper scissors and huge shears for cutting heavy fabrics. But mostly I just need a sharp little pair of embroidery scissors for cutting threads.

Fabric markers are also important. I use Frixion markers and have never had a problem with them. I like that I get nice clean lines with them. And of course, good needles make everything so much easier. I use mostly size 10 embroidery needles with a nice sharp point.

One of the greatest things about hand embroidery is you only need a few basic tools.

I do almost all of my actual stitching at night. I use a large floor model OttLite, and I could not sew without it. I usually do hand stitching for three hours or so every night. It’s become a daily practice I really enjoy.

My iPad is my favourite design tool. I use an app called Adobe Fresco for my illustrations. I start a piece, photograph it, and then draw mock up stitches on the photo to help with design options and decisions. I can add 10 layers of stitching, eliminate what I don’t like, AirDrop the image to my phone, and use it for reference as I stitch. It’s just like magic!

I think one of the best things you can do as an artist is try things outside of your comfort zone.

April Sproule, Textile artist

Silver linings

The biggest challenges I’ve faced as a professional artist were Covid related. From 2001-20, I operated a longarm quilting business, sold my wares online and as a vendor at shows, and I taught workshops on techniques I’d developed over the years. 2019 was an especially busy year for me. Then Covid reared its ugly head, and every single upcoming event I had scheduled was cancelled.

I decided to make the most of this unexpected free time by focusing on my art and volunteering for different textile art groups who support artists and textile art instructors. That gift of time gave me a chance to re-evaluate what I was doing and make some positive changes.

I closed my longarm quilting business and decided to stop vending at shows and started applying for grants. In 2019, I received a grant from a local arts foundation, and in 2020, I received a business grant from the state. Collectively, those funds made it possible for me to gain the technical training and equipment I needed to start teaching online.

I aim to spend half my time working and the other half creating art. I’m not there yet, but I will be some day. It’s also much easier to share what I do with others and help others achieve their creative goals.

I’ve found that pushing myself helps to grow my skills and proficiency.

My biggest artistic challenge was making the portraits in Sue Stone’s Stitch Your Story online course. I knew what a fabulous teacher Sue was, and it was really hard, but I learned so much along the way. I was really inspired by the work of the others in the course.

Designing my creative space

After leasing a commercial building for five years for my business and studio, I finally had a studio built behind my house in 2006. I needed room for my 14ft longarm quilting machine, space to teach my surface design workshops and a workspace for me to create my textile art.

I had lots of experience designing textile art projects, but designing a building was an entirely different experience. Luckily, I found a great designer and very good contractors to work with me.

The 24ft x 40ft (7.3m x 21.1m) two-story structure has nice high ceilings. Downstairs is my wet studio where I do my messy stuff like dyeing and fabric painting. I included a 6ft-wide stainless steel sink from a place that carried used restaurant equipment, and it has been a useful addition. There’s also lots of storage for art supplies and other stuff.

Upstairs is one large room where I sectioned off a full bathroom and walk-in closet. The kitchen area has cabinets that hold art supplies, and it was designed to accommodate appliances, but I would rather have the space.

One of my requests was to have lots of natural light. But I also needed wall space for art display and a large design wall. The designer was able to plan accordingly, so I have windows on three sides and plenty of wall space in between.

I had a 4ft x 8ft cutting table built with storage cabinets and shelving below. I knew my needs for this space would change over the years, so one of the best things I did was to outfit all my heavy equipment, like the cutting table and longarm machine, with heavy duty casters so I can easily move things around by myself. That has been a tremendous help.

The building is quite tall due to the high ceilings on each level, so I had a manual dumb waiter added to transport heavy items, like sewing machines, up to the second floor. We’ve had lots of great workshops and retreats here, and that dumb waiter has gotten a lot of use over the years.

Every morning I wake up really early, grab a strong cup of coffee, and head over to the studio. When time permits, I sit and draw for an hour in front of my big window before I start my day. I’m grateful for every moment I spend here. My family has always been very supportive of what I do, and none of this would’ve been possible without them.

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’.

But Wendy Dolan pushes graphic dimension even further by adding print, paint and three-dimensional mediums to her layered fabrics. Stucco walls, mossy trees and crushed stones stand proud in fascinating fashion. Heavy stitching by hand and machine add further depth and movement. 

Wendy is offering a look into her techniques and favourite materials, including heat-activated ‘puffing’ media. You’ll also learn how tissue paper and packaging materials can create incredible textures.

Enjoy exploring Wendy’s world where surface treatment is literally taken to new heights.

