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.

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. 

Cheryl is inspired by the natural world, colour, light and her emotional well-being. She spends hours crafting the collage materials for her art quilts and textile pieces. 

There’s no roadmap and no rules or fixed ideas about colour, subject or form. She works by instinct, letting go of expectations and following where the work leads. The best ideas arise from process, she says. 

For Cheryl, it’s the act of creating – the spontaneous dance of colour and line – that fuels her. Through this intuitive process, she channels love, loss and connection, transforming deeply personal moments into something universal.

Cheryl Rezendes: I am a fine artist; textiles just happen to be the canvas that I paint on. Machine and hand stitching are my pencil and pens. Thread is the ink and graphite.

I am inspired by the natural world. My large studio is situated in my garden. It’s filled with natural light giving me a view of the gardens and the woods. I’m surrounded by 40 acres of woodland.

I have lived here for almost 35 years and I’m still enthralled by all that I see and hear. It’s a place of refuge as well as a place of creativity. However, a trip to the city offers a vast array of visual inspiration as well. 

“There is always so much to see and absorb in whatever world I am walking through.”

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist

Being inspired

I am always inspired by the work of any artist, be it textile, painting or even pottery. It is all fodder for my creative self and making new work. 

Recently, my partner and I have started painting together. He is a potter and graphic designer. We work on large pieces of paper that measure approximately 150cm x 100cm (60″ x 40″). We paint and make marks very differently from each other. Just watching what he does, how he does it and how we bring both our skills together is incredibly inspiring.

I might help inspiration along by giving myself a challenge, such as to photograph all the lines that I see. It is amazing what can become a line if you are looking for them: a railing, the side of a building, a stacked pile of sticks and the edge of my dog’s kibble, to name but a few.

Creating my materials

I create my own collage materials. Usually I start by painting large pieces of white fabric using direct painting methods. But I might also stamp and stencil my own designs on to the fabric. 

I’ll also draw on the cloth and create monoprints. This is done without any intention of what they will look like or be used for. 

Sometimes I’ll digitally print one of my photographs onto cloth using my wide format Epsom printer. 

The pieces of fabric that I create in these ways will often coordinate or speak to each other – a visual conversation, if you will. I get inspired to use them together. These images are fused and/or stitched into the larger piece. As I work, I will be constantly hanging these pieces up on my design wall.  

“By viewing my work on a design wall, I’m auditioning them together, as well as getting inspired by the cloth and the work process itself.”

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist 

“My process for creating art is intuitive and based on discovery.”

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist 

Call & response

I don’t have a favourite colour palette that I return to again and again. Instead, I use colours that, for whatever reason, speak to me at any given time. 

I then follow the piece along: asking what is needed from a design standpoint and then responding. I teach these concepts in my Stitch Club workshop. 

Because of the way that I create my textiles, my work is visually very painterly. Sometimes the finished pieces are statements of beauty and elegance, and at other times they are filled with raw emotion.

“I often don’t know what the pieces are about until they are finished.” 

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist 

Finding meaning

The collection I made on care-giving was created that way.  It featured fifteen art quilts that were inspired by the eight years I spent as care-giver for my mother who had Alzheimer’s Disease and for my late husband who had Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. 

During those years I seemed to be drawn to dark colours, particularly brown, black and grey. Even as abstract pieces, the work seemed very emotional. They weren’t pretty. They were dark. 

At some point in the process of making those pieces I started to ask myself, “Okay. What are all these about, anyway?” 

I showed them to fellow artists to get their take. The resounding answer was that this collection of work was particularly sad and spoke to the anguish and grief I was feeling. Then the titles were born.

Coincidently, or not, when the show was completed my grieving process for the loss of those two people whom I had loved was completed as well.

Teaching intuitively

In my Stitch Club workshop, I share my process for creating intuitively. I highlight creating monoprints on cloth then used hand stitching as both a design and drawing tool. I introduce some collage work as well.  

My hope is that students come away with the skills to create monoprints and hand stitching but also that they understand that they can have a personal and unique visual voice. 

The inherent combination of spontaneity and discovery in the creation of one-of-a-kind prints lends itself well to this concept.

Cultivating curiosity

I encourage you to be open to the creating process, particularly self-discovery and the spontaneous.

