Sue Stone is a time traveller in stitch. Using images from beloved family photo albums as inspiration, Sue juxtaposes the past and present to create real and imagined narratives. Not only does working with old photos remind her who she is and where she came from, but her textile art also helps viewers make important connections among people, places and time.

Sue especially enjoys working with photos featuring unknown characters, using them as a device to portray the past in general, as well as key historical events. Those unknown, yet somehow related, friends and family provide rich personalities for Sue’s very human stories of joy, sorrow and everything in between.

The Unknown Statistic is perhaps one of the best examples of Sue’s ability to combine the past and present in a way that bears timeless meaning. Starting with an intimate family connection, this piece expands to expose the challenges and horrific impact of war on families. The piece is rooted in the loss of her great grandfather in the First World War and blossoms into questions about how children and surviving spouses will find their way after such a loss.

History comes knocking

Sue Stone: The dates and events that surrounded this work are integral to its meaning. In 2014, the 62 Group of Textile Artists invited its members to respond to the town of Grimsby by interpreting the theme Ebb and Flow in its widest sense. Not only did 2014 mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, but also my great grandfather Harry Conder’s death. I knew he had died during the war, as his name is on the memorial at Tower Hill in London. But this artistic challenge led me to research further into the circumstances surrounding his death, and what I discovered was both moving and remarkable.

Harry Conder was a skipper of the trawler Fittonia that had hit a mine and sank during the war’s first year on 2 September 1914. Harry and six others were lost to the sea. Ironically, in 2014, the ‘Grimsby’s Lost Ships of WWI’ project found the wreckage of his trawler in the Humber estuary.

My great grandfather’s eldest son, Charles, also lost his life in the First World War. He died on 2 November 1918, just before its end. Ironically, he didn’t die from his war wounds, but instead from the Spanish Flu epidemic.

My research also exposed the fact my great grandfather was father to seven children, the youngest of which, George, was five. That made me wonder what happened to his children after his loss? How did his widow, Eliza, go on? And how many more children were left fatherless by the First World War? Sadly, my research at the local and national archives yielded a decided lack of accurate information, which led to my naming the work The Unknown Statistic. Their young lives went on but were changed forever.

An imagined backstory

So how would I tell the stories of these unknown children?

My number one source for inspiration has always been my family album. Every time I study its pages, I’m reminded of the passing of time and the transience of life. My mum, dad, grandparents, sister, husband and children have all been featured in my work.

Working with the family album is a way for me to remember who I am and where I came from. To that end, many of my works juxtapose disparate images from the past with those from the present to make a connection among people, place and time. By presenting two specific points in time, I create the illusion of time travel that asks the viewer to imagine what happened in between.

I’m especially intrigued by photos featuring unknown characters. I think everyone’s family album houses photos of people whom no one seems to know. To that end, I remembered a small image I had seen in my husband’s family album of some unknown children. I had been looking at that image for several years, wondering how I could use it in my work. It had a poignancy to it: the children look like they are watching someone walking away.

I later came across a photograph I had taken in the East End of London featuring simple wall graffiti which said ‘Never Forget’. That’s when it occurred to me to upload and combine the two images in Photoshop to tell the story. The image of the children became a device to represent a group of universal children, whose innocent lives were forever changed by the loss of their fathers.

The children stand in the doorway, watching and listening for their father. He’s a skipper and Grimsby fisherman whose trawler has been commissioned by the government to serve as a minesweeper. The shadow of their mother can be seen in the background, as she couldn’t bear to come and watch.

A fisherman doesn’t turn to wave to children as he leaves, as that was deemed bad luck. And while he might whistle as he left, he’d stop once he boarded the trawler to avoid ‘whistling up a storm’. Sadly, those traditions wouldn’t protect the fisherman and his crew, and his children would never see him again.

Making this piece was an emotional rollercoaster because it made me think long and hard about my great grandmother Eliza’s life and the hardships she endured as a widow. Having lost both her husband and son Charles, she somehow found an inner strength that enabled her to bring up the rest of her family on her own.

Layering stitch and paint 

I used a cotton/linen Japanese Zakka fabric in a natural colour as my base material. I chose that fabric because it has a smooth finish which paints well, and in its natural state, it’s a suitable flesh colour. All the stitchwork is DMC stranded cotton, along with some wool donated by a friend.

I also used a combination of fabric paint and acrylic paint of various makes. I use fabric paint for colours I want to be absorbed by the fabric, and acrylic paints for their ability to sit on the fabric’s surface to create texture.

Once I had my final composition, I made a very simple drawing to use as a guide showing where everything goes. That drawing was then reversed and printed out in A4 tiles. The tiles were then reassembled and transferred to the fabric using free-motion machine stitching from the reverse side of the fabric, making the stitching easier to remove on the front.

After the stitched guide was in place, the background was given a layer of paint. And then the hand stitching began. All of the machine stitching was removed and replaced with hand stitching. 

I used straight stitch, cross stitch, back stitch and needle weaving on the figures.

I then continued to build up the image using layers of hand stitch, machine stitch and paint. There are areas where I paint underneath the stitch to build up texture and some painted layers over the stitching to help knock it back.

My biggest challenge was creating the brick wall background. I had painted it a terracotta red colour, but the colour dominated the figures in the doorway and destroyed the atmosphere of the work. 

Two days before the work was to be submitted for the 62 Group exhibition, I made the brave decision to overpaint the terracotta with a khaki green/brown colour, and it transformed the work. Be assured, it was quite a challenge to paint around the already completed stitched figure of the boy on the left!

I also painted over the ‘Never Forget’ lettering to give it a fading effect, like the children’s memories of their father. I finished the piece by adding more stitching on top of the painted wall in burnt orange and rust.

The story’s power

Visitors to my exhibitions are really interested in the stories behind my narrative pieces, and this work was no exception. It particularly provokes strong emotions from those whose families share similar stories. Telling the story always provides a connection between the viewer and maker.

The fact I first showed this work in my hometown of Grimsby and the surrounding events being honoured made it all very special. Grimsby, Lincolnshire, is situated on the east coast of England, and the 62 Group of Textile Artists chose two very different venues for the exhibition. 

The first was a beautiful historic building called Grimsby Minster. The building is more than 900 years old, and that’s where my work was exhibited. The other venue was the Muriel Barker Gallery at the Fishing Heritage Centre which was a modern, white walled gallery.

I have shown The Unknown Statistic in many exhibitions since its conception in 2014. It never loses its emotional power for me, and I usually find myself with a tear in my eye when I recount its story. It remains one of my favourite pieces of work.

Key takeaways

Sue Stone is a master storyteller in her textile art. If you’re wanting to share your own stories, consider the following:

• Turn to your family photo album for inspiration, especially older historical photos. Think about the characteristics you want to emphasise in your work.

• You can certainly tell actual lived stories of the people in your work but, like Sue, try to imagine other possible storylines that could be more representational than literal.

• Think about using historical events as a backdrop for your work and then do some research. Sue focused on the First World War, and her research uncovered personal connections to the event.

• Consider adding paint to your work. Sue uses paint both under and over stitching to create different tonal effects.

• It’s never too late to change your mind about your work. Sue changed her whole background two days before submitting her work for exhibition. If something just isn’t working, change it!

Sue Stone is based in the UK, and her work has been exhibited widely across the globe. Most recent exhibits include Shifts and Allusions at The Hub, Sleaford, UK (2023), the 12^th from Lausanne to Beijing International Fibre Art Biennial Exhibition (2022) and the UK 62 Group’s Knitting & Stitching Show (2022). Sue also lectures and teaches worldwide, and she is a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists and a Fellow of the Society of Designer Craftsmen.

Artist website: womanwithafish.com

Instagram: @womanwithafish

Facebook: facebook.com/suestone.womanwithafish

If you’re interested in other textile artists who take a narrative approach, be sure to check out Ruth Miller’s powerful work in which she examines the stories of African-American life in the deep South.

And how community can be a catalyst to your creativity

“I want to spend time being creative. It’s an important part of my life. But it’s very easy to say and not so easy to do.”

Jess Richardson – Member of Stitch Club and Gathering Threads

Like a baby bird madly flapping its wings and barely leaving the ground, at the beginning of your creative journey you’re likely to stumble and fall. You have the will, but lack the basic tools to express yourself confidently with fabric and thread.

But slowly, as you begin to connect (or reconnect) with your imagination and ingenuity, the more joyful the process becomes and eventually you take flight.

As you uncover your own personal way of making textile art through regular practice, the higher you soar!

But what if you’re flying solo?

When even the people you’re closest to don’t understand that creativity is an integral part of who you are, momentum can be tough to sustain.

Your wings may feel slightly heavier after a well-meaning but dismissive remark from a partner or family member about ‘tinkering with textiles’. Comments about ‘wasting time and money’ on a ‘little hobby’ can see you nose diving. Add to that the distant memory of a harsh critique from an embroidery teacher (“Wonky, uneven stitches!”) and you’re coming in for an emergency landing!

Finding the people who do understand can be transformative for your creativity, your self esteem and your life.

Take it from Jess, Yvonne, Marie, Joan, Sarah, Becca, Sharon, Erica, Vicki, Karen and Linda, collectively known as Gathering Threads.

Covid, Christmas & creativity

It was the 19th of December 2020. Coronavirus cases were out of control here in the UK, new unknowable variants were emerging and Christmas had effectively been cancelled.
But amongst all of that dark came a ray of hope and positivity: an email from a TextileArtist.org Stitch Club member called Jess Richardson.

Here’s what she had to say.

Hi Joe, Sam and everyone at TextileArtist.org Central,

As we approach the end of the year on a day full of more grim news we just wanted to let you know how much we have loved being part of Stitch Club this year.

We are a group of ladies from four different countries. Most of us didn’t know each other before joining and probably never would have met but we’ve gravitated together.

We started meeting online at the same time each week to discuss our progress with the Stitch Club workshops, offer advice and encouragement and share our love of textile practice.

We’re also in regular contact via our WhatsApp group where we chat about fab things, sad things and other news from our lives. We have swapped bits from our textile stash and been generous with our friendship.

In the run up to Christmas we organised a Tree Decoration and Card Swap and made something for one of the others in our group. Today we held an online meeting to open up these parcels. Attached is a screenshot of this happy occasion.

Without doubt these new friends and Stitch Club have become one of the most important things in our lives. Thank you very much for all the effort you put into making it a great experience for us all.

Merry Christmas

From Jess, Yvonne, Marie, Joan, Sarah, Becca, Sharon, Erica, Vicki, Karen and Linda

We were so thrilled that we arranged to gatecrash one of the Gathering Threads online meet-ups.