A map of London

My earliest memories of creating with fabrics was making clothes for my dolls when I was eight or nine years old. My mother always knitted and made clothes for the family, so I started to also make garments for myself. 

I created my first embroidered work when I was 11. There was a small wool and haberdashery shop in the village that sold iron-on transfers. We purchased a design depicting a map of London and various UK emblems. That project started my lifetime love of stitch and textiles, and I still have the finished piece. A family friend noticed my interest in stitching and taught me many traditional hand embroidery techniques. 

Discovering textile techniques

While studying at school for my A level, the new art teacher encouraged me to take embroidery for one of the papers. She was so supportive, taking me to London to see embroidery exhibitions while helping me develop my design work in school. I shall always be grateful for her help and encouragement.

Having decided to pursue a career in teaching, I chose a BEd course which offered Art and Textiles as a core subject. That opened a whole new world of textile techniques, including freehand machine embroidery, fabric painting, printing, machine knitting and weaving. 

I soon realised I could achieve exciting textures and effects by combining a wide range of approaches, and I haven’t looked back since!

Places, maps & journeys

My inspiration comes from a variety of sources, including architecture, the landscape, still life, and maps and journeys.

I use my camera to capture images, and I record my ideas in a sketchbook. I combine pen and ink, watercolour and torn paper collage to develop my ideas and designs. I also create a torn paper collage for my colour scheme that I can use as a reference for printing and painting.

I begin a piece by exploring the design element, then experimenting with different materials. 

When I’ve finalised the proportions, I select and layer my fabrics to build up the design. I choose fabrics with contrasting textures and tones and tear them to add interest to the surface. If my design is architectural, I first transfer the image onto tracing paper, so I can see where I’m placing the fabrics.

I machine stitch the layers down using cotton thread, and then I add hand stitching and three-dimensional media if it’s appropriate. 

Once my surface design is prepared, I apply colour by painting and printing. Hand and machine stitch allow me to work further into the piece, making marks and textures with coloured thread. Sometimes I work intuitively and use the texture of a particular fabric to develop an idea. 

“Very often, the unexpected happens, producing more pleasing results.”

Wendy Dolan, Textile artist

Inked textures

The pigments I use are screen printing inks. I prefer the brand Sericol and have been using it for more than 45 years. I was introduced to Sericol pigments during my degree course, and I find them extremely versatile. They have a thick consistency that can be used for block printing, stenciling, mono printing, screen printing and applying with a palette knife.

The thickness of the inks gives me greater control when I apply them to my built-up designs. But because they are water-based, they can also be diluted with water and applied with a brush to create water colour effects. 

When working with the inks, I usually plan the process and have a good idea of the outcome. But I always keep an open mind and I’m happy to redirect my thoughts as I progress. It’s an exciting way to work, as very often, the unexpected happens, producing more pleasing results. 

Tools of the trade

I use a ceramic tile and a palette knife to mix my inks. For printing and mark making on fabric, I use a variety of wooden printing blocks, handmade printing blocks, sponges and stencils. I’ll also sometimes use household items such as packaging, bubble wrap and corrugated card. 

I apply colour using a sponge and lightly dab the block’s surface. Then I place the fabric on top of a padded surface to produce clear results when printing. A piece of thin foam or some newspaper is sufficient.

I make sure my fabrics are pre-washed to remove any dressing before creating any design. Some fabrics may soak up more colour than others, so I also always experiment with colour application before constructing a piece.

When I apply colour with a brush, I find it is easier to spray the surface lightly with water first. Printing is added after I’m done painting.

Adding dimension

I enjoy working with Xpandaprint (also sold as Expandit) to create texture and dimension. It’s a thick non-toxic medium that can be applied with a brush, roller or sponge. It expands when heated and then can be painted. I often use it to represent textured surfaces, such as crumbly walls, moss and lichen. 

Occasionally, I use modelling paste. I apply it thinly with a sponge or through a stencil. It creates interesting resist effects when painted. 

Incorporating tissue paper can also create interesting surface textures. I scrunch the paper in my hands and then tear it into small pieces. Then, I fuse the crumpled paper to fabric using Bondaweb or similar iron-on fusible. Finally, I paint the surface for further effect. 

I used this technique to create a crumbling wall texture in Kilpeck Church, adding cotton scrim for additional texture.

A variety of foam and Tyvek packaging can be useful; I distort them with heat to create exciting effects. For this, I always wear a mask and work outside or in a well-ventilated space, as some of those materials may give off fumes.