Try to see what is happening in front of you rather than always seeing what you haven’t done. Often our intention doesn’t come through, but what we have actually created can be, and usually is, better! 

Imagine you are seeing the world for the first time. Drive or walk down your road and imagine what it would look like to someone who has never travelled that route before. You’ll find things you never saw.

Experiment with new supplies and different processes rather than just staying with what you’re already comfortable with. 

I may be formally trained but as a consequence, I have to work really hard at putting that training aside so I can be in discovery mode. Sometimes I’ll paint and draw with my non-dominant hand or cut collage pieces randomly. 

“I’ll do anything that helps me embrace discovery again.”

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist 

Nurturing creativity

I had the great fortune of growing up with parents who supported my creative spirit from an early age. 

They provided me with sketchbooks, paint and composition books. My mother had an interior design business, so I was exposed to beautiful fabrics, wallpaper and design books.

We lived just a two-hour train ride from New York City so we regularly visited the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim. That early exposure to the work of contemporary artists was a spring board for me becoming a professional artist. 

Learning to see

In my late teens, I went to The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA where I studied painting and drawing for four years. As an artist, this was the most influential time in my life. 

At the time I attended, the school was a department of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. This enabled me to have free access to the museum whenever I wanted and I was able to spend as much time with any given painting that I happened to be inspired by. I was also part of a course that allowed students to choose a painting from the museum’s archives that we wanted to study. 

The artwork would be delivered to a special classroom located on the top floor of the museum where I could make copies either by painting or drawing. That experience taught me an array of important skills that I would later use to observe and truly see the work of other artists and the world around me.

Supporting textiles

My mother exposed me to beautiful textiles as a child. She also taught me how to sew. 

After art school I made my living as a stitcher while doing my artwork in the evenings. I quickly became very skilled. I worked for a designer making elegant evening wear. I made costumes for a shop that supplied musical and theatrical events and I also created costumes for live action 3D animations. 

Later, after moving to western Massachusetts and while raising my boys, I made custom wedding gowns using antique textiles and lace. I continued to paint, draw and do collage work and was represented by a few galleries. 

At some point I became familiar with digital printing on cloth. I became intrigued with printing images of my paintings and collages on cloth. I couldn’t help but use those to collage as well. 

My work continued to grow and, in 2013, my book Fabric Surface Design (Workman Publishing) was published. It features over 80 techniques for putting imagery on fabric using textile paints. 

“Life has presented many challenges to me, but I’ve painted and drawn my way through them, even if I could only work in my sketchbook.”

Cheryl Rezendes, Artist

So, what happens when a scientist becomes a textile artist who chooses a printing technique offering zero reliability? As you’ll see below, it’s an incredible mashup of mark-making, colour and stitch.

Leah Higgins worked as a scientist in the chemical and textile industry, so she understood the possibilities of dyes. But her choice to use her signature ‘breakdown’ printing process forced her to literally lose control. 

You can read details about the technique below. But, in summary, the artist first lays down a resist, then the dyes take over from there.

At first, it wasn’t easy for Leah to embrace the serendipity of the process. But now she wouldn’t work in any other fashion. 

Industrial inspiration

To date, my sources of inspiration have mostly been grounded in the industrial heritage and social history of the Manchester area in the northwest of England. It’s where I live, and my work often references industries and buildings that have a personal or family connection. 

For example, I worked as a scientist in the chemical and textile industry and was based in a converted spinning mill for many years. Ruins 9 Cottonopolis Revisited is one of several pieces that reference the cotton mills littered across Manchester. 

I also create art based on my emotions and their connection to place and time. In my Cadence series, I took shelter from the stress of the pandemic by immersing myself in the process of making. I worked with my favourite colours and techniques. 

In Cadence 7, I tried to evoke the sense of calm and joy that comes from a repeated activity such as printing and stitching. More recently, I’ve started work on a new series inspired by the colours of the North Ayrshire coast and the emotions that course through me while standing on the shoreline.

Science foundations

I don’t remember learning to sew or knit, but my mother and grandmother believed a woman should always have a practical something ‘on the go’. But at age 14, when my school asked me to choose science or art, I chose science. 

For many decades, the ‘creative’ me was focused on making and repairing clothes and things for the house. And as I was never fully happy following other people’s patterns, I taught myself to create my own clothing patterns. I took pride in getting things perfect, and that attention to detail is now evident in my textile art. I don’t do wonky seams or leave threads hanging!

