Tag: textile art

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Why Textiles?

Textiles have a way of inviting you closer. I notice people who stop to look at my work feel an instinct to lean in, to look more carefully, sometimes even to reach out and touch. That response, curious and thoughtful, is very rewarding and sparks many conversations.

 

My journey with textiles has been a fairly familiar one; I learnt how to make clothes, patchwork, quilting and then fell in love with making art, in particular landscapes and seascapes. After trying watercolours and pastels I decided that I wanted to ‘paint’ with fabric , in particular scraps.

It might sound odd but I think scraps work well with my sense of memory; they make me think about the time and care invested in the textiles over the years: quite different to paint or other medium used to make art I think.  

I choose the scraps carefully and love how they become layered, stitched, unpicked, and reworked. Each scrap carries marks of its former ‘life’ as I manipulate and lovingly work them into their future.

Each art piece begins with an idea or a feeling/memory rather than a fixed outcome. I often start with sketches, photographs or sorting through a pile of scraps, sorted for their colour compatibility but I always allow space for the work to change as it develops.

Stitching, layering, and building a scene takes time. It allows me to think, to respond, take a step back and make decisions gradually. The use of a mount is crucial for making those next choices, be it colour, shape, adding textures or even changing a whole part of a landscape

I don’t aim to hide the fraying or make things overly neat. Slight irregularities can produce happy accidents – I try to go with the flow and see what happens – deciding whether it works and if necessary, unpick it later!!

Texture also plays a central role in my practice. It’s often the first thing people notice, even before colour or form. Raised stitches, layered fabric, metallic embellishments can catch the light differently and shift where you look.

I like the idea that a piece can shift depending on where you stand or how the light falls. Textile art doesn’t shout. It reveals itself slowly.

This is my first blog and it is my intention that it becomes a place for me to share more about my practice: the ideas behind the work, inspiration from my international travels and the materials I use – as well as the realities of running a textile art business  – about which I’m learning more every day.

It’s also a way to invite you into the process, rather than only showing finished pieces.

If you’re curious to see how these ideas take form, you can explore my current work here on British Craft House.

And if you choose to follow along, I’ll be very pleased to see you here in the future.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Supporting Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday – Small Business, Big Difference.

 

Small Business Saturday is a grass-roots, non-political, non-commercial campaign that encourages people to support small businesses in their communities, both on the Saturday itself and beyond. The campaign also aims to support, inspire and promote small businesses all year round.

 

On Small Business Saturday, you can help to make a real difference by choosing to shop small, shop local and shop independent.

Supporting my small business 

For me it’s all about helping to fulfil the dream. When you buy from an independent maker, like me, it means that you recognise the dream that I have nurtured and the hours that I have spent exploring and experimenting with my craft. It means that you appreciate the skills that I have honed and the love that I have invested in the piece that you have chosen. It gives me a huge boost to know that someone else can see the value in my work, and in turn it gives me the confidence to continue to grow my small business. In return, I hope that you enjoy the piece that you have chosen, whether that is for yourself, or whether you take pleasure in the act of gifting it to someone else.

 

If you have bought something from me, thank you. 

 

There is no big budget marketing campaign, or team of employees helping to run my small business. It’s just me. I am a self-taught designer and creator, buyer, photographer, marketing manager, accountant, blogger, packer, delivery driver, sales manager and general spinner of plates!

 

I truly appreciate your support.

 

Why I’ll be Supporting Others

 

It’s so important to support independent businesses, artists and makers, and those businesses who try to support them. There is such a diverse wealth of talent in this country and we should be celebrating all that creativity. Supporting small business means supporting your community and the ripple effect which that can have in generating positivity, well-being and goodwill is so vital to the survival of, not just the businesses themselves, but their area as a whole. It’s self-fulfilling, if I buy from my local independents, they can buy from someone else. Maybe they open a shop on my local high street and that in turn encourages other new business and visitors to the area. Investing in my local independent artisans and producers means investing in my local community and that has to be good for everyone.

 

 Supporting each other in our handmade community, here at The British Craft House is something we are all really proud of.

Did you know that Susan Bonnar, founder of the platform, is one of the

Small Business Saturday UK Small Business Heroes!

 This year, I’m doing my bit for Small Business Saturday by supporting some of my favourite British Craft House fellow makers.