Fabric choices

I prefer using natural fabrics in my art. Calico is my preferred base fabric, and then I’ll select a wide variety of cottons, silks, linens, muslins, scrims, lace and trimmings. 

I source most of my fabrics from Whaleys Bradford Ltd., but I also try to use vintage and recycled fabrics whenever I can. Searching charity shops and markets often yields some interesting finds. 

I always use freehand machine stitching to attach my initial layers of fabric. I prefer to use a short stitch length which looks more like a sketchy line. When building up the design, I use my machine like a pencil to create line, form and areas of stitched texture. Madeira 40 rayon thread is my favourite. 

Mark making threads

Even though I print and paint on my fabrics, they remain surprisingly soft once I set the inks with an iron. Stitching is rarely a problem, but I’m always aware of how many layers of fabric will move freely beneath the darning foot. 

I use hand stitching to produce isolated marks. I like to use a variety of thread weights depending on the effect I want to create. I have a wide selection from which to choose, including cotton perlé, fine wools, stranded cotton and silk yarns. 

For hand stitching I prefer simple stitches, such as seeding, random cross stitch, running and couching. But I mostly stitch for the best effect rather than concentrating on specific stitches. 

London on the map

My series called A Sense of Place is inspired by places and my journeys. London on the Map incorporates iconic buildings and structures in London. The fabric map depicts central London with the River Thames running through. 

Working with my inkjet printer, I first treated the fabric with a BubbleJet 2000 solution. Once dry, I ironed it onto freezer paper and then passed it through the printer. 

I used a smooth cotton fabric and placed masking tape over the top edge of the fabric to help it feed smoothly. Keeping the fabrics neutral allowed the colour to come from the map and the applied stitching. The images are stitched with freehand machine embroidery. 

Across the Downs

Living in Sussex close to the South Downs, I find the rolling hills an ideal source of inspiration. Field poppies are often in abundance on the chalk downlands where they create stunning natural displays. I find the contrasting colours within the landscapes very alluring.

In Across the Downs, I layered and stitched natural fabrics before painting them with water-based inks. Normally, when I use my sketchbook to experiment with different colour combinations, the design can become quite abstract. But for this design, I chose to use a more representational colour palette.

The clouds were created by fusing pieces of horticultural fleece onto my white background. That created a resist effect when I painted on top. I sponged colour across the skyline to add a soft, atmospheric backdrop. Then I stitched into the piece to create the trees and introduce texture and depth. 

Royal Pavilion

Architecture has always interested me, and I’m constantly taking photos of doors, windows, carvings and crumbly textured surfaces. 

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton is especially fascinating because of its eclectic style. The juxtaposition of domes, scalloped arches and intricate stucco work makes it a wonderful resource for exploring patterns and form. 

In Royal Pavilion Brighton, I pieced, layered and stitched down calico, cotton silk noil and linen fabrics to create a balance of shapes, texture and tone. Additional surface texture was added using Xpandaprint. 

I applied paint and then stitched the outline of the pavilion with dark blue thread. For architectural designs, I tend to trace the image onto Stitch ‘n Tear stabiliser and then stitch from the reverse side with dark thread. 

Stitch club workshop

My Stitch Club workshop connects with my love of architecture. Members create a doorway scene that starts with layers of fabric. A paper collage is used to formulate the colour scheme, before they paint the background and stitch the design. Because they’ll be working with a variety of fabrics, interesting effects can be created.

They will also learn a unique reverse stitch transfer method that avoids the use of fabric markers. 

I’m eager for members to have fun, learn some new skills, and experiment with layering, painting and stitching techniques. I’m especially hopeful they’ll find the techniques useful in developing their own creative journeys. 

Each book is authored by a well-known artist who shares step-by-step techniques for transforming simple fabrics into canvases that explode with colour and texture. The authors also provide insights into their own creative development and the lessons they learned along the way.

We promise our list will appeal to artists of all skill levels. Get set to learn innovative techniques for creating breathtaking designs. 

Luscious landscapes

Alison Holt is known for her exquisite landscape machine embroideries, as well as her workshops and books. This latest book is a must-have as it features essential information from her other three books along with brand-new material.

‘Freehand machine embroidery is painting with stitch, and I enjoy playing with the subtleties and endless possibilities,’ says Alison. ‘For example, I can adjust the bobbin tension to emulate tree bark, moss or crumbling stone. Or I can lengthen stitches to capture the movement of a breaking wave or grasses swinging in the breeze.’