The passion, positivity, mutual respect and warmth in that Zoom call was palpable. This is a group of ladies whose creativity has been fuelled and whose practice has been enhanced by a sense of belonging.

Let’s meet the woman who started it all… Sharon Eynon.

All the gear, no idea!

As a child Sharon was always more comfortable resetting spark plugs with her dad than threading a needle with her mum. So when she inherited her mum’s extensive textile stash in 2014 she had absolutely no idea what to do with it.

It wasn’t until four years later, when Sharon started exploring the creative possibilities of fabric and thread in an online course with Sue Stone, that she began to understand her late mum’s love of embroidery. Finally, a way to put all her beautiful “bits and pieces” to good use!

As a founding member of Stitch Club, Sharon’s enthusiasm for making textile art continued to grow.

After feeling particularly inspired by a workshop from artist and bestselling textile author Mandy Pattullo, Sharon found herself eager to share ideas and investigate the possibilities of the process more deeply.

Sharon posted in the members area asking if any of her fellow stitchers were interested in getting together online.

Yvonne Schlaepfer-Parle was the first to answer the call…

Party of two

Yvonne is a long-time knitter and woman of the world; born in Ireland, she’s lived in London, New York, Australia and now Switzerland.

Back in March 2020, her burgeoning knitting business was about to host its first in-person retreat…and then Covid happened!

“So that whole thing crashed and burned. But then a friend of mine, who knew I was feeling pretty sad got in touch to say she’d seen the TextileArtist.org Community Stitch Challenge on Facebook and encouraged me to give it a go.”

But stitching had been ruined for Yvonne years ago when she’d been berated at school for sewing outside the lines.

“I didn’t think I’d ever be interested again. But when I watched that first free workshop with Sue Stone and she said ‘Embrace the wonky’, it changed my life! I’m not being pithy or trite—it really did. It gave me permission to go outside those lines and sometimes even plan to go outside those lines.”

Cut forward a few months. Having joined Stitch Club off the back of the free workshops in the TextileArtist.org Community Stitch Challenge, here are Sharon (in Wales) and Yvonne (in Switzerland) meeting on Zoom each week to nurture their newfound passion. A passion for something they’d both long since decided was not for them!

Week on week, stitchers from different backgrounds and at various stages of their creative journey started to join Sharon and Yvonne’s regular meetups. And as the group grew, the more inspired and excited the individual members became.

Let’s explore the creative lessons you can learn from the Gathering Threads group and how you might benefit from finding your very own stitch tribe.

How finding your stitch tribe can catalyse your creativity

1. A breadth of knowledge and experience

Imagine how regular access to a rich and diverse source of knowledge and experience could propel your own textile art practice.

Some members of Gathering Threads have a very broad skill base. Like Sarah Bond, who taught Art and Design for over 40 years, has a degree in Art History and has encouraged pupils of all ages to apply art textile techniques to fashion, stage and ecclesiastical projects.

“After I retired I sort of found myself in no man’s land deciding what to do next and, having recently moved from Hampshire to Wiltshire, I felt like I was in between communities.”

Since finding Stitch Club, and in turn Gathering Threads, Sarah has generously shared her expertise with the group, offering advice, recommendations and encouragement to the less experienced stitchers, like Yvonne:

“As a rank beginner with no artistic training, I don’t have any preconceptions. It’s been revelatory to hear others in the group who do have a background in art discussing the tips and rules they’ve learned along the way.”

2. The motivation to make

“I don’t have enough time” can often be code for “this isn’t important enough to me right now.”

If, like self-confessed butterfly Joan Noble, you do find yourself ‘easily distracted by 101 different things’, the commitment to regular meetups with like minded creative people can help you develop a more disciplined practice.

“These ladies keep me on my toes. It’s helping me be more focused and encouraging me to drop other things in favour of doing the Stitch Club workshops.”

And Karen Hughes, who had been put off sewing by the words of a childhood teacher who told her, “You’re much better at theory, than you are practical”, has also benefited from the gentle nudge being part of the group has given her.

“It’s like going to a digital cafe or college and you just turn up and we all exchange ideas and stuff. It’s a great motivator.”

The group’s weekly meetups in conjunction with the fortnightly workshop in Stitch Club have also helped Jess find direction.

“I used to beat myself up if I wasn’t doing something creative, but the regularity of being presented with a well-explained and inspiring challenge, along with all the other brilliantly organised materials, means there’s no barrier to getting started.”

3. Uncovering possibilities and breaking rules

At the start of any creative adventure, the cushion that comes from step by step rules and guidelines can be a great comfort. It’s how you get started.

More experienced stitchers, like Sarah, are ready to break those rules and steer away from the guidelines.

“I love that the tutors in Stitch Club encourage us to find freedom to explore the projects in our own way and there’s no judgement or expectation to create a duplicate of any kind. I think that’s a really progressive teaching method.”

And that ethos has been embraced by other members of the group.

Like Erica Staxenius, who was introduced to embroidery by her step-grandmother at the age of seven.

“Sewing is something I’ve delved into from time to time. After school, I started to make my own clothes from my mother’s old stash. My efforts were self-taught and I had a few disasters along the way!”

But Erica has always been what she describes as a “practical sewer” and thinking creatively to make works of art in her own voice through the Stitch Club workshops has not always been easy.

“Over the years I’ve often looked at textile art and wondered how and if I could do something similar. And I think with the help of all these wonderful inspirational workshop leaders and my friends in this group, it’s starting to feel achievable. I’ve still got a way to go, but looking back on everything I’ve done in the last year of Stitch Club it’s mind blowing how far I’ve come.”

“It’s interesting to me how I’ve never been one to follow the rules of life, but with sewing and art I have. The encouragement in this group means I’m starting to feel brave enough to break a few of those rules. I’m finally starting to become less restrictive and more inventive in my sewing.”

4. Discovering your personal visual vocabulary

The digital age has given us access to an abundance of inspiration. It’s impossible to incorporate every idea you stumble upon whilst browsing social media into your textile art. But it can be tempting to try!

Not only can this lead to an overwhelming and confused process, it might mean the work you’re making doesn’t feel distinctly ‘you’.

Through the focus of group meetings and the conscious discussion of your personal process, you can begin to hone your ideas and develop your own personal style. As Gathering Threads member Becca Allen discovered.

As a child, Becca learned to draw from her dad, created collages with her mum and made toy mice to sell to her friends.

Years later, when Becca was seeking a way to bring fabric and thread into her artwork, she took a course with the in-demand workshop leader Cas Holmes (who has since taught a popular Stitch Club class using the Japanese artform Momigami to create art). A love of all things textile was born.

Becca has been particularly inspired by the members of the group developing their own unique ways of interpreting the workshops.

“It’s amazing to see how we’re all doing the same projects, following the same set of instructions, using the same equipment, but the ways in which we translate the techniques and processes are so diverse.”

5. The confidence to create and share

Have you ever felt a little self-conscious about your lack of art training? Maybe you love being creative and have always been drawn to making things, but you’ve been reluctant to show other people what you’ve made for fear it’s not good enough?

Vicki Briggs doesn’t come from an ‘arty’ background and has struggled at times with feeling inhibited, but being part of Gathering Threads has given her the confidence to dive in and give anything a go!

“I was quite shy about posting images of my work in the members area to start off with, but with the support, advice and encouragement of our little group and the wider Stitch Club community, I’ve become braver. Now I think to myself, ‘Does it really matter? It’s a learning curve!’ The whole experience has given me a real boost in self esteem.”

And Yvonne agrees…even when the responses to what she makes are mixed.

“Since joining Stitch Club, I’ve had the confidence to venture into other groups and I’ve had very different reactions to what I’m presenting. A piece I made in a Stitch Club workshop on eco-printing was compared to mouldy pepperoni pizza by someone. I would have been horrified in the past. These days, I don’t care. Experimentation and collaboration are more important to me.”

“I now call myself a textile artist. I would never have done that before. I would have felt I was pretending to be something I was not, but now I realise I am, and I’m in the company of textile artists in this wonderful group every week. It’s been transformative.”

6 Finding solutions and fulfilling ambitions

When you hit a wall in your creative process, it can be doubly frustrating when you don’t have anyone to help you figure out how to knock it down (or at least rearrange the bricks!)

Linda Langley started stitching to pass the time when she was a young radiographer on night duty but prior to joining Stitch Club hadn’t picked up embroidery for a good few years.

“I’ve re-learned an awful lot in terms of techniques and being part of this group has meant I’ve found ways of dealing with my particular challenges. I don’t have a workspace, which can be difficult and means I’m much slower than some of the other girls, but they’re helping me realise that’s not a problem. The great thing about Stitch Club is I can go at my own pace. I don’t feel any pressure to do every workshop, but I’ve been inspired by this group to try things I wouldn’t have done if I was left entirely to my own devices.”

Marie Audéon, who lives in France, has a longstanding association with textiles, having been inspired by her mother.

“As a child I would collect and organise fabrics by colour and type, cut them up and reassemble them into something new. In adulthood I continued to sew, making a large array of decorative and useful things for the home”

Marie had always felt drawn to using the techniques she learned as a child to do something more personal and expressive and since joining the group, this dream has become a reality.

“When I discovered TextileArtist.org I thought to myself, ‘This is my chance. It’s now!’ I am learning to mix materials like paint and thread to express a personal story and through the connection with this group my process has really evolved. In the past few months I’ve been using a sketchbook to develop ideas and documenting the various stages of the creative process through photography.”

7. Nurturing an open mind and daring to experiment

Have you ever watched an online stitch tutorial or considered a particular way of making art and immediately said to yourself “That’s not my type of thing”?

Developing a sense of what you want to make and how you want to make it is an important step in your journey towards developing a personal voice for your textile art. But often the techniques and processes you feel resistance to can be surprisingly rewarding when you let go of preconceptions and give them a go.

Being part of a group with eclectic tastes can help you stay open to new experiences. Embracing alternative approaches to creativity can uncover inventive ways of interpreting projects that may have initially felt prescriptive or simple.

Jess told me:

“Even with the Stitch Club workshops that I don’t think I’ll do, when everyone in this group starts talking through their ideas and pictures of work start popping up in the members area, the enthusiasm for the project becomes infectious. You don’t want to be left out. And you end up surprising yourself with how inventive you can be with something you didn’t think was your sort of thing”.

And the collaboration within the group has also encouraged its members to join the dots, workshop to workshop, taking a technique they learned from one into the next.