“Earning a chemistry degree and PhD in textile science, followed by a career in the textile industry has had a great influence on my work.” 

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

Understanding the properties of different textiles and the chemistry of dyeing has helped me transfer my ideas onto fabric. 

Those experiences also underpinned my teaching practice and helped me write books about colour and screen printing. It has also driven my interest in our industrial heritage.

Important mentors

I started making patchwork bed quilts and wall hangings in the 90s, usually giving them as gifts. Although I created my own designs based on traditional patchwork patterns, I soon wanted to design pieces from scratch. 

I took City and Guilds courses in Patchwork and Quilting, including an online diploma with Linda Kemshall. I learnt lots of techniques, but I didn’t like working into sketchbooks and wasn’t yet ready to call myself an artist.

That transition happened over a five-year period during which I took a series of workshops with Leslie Morgan and Claire Benn. Those amazing women changed my life. They taught me so much in terms of techniques, including introducing me to breakdown printing. But they also gave me the tools I needed to develop my own creative practice to become an artist.

“I wanted to learn how to transfer a source of inspiration into a finished quilt.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

Colours & marks

My initial planning takes place in my head. I like working in series, so it’s important that the ideas I choose have enough depth to sustain multiple pieces, often created over several years.

I don’t work into a sketchbook as such but will sometimes jot down ideas in a journal. I like to read around my subject, to visit relevant places and collect imagery I might incorporate into my work. 

Once I’m ready, I always start by playing with colours and marks. I might try to match colours to my source inspiration, or I might choose colours that ‘feel right’. 

I work directly onto fabric using breakdown printing and other screen printing techniques. I also sometimes use dyeing techniques to create a cohesive collection of fabrics that are unified by colour and dense mark making. 

“I don’t often get it right the first time. There will be fabrics I discard and fabrics that need additional work.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

Eventually I’m ready to construct my quilts. I cut my fabrics into simple strips or rectangles and often use value change to arrange them in an interesting way.

Once stitched together, I layer my work and add lots of straight-line machine stitching, as this seems to help the individual pieces of fabric blend together. In fact, viewers are often unaware such a large work contains several hundred pieces of fabric.

Once quilted, I often use appliqué or print to add elements that reference specific aspects of the inspiration source.

Breakdown printing

One of my favourite printing techniques is breakdown printing. It’s a form of screen printing in which I apply thickened dyes directly to the back of a screen, then let the screen dry completely. This dried dye acts as a resist when I print my screen. As I pull the screens, using either print paste or more thickened dye, the dried dye starts to wet out and transfers colour and marks to the fabric.

Each time I pull the screen more of the dried dye breaks down a bit, resulting in unique marks and patterns for every print.

“I love the serendipity of breakdown printing and the fact that I’m not 100 percent in control.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

There’s something wonderful about starting with a piece of white fabric and adding colour and marks. 

I’m excited to be hosting a workshop for the Stitch Club in which members will learn my breakdown printing technique. My aim is to make screen printing accessible to those who have never printed or used dyes before. The technique is very forgiving, so beginners won’t have to worry if their prints don’t line up or the fabric gets messy. 

Poplin love

Most of my art quilts were made using a lovely cotton poplin. Poplin has a very fine, dense weave and a smooth surface which takes colour beautifully, giving the printed colours a brightness that you wouldn’t get with plain cotton. 

That said, I used a linen/cotton blend for my Artefact series. I wanted to combine printed marks with a more textured fabric. I buy all my fabric from Whaleys of Bradford as I have better control of colour if I use fabric from the same supplier. 

“Poplin gives the printed colours a brightness that you wouldn’t get with plain cotton.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

The mighty Bernina

I bought my first Bernina sewing machine in 2007. It was a Bernina 440 that I had used in a workshop. Then a couple years ago, I replaced the 440 with its equivalent, the Bernina 435. 

The Bernina is a heavy machine and gives a very crisp straight line which is important to me as all my quilts are finished with dense straight line machine quilting. And they’re both true workhorses. My first machine did over 14 million stitches before becoming my backup machine!

Must-have tools

Humble masking tape is a must-have when I’m printing. But I also use it on my quilts as a guide for straight-line stitching when I don’t have a seam to which I can stitch parallel lines. 