Readers learn how to create gorgeous, embroidered pictures of various landscape aspects, including formal gardens and flowers, romantic seascapes, and woodlands. The book is packed with information including required materials, advice on composition, how to achieve perspective, working with light and shade, and important basic stitches.

Alison breaks down her creative process into simple steps, explaining why each stage is important. She also includes sketches and close-ups of stitch techniques, as well as many step-by-step projects that are easy to follow.

‘I try to demystify freehand machine embroidery. I want to give readers confidence as they acquire the building blocks needed to develop their own style. I enjoy showing students they can create unlimited subject matter with a few well practiced mark-making techniques.’

Machine Embroidered Art: Painting the Natural World with Needle & Thread by Alison Holt (2020)
^{ISBN 9781782217916}

Layered fabric & stitch

They say good things come to those who wait, so if you don’t already have this book on your shelf, now is the time to grab it.

Katie Essam has revised and updated her very popular book, including adding a new bonus project. Katie brings a fresh and modern approach to traditional embroidery techniques, and her emphasis on showcasing the beauty found in everyday objects is engaging. 

‘Machine embroidery allows me to collate and connect all the mixed media I like to use in my art,’ says Katie. ‘It’s a creative adventure drawing together all the fabric, painting, drawing, found items, textured fibres and anything else I find. I love its freedom and versatility.’

The book features eight projects and many finished artworks to spark creativity. Each project builds on the last through step-by-step instruction and beautiful images. 

Katie’s overarching goal is to empower readers to grasp her techniques and run with them, no matter their ability to stitch or draw. 

‘Free-motion embroidery can begin with a reader’s own designs, photos or even a sketch. Each way works beautifully, and it completely comes down to the individual’s inspiration, interpretation and style. I love the guaranteed originality that allows readers to develop their own creative expression.’

Free Motion Embroidery: Creating Textile Art with Layered Fabric & Stitch by Katie Essam (2022)
_{ISBN 9781800920484}

Organic embroidery

If you’re looking for ways to stitch nature’s most intricate forms, you need to add this gem to your bookshelf. 

Meredith Woolnough is known for the unique way in which she combines machine embroidery with water-soluble fabric to create corals, plants, microscopic organisms and more. Her delicate threaded works are amazing, and now readers can learn how she brings them to life. 

‘I wanted this book to be both instructional and inspirational,’ says Meredith. ‘It shows how my artworks are made from start to finish, exploring how I use freehand machine embroidery on water soluble fabric. Readers will discover my inspirations, technical processes and the stories behind some of my favourite pieces.’

Readers will learn how to find interesting shapes or patterns found in nature, such as leaves, shells and coral. Meredith also explains how they can use their sewing machine to turn those inspirations into elegant open-work textile art. 

‘This book largely shares the overarching theory I’ve developed over many years of working with this type of embroidery. My hope is readers will use my book as a stepping stone to help build and streamline their own creative path using these wonderful, but sometimes challenging, embroidery skills.’

Organic Embroidery by Meredith Woolnough (2018)
^{ISBN 9780764356131}

Seascape stitching

Amanda Hislop lives in land-locked Oxfordshire in the UK, so she cherishes her trips to the sea. She always takes a sketchbook and fills it with inspiration. She turns those ideas into incredible textile seascapes using free-motion embroidery and mixed media.

Amanda explains: ‘I’ve developed a technique that gives me the freedom to work without an embroidery hoop. I make a foundation layered with cotton cloth, wet strength papers, threads and fibres glued with cellulose paste. Once dry, I paint the surface with acrylic paint, and then I use machine embroidery to create lines and texture.’ 

In addition to covering materials and stitch choices, the book features four step-by-step projects that help readers create a variety of seascape features. Throughout the text, Amanda shares her techniques for capturing the sea’s moods, rhythms, patterns and structures.

‘I encourage learners to enjoy the process of using a sketchbook to develop work from personal observation. I work with a less-is-more approach to drawing by considering what elements will suggest landscape, which results in an almost abstract impressionistic sense of place.’

Stitched Textiles: Seascapes by Amanda Hislop (2019)
^{ISBN 9781782215646}

Bold inspiration

While Bisa Butler’s book doesn’t include formal instruction, it’s packed with inspiration for using free motion quilting. Bisa is an American artist who captures vibrant scenes from African American life and history. Her portraits explode with coloured and patterned fabrics that she cuts, layers and stitches together.

In this book, Bisa shares her story and creative journey, situating her work within the broader history of textiles, photography and contemporary art. Other scholars chime in to illuminate Bisa’s unique approach to colour, use of African-print fabrics and wide-ranging sources of inspiration.