Yvonne has used an exercise set by Julie B Booth in her workshop, that seemed deceptively simple, to create a whole series of work.

“I’ve gone and done several more pieces and taken that whole thing in a completely new direction.”

Create, connect, thrive

When you’re feeling creatively isolated, where do you turn for support? The most obvious place isn’t always the best fit.

Perhaps the local embroidery group has a focus on traditional needlework that doesn’t appeal…they meet on a Wednesday morning when you’re working or have childcare duties…the in-person workshops they organise run into hundreds of pounds that you can’t afford…or they just don’t get you!

The good news is you’re no longer restricted by location. You can share your creative journey with like minded creative people living on the other side of the world if that’s what it takes.

And when you find the people who understand and care, the people who push you to be more inventive and experimental, the people who make you feel safe and brave, not only will your creativity blossom, you may make meaningful and long lasting connections.

The Gathering Threads group meets on Zoom every week to work through ideas, talk about creative challenges and share their thoughts on the latest Stitch Club workshop. They share online resources and support one another via the Stitch Club members area and WhatsApp. They swap tools and materials via snail mail (when Sharon couldn’t find leaves for eco-printing, Sarah sent her some of her stash.)

But something deeper and more significant has emerged…friendship.

“We are connected by our love of art. That includes textile art but a range of other arts as well including pottery, painting, photography, quilting, knitting, crochet and felting. We also share cooking recipes and book recommendations and send birthday cards. This has developed from a group of strangers into a special group of friends.”

Yvonne Schlaepfer-Parle, Stitch Club and Gathering Threads member

And some of these friends have now met in real life too. “It’s so strange”, Jess said to Erica recently, “I feel like I’ve always known you even though it’s been less than a year.” The group are now dreaming of a time, hopefully in the not too distant future, when they can all meet up for a weekend and do one of the Stitch Club workshops together in person.

If you’re part of a textile art group, why not tell us about your experience in the comments below. How did you find your stitch tribe and what impact has it had on your creative practice? What advice do you have for anyone struggling to connect with likeminded creative people?

Welcome to your third free workshop of the Community Stitch Challenge 2021 with embroidery artist Jennifer Collier.

Back in March 2020, when countries all over the world were being plunged into lockdowns for the first time, we launched the Community Stitch Challenge as a way of reaching out to stitchers all over the world. You responded so positively to the original version, we decided to revive the initiative for a limited period in 2021 to bring you three brand new and 100% FREE textile art workshops.

The Community Stitch Challenge 2021 so far…

In the first week, former Chair of the world famous 62 Group Sue Stone encouraged you to explore the basic principles of design and composition by using either a photographic image or your imagination as a starting point for a small stitched work inspired by your own personal interests.

And last week mixed media artist and creativity expert Merill Comeau shared with you techniques for incorporating stitched words into your art using a variety of expressive stitches to reinforce the message at the heart of your work.

Check out Sue and Merill’s workshops now

And this week we’re delighted to welcome paper and stitch pioneer Jennifer Collier to lead the final workshop of the Community Stitch Challenge 2021.

Who is Jennifer Collier?

Jennifer Collier creates exquisite sculptures from vintage recycled papers in conjunction with stitch for a contemporary twist on traditional textiles. The papers serve as both the inspiration and the media for the work.

She completed a BA (hons) in Textiles in 1999 at Manchester Metropolitan University, is internationally exhibited, and has had her art featured in over 60 magazines and over 15 books.

What is Jennifer’s workshop all about?

This is a sampler’s workshop with a difference! Jennifer will inspire you to experiment with traditional stitches, but instead of using fabric as your base, you’ll be using paper.

You’ll explore a variety of techniques including Cathedral Windows, Suffolk Puffs, button loops and patchworking, and you’ll incorporate your own beautiful papers, to create a very personal piece, full of meaning and treasured memories.

The work can be made with just hand stitch, but Jennifer will also offer a few hints and tips for anyone choosing to stitch the project together on the machine.

Watch the workshop video

What to do next

• Download the accompanying workbook for Jennifer’s stitch challenge
• Join the Community Stitch Challenge Facebook Group
• Discover more about Jennifer’s approach to making textile art here
• Got questions for Jennifer and don’t want to join the Facebook group? No worries! Leave a comment below.

Jennifer Q&A replay

Watch all of Jennifer’s answers to questions during her workshop week in the replay below

Welcome to the second free workshop of the Community Stitch Challenge 2021 with US fiber artist Merill Comeau.

Here’s the lowdown. It’s important to us that we do our part in bringing together this wonderful global community of stitchers (that’s you!).

And that’s why we enlisted the help of some amazing practitioners and textile art tutors to bring you a series of three 100% free workshops.

The Community Stitch Challenge 2021 so far…

Last week we welcomed texture and pattern expert Sue Stone. We’ve probably only mentioned this a few thousand times (we’re very proud sons) but Sue is our mum so we know firsthand just how amazed she was by the work that’s already been created in response to her video and workbook.

She told us, “I can’t believe how inventive everyone has been. The range of different ideas and variety in how the brief was interpreted really blew me away. And the support within the community is really heartening too.”

Check out Sue Stone’s workshop here

And now it’s time for a new challenge with the incredible Merill Comeau.

Who is Merill Comeau?

Merill Comeau is a mixed media artist from the US, who creates installations, murals and garments examining narratives of repair and regeneration.

In addition to drawing and painting, Merill deconstructs, reconstructs, and alters clothing and linens to disrupt, reorder, and build stories exploring common human concerns.

What is Merill’s workshop all about?

Continuing the long history of using words in art, Merill will encourage you to incorporate stitched words into an artwork.

You’ll begin with super-quick writing exercises to help generate a word, phrase, missive, or adage. You’ll then research and choose a font that helps illustrate your chosen message and discover a range of methods for transferring these letters onto fabric.

Merill will teach a variety of expressive stitches encouraging you to think about reinforcing your message with your chosen stitch style. At the end of the workshop you can choose to make either a full textile piece or a series of samples.

Watch the workshop video

What to do next

• Download the accompanying workbook for Merill’s stitch challenge
• Join the Community Stitch Challenge Facebook Group
• Discover more about Merill’s approach to making textile art here
• Got questions for Merill and don’t want to join the Facebook group? No worries! Leave a comment below.

Merill Q&A replay

Watch all of Merill’s answers to questions during her workshop week in the replay below

Back in March 2020, when we were all facing the realities of lockdown for the first time, in-person stitch workshops were cancelled and embroidery groups were forced to shut up shop.

During this challenging time, here at TextileArtist.org we felt compelled to do our part to help you stay connected and keep creative.

The free Community Stitch Challenge was born!

We teamed up with some amazing textile artists working in landscape, illustrative stitch and portraiture to bring you a series of free taster-workshops.

Your positivity in the face of adversity was inspiring!

Over 20,000 stitchers got involved…

“This whole experience has been an unbelievably positive focus and the community of stitchers involved have been generous, supportive and enriching!” 

“I want to express my full appreciation for all you have done for me and thousands of stitchers around the world. It has been an amazing journey expanding my knowledge, skill and appreciation of the many ways to express oneself in textile art! ”

“After a long period of drifting I have my stitching mojo back. The work you all are doing is keeping stitchers from all over the world together and inspired.”

Check out inspirational stories from more of last year’s participants and take a look at some of the breathtaking textile art they made

Introducing… the Community Stitch Challenge 2021

The Community stitch challenge is a 100% free way for you to connect with other passionate embroiderers within the TextileArtist.org community and take part in a shared stitch experience.

We’re super excited to announce that every Monday (for three weeks only from March 15th 2021), a different textile artist will deliver a burst of inspiration especially for you in the form of brand new online workshops for you to take part in from the comfort of your own home.

But stitching at home doesn’t mean stitching alone. Because every day you can check in and chat with your fellow stitchers in the special Community Stitch Challenge Facebook group.

Not on Facebook? No worries. We’ll be posting the challenge every week here on the TextileArtist.org website too.

And this week’s challenge is led by someone very close to our hearts…our mum, Sue Stone.

Who is Sue Stone?

Sue is a celebrated textile artist who has taught stitch workshops all over the world, including in the UK, US, Canada and France. She is former Chair of the world renowned 62 Group of Textile Artists and has exhibited her figurative embroidery globally.

On top of all that, she’s the inspiration behind TextileArtist.org, the reason we started the site in the first place – so who better to kick off the community stitch challenge?

What is Sue’s workshop all about?

In this workshop you’ll explore the basic principles of design and composition to make a small work inspired by your own personal interests.

Using either a photographic image or your imagination, you’ll begin by making a quick two minute sketch. If you’re screaming at the screen, “But I can’t draw!”, no worries! Sue will share with you a simple no-fear sketching exercise (that absolutely anyone can do) to get you started.

The subject of your sketch could be an animal, a plant or a face, or perhaps an object like a vase or a mask, or maybe even a simple building like a shed or a beach hut. Anything goes!

From there you’ll use straightforward materials and techniques such as appliqué and simple hand stitch to explore how line, shape, colour, texture and negative space can all play their part in the design process and how your focal point can be reinforced by using the rule of thirds.

Along the way you’ll develop your understanding of balance, contrast, movement, unity and variety.

Watch the workshop video

What to do next

• Download the accompanying workbook for Sue’s stitch challenge
• Join the Community Stitch Challenge Facebook Group
• Discover more about Sue’s approach to making textile art here
• Got questions for Sue and don’t want to join the Facebook group? No worries! Leave a comment below.

Sue Q&A replay

Watch all of Sue’s answers to questions during her workshop week in the replay below

Creative lessons from workshop leaders & members

Imagine for a moment you’re writing the book of your creative life. 

What tale will the chapter entitled ‘2020’ tell?

It wouldn’t be much of a story if our protagonist didn’t face some adversity. 

You probably won’t have to dig too deep for source material where that’s concerned.

After all, most of the channels you’ve come to rely on to feed your creativity have been blocked at every turn this year. 

Textile art workshops have been cancelled, embroidery groups put on hold and exhibitions delayed.

But the really compelling part of the narrative comes from how you’re negotiating those challenges. How you’re adapting. And how those adaptations have the potential to make a long lasting, positive impact on your life as a stitcher.

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Linda’s stitch story

Linda had felt creatively stifled for a long time.

Living in a remote rural area, textile art workshops weren’t easily accessible under normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic. 

And even when opportunities to connect with other stitchers and learn from respected tutors did come up, the cost of travel and accommodation made them prohibitive.

With little to spark her imagination, Linda felt her work had become stale.