The walking foot on my sewing machine is also essential. It not only helps to smooth quilting but also helps when I’m machine stitching long seams. I’ll also use it on rare occasions when I want to stitch curves, even quite tight ones. I get better control over stitch length than I would if I used free-machine quilting.

Also, I always have a notebook and pen next to my sewing machine. I can jot down the ideas that often come to me when I’m seated at my machine.

“My work is art and should not be excluded from exhibitions because of the media I choose to use.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

Textile art bias

As an artist, I’m constantly frustrated by the association between textile and craft within the ‘white-walled gallery’ fine art community. Yes, I take pride in mastering my craft. But my work goes beyond craft. 

On a more personal level, my biggest challenge is time! My creative process is time consuming, and it can be challenging to balance art with my teaching practice and family life. I’m reducing my teaching practice as part of my move to Scotland, which will hopefully free up more time to create!

The joy of writing

To date, I’ve written three books, including one dedicated to the breakdown printing process.

When I worked in a technical role in a manufacturing company, I often had to write detailed technical instructions for colleagues or customers with limited knowledge of the subject. So in 2018, when I changed career and started teaching screen printing and other surface design techniques, it was both natural and enjoyable to write detailed notes for my students.

A good friend who had self published her own books suggested I give it a go, so I did. And I loved it! Each of my books was written during quiet teaching periods, so I could set my studio up for photography and really focus. I completed each book in three to four months.

“I see my books very much as an extension of my teaching practice rather than my art practice.”

Leah Higgins, Textile artist

A big move

Looking toward the future, I’m interested in seeing how my ideas and sources of inspiration change as I move from an industrial city to a small town on the coast. My links with industry will fall away. 

I’m already working on a new series using colours associated with the coast. I wonder if I’ll be inspired by local history, too?

With more time, I’m hoping to explore different printing processes and seeing how I might incorporate printed paper into my work.

The magic is found in her use of ‘sequins,’ which Jessica stresses aren’t limited to shiny little plastic circles. They can be created from anything and in any shape, including sweets wrappers, straws, wire, metal washers, junk mail, cereal boxes and, of course, fabric.

While Jessica’s whimsical bits and bobs are a joy to behold, they also have a serious purpose in raising awareness about zero waste and recycling. Jessica seeks to literally turn rubbish into works of art, and she delights in viewers’ astonishment upon closer viewing of her work. ‘Look! That’s a bottle cap!’

Jessica’s vibrant selection of unloved objects, combined with traditional embroidery work, is something we’re sure you haven’t seen before. And she is kindly offering us a look into both her process and artistic philosophy.

Tell us a bit about your art practice…

Jessica Grady: My work is entirely stitched by hand using embroidery techniques and intricate detailing. Each stitch provides an added element of texture and colour to the work as a whole.

With a lot of sculptural embroidery pieces, I often stitch into and embellish my embellishments before adding them to the fabric, to increase the level of small details.

I also like to work in layers to help build up my pattern. I begin with the largest shapes first, and then the detail gets smaller as I layer up, leaving my embroidery stitches as my final flourish.

I am a fan of basic stitches, such as straight stitch, couching, french knots and chain stitch. I think the most simple stitches have the most versatility in the way they can be manipulated and used within a piece of work.

When I stitch embellishments onto fabric, I try to use my securing stitch as an added pattern or design. It’s like doodling with a pen on paper, but I use my needle and thread.

I also cut and create the vast majority of my sequins and beads through many mixed media processes, including dyeing, painting, fusing and foiling.

Colour is another important aspect of my work. I use many strong and highly contrasting colours, creating a very vivid and saturated colour palette. My artworks are a textural and visual feast, saturating the senses with colour and pattern.

From trash to treasure

Tell us about your design process…

I am a firm ‘anti-planner’ and avoid planning out designs in advance. I instead create mini samplers that demonstrate a technique or motif idea that I have swirling around in my head. I can then see if the idea works and then develop it further.

I prepare my materials in batches, so one day I might be dyeing recycled plastics and on another I am painting metal washers. I want to have colourful and exciting things ready, that make me want to create something with them.

I work with recycled and unconventional materials, so actually creating my sequins, beads and embellishments is my favourite part of the process.

Every work is inspired by my materials – the colour, shape or texture of something is always the catalyst to what will be created.