This is a beautifully illustrated look at the work of one of today’s most exciting textile artists.

Bisa Butler: Portraits by Bisa Butler (2020)
^{ISBN 9780300254310}

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.  

Vintage tulle veils and laces feature strongly in Vinny’s art, perfectly expressing the transience of time and remembrance. Screen printing, digital imagery and other mixed media elements add dimension and texture. 

Vinny also has a passion for the impermanence of nature, especially the coastline plants on her beloved Mersea Island. She places the focus on intertidal flora, including sea holly, purslane, and shrubby and annual sea-blite – plants that take centre stage in the struggle to protect fragile beaches from erosion. 

Enjoy this look into Vinny’s dreamlike work. It gently reminds us that time waits for no one.

“Cloth, that old silent companion of the human race, has always kept special company with artists.”

Mildred Constantine & Laurel Reuter, Whole Cloth

Sheer emotions

Vinny Stapley: I mostly work with transparent or sheer fabrics. The familiar feel of the finest silk tulle veiling and antique lace reminds me of working for a wedding dress designer when I first came to London.

I also find that fabrics received from family become memory banks of my personal history. And found items of textiles and clothing make me wonder about the origins and lives of those who first had them. What stories do they tell me?

I especially enjoy using these vintage finds or making delicately constructed web-like veils. I’ll use a combination of layers of different processes and will sometimes add old photographs or text to develop the narrative of a piece.

Silk, cotton organdie and tulles are my go-to fabrics. For my seascapes, I have also used calico, linen and canvas. 

Veils are especially fascinating to me, as they can express a variety of contradictory concepts such as youthful innocence, alluring beauty and fading or blemished beauty.

Sheer fabrics can be very tricky to work with, so sometimes I’ll add a dissolvable embroidery stabiliser. Otherwise, it’s a matter of confidence. After years of working with delicate materials, I’ve learned how to use a firm, yet gentle hand, smoothing and stretching as I go.

“Veils can be intriguing, secretive, feminine, mournful, hopeful and respectful.”

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Memento Mori

I’m fascinated by the concept of memento mori, a Latin phrase that reminds us about death’s inevitability and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures. To that end, fragility and delicacy play key roles in my work. I especially admire the brittle beauty of age-distressed vintage laces and delicate tulles. 

I remember watching Great Expectations as a young girl and being intrigued by Miss Havisham’s faded beauty and grandeur. I began to see a correlation between those fabrics, the fragility of memory, and human nature. 

I’m also intrigued by perceptions of women’s fragility and the vulnerable and darker sides of femininity. For example, my installation Arachne’s Metaphor was inspired by the Greek myth of Arachne who was turned into a spider and doomed to weave for eternity by the jealous goddess Athena.

This research led to my investigations of the extraordinary stories of ordinary women and the threads of life that connect them. I collected stories of female relatives who struggled to survive and further their families in the face of what society, governments and the patriarchy expected of and imposed upon them. 

Those ordinary women metamorphosed into stronger beings who survived by their wits and talents, weaving their own webs and creating foundations for their lives. 

Family secrets

In addition to notions of fragility, much of my work explores the link between family history and the legacy it can have on the living.   

We not only acquire physical attributes, talents and skills from our ancestors, but we also inherit our family’s tragedies, heartbreaks and hardships. Those events can leave their own genetic imprint on our personality.

I explore the impact that family secrets can have on subsequent generations. I’m both horrified and fascinated by the way previous generations have behaved. The perceived shame brought upon the family, according to social customs at the time, caused people to bury truths and treat their loved ones most cruelly, in the name of respectability. 

To represent the burying of family secrets and their shame, I layer delicate materials (often family fabrics or lace) and incorporate faded imagery and mixed media. The various textures become distressed and more fragile, representing how our memories become harder to read and more difficult to recall over time.

“Subsequent generations can find themselves shocked by the discovery of these secrets and their effect on family dynamics.” 

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Creative sampling

Inspiration can be varied. Sometimes I’ll have a bit of a vision and work backwards from there. Other times I start with a topic or theme for an exhibition, and then research and write down concepts and ideas. Mind mapping helps, and observational drawing is an essential part of my practice. 

Once I have a topic in mind, I’ll widely research that idea and document what I discover as a visual language in my sketchbooks. I then gather or dye up all the fabrics, threads and components I think I’ll use. 

I create samples by screen printing, machine stitch and hand embroidery. I’m also increasingly using Photoshop to develop imagery and design visualisations. Responding to these samples, I’ll sketch out some compositional studies and then go on to develop slightly larger prototypes before making the final piece.