Perhaps you can relate? Especially if kindred spirits are few and far between and you have no idea where to turn for inspiration and guidance?

For Linda, nothing was going to change unless she did something she felt extremely nervous about…

She took the leap and signed up to online workshops for the very first time via the TextileArtist.org Stitch Club.

“I had never done any online classes and was anxious about it but quickly discovered that everyone is there to help me. 

Virtual learning has opened up an exciting new world for me that I didn’t know existed. I’m being exposed to teaching and learning that I could never access otherwise.

Stitch Club has given me a more experimental way of thinking and expressing myself. I have learned that the only limits are the ones I put on myself. I can be brave and try something simply for the experience.”

Linda Page, Stitch Club member

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The birth of Stitch Club

Here at TextileArtist.org we’re always asking ourselves how we can better fulfil our mission to help stitchers like you (and Linda) feed your love of making art with fabric and thread.

This question came into even sharper focus in 2020, when being connected to like minded people felt more crucial than ever and creativity became a vital means of escape and comfort. 

Our answer was the TextileArtist.org Stitch Club, a creative safe space where you can share your journey with a community of stitchers from all over the world and learn from some of the most inspiring artists working with textile techniques.

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Mieke’s stitch story

Mieke admired stitched artwork but had never plucked up the courage to make anything herself.

“I joined Stitch Club to push myself and to my delight, I am fascinated by working with textiles.

I’m blown away by how inspired I feel and how much I’ve learned about backgrounds, using colour, analysing what works and what doesn’t.

This is much more than just a hobby for me now.”

Mieke Lockefeer, Stitch Club member

What Mieke is discovering is that creativity and community aren’t just for lockdown!  

And that’s why Stitch Club is here to stay.

After almost 6 months of inspiring workshops, this feels like the perfect moment to celebrate and reflect on the creative lessons you can take away from the Stitch Club experience so far (even if you’re not a member!)

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Working towards ‘originality’

Debbie Lyddon workshop: The story of objects

Stitch Club launched in May 2020 with a workshop from UK textile artist and current Chair of the renowned 62 Group Debbie Lyddon.

Debbie invited members to create beautiful unique vessels with fabric and thread.

Jane Cook came into Stitch Club with a lot of technical skill, but struggled to think outside the box or push the boundaries of her techniques. She longed to express herself creatively but felt like she’d never been shown how to develop a more personal or inventive approach.

Finally, after stitching for about 60 years, Jane has discovered that experimenting through play ignites her creative flame.

“I’m not a risk taker but now I tell myself, what’s the worst thing that will happen if I use that fabric or this thread?

Stitch Club has transformed how I feel about what I do. When I completed Debbie’s workshop I looked at what I had done and thought ‘did I really make that?’

I can feel my confidence increase and my skills improve with each new workshop as I experiment and stretch my ability to make decisions.”

Jane Cook (Stitch Club founding member)

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Clarissa Callesen workshop: Sculpting with stitches

Perhaps, like Jane, you’ve struggled to use your textile techniques in an inventive, personal way?

The inspiring US artist Clarissa Callesen, best known for her textural sculptures made with recycled materials, has some valuable advice about ‘originality’, which she shared with Stitch Club members in a recent Q&A.

Check out the short video below!

In response to Clarissa’s fascinating workshop, members created a range of forms, then embellished and stitched them together into their own unique sculptures. The range of individual interpretations was breathtaking!

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Gregory T. Wilkins workshop: Ordinary to extraordinary

Have you ever felt like you’re so focused on the end result that you forget to enjoy the journey? Or that you become overly concerned with being neat and tidy?

Perhaps what you need is the permission to play!

US artist Gregory T Wilkins inspired stitchers to go wild with mark making as a starting point for a mixed media stitched piece.

Encouraged to use whatever she had to hand (whether that was paint, ink, marker pens or crayon), the abandonment of this approach was out of Stitch Club member Jo Eds’ comfort zone.

“I have always struggled with trying to be too precise but I really enjoyed experimenting with different mark making tools. Adding stitches and beads tied it all together.

For the first time I managed to really focus on the process rather than the outcome, which was very freeing.“

Jo Eds, Stitch Club member

Now Jo has embraced her newfound inner rebel.

“I wasn’t sure how I’d find Stitch Club as my disability leaves me with little energy, but I am really glad I joined. I am loving playing with new techniques and I like that I can put my own spin on the pieces I make.”

Jo Eds, Stitch Club member

Embracing limitations

Julie B Booth workshop: Exploring blanket stitch

Not every stitcher struggles to break free and get inventive with the rules.

But ‘free spirit syndrome’ comes with its own challenges. Total creative liberation can lead to total creative confusion.

Ever thrown out the rule book only to find what you’re making lacks purpose or identity? Without any limitations at all, ingenuity becomes almost impossible.

After all you can only break the rules of the game, if you know what they are to begin with.

A fact that textile artist, teacher and author of Fabric Printing at Home Julie B Booth knows only too well.

In her workshop for Stitch Club, Julie introduced members to the Stitch Play Game, in which they randomly selected words from a list to determine a design layout and character for a piece.

The challenge? To use only buttonhole or blanket stitch in the composition of that piece. And nothing else!

“I initially struggled with the concept of just using one colour and one stitch, and buttonhole stitch at that!

But Julie is very persuasive, and after I started to see some pieces by other members appear in the Stitch Club I thought I’d give it a go and soon I was gripped by the infinite possibilities!”

Yvonne Schlapfer-Parle, Stitch Club founding member

“I found Stitch Club to be brimming with inspiration and creativity! I think this workshop challenged stitchers to really experiment and come up with something completely original.

Having the random element forced them to think outside the box. Having some structure/limits took away the anxiety of having too many choices.

There was such an incredible variety of results including a focus on texture and mark-making, patterning, nature-inspired, landscape and even a couple of portraits. One piece even came completely off the surface! Bravo Stitch Club members for your courage, tenacity and willingness to “play” the game!”

Julie B Booth, Stitch Club workshop leader

Sue Stone workshop: The power of three

Former Chair of the 62 Group of Textile Artists and a Fellow of the UK Society of Designer Craftsmen Sue Stone has long been a cheerleader for the huge potential of simple, traditional embroidery stitches.

Sue encouraged members to ask ‘What if?’ and push the boundaries of just three simple stitch techniques, three fabrics and three threads to embellish a strip-woven background.

By embracing and gently pushing the boundaries of this type of exercise, stitchers like Marie are becoming more inventive.

“After just a few months of working with the Stitch Club my approach to material and techniques has become freer. 

In retrospect, it feels like my love of textiles was lying dormant in a corner of my being, and since joining the Stitch Club, it has bloomed. I am finally delving deep into the amazing world of textiles and threads.”

Marie Haas, Stitch Club founding member

So if you’ve ever struggled to get started when faced with the prospect of a ‘blank canvas’, try setting yourself some simple rules from the beginning. You can veer away from them once you find your flow, but at least you’ll be empowered to make the first mark!

Mandy Pattullo workshop: Fabric concertina

Joy had always resisted this kind of structured approach to making textile art.

“Normally I find it nearly impossible to create a set plan. Until recently I viewed this aspect of my working process as a bad habit that I needed to break.”

But when Mandy Pattullo (author of the best selling book Textile Collage) encouraged Stitch Club members to construct tactile concertina books collaged with leftover scraps and recycled fabric, Joy had a revelation.

“I began to more fully appreciate that the actual act of stitching is for me a most joyous affair. I began to really trust in my intuitive process.

The workshop helped me appreciate that we each have our own way of working and that it’s important that we embrace rather than fight it.”

Joy Scott, Stitch Club founding member

Stitching your stories

Anne Kelly workshop: Mapping your journey

How do you look beyond techniques for ways to make your work unique and personal?

Finding ways to honour precious memories was the theme of Anne Kelly’s workshop.

Taking inspiration from her forthcoming book Textile Travels, Anne inspired stitchers to trap old photos, receipts and other collected items within their work to capture a sense of themselves and their journeys.

Ailish Henderson workshop: Stitched collage portraits

In sharing her unusual and inspiring approach to creating self portraits, young artist, researcher and educator Ailish Henderson demonstrated a method for transferring sketch to stitch.

Similarly to Anne, Ailish was keen for members to incorporate special items such as receipts, tickets and photographs into their work. But the results couldn’t have been more different!

“I was taken aback and actually felt quite emotional by the response to the workshop. I walk away inspired by the students and I feel I want to keep reflecting back on their work!”

Ailish Henderson, Stitch Club workshop leader

Haf Weighton workshop: Textile typography

Has your stitch practice ever become a cathartic experience?

In her Stitch Club workshop, Welsh speaking artist Haf Weighton shared a technique for transferring typography onto fabric in a project that gave members a chance to reflect on their experiences of the pandemic.

The stories conveyed in a wide range of responses took Haf on what she describes as an “emotional rollercoaster”.

“In describing their work, people talk about their families and ancestors, their health concerns, the beauty of the natural environment where they reside or somewhere they have visited, their hopes, and their fears.

Often, what people have to say is so personal and moving it makes me cry.

I think this is amazing. Stitch Club has created an environment that is so warm and welcoming, so supportive and kind and non-judgemental, that people feel safe in pouring their hearts out. What a strange and wonderful phenomenon!”

Christine Peterson, Stitch Club founding member

Getting outside of your comfort zone

Emily Tull workshop: Getting lippy!

Ever told yourself, ‘That technique doesn’t appeal’ or ‘That’s not my type of thing?’ You could be missing out on something that surprises you and takes your work in entirely new and exciting directions.

Stitch Club member Linda Florio was initially intimidated by the challenge of stitching faces and she wasn’t alone.

But like so many other members, Linda found Emily Tull’s tuition in observation addictive and is planning on exploring figurative stitch in more detail.

“Being introduced to so many different artists and materials has broadened the scope of what is possible and inspired me to really look around and explore and to think more about the direction I am most interested in.

The Stitch Club has become a wonderful and fulfilling part of my creative life.”

Linda Florio, Stitch Club founding member

Susie Vickery workshop: Treasure from trash

Australian artist Susie Vickery’s workshop merged a traditional technique with modern-day themes of waste.

Susie prompted members to repurpose plastic bags which otherwise would end up as landfill and use them to create a piece based on Jacobean crewel work.

“I was very unsure about this workshop but once I got started I was amazed at how the plastic changed in appearance opening up my mind to all sorts of possibilities.”

Linda Okane, Stitch Club member

The lesson? Stay open-minded! Initial resistance could be a sign you’re about to make a truly wonderful creative breakthrough.