Jessica Grady, Textile artist

For me, it’s all about transforming waste materials. For example, I’ll take something mundane like a ground coffee packet and then dye, paint, scrunch and overstitch the fabric to create something totally unique. And nobody would be able to guess it’s made from something many people would throw in the bin!

I’m passionate about utilising mixed media and recycled materials such as painted metal washers, hand-dyed plastic waste, dyed sponges and stripped electric cables. The juxtaposition of unusual media with traditional techniques invites the viewer in for a closer look.

My continued experimentation also means I don’t think I will ever run out of new ideas for unusual materials I can stitch onto my fabrics!

Collections transformed

What initially attracted you to textiles as a medium?

I was fascinated with textiles from a young age. My great aunt gave me pieces of fabric with printed flowers and showed me how to embroider with coloured threads. I attempted to finish them off with neat flowers, but my attraction was more to the colours and textures of the stitches.

I also vividly remember destroying my poor mum’s ironing board cover, after a first attempt at devoré printing (a burn technique largely used with velvet) as a teenager.

I love the tactility of textiles, and I enjoy the challenge of creating a highly-detailed, three dimensional surface using embroidery and embellishment.

What were your early influences?

I grew up in a small town on the Yorkshire coast. I have always loved being near the sea and hunting for treasure, be it fragments of sea tumbled glass or broken shells and pottery.

I became a collector of ‘stuff’ at an early age, and it’s only now that I am going back to those collections and finding ways to incorporate those small pieces into my embroideries.

I was very shy and anxious as a child and threw all my energy into my studies and art projects. In a way, I feel it gave me a voice when I didn’t feel confident enough at the time to express myself through talking.

My family has always encouraged my art practice, and my mum was always coming along with me to look at new exhibitions or to shop for craft supplies.

Ironically, my college career advisor told me a textiles degree would give me limited career options, and therefore, wasn’t a good choice. Safe to say, I didn’t listen to her!

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I studied art and design at Norwich University of the Arts. After looking through my sketchbook, one of my teachers encouraged me to look at textiles as a degree option. Every page of my sketchbook had influences of texture, and I would try any new textile practice I could get my hands on.

So I completed a textile design degree, learning to weave, knit, print and stitch. My course had a flexible approach that allowed me to dabble with practices that interested me, rather than having to cement myself to one single discipline.

University helped hugely with my confidence and development of my artistic voice. I also interned at several commercial textile companies, including Hand and Lock, and Zandra Rhodes.

After graduation, I worked for several London companies as a freelance embroidery and print designer in the fashion industry. But I still created my own work and was always applying for exhibitions and shows alongside my commercial practice.

After a while, I found working in fashion began to dilute my sense of who I was as an artist, so I decided to do more of my own work. I applied for a new artist award in 2017 called ‘RAW Talent’ offered by an organisation called art&, and to my surprise, I got into the programme. It was an amazing experience in which I received both one-on-one and group mentoring. It made me realise that yes, I could do this. I just needed to be stubborn and not give up!

I am a big believer that you must keep plugging away and shout about your practice, including using social media or writing to magazines and shows.

What currently inspires you?

Colour, shape and pattern are my biggest inspirations. I also like a good challenge in taking something particularly bizarre and adding it into a textile context. If something has a hole in it, I will stitch it onto fabric. And if it doesn’t have a hole, I’ll drill one in!

My work is deliberately ambiguous in its theme. I enjoy hearing what people think the pieces look like, and for me, the main goal is to encourage curiosity and evoke a sense of playfulness and joy. I always say I create happy work only, with the colour really shouting out to you when you look at a piece of work.

I am also inspired by my recycling ideas and trying to give materials a new purpose by turning them into something beautiful.

Zero-waste art

Tell us about an artwork that holds fond memories…

Fragments is a large-scale three dimensional framed artwork created entirely using recycled straws, wires and dyed medical tubing. This piece really pushed me out of my comfort zone and started my love of more sculptural embroidery work. It took several months to stitch.

At the time, I was at a pivot point in my artistic journey. I was making work because I wanted to sell the work and not because I wanted to make the work. I hadn’t yet realised that creating something I put my all into would be stronger than something made for commercial purposes.

I sent photographs of the piece to various magazines and shows, and it landed me a feature in several international textile magazines. And it is still a piece I enjoy taking to shows, including the International Quilt Festival in Tokyo, Japan (2020) and the Art Textiles Made in Britain exhibition (2021).