“I explore and interrogate materials, techniques and concepts through sampling.”

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Tulle memory discs

In my Stitch Club workshop, I teach some of my techniques so that members create an atmospheric and personal embroidered memory disc on tulle. 

Choosing a special moment in time, memory, person or place, they can incorporate delicate distressed fabrics and memento mori such as old family photos, paper, fabrics and embroidered motifs that connect to their theme. Stitching is also used as embellishment. 

Importance of a colour palette

Creating a colour palette is fundamental to everything. It sets the mood, feel and emotion which helps link to the concept behind the piece.

At the moment, my favourite colour palette is very desaturated and chalk-coloured. It’s mostly naturals and neutrals, to present a vintage feel and help describe the passage of time, women’s stories and femininity.

My advice for learning how to choose a colour palette is to find a painting or a page from a garden or fashion magazine that you think expresses a certain feeling or particular mood. Then get a paint chart from a DIY store and pick out six colours from that image: one deep, two mid, two light, as well as one colour that will pop.

You can then create a mood board using fabrics, threads and paint, mixed and matched to the shades you selected. You might also incorporate found materials. 

“I always like to throw in a colour pop – it can be minimal but it performs the important task of creating balance.”

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Mindful stitching

Stitch is such an emotive medium. It can echo the rhythmic nature of the sea’s ebb and flow or mimic a range of emotions. Stitching is a meditative, immersive and mindful process where ideas evolve as the work progresses. 

Machine embroidery is my go-to passion. I love the contrast of edginess and the linear fluidity of the stitched line. 

I can easily become lost and mesmerised as my body connects to the machine. There’s a kind of ‘syncretism’ (an attempted reconciliation or union of) different or opposing principles. 

When it comes to hand stitching, I prefer the authenticity of using simple stitches, such as the running and seed stitch. I’m also very partial to traditional tailors’ tacking stitches, and I really love a French knot.  

I mainly use vintage threads for hand stitching. 

“My screen printed fabrics serve as a great stimulus to get my creative juices flowing.”

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Blue Peter & Bunsen burners

Vinny Stapley: I’ve always sewn and used fabrics to make things from a very young age. We had plenty of fabric and dressing-up clothes around our house, as my mother made and knitted nearly everything we wore. There was very little available to buy, growing up in the Highlands.

I also adored the BBC children’s TV show Blue Peter, especially the ‘makes’, and was always trying to copy them. But I had to use what we had to hand, which made me experiment and invent (not always successfully). 

I was lucky to have inspiring art teachers in high school. They viewed textiles as a fine art medium. One teacher saw that I naturally gravitated to textiles. She encouraged me to experiment with a range of embroidery stitches to create final exam pieces. And she taught me how to create natural dyes in the art department’s stock cupboard using a Bunsen burner! 

Another wonderful teacher taught me to screen print, and I was immediately hooked. I loved the process and how I could achieve a range of very different outcomes.

Music & fashion

I took up a place at Edinburgh School of Art after leaving high school, but I decided to leave and move to London. I joined various bands, and after gaining practical experience working in a small, bespoke wedding dress design studio, I had the opportunity to become a wardrobe technician for touring bands.

Later, I became a production assistant for touring recording artists. I travelled extensively and gained lots of experience working with a whole range of different materials, from studded leather to beaded Bob Mackie gowns.

I stopped travelling when my family came along and I began making bespoke special occasion wear and costumes.

“I had a sense of unfinished business and missed art, so I started taking some art courses.”

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

Creativity & life balance

While attending some art courses, tutors encouraged me to complete an Art Foundation. Following this, I gained a place in the Printed Textiles degree course at Middlesex University (London, UK), continuing to combine my screen printing with embroidery.

After my degree, a large London studio offered me a job as a textile designer specialising in embroidery. Following this, I went on to work freelance for a textile agent.

I loved the creativity, but as a parent, I found it hard to create a successful work-life balance. I decided to complete a teacher-training degree and went on to teach art in large London comprehensive schools.

It wasn’t until the children left home, and my husband and I moved to Mersea Island in Essex, that I decided to take the plunge and develop my career as an artist. I started with open studios, public and private commissions, and artist residencies in schools. I eventually built up to having a larger studio and offering workshops.

Print inspiration

I love direct screen printing techniques, where you place the pigments directly on the screen. It’s like painting, and I use these printed pieces as a base for adding further layers of appliqué, as well as machine and hand embroidery. I may also add photo stencil printing in layers.