“I loved seeing everyone’s work and the zeal with which people appreciated being pushed out of their comfort zone.” 

Susie Vickery, Stitch Club workshop leader

Going at your own pace

Cas Holmes workshop: Momigami landscapes

Have you ever done an online course and found yourself playing catch up, only to fall so far behind that there’s almost no point in trying?

What makes Stitch Club unique is that it’s not a course. It’s a club. And that means there are no deadlines.

Stitch Club member Aine Nic Giolla Choille discovered through a Momigami workshop (in which she learned the Japanese technique of transforming found papers into flexible cloth-like form) that when it comes to creativity, the only right pace is her pace.

“My achievement this week has simply been to thoroughly enjoy SLOW momigami… spending quiet time kneading, squeezing, unrolling and stroking papers. I luxuriated in this tactile experience, handling paper both with strength and gentleness, delighted to discover and reveal the fibres within.” 

Aine Nic Giolla Choille, Stitch Club founding member

Words that were echoed by the workshop leader herself, Cas Holmes (one of the very first textile artists we ever featured on TextileArtist.org).

“What impressed me most was the way you Stitch Club members shared and supported each other.

I also want to stress that it is OK to take time over these wonderful workshop exercises from such a diverse and skilled range of practitioners! Over time, through reflection, we each build new skills and a textile language of our own.”

Cas Holmes, Stitch Club workshop leader

Merill Comeau workshop: Expressive stitch

Jane Branney learned the power of reflection and repetition from US artist Merill Comeau. Rather than rushing on before she was ready Jane chose to make multiple pieces in response to the Expressive Stitch workshop. 

Merril encouraged members to use imagery from nature and salvaged fabrics to create beautiful, unique collages.

With each new piece Jane made, she tailored the process and began to incorporate other techniques like machine embroidery to mould the guidelines to her own practice. And with each new piece her interpretation developed and strengthened.

Maybe you’ve found it challenging to find the motivation to stitch at all in this most challenging of years? That’s ok (and entirely understandable). Sometimes the only way to cope with a crisis is to hunker down and look after yourself.

Maybe you’ve felt creatively ‘stuck’. Without the focus of specific projects, guidance from inspiring teachers or interaction with your fellow stitchers, generating new and exciting ideas for your textile art can feel like an impossibility.

Our hope is that the creative lessons in this article can help you reconnect with your creativity and make stitching part of your self care. That the insights from Stitch Club members can help you discover what you want to make and how you want to make it.

Because there’s still time to change the way your ‘2020’ chapter ends!

Marianne Crosslé grew up in rural Northern Ireland and always thought she would have a career in art. As a teenager, she applied to the School of Art in Belfast but was rejected. It was a blow to her confidence. So much so, that she didn’t make ‘art’ again for a very long time.

Having a successful career as a stage and production manager in theatre, on her 70th birthday Marianne decided it was time to re-engage with her artistic instincts and signed up for a two-year City and Guilds (C&G) Certificate in Fine Arts Textiles. She poured all of her passion and commitment into the course and graduated with Distinction in all four units.

‘By this point, I was a big fan of TextileArtist.org, so when the Exploring Texture & Pattern with Sue Stone online course started to be mentioned, I practically stood at my computer, waiting to hit the registration button as soon as it went live.’

‘I loved every moment of the course. It’s not an understatement to say I’m a completely different person because of what I learned in terms of confidence and inventiveness.’

Marianne has a newfound confidence in her artistic ability and has embraced freedom in her approach to making textile art. ‘I could always sew. I was good at “engineering” textiles to work in a particular way, such as for magic and illusion acts or special effects. And now I can make art with a needle and thread.’

Now Marianne is also using what she’s learned to teach others; a series of short courses in a variety of textile techniques. And she has two new textile art projects in the pipeline. One is based on the style of the Bayeux Tapestry and the other is a series of self-portraits drawn with thread, a skill she honed during her time as a student on Exploring Texture & Pattern.

In this interview with Marianne, which is part of a series featuring members of the TextileArtist.org community, she tells us how textile art gave her a new lease of life at the age of 70.

A rebel with needle and thread

TextileArtist.org: Tell us a bit about your history with art and hand stitch

Marianne Crosslé: Drawing and sewing have always been a part of me, they feel instinctive, and they feel connected. When I was very young my mother gave me a book, Drawing Horses, by John Skeaping, and I did…on everything. And most of the time when I should have been attending to schoolwork. I drew horses in my version of the style of John Skeaping, and I still do.

In the 1950s, aged eight, I would run down our glen to a little public elementary school where Miss Adeline Ellison taught me to sew toys, garments and domestic textiles – and all painstakingly stitched by hand.
We learnt how to knit, darn and repair various types of damage to clothing (who, of my generation, doesn’t remember mastering the hedge tear darn?) and to do it beautifully.

At that early age, we learnt how to make a silk, or more probably rayon, full-length slip with rouleau straps and scalloped edges worked in blanket stitch. Mine was pale green, and ever the rebel, I insisted that my scallops would be worked in bright red thread!

Later, at grammar school, the tuition continued and we made samples, which were pasted into a book and annotated for future reference.
I was benefitting from the tail end of the Needlework Development Scheme and I owe my skill with a needle and thread to Miss Ellison’s exacting tuition.

When I returned to needlework all these years on, I was greatly amused and interested to find the same teaching techniques in Constance Howard’s books and in the Exploring Texture & Pattern course – Sue Stone having been taught by Constance Howard. I have been taught to sew by the best, and in the very best way.

Throughout my teens, I was able to reconstruct my clothing to more closely resemble the styles produced by Mary Quant, styles which were unavailable, and unseen, in rural Northern Ireland. I cut up my boring conventional skirts and reconstructed them as minis with sassy wide belts that sat on the hip; I bought string vests, dyed them red, or navy blue and added a contrasting lining to make a hippy top to wear with jeans; I added embroidery to skirts and waistcoats made from old jeans – sewing and making came as easily as breathing.

(The Needlework Development Scheme (NDS) was a collaborative project between art and design education and industry. Originally established in Scotland in 1934, its aim was to encourage embroidery and to raise the standard of design in Britain. Source: The V&A: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/needlework-development-scheme/)

Starting again at 70

Tell us a bit about your personal journey and why you decided to take the Exploring Texture & Pattern course?

I thought I would earn my living in art and set off, brimming with youthful confidence, to enrol in the Belfast School of Art…and was not offered a place.

So I pursued my second choice, the professional theatre, where I was to spend the next fifty (mainly) very happy years working in stage management and production. In this environment, I had opportunities to sew and make: upholstery, props and repairs, and more interesting projects in magic and illusion – a lot of black lycra was involved!

Occasionally I wondered how a career in art might have turned out had I pursued it, and on my 70th birthday, I decided the time had come to return to that aspiration and give it another go.

I don’t know what prompted me to approach it through textile art but I found a City and Guilds Level 3 course in Fine Arts Textiles at my local college and went back to school part-time. I had no idea what to expect, nor where it would lead, but for the next two years I spent one glorious day a week studying art in the morning, and needlework in the afternoon, and graduated with my precious City and Guilds Certificate, specialising in hand-stitched embroidery.

I didn’t find it easy; there was resistance, and angst over my ability to understand and to convert the understanding into inspiration. There were exercises, in the fine art classes, where I just didn’t get it, didn’t enjoy it and felt inadequate.

One day, at work, I mentioned this to a very much younger colleague who came from a Fine Arts background and she said the magic words which got me on track. She said ‘Just do it, and by the end of your course you’ll find that you never look at anything the same way again…and you’ll know why you did those exercises’. She was right, absolutely bang on, a light came on at that moment and I didn’t resist again.

By this time I had discovered TextileArtist.org, so when word of an online course began to appear I knew I was going to jump right in the minute the enrolment button went live!

I very quickly realised that to make the most of the opportunity I should go back to college to add a Decorated Textile unit to my certificate. This gave me a deadline for completing the Exploring Texture & Pattern course so I worked hard, and consistently, and completed the night before the start of term.

I have so many key takeaways from Exploring Texture & Pattern, but the number one thing the course gifted me was confidence. That came from making the sampling a consistent daily practice – turning up and putting in the hours.

Unlocking creativity through limitations

What elements of making textile art were you struggling with in terms of the creative process before and how has your approach changed as a result of Exploring Texture & Pattern?

I always believed that I was a creative person and was shocked to find that ‘original’ ideas just didn’t flood out of my imagination as I expected they would. It was a humbling experience, it was a sort of artist’s block, sitting down with a piece of white fabric and wondering how to go from there and thinking I haven’t a single artistic idea in my head.

The structure of the units within the course contributed to changing my approach – I found, and find, that the simple device of making the piece of fabric ‘not white’ helps. By which I mean start with some strip weaving, or the application of some paint, and use that as the ground on which to base my design.

I had not come across strip weaving before and I had not thought of using paint in a stitched piece. Discovering these techniques opened things up and generated a lot of ideas, as did the use of appliqué. Once I discovered the possibilities of storytelling in fabric and stitch, using these new found techniques, I began to be free of artist’s block.

Working within limitations in order to fuel the creative process is a core concept of the course. How did you find that limitations affected the way you worked?

This was the key that unlocked my creativity – I love the simplicity of working with just one or two stitches and a very limited palette, maybe just black and white. I found that I could draw with thread, and get very fine detail, with just running stitch, or a combination of running stitch, back stitch and seeding, and have great pleasure in working.

I found that limiting your techniques and colour palette is powerful; acknowledging and accepting that you’re not going to be unique or original, you’re going to be you and that is enough.

And how has your work developed? Has it changed in any way?

My work is changing and it’s a learning process. I am very drawn to wonkiness, the abstract, to big, bold untidy stitching but invariably find myself making tiny stitches, fine detail, creating depth with shading. I am learning and improving all the time, I sew every day, I have a list of projects for the future.

Becoming a ‘textile artist’

What did you most enjoy about the course?

I enjoyed turning up and putting in the hours every day (advice from Sue Stone, and also from an artist whose work ethic I admire – the ceramicist Grayson Perry) I liked the down to earth approach, the flow of the units, the lack of pressure, the fact that I knew that this was a seriously professional course and that an enormous amount of planning had gone in to make it so.

I absolutely loved the interaction with fellow students around the world on the private Facebook page. This was a very motivating and supportive environment and I felt that these were people I actually knew, as the names, faces and styles became familiar. They still feel like my tribe, and I thank them for all their feedback and reactions.

How were you supported on the course by Sue and the other students and did the interaction play an important role in your development?