How has your work developed and evolved?

My work has evolved and grown up along with myself! I started my journey being quite hesitant and unsure. But my frustration at the lack of interesting sequins and beads led to me becoming more aware of zero waste practices. I now make a conscious effort to recycle and use up unloved materials in my embroidery work.

My sense of colour has also changed and grown stronger.

An exciting personal development has been the idea of creating highly sculptural 3-D embroidery pieces that break out of the format of framed artwork. I enjoy the challenge of stitching vertically, and that, combined with large-scale work, gives me lots of future installation ideas.

And in 2023, I achieved my goal of writing a book about my processes and ideas, when Stitched Mixed Media was published by Crowood Press.

Dutch artist Mirjam had been put off textiles at school by critical teachers who insisted on following ‘the rules’. Even her own family taught her that there was a right and a wrong way to do embroidery. Instead, she became a children’s author. But, she was still intrigued with embroidery, and so her evenings were turned to experimenting with stitch, texture and pattern. 

Today, her nature-inspired crochet, felt works and embroideries – many worked on her own eco dyed and printed cloth – have led to large followings on Instagram, Etsy and Patreon, where she shares her knowledge via e-books and tutorials. 

Mirjam told us how the seasons are her inspiration, and that seeing Sue Stone tie a knot in her thread was the epiphany that freed her from decades of embroidery restrictions.

Creating with joy

Mirjam Gielen: It hasn’t been that long since I felt confident enough to call myself a textile artist. I learned many techniques in my youth, but I don’t have any formal training in the arts.

I love to combine my embroidery with eco printing and dyeing, crochet, felting and any other technique that helps to achieve the effect that I’m looking for.

Dyeing and printing with plants provides me with a stash of fabrics and threads. This makes me feel like a child in a room full of wonderful toys with endless possibilities!

I enjoy experimentation and that often leads to new discoveries of how to use a certain material or technique.

I create my art at home: our living room doubles as my workspace while our kitchen is frequently turned into a dye studio.

I try to limit dyeing to moments when my family members are out, or I’ll dye in the garden when the weather allows – the smells from the dye pot aren’t always appreciated. Otherwise, my family is very supportive: they help me by editing my tutorials or providing inspiration with photographs and research. In that way my work is very much embedded in family life.

My main platform is social media, especially Instagram, and I like to connect and share with people around the world. I’ve participated in a few exhibitions, but felt very much on display rather than connected to the visitors.

How did you become a textile artist?

My mother, grandmother and aunts always had some textile activity on the go. It could be knitting, embroidery, crochet or sewing, but also tatting or macramé. They invariably made things that were useful, like clothing, tablecloths or lampshades. They wanted to make them as beautiful as possible and were always on the lookout for a new pattern or pretty yarn.

They showed me the joy of needlework but were also quite obedient to what they called ‘the rules’.

At school I was often criticised for not working neatly enough. That might have been to do with the fact that I am left-handed, but was forced to do all the crafts right-handed. I was constantly chided and forced to undo my work. It left me with the idea that textile work could be great, but I just wasn’t good enough.

I kept creating on a modest scale, because the fun and satisfaction of making things with my own hands kept its appeal. The birth of my children stimulated that and I loved to craft for and with them.

I was an author of children’s books when my children were young and I started the habit of doing some stitching or crochet after a day spent juggling with words. I just played with colours and stitches as a relaxing downtime, without much thought about results. That was when the joy came back and I was able to create more freely. Slowly it grew into something more.

Did you have a particular turning point that influenced your art?

I had done some botanical dyeing with my mother, but that had been forgotten over the years. When I saw eco printed fabrics online and read a book by India Flint on the subject, something clicked and I started eco dyeing and printing myself. The fabrics I produced turned out to be the ideal basis for my stitches. 

Another pivotal moment came during a TextileArtist online course by Sue Stone. It was something really simple: she tied a knot in her thread before starting. I was aghast because I’d been taught that tying knots was more or less a deadly sin! My grandmother used to say that the back of the work should be as neat as the front – knots had no place there. 

Seeing a renowned textile artist like Sue Stone actually tying a knot was very freeing. It made me realise that I still had lots of rules in my head that were hampering my artistic freedom. 