Wax resist is also a technique that lends itself well to working with textiles. I’ll maybe start with some drawing with a candle or oil pastel and then add dyes or inks. Sometimes I let layers of paint or gesso dry before adding drawing inks or fabric dyes.

I also work with charcoal or graphite or even a fine line pen, before adding inks, dyes or watercolours.

Mersea Florilegium

I created Mersea Florilegium in response to my concern about Mersea Island’s eroding coastlines. I see daily evidence of rising sea levels that wash away whole chunks of coastline. My work highlights the importance of the plants within the intertidal zone, such as sea purslane and shrubby sea-blite, that help mesh the delicate coastline. 

This collection started by studying the flora on the shores of Mersea Island during the various lockdowns. I made observational drawings and learned about the ecology of the salt marsh. I charted all the locations of sea holly on the island. A year later, I discovered that many had disappeared.

I also made sketches exploring the fine root networks of the plants. These help to stabilise the fragile coastline against the incursions of the sea.

“My research inspired an installation featuring a collection of semi-transparent hanging disks focusing on plants I observed on my lockdown walks.” 

Vinny Stapley, Textile artist

In this installation, the ethereal, lens-like discs move kinetically, reflecting my thoughts and occasionally zooming in on abstracted moments in time. It’s meant to be a celebration of the visual, cerebral and the cellular. 

I focused on purslane and sea holly and developed delicate web-like hanging gossamer veils. I became aware of the commonality between the plant roots and the digital connections forged among family and friends that sustain us through times of separation. 

Within the layers, I incorporated strips of binary code symbolising these connections, and I embroidered words representing the locations of the sea holly plants on the island. 

Intertidal ecosystems

In keeping with my fascination with memento mori, Sea Holly Memento Mori II features the sea holly plant that lines our coastline and collected fragments of lace; forgotten pieces of women’s painstaking handiwork found in my collection. They symbolise the fragility of life and ecology.

The sea holly’s ability to thrive amidst coastal erosion and human intervention is powerful. Historically it was harvested for its sweet root, an important commodity in the time of James I. 

Machine-embroidered layers of mixed media webs with fragments of old lace symbolise the delicately balanced ecosystem of flora in the intertidal zone.

Mythical stitching

Arachne’s Metaphor and the Dark Island hanging are part of a single installation that was initially inspired by the Greek myth about Athena and Arachne. The jealous goddess Athena turns Arachne into a spider who is doomed to weave for eternity. 

That myth led me to consider stories of ordinary women, including my mother, who struggled to survive and nurture their families in the wake of patriarchal systems imposed upon them.

After posting about my mother’s story on Instagram, I received similar stories from family and friends, which inspired a series of filigree lace-framed icon pictures commemorating the women. 

The imagery connects to the women’s sometimes painful stories through the use of desaturated, delicate sheer layers and hangings. The icons also incorporate archive photography, vintage textiles, and stitch techniques relating to the women’s stories, such as sashiko and carrickmacross. 

The framed icon pictures are connected by delicate webs that stretch out and connect the women’s lives across time and space. Fragments of old clothes and household linens symbolise the strands of their lives, interwoven with silk fibres and printed extracts of their stories. 

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.

‘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.

Finally, you decide that today’s the day! You’re going to start that creative project you’ve been dreaming about.

You gather some fabric scraps you’ve been saving. You find your old sewing box. You clear a space at the kitchen table and…

And then what?

You realise you’re not sure where to begin. So you think maybe you should look up some techniques first. You open your laptop to do some research.

But there’s so much information… Your inbox needs checking while you’re here. Oh, and you should probably put another load of washing on. And didn’t you promise to call your friend? And it’s almost time to start dinner anyway…

Another day slips by without creating anything.

You tell yourself you will make a start tomorrow, when you have more time. When you’ve researched a bit more. When you’re a bit more more organised. When life is less busy.

But you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in excellent company. Every accomplished textile artist started exactly where you are now, with a desire to create and uncertainty about how to begin.

The difference between you and them? They found a way to start. And today, we’re going to show you how you can too.

The time trap

“I’ll create when I have more time,” you tell yourself. But here’s the painful truth: That mythical expanse of free time will never arrive. Life has a way of filling every available moment – unless you decide to claim some for yourself.

Every day you put off starting is another day of creativity lost forever. Another day without discovering the joy that comes from working with your hands to make something meaningful and personal.

Laura Otten, a Stitch Club member, told us: “Before, I thought I had to have big chunks of time to put into making art.”