I felt very supported – it is all part of the meticulous planning and professionalism of the team who put the course together. I felt supported by fellow students, the production team and by Sue.

I know this has had a significant impact on my development and will continue to do so. I cannot think of a single way in which I would have wished it to be different – artistically, practically, technically or in content.

What has been your experience of making textile art since completing the course and which elements of the teaching do you revisit when creating your work if any?

I continue to sew every day and to plan future projects. I set out with the goal of becoming a textile artist and that is how I regard myself now. By ‘textile artist’ I mean consistently engaged in the creation of work pleasing to me, to exhibit and offer for sale, in my own time.

I am currently working on a project which will comprise three individual stitched pieces – with an equestrian theme. I was taught to ride by my mother and for the first 21 years of my life, I rode every day.

There were three significant characters in my life during those youthful years – Poppy, my first pony; Stardust, the teenage stage pony and Moonfleet, my cob and the last horse I owned, the last time I rode regularly. I am creating a piece from photographs of each of them, with me onboard.

I am allowing this to evolve and develop, by planning, sampling and embracing the various little setbacks that are coming from something so personal and from so long ago.

Make do and mend

Tell us about a piece of work you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of and why.

I actually love them all! I particularly like a black and whitewall hanging, one metre square, based on Beatrix Potter’s children’s book, The Tailor of Gloucester. I loved making it and it was an opportunity to put into practice the learning from the course – running stitch, appliqué, a few limitations.

Can you talk us through the creation of this piece from conception to creation.

I have always loved the story, and the descriptions of the fabrics the tailor used, the magnificent colours and the perfect stitching. Of course, the book is illustrated with Beatrix Potter’s beautiful watercolours and I was planning something monochrome and with wonky organic stitching, loose threads and no straight lines.

I am very drawn to ‘make do and mend’ so it would be made from recycled materials, only what I had in the house, nothing new would be bought for it. I’m not precious about what I make – I want my work to invite the onlooker to touch it, handle it, feel the materials, look closely at the detail, turn it over and look at the back. All the things you don’t expect to do with works of art!

I have a reason for that – I have great respect for those women in different parts of the world who, in the past and in great hardship, made domestic textiles with whatever came to hand and still cared to make them beautiful.

My tailor piece is hand stitched throughout, and backed and bound in ticking. It has channels at the top and lower edges – three folded triangular pieces secured within the binding and sewn down with a couple of stitches and a bead – so there is something to please the eye on the back as well.

Have you shown any of the work you’ve made and what has the response been?

Yes, I’ve shown a few things and had lovely feedback. I had a table at two Christmas arts and crafts fairs last year and brought along a couple of bigger pieces to dress the table – the tailor piece got a lot of attention and I felt very encouraged.

Perhaps you can relate to Marianne’s story? Did you make a connection with creativity later in life? We’d love to hear your stitch stories in the comments section below.

For the last twenty years, Imelda Connolly harboured a secret dream. The dream of becoming an artist. But with no formal training, she fuelled her passion by creating small textile collages in private, never finding the courage to share what she made.

She would while away hours in fabric shops seeking out unusual textured and patterned fabrics.

But she became increasingly frustrated by the limitations of relying purely on the materials themselves to create interest and lacked confidence in her own abilities; she longed to have the skill to make her own designs with stitch.

With no access to suitable in-person courses in her area, Imelda began to search for guidance online.But the courses she found were expensive and required lengthy commitments.

When Imelda discovered TextileArtist.org and Sue Stone’s online course Exploring Texture & Pattern she jumped at the chance to register; it felt like a chance to discover new and exciting ways of using embroidery to enhance the visual complexity of the work she was making. And the balance of structure and flexibility (being able to do the creative challenges in her own time) felt less pressured than taking a more formal course.

‘As I moved through the assignments, started posting my work online, and interacted with other students, I became more confident in my ability to use basic stitches in a unique way and started to enjoy showing my work to others.’

Imelda tells us that her life changed ‘dramatically’ after completing the course. As a result of the positive feedback and encouragement she received from Sue and the other students, she joined the Cork Textile Network (CTN).
She immediately had two pieces accepted for the Knitting & Stitching Show and submitted two others to a CTN exhibition named Passing Through, one of which (Mountain View) won the Long Note Award.

In this interview, Imelda tells us more about finding courage in her creativity through being part of a community of textile enthusiasts and how couching, layering and mixing threads in the needle have become integral to her work.

Discovering infinite possibilities with simple stitches

TextileArtist.org: Tell us a bit about your history with art and hand stitch.

Imelda Connolly: My mother Teresa worked from home as a tailor and dressmaker. And so from an early age, I was surrounded by fabrics and threads and the frequent sound of her working away on her Singer sewing machine.

In addition, my parents were close friends with the artist John Skelton and we went to all his exhibitions and often visited his studio to see his latest works.

My sister Patricia McKenna was always very interested in art and she went to the NCAD art college to study Fine Art and became an art lecturer and an installation, multi-media artist. Over the years she has exhibited widely in Ireland, the United States and throughout Europe and recently her work was included in the Collateral Personal Structures exhibition in the Venice Biennale 2017. I’ve attended many of Patricia’s exhibitions and as a result, I’ve come in contact with a wide range of modern art, sculpture and multi-media work.

However, I ended up following a variety of interests which sent me in many different directions from my early textile and art influences.

I became a First Aid instructor, teacher and education lecturer, a computer-mediated communication researcher, ethnomusicologist, a traditional Irish music researcher, and an environmentalist carrying out research with my husband Michael into sustainable fish farming, water pollution reduction and energy conservation.

I also travelled and moved house with Michael and we lived in Canada, Missouri and many different parts of Ireland.

Throughout my adult life, I have always enjoyed crafts based hobbies. At different times I tried out crochet, knitting, weaving, patchwork, batik and felting and I attended some evening classes in pottery and embroidery. Initially, I followed kits and instructions for embroidery, patchwork, knitting and so on and did not design anything myself.

Tell us a bit about your personal journey.

As the years passed by I began to focus more on textiles than on other crafts. I tentatively began to make fabric collages using my own designs. At this stage, I relied on the fabrics themselves to provide textures and patterns.

I really wanted to do some kind of course which would help me understand design principles and how to develop my textile skills. I would have loved to have been able to actually attend textile design classes somewhere but my home is in rural Ireland, a long distance from any art colleges.

When I looked at online courses I found that they were not suitable for me since they were either too expensive or involved long course commitments or examinations. I wanted to learn in a less pressured way.

When I read about Sue Stone’s Exploring Texture & Pattern course I was very excited as it was exactly what I was looking for. The course seemed to be very well organised but still allowed flexibility so that students could work at their own speed through the assignments.

I loved Sue Stone’s work and could see that she was using stitches in a very creative way to create textural designs. I was one of the first students to enrol in the original outing of the course in June 2017.

What were your key takeaways from Exploring Texture & Pattern in terms of process?

A key takeaway for me has been to practice and experiment with stitches first, break down any challenge into smaller elements and take it slowly step by step.

Because each assignment was small with grids of only 5cm x 5cm, it was not a very daunting task and so it was easy to just try one little area and then the next and so on. This process encouraged me to stay calm and not to be frazzled by the work.

Experimenting with running stitch in the first module helped me see that by varying the threads, spacing and direction of stitches, very interesting effects could be achieved.

By the time we were introduced to the whole range of simple stitches – running stitch, backstitch, mock herringbone and couching and we could experiment with layering, mixing threads in the needle and weaving, an endless range of possibilities lay before us.

I could see that I did not have to continue to search for particular pieces of fabric to make my designs since I could make the patterns and textures myself, which was a big step forward.

Embracing creative confidence

What elements of making textile art were you struggling with in terms of the creative process and how has your approach changed?

Before I did the course I was very unsure of my creative potential, my textile skills and design abilities. I had very little confidence in myself as a ‘maker’.

However, my experience of doing the stitch experiments and getting positive feedback from Sue and the other students helped build up my confidence. I gained a lot of ‘inside’ information on design, presenting work, exhibitions and solutions to many technical problems from Sue during the webinars; she was always available to give advice and help when needed.

When the course ended I felt confident enough to join the Cork Textile Network (CTN), a group here in Ireland, and within a few weeks of joining I was invited to submit work to an exhibition.

Two small pieces were accepted into the exhibition and I was so thrilled and excited. I know that before I started the course I would never have dreamed of submitting work to an exhibition.

Working within limitations in order to fuel the creative process is a core concept of the course. How did you find that limitations affected the way you worked?

The limited nature of the assignments (for example, using the grid system, spacing, mixing threads in the needle and layering) removed any worries I had that I was not ‘artistic’ or ‘creative’ enough since I was looking at one simple stitch and how many ways I could vary it.

The assignments were achievable enough to change the focus from my own abilities to solving a small puzzle and using simple stitches to complete interesting patterns and textures.

It was great to see the novel way in which other students solved these puzzles when they posted their work and I think this encouraged all of us to be braver and try out different ideas without worrying too much about their success or failure.

And how has your work developed?

The CTN invited all of the members to submit work for an exhibition called ‘Heads and Tales’.

For the ‘Heads’ exhibition we were asked to do a self-portrait and they invited Sue Stone to come to Cork and run a workshop to help the CTN members develop their self-portraits. Sue was a great help to all of the participants and brought along many samples of her work to guide us. When the self-portraits were completed they were exhibited in the Knitting and Stitching Show 2018 in London, Dublin and Harrogate. 

When I finished my self-portrait I initially thought I would follow Sue Stone’s example and work on my own family portraits, but as I worked on my piece for the ‘Tales’ exhibition called ‘The Call of the Wild’ I found that I was more intrigued by making landscape pieces.

Since then I’ve become very interested in perspective and textures in landscape. I am now working on creating landscapes which have depth and textural interest.

Since I started making landscapes last year I feel I have developed my skills in this area and I have particularly enjoyed my recent work in which I tried to convey the 3D nature of rocks by using wadding, water soluble fabric and hand stitching. 

The positive impact of community

What did you most enjoy about Exploring Texture & Pattern and what were the greatest challenges?

Two of the most useful skills I discovered while doing this course were mixing threads in the needle (see the picture below: Mixing threads in the needle and weaving assignment – influenced by Murano glass which I saw in Venice) and couching. I have continued to use these techniques in many of my pieces since taking the course.

The greatest challenge was to keep going. It was sometimes tempting to put off starting the next assignment especially if it seemed initially difficult or unfamiliar. However, the practice of taking up the next challenge and trying it out in the small grids helped keep me motivated.