Sue’s style is very different from mine, but she still is a role model for me in her approach to textile art. It encouraged me to get rid of the last remnants of my harsh inner critic and enjoy the creative force of exploration and experimentation.

“Eco prints feel like a magical world I can explore with my needle.”

Mirjam Gielen, Textile artist

Patterns, lines & structures

What is the ethos behind your work of creating organic embroidery on eco printed fabric?

Nature is important to me and provides a constant source of inspiration. Outdoors, I feel nourished and relaxed.

I feel that textile work has a lot in common with organic processes. I can make my stitches small or big, dense or wide apart. They can be grouped together like a herd or wander around. They colonise the fabric in an organic way, growing slowly, stitch by stitch.

Stitches have their own characteristics that are a bit like the DNA that provide code for the stitch process. A french knot looks distinctive and not like a seed stitch, just like a rose looks like a rose and not like a tulip. Then there are the influences that can steer the process in a multitude of directions, similar to the influences of soil, sun or rain in nature.

“There are so many fascinating and beautiful structures and phenomena in nature that provide inspiration.”

Mirjam Gielen, Textile artist

Eco printing helps to get rid of the ‘blank page’ problem. It immediately provides an environment that can be explored with stitches. It invites intuitive stitching and a dialogue with the fabric.

Embroidery gives me direct contact with the fabric and I think that is why it is my preferred technique. But I don’t like to limit myself: crochet, for instance, can provide interesting and organic looking structures too. Felting has also found a place in my practice, not only because it is such a delight to stitch on, but also because it can be three-dimensional.

How do you develop ideas for your work?

For inspiration, I use images that I take with my camera or that I find on the internet. I collect them on boards on Pinterest. My next step is often to draw in a sketchbook, not with the aim of designing my work in detail, but to get a hands-on feel for patterns, lines and structures. I also often make stitch samples before starting on an art work. 

These stitch explorations have led to several ‘sketchcloths’, as I like to call them; eco printed fabrics that get filled over time with all sorts of experiments. The free stitch play on those fabrics is appealing enough to blur the line between ‘sample’ and ‘art’. 

My focus is increasingly on the process rather than on the result. I can start out with a mix of inspiring images as a basis, but once I get stitching, I let my intuition lead me. I might end up with something different from what I envisioned beforehand. And, when that leads to a ‘blah’ result, I don’t see that as a failure, but as a valuable lesson and a stage in my process.

Botanical dyes, reclaimed materials

What materials do you especially like to use in your work?

I want to have a practice that doesn’t contribute to the environmental issues that we face. Industrial dyeing of fabrics is one of the most polluting industries, and I don’t want to add to that if I can help it.

Botanical dyeing is one of the solutions, but I also use reclaimed materials. I do sometimes buy new materials like goldwork threads though – I’m not looking to create a new inner critic that chides me for not being strict enough regarding my efforts to be sustainable.

There’s a lot that can be found online, from shops that sell botanical dyestuffs or organic linen, to online market places where people ask a small price for their grandmother’s leftover stash.

I once bought a large box of threads from a widower who proudly showed me all of his wife’s work. He was selling her stash to raise enough money to buy a piece of ceramic art for her grave. Every time I use her threads I remember how lovingly he talked about her. That’s the kind of added bonus that you don’t get with store bought items.

What’s been your biggest challenge in creating your art, and how did you overcome that challenge?

I think the biggest challenge was to overcome self-doubt and self-critique. I was held back by old beliefs and musty rules. My harsh inner critic was frantically trying to keep me safe, safe from disappointment, ridicule or failure – be perfect, it would say, or better still, don’t even try. It’s like an overprotective friend that hates to see you get hurt but also has a totally unrealistic estimate of the dangers. 

I have found that many of the things that I feared are in fact non-existent.

If a composition doesn’t work, I can undo things, add stitches, add an appliqué or simply try again. If I run out of steam, it’s okay to rest for a bit – my mojo won’t get lost. I can’t lose what truly belongs to me and if it doesn’t truly belong to me, it’s okay to lose it. I have started to trust in that, and it’s brought me lots of joy, through the work itself and in sharing it with others.

Time & teaching

How do you organise your working week?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were more than 24 hours in a day? But then I’d probably still discover that I didn’t have a drop to drink all morning or that it’s way past lunchtime! I can get completely engrossed in my work.