“Now I understand that’s not the case and I am working far more regularly because of it. I can get something done in 30 minutes or less, and then tomorrow, I can spend another 30 minutes.”

“And eventually, I’m going to have something to show for it.”

“Doing workshops online that I can revisit in my own time, helps me break things into manageable chunks.”

Laura Otten, Stitch Club Member

The overwhelm obstacle

You stare at blank fabric, paralysed by the fear of starting.

Or maybe your mind buzzes with too many possibilities about which technique to choose. Raw-edge or turned-under appliqué? Paint the background fabric first? Print photos on fabric? Finish the piece with hand stitching or machine stitching?

The questions keep lining up, until the weight of choices crushes your creative spark entirely.

6 simple ways to unleash your creativity (in small pockets of time)

1. Embrace the power of tiny

Forget masterpieces. Start with moments.

Celebrated textile artist Clarissa Callesen puts it perfectly: “When a child learns how to play the piano, we don’t expect them to compose an original symphony. They play Mary Had A Little Lamb over and over again, and then progress to more challenging tunes as they go.”

Try one of these ideas:

• A single experimental stitch during your coffee break
• Fifteen minutes of playing with stitch techniques or collaging colourful fabrics, first thing in the morning
• Make one small sample square per week

Your artistic journey begins with a single stitch – so why not pick up some fabric and thread and give it a go?

2. Fall in love with the process

The magic isn’t just in the completion of an art piece – it’s in the moments of creation.

And textile artist Monica Bennett discovered how even small creative moments can be productive: “Making samples gives me the confidence to tackle larger or more intricate pieces. I can try out a concept or thought beforehand, and then see how and where I could develop it.”

Try to imagine:

• The meditative rhythm of needle through fabric
• Asking yourself “What if I do this…?” instead of “What should I do next…?”
• The satisfaction of seeing your unique vision emerge, experiment by experiment, stitch by stitch

3. Use limits as launchpads

Complete freedom can be paralysing. Instead, why not try:

• Choosing just three colours 
• Working with only one type of stitch
• Using only the materials you already have

Watch how these boundaries can spark, rather than stifle, your creativity.

Sue Stone’s three-fabric, three-thread, three-colour Stitch Club workshop helps members avoid decision fatigue and unleash creativity.

Just look at the diverse, beautiful pieces created by Stitch Club members Linda Florio (above), Ruth Atkinson (below left) and Debbie Greene (below right) using these simple constraints.

4. The journey of discovery

Every perceived “mistake” is an invitation to:

• Let your “wrong turns” lead to new techniques
• Work with imperfections to develop your unique style
• Turn missteps into creative opportunities

Wendy Kirwood explains her breakthrough moment: “I wasn’t happy with the look that my pale threads were giving my piece.“

“So I started cutting the stitches to remove them, and things started fraying. But, actually, this looked really appealing, so I embraced my mistake, and kept the cut threads.”

5. Let structure set you free

Having a clear path forward doesn’t mean being inflexible or not instinctive, but it eliminates the energy-draining question of “What next?”. Your path could be:

• Following a workshop structure
• Creating your own step-by-step plan
• Setting simple daily goals

When you know what to do next, you spend less time thinking and more time creating. Your subconscious mind keeps working on ideas between sessions, leading to unexpected breakthroughs. 

6. On the shoulders of giants

Give yourself permission to:

• Learn from artists you admire
• Practice techniques that inspire you
• Combine influences to find your voice

Textile artist Sabine Kaner reassures us: “Being influenced by other people’s work is quite normal and it’s all part of the process of discovering more about yourself.”

“You will eventually pull away from that and start introducing things into your work that are unique to you.”

Clarissa Callesen adds: “Originality is a concept that we’ve put up on a pedestal as the ultimate.”

“But I think that when we concentrate too much on originality it stops us from following our own curiosity. Copying is normal as a starting point.”

“When you combine inspirations and techniques from different artists, you create the thing that is yours.”

Clarissa Callesen, Textile Artist

Your creative awakening awaits

That creative energy inside you? It’s not just a whim. It’s not just a hobby. It’s a vital part of who you are, waiting to emerge.

Every day you wait is another day of creative expression lost forever. But here’s the beautiful truth: You can start right now. Not when you have more time, or when you’ve mastered every technique. Now!

Think of it this way:

• Every textile artist you admire started exactly where you are
• Every stunning piece began with a single stitch
• Every creative journey starts with one small step

Take that step. Make that stitch. Join a community that understands and supports your creative journey.

Your artistic voice is waiting. Isn’t it time you let it speak?