How were you supported on the course and did the interaction with Sue and the other students play an important role in your development?

I suspect that students who study in art colleges can gain very valuable experience from showing, displaying and discussing their work with others. I never had that experience so I kept any work I did more or less hidden from others.

Many people I knew from my teaching, musical or environmental working life did not know that I was interested in textiles at all. So my biggest fear was showing my work to others, worrying that it was and that my textile skills were poor.

However, like a child taking their first wobbly steps in a supportive environment, I found that Sue and the other students helped me tremendously as I posted images of my assignments. Even if my posts were mediocre (and many of them were) the comments and feedback from the other students and Sue helped to give me the confidence to continue and begin to view myself as a textile artist.

What has been your experience of making textile art since completing the course and which elements of the teaching do you revisit when creating your work if any?

Joining CTN in the group’s twentieth-year celebrations involved exhibitions in the Knitting and Stitching Show and the publication of a book showing the work of the members over the last twenty years.

It has been a great experience for me to be a part of this wonderfully supportive and creative group, who have provided me with an abundance of inspiration and opportunities to submit work to exhibitions.

I don’t live near Cork and so cannot attend their local meetings but I’m very grateful to the CTN for providing me with many creative challenges. I would strongly recommend that other people interested in textiles join a similar type of active textile group and keep developing their skills.

As I have continued to work on stitches, I have added pieces to the stitch sample book (which I made as a final assignment in Exploring Texture & Pattern). I use it as a reference when I’m developing ideas for new pieces.

Harsh and hauntingly beautiful landscapes

Tell us about a piece of work you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of and why.

In September 2017 CTN invited members to submit a piece influenced by a book. This piece would be exhibited in the ‘Tales’ exhibition in Cork and following that exhibition, a curated selection of pieces would take place and a selected number of pieces would be exhibited in the CTN ‘Heads and Tales’ exhibition in the Knitting and Stitching Show 2018 in London, Dublin and Harrogate.

My piece is called ‘The Call of the Wild’ and it seemed to be very well received. The curator selected my piece to go into the exhibition tour with the Knitting and Stitching Show and it was subsequently sold at the exhibition.

It is a textured landscape collage measuring 20” x 19”. It was influenced by Jack London’s book ‘The Call of the Wild’ which was based in the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada.

I was also influenced by my own experiences of living in Canada and teaching First Aid to First Nation and other Canadian communities in the outback of North-western Ontario.

This piece conjures up for me the harsh but hauntingly beautiful landscapes of wintertime in Canada.

Can you talk us through the creation of this piece from conception to creation.

When I decided to base my piece on Jack London’s book I spent a long time researching the artwork of the Canadian Group of Seven artists particularly the work of Lawren S. Harris and Tom Thomson and their treatment of winter landscapes.

I was also lucky enough to be able to visit the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario while visiting friends in Toronto.

I tried out a number of sketches, chose the one I was happiest with and outlined the sketch with pencil on Vilene (also called Viceleen).

I used fabric paints on the main background, cotton, recycled fabrics and silk for the body of the work, wadding to produce 3D effects on the rocks and water-soluble fabric and a wide range of threads to develop textural interest. I used hand stitching, appliqué and quilting on the rocks.

Have you shown any of the work you’ve made and what has the response been?

Since I completed the course I have shown my work in five different exhibitions:

• Knitting and Stitching Show Dublin (November 2017)
• ‘Passing Through’ Exhibition Cork (November 2017)
• ‘Tales’ Exhibition Cork (August 2018)
• ‘Heads and Tales’ touring exhibition with the Knitting and Stitching Show London (October 2018); Dublin (November 2018) and Harrogate (November 2018)
• Da Capo Exhibition Cork (November 2018)

 I was lucky enough to win the ‘Long Note Award’ at the ‘Passing Through’ Exhibition in November 2017 and subsequently to have this work included in the book ‘20’ published by CTN in June 2018 to celebrate the twenty years since the group.

Have you ever harboured a secret love of art but lacked the confidence to share what you create? We’d love to hear your personal story in the comments below.

In 2013 Joke Lunsing made a decision. To be kind to herself. To focus on her own passion for a while.

During her recovery after a successful operation for a stomach, tumour Joke felt she had been given a second chance. She realised that she had been suppressing and ignoring her innate desire to work with hand stitch for more than 35 years!

In 2015 she started work on a textile project named The Felt Beehive both as a means of feeding her artistic instincts but also with the aim of raising awareness about the plight of bees. She collaborated with more than 50 others to create a 4.5-metre beehive covered with felt in just one year. When that project ended, she started experimenting with eco-printing and textile dyeing.

In 2017 Joke registered on TextileArtist.org’s online course Exploring Texture & Pattern with Sue Stone. But she didn’t find the early stages of the course easy.

‘I quickly realised embroidery and hand-stitching were not comfortable for me due to negative experiences in the 70s and 80s. During those times, my father lost work as an independent tailor. I learned his craft was cheap and had no future and value. Of course, growing up as a tailor’s daughter, I was busy with fabrics, needle, and thread from a very young age. But I lost my interest and pleasure in the craft in the early 80s.’

So, when she began work on the course, she was insecure. She felt the samples she was producing were stiff and unimaginative.

But working through the creative challenges of the course, Joke soon discovered a love of stitching that had been buried for many years; embroidery helped enrich her textile work and started having a positive impact on her feelings of self-worth.

‘My father passed away in April 2018, at the age of 93. I feel I honoured him with my hand-stitching and realised he had given me the love, talent, and patience for hand-stitching. Thanks to the course, I discovered what I had learned from my father had not disappeared at all.’

In addition, hand-stitching has become a means of practising mindfulness for Joke; ‘It allows me to be focused and calm. I love being in the bubble I create when I’m hand-stitching.’

In this interview, which is part of a series featuring members of the TextileArtist.org community, Joke tells us how questioning assumptions about her creativity has been key to unlocking her artistic potential, how she is discovering her own unique visual vocabulary by combining felt with hand stitch and how self-imposed limitations have transformed her process.

A creative detox

TextileArtist.org: Tell us a bit about your history with hand stitch

Joke Lunsing: Growing up as the daughter of a tailor, fabric and thread were part of my childhood. As a very young girl, I learned to hand stitch and make clothes for my dolls.

As a young adult my love of process, form, colour, materials and techniques grew, and following the end of my formal education in 1987, I started working in the creative industry in 1989.

I developed concepts for clothing and gifts that were manufactured all over the world. But after 15 years my mindset began to change; I realised I no longer made anything for myself and I felt conflicted because the industry I was working in was centred around making more and more money and relied on evils such as child labour.

I decided to detoxify. I took everything related to that life (textiles, sketch books, materials) to the waste dump. Then I put my creativity aside completely and, for more than ten years, did nothing with the skills I had used in what I considered to be a tainted career.

You’ve talked about having negative associations with hand stitch. Tell us a bit about where those associations came from.

When I was 18 years old, my teachers told me that my textile work was old-fashioned and had nothing to do with art. At that age I was very sensitive to this feedback.

Also in the art world at the time, and amongst the teachers and students where I studied, Textiles were seen as the poor relation to drawing and painting. So I moved away from embroidery and started to work more conceptually, more abstractly in other techniques and materials

I started making jewellery; abstract forms of thick saddle leather. These were still sewn but had no other association with hand-stitch.

In the 80s when I began working in the commercial sector, negativity towards textiles seemed to increase. The craft disappeared from education altogether and much of the work began to be outsourced to countries with very low production costs. Textiles and embroidery became associated with bargain prices.

I remember thinking how sad it was that my father, who was a tailor, had dedicated his life to a skill that nobody valued anymore.

Conquering negative associations

How and why did you start to question those negative associations?

In 2013 my world turned upside down due to a stomach tumour. Luckily the operation to remove the tumour went well and I experienced a second chance during my recovery.

In 2014, after my illness, I made the decision that the time had come to take care of myself, to focus on my own needs. I realised due to work and family, my artistic talents and desire to work with textiles had been dormant for a long time.

I had to heal from deep wounds. And I instinctively knew the way to start that healing process was to pick up what I had left behind long ago.

In the beginning, I was stiff and insecure. But the artist in me was longing to be (re)born. I couldn’t fight it, no matter how strong my assumptions and judgements were. There was no way back.

So I turned to a course in felt, which propelled me into a textile-based project; The Felt Beehive. I collaborated with more than 50 others to create a 4.5-metre beehive covered with felt. The project was high profile and forced me into the spotlight as a textile artist. That was really the beginning.

My father passed away in April 2018, at the age of 93. I feel I honoured him with my hand-stitching and now realise he gave me a great gift that I had not always appreciated; the love, talent, and patience for hand-stitching.

Tell us a bit about your personal journey and why you decided to take the Exploring Texture & Pattern course.

When The Felt Beehive project ended, I started experimenting with eco-printing and textile dyeing. I was hungry to explore more and more techniques and to build upon foundations that had been laid in my childhood.

I discovered Sue Stone’s work in 2017, and I signed up for her online course Exploring Texture & Pattern, which is all about experimenting with a few simple hand stitches.

But the old negative associations of hand stitch and embroidery soon reared their ugly heads and I quickly realised that I wasn’t comfortable.

So, when I started the course, I was insecure and it all felt very stiff, as is very evident in the first few samples I made in module one.

But the more I persisted, the more I rediscovered how joyful hand stitching can be. And just a few months later, embroidery has helped enrich both my textile work, my identity as an artist and my feelings about myself as a person. It just fits.

The artistic possibilities of hand stitch

What were your key takeaways from Exploring Texture & Pattern in terms of process?

The most important lesson I learned in the course was to put aside my assumptions and to push my boundaries.

Every class presented me with a chance to challenge my own limitations. And every piece I made offered an opportunity to discover more about myself as a maker and more about the artistic possibilities of working with hand stitch.

What elements of making textile art did you struggle with and how has your approach changed?

I now feel at home with hand stitch. I apply it to my existing work and it has gradually gone from being a means of adding background interest to the the main technique used to express my vision front and centre.

In the early stages of the course, I was tentative and cautious, using just a few stitches sparingly. But when I started to push myself outside of my comfort zone I allowed myself to add far denser layers of hand stitch and have discovered that this enhances my work in terms of its beauty and complexity.

My work feels much more complete now. It is more ‘me’. It expresses far more of my own identity and has absolutely nothing to do with the negative associations of my old commercial career.

Developing my own style

Working within limitations in order to fuel the creative process is a core concept of the course. How did you find that limitations affected the way you worked?

It was a revelation to discover the possibilities of working within limitations and frameworks. It has made me far more focused and yet creatively free.