On the other hand, working from home can lead to people thinking that you are always available. I’ve had to learn to let the phone ring and say no to invitations to go for a coffee when I’m working.

Creating classes and tutorials takes up a big part of my time. I love to teach, but I need to protect the amount of time spent on it.

Social media can be another distraction. I try to take regular pauses while stitching, so as not to overtax my body by sitting in one position for too long. But I tend to fill that time by scrolling on my phone and, before I know it, I’m answering a question on Instagram, clicking on interesting links and reading messages from friends.

Being self-employed means having a lot of freedom – I can take a walk whenever I feel like it – but it also requires quite a bit of self-management.

I have a lot of followers on Instagram and a growing number of patrons on Patreon – that can lead to a feeling that I have to create interesting content all the time for all those lovely people.

Textile work is often labour-intensive and progress can be slow, so I don’t always have something new to show. When I feel that pressure I take a deep breath and realise that those demands are just in my head. Nobody actually gets angry or hurt when I don’t produce constantly.

Taking time off to stare out of the window, go on a walk or do a simple chore is time well spent as it creates space for my brain to process inspiration and come up with new ideas.

This is also similar to natural processes: seeds need time to germinate and winter days are just as important as the abundance of summer.

How is your work evolving?

I find that I’m drawn more and more to working three-dimensionally. It poses challenges that I avoided for a long time. I started with stitching on felt balls, but there are so many more possibilities – I’m excited to see where it leads me.

Do you have one or two tips for makers?

My best tip would be to focus on the process. To enjoy the journey wherever it leads.

If you see all your works as steps in an ongoing process, you become less afraid of failing. Failure doesn’t even exist. If you discover, for instance, that appliqué is not your thing or that you really shouldn’t have combined those two fabrics, that’s a lesson that will fuel your creative development just as much as any ‘successes’ will.

Another tip is to feel free to learn from others. Being inspired to try something you see someone else doing is not stealing ideas but a way of finding your own voice.

In textiles, we’re interconnected by a long tradition that spans many ages and cultures, and that always was and is the property of everyone. That said, it’s only fair to honour your sources of inspiration and give credit where it’s due.

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. 

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

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

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

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

Aha moment

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

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

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

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

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

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

Reconnecting to my heritage

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

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

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

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

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

Passion for phulkari

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

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

Maps & patterns

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

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

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

Meaning and memory

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

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

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

Thought books

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

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

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

Printing the unexpected

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

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

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

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

Pigments & dyes

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

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

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

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

Subjective materials

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

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

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

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

The complexity of identity

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

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

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

Mapping place and space

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

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

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

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

An immigrant’s story

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

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

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

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

Amarjeet K. Nandhra, Textile artist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dye, print & ink

How do you develop your colourful and textural art?

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

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

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

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

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

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

See, play & stitch

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

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

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

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

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

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

History of lace

How did you develop your artistic skills over time?

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

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

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

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

Exploring through journalling

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

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

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

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

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

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

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

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

Narrative layers

How do you begin a new artwork?

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

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

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

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

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

Natural cotton fabrics

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

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

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

Stitching while travelling

Where do you like to create your art?

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

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

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

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

Teaching in the community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

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

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

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

Exhibiting art quilts

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

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

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

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

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

Interpreting nature

Which piece of your textile art is your favourite?

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

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

Vision makes art

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

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

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

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

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

Individual expression

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

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

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

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

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

Dijanne Cevaal, Textile artist

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

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

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

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

Powerful personal quilts

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

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

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

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

Stitching stories

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

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

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

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

Lois Standish immortalises ancestors

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bringing a face to life

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @oakendoriginals
Facebook: oakendoriginals

Val Fisher collages Anne Frank’s story

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

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

Stash busting

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

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

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

Val Fisher, Stitch Club member

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

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

The piece is now displayed in a large journaling book.

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

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

Linda Langelaan, sew lonely

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

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

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

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

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

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

Linda Langelaan, Stitch Club member

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @lindart20

Sue Partington & the journey home

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

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

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

Treasured photos

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

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

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

Sue Partington, Stitch Club member

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

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

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

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

Nancy Luna-Walker & her dad’s story

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

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

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

Eco-dyeing & recycling

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

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

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

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

Nancy Luna-Walker, Stitch Club member

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @namoonwalker

Key takeaways

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

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

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