Godrevy Textiles

 

Sarah is a weaver/maker based on the beautiful Lizard Penninsula in Cornwall. We met for real whilst I was down on holiday this year! Sarah produces her own exquisite hand-woven cloth on her cottage loom, and the transforms it into wonderful home accessories and gifts.

 

RedheadWondering Hand Bound Boooks

Lizzie is a wonderful wordsmith and loves to encourage everyone to record their thoughts. She handmakes the most beautiful Coptic bound journals with incredible cyanotype designs, each inspired by nature. These books are perfect for journals or diaries, for sketchbooks and photograph albums, or for whatever you might want them to be.

Sally Thake Jewellery

Sally has the most nimble of fingers, creating the most intricate pieces of jewellery using a myriad of tiny seed beads and her work is influenced by the impact of the seasons on the surrounding countryside of the Cambridgeshire Fens.

This year’s Small Business Saturday takes place on December 4th.

Please support your favourite small businesses. 

 

Thank you. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Meet the Makers – Talking Textile Art

As a member of The British Craft House, I love being a part of the community of friendly artisans who are always able to offer advice and support in the optional, central hub. Working from home can sometimes be a little isolating, so it’s always good to have a friendly ear. We often share each other’s work and the appreciation for makers with a similar craft to one’s own is often evident. Many of us follow each other on social media and there are many collaborations that take place as a result of this supportive environment. Naturally, amongst others, I love to chat to the textile artists and we often say how lovely it would be to meet up.  

 

So it was, that last weekend, on my way down through Cornwall for a holiday, that I popped into ‘Wooly Weekend’ at Kelly House near Launceston and finally met up with the lovely Buffy, aka The Twisted Felter, who was exhibiting there. We’ve chatted online for almost two years but never managed to meet before. 

When I arrived, she was more than a little surprised to see me! Truth be known, as Buffy wasn’t expecting me, she didn’t recognise me until I took off my mask! Her face was an absolute picture! 

Buffy is a wool artist, living in the beautiful Tamar Valley in Cornwall. Like me, she is inspired by nature and particularly British wild animals such as badgers, hares and foxes. Often her fibre sculptures find themselves with a quirky sense of humour and an eccentric personality all of their own! Her work is beautifully executed and I have great admiration for her skill and attention to detail.

 

Buffy’s stall was beautifully set up, with a full range of her fibre art, including some of her more recently woven wall hangings, just added to her British Craft House shop. I am fascinated by weaving, so it was great to see the mix of textures and fibres Buffy incorporates into her work and to talk about the small loom that she uses. I had to admit to her that whilst I would love to have a loom, I simply haven’t got room for anything more! 

 

For me, the added excitement of meeting Buffy, was to see her wonderful range of hand carded and hand dyed fibres, many of which come from her own little flock of Teeswater sheep. I have loved following Buffy’s journey, becoming shepherdess to her own flock. As a textile artist, it’s wonderful to know the provenance of the materials you are working with and I confess, I may just have done a little bit of shopping! Buffy’s Teeswater sheep have the most amazing curly locks and I am looking forward to using them to create lots of texture in my own original textile art. I chose a bundle of wonderfully long and very soft, grey locks to take home and, after a few days away at the coast, the beautiful carded art batts I selected will be perfect for capturing the coastal landscape that no doubt inspired their creation in the first place.

Hand-Carded-Fibre-Art-Batts
Hand Dyed and Carded Fibres

Over the last twelve months, I have begun dyeing some of my own fabrics and fibres too, encouraged and inspired by Buffy and the little videos she often posts. Buffy expressed an interest in the eco printing that I have been exploring and use to print onto silk and wool, often made into scarves.  She would like to give it a try for herself, when she has some spare time! This was a great opportunity for us to compare notes on the types of dyes we use, and to exchange ideas about the nature of the fibres and their suitability for various textile techniques. I am more than a little envious of Buffy’s carding machine and am secretly hoping that one day I might be able to pop along to see it for myself! 

 

I was only at Kelly House for about an hour and a half but the visit to see Buffy was an absolute joy. The tea and cake were also pretty fabulous! 

 

Later in the week, I met up with Sarah, a wonderful weaver and maker from The Lizard area of Cornwall. Sarah owns Godrevy Textiles and also sells on The British Craft House. You can find out all about our afternoon at the beach here.

 

P. S. If you would like to I see what I create with my newly acquired fibres, do keep an eye out in my British Craft House shop and follow me on social media. All the links can be found here.