I’ve learned so much about the potential of materials and techniques by deepening my exploration of them through use of limitations as a starting point. It’s a way of working that suits me greatly and has allowed me to develop my own style and express a theme more fully.

And how has your work developed since taking the Exploring Texture & Pattern course? Has it changed in any way?

My work has been enriched and has become a much truer representation of who I am at this moment. I feel like my personal artistic voice has become far more refined and I’m now not afraid to work on a much larger scale.

My journey of discovery is ongoing and I learn something new with every piece I make, but, since taking the Exploring Texture & Pattern course, I trust myself and have far more creative courage.

A continual process of experimentation

What did you most enjoy about the course and what were the greatest challenges?

I really connected with the emphasis on keeping things simple and enjoyed following the lessons step by step. Each lesson fuelled my enthusiasm – the course became addictive!

I started making self-portraits in the course inspired by Sue’s style. Her process of experimentation opened all kinds of doors to possibilities.

I became more and more confident in my own ability as I practised, learned by doing, started over and over again, and crossed borders.

I think I improved by immersing myself and making a lot of stitches. I made the choice not to be afraid and it has brought me enormous joy!

What has been your experience of making textile art since completing the course and which elements of the teaching do you revisit when creating your work if any?

I have literally not stopped making textile art since finishing the course.

After all the encouragement from Sue and the other participants during my time as a student of Exploring Texture & Pattern and beyond, I’ve felt encouraged to keep going and make more and more artwork. I’m continually experimenting with new ways to express my vision through hand stitch.

I have been commissioned to make a large wall object with hand stitch and in the process of devising this piece, I’ve regularly been checking out the experimental samples I made during the course to inspire and inform me.

Creating within a framework

Tell us about a piece of work you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of and why.

I am really proud of one of the self-portraits I made.

In this specific portrait, I felt the freedom to really play with needle and thread, almost like a painter with a brush.

Can you talk us through how you create your self-portraits?

Before I begin work on a self-portrait I revisit all of the experiments and previous work I made during the Exploring Texture & Pattern course. I ask myself what I have made, as well as how and why I made it?

These questions ensure that I progress and that the next piece I make is another step on my voyage of discovery. They also help me gain clarity about the story I want to tell with my art.

I then set out framework to experiment within. The framework is always shaped by atmosphere, colour, technique and materials. The limitations that Sue set out during each of the challenges on the course have motivated me – they have helped give my process focus and momentum.

When I create portraits I try to only used materials I already had available. I buy nothing new if I can help it. This was another lesson of the course and once again connected to working within limitations.

For me, it is clear that all the portraits I have made reflect the changes in my process. I started with an Ice queen and my work has become warmer and softer. This has everything to do with the assumptions I had to throw overboard.

Creating a bubble of calm through stitch

Have you shown any of the work you’ve made and what has the response been?

I organised an open house in October 2018 and invited all the neighbours to see what I had made. The visitors were very curious and I received a lot of positive feedback, as well as encouragement to continue with my work.

The process of hanging my work around the house brought me a great deal of joy and satisfaction.

The open house also led to a commission to make a tapestry with custom embroidery, which I’m of course delighted by.

I’m also proud to say that a piece of mine is appearing in an exhibition on the island of Schiermonnikoog.

How do you see your work developing in the future?

I want to keep combining my felt work with embroidery.

And at the moment I’m looking for ways to enlarge my work. A wish is to make large canvases for public spaces and for a large living room.

I want to continue to balance the making of abstract and realistic textile art. I’m also not ruling out spatial 3D work.

In addition, hand-stitching has become a very important technique for practising mindfulness. I love to be in the bubble of calm I create when I’m stitching.

I know my journey with hand stitch will be a long one. There’s so much to discover. I’ve only just started.

For more information visit www.jokelunsing.com

Do you ever struggle with negative thoughts about your ability to create with stitch? How do you conquer that negativity? We’d love to hear your stitch stories in the comments below.

Ann Vollum has been an artist for as long as she can remember. As a child, she loved to paint and make things from felt and fur.

But, although she had a yearning to study textile design, the adults in Ann’s life had different ideas.

Her teachers (at what she describes as a ‘horrendous and very snooty boarding school in England’) did not consider anything other than architecture a worthy pursuit for girls who showed an aptitude for the visual arts. And her mother was terrified that an art degree would lead to a life of poverty.

So, having been taught from an early age to tread the conventional path, Ann conformed and went to study Architecture at Newcastle University. She was ill-suited to the subject and ended up learning to be a graphic designer and art director on the job instead. Alongside this career, Ann continued to create art; painting in oil and acrylic, drawing in ink, combining the ink drawing with painted backgrounds.

Thirty years later, in order to fulfil her ambition of working on a larger scale, Ann returned to textiles. Reviving a passion that had remained latent for so long an experience Ann found ‘enriching and rewarding’: “I started making papercuts from Tyvek. I painted large pieces of tightly woven cotton with acrylic gesso, and then using an X-Acto knife, I cut designs into them to create a type of lace. I used these stencils to print images onto more cloth painted with acrylic gesso. I then added beads and needle felted accents to those pieces.”

And since taking TextileArtist.org’s online course Exploring Texture & Pattern, Ann has started incorporating hand stitch into these pieces too. “I was drawn to Sue’s work because of its painterly quality and the freedom of her stitching. I was drawn to the online course because it had just enough structure but also encouraged great individual artistic expression.”

In this interview, Ann shares with us how her work has developed since the inclusion of textile elements, how she approaches stitching as ‘drawing with thread’ and how she is constantly working to define her own personal style.

A childhood spent making things

TextileArtist.og: Tell us a bit about your history with art and hand stitch.

Ann Vollum: As a child, I lived in Zambia, which was not at all a consumer society. Access to toys was limited and we had no TV, so my childhood was spent creating things.

I was a painter, but I remember having stitch patterns, felt and fur fabric to make stuffed animals, a few of which have surprisingly survived the many travels of my parents and myself and now reside with me in New Jersey, USA. My favourite is a rather peculiar rabbit that I made from my parent’s old bedspread. He is in a shadow box in our hallway and used to scare my daughter’s friends!

More recently I have stitched and beaded Beasties of varying sizes; they are made with repurposed cloth and stuffed with old clothing. These inhabit our living room and insist on taking up most of the chairs!

In 2016, inspired by the sigils in Game of Thrones (inscribed symbols considered to have magical powers) and by Tibetan Tankas (Buddhist paintings on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity), I hand stitched and beaded my own Sigil for The House of Mullov Nna. The Beastie is cut from felt and stitched onto the background panel.

Another piece Serendipity consists of two panels of painted fabric. One is cut with a lace-like design which is then used to stencil images on the second piece. Both these pieces are embellished with beading and hand stitched needle felted balls.

Prior to stitching, I worked in oil paint in a more traditional style, moved to abstracts in acrylic and oil bar, then started drawing Beasties in black ink. Early drawings can be seen at BeastlyBeasties.com.

Drawing on painted backgrounds followed, creating handmade and illustrated books containing Beasties. Then the books became less traditional and I moved to cutting Tyvek and eventually fabric and Sue Stone’s online course!

My aunt was excited to see the pieces I made during my time as a student on Exploring Texture & Pattern and thought my grandmother, who was always knitting and encouraged me to make things, would have loved them.

Tell us a bit about your personal journey and why you decided to take the Exploring Texture & Pattern course.

One of my daughters was into embroidery for a while – I could not imagine having the patience for it but here I am! I was inspired me to do an embroidered piece on a heavy piece of canvas I had lying around… very hard on the fingers! After doing this piece, I was entranced with the possibilities of introducing hand stitching into my work, more so as I found it to be therapeutic and contemplative.

I like that I can take my stitching with me, that I can work in short spurts if needed and that I can combine all of my expertise into a stitched piece.

I was interested in textiles from an early age and had wanted to study textile design, but was steered in to architecture and graphic design.

I had the misfortune of attending a very snooty girls public (private) school in England, where if you were artistic, unless you were a C or D student, you were not allowed to go to art college, but were forced to study to be an architect as that was considered to be much more respectable.

Unfortunately, at the time I was not rebel enough to disobey as those in charge were pretty fearsome and we had had it drilled into us that one must conform.

My parents were also terrified that with an art degree I would never be able to support myself and besides my mother always called art “a sloppy op”!

I was unsuited to architecture, so after getting my BA, I did a year at The London College of Printing – textile courses took too many years and were too expensive. I ended up learning to be a graphic designer on the job.

Whilst doing research into embroidery techniques for my piece Motherlode I came across Sue’s work and TextileArtist.org, watched the free introductory video series and was very impressed.

I liked that Sue combines paint with stitching and that her stitching is wonky and expressive!

When the Exploring Texture & Pattern with Sue Stone online course became available, I knew that I wanted to register. I felt that is was finally time, especially as there was a year to complete it and the structure allowed for a lot of flexibility. I have not regretted it for a minute; it has been the most wonderful and enriching investment!

Finding freedom in stitching

What were your key takeaways from Exploring Texture & Pattern in terms of process?

Valuable lessons I learnt were:

• How to use back stitch drawing and tissue paper to transfer images. Prior to this, I had been drawing straight onto the cloth. I still do this for my Beasties and landscapes, but use the tissue transfer technique for doing people.
• The concept of small samples for experimentation. It is wonderful to have absolute freedom to experiment without being afraid of ruining a larger piece and to experiment with themes that are not in my usual artistic vocabulary.
• For some reason, I had never thought to use different numbers of strands of floss for effects or to mix threads in the needle.
• Techniques explored in the course including couching, needle weaving and applying appliqué to a back stitch drawings have opened up huge possibilities for me. I was reluctant to do the appliqué part of the course and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
• From looking at everyone’s samples, I am stunned by the talent and am always getting ideas from their posts.

But the number one lesson I learnt from the course is that using a few simple concepts creatively creates enormous artistic freedom.

What elements of making textile art were you struggling with in terms of the creative process and how has your approach changed (if it has) as a result of Exploring Texture & Pattern?

I used to look at Pinterest for ideas, but doing the course has opened up so many more possibilities for me. I am constantly looking at the work of the other students in the Private Exploring Texture & Pattern Facebook Community to inspire me. I absorb it and then often do not look at it again. I find it best to absorb ideas through osmosis; in this way there is no temptation to copy!

After the first few classes in the course, I began to experience a free flow of ideas when creating the experimental samples. However, when it came to working on my own personal piece I felt more intimidated, wondering which of the techniques to use and when.

But since completing the course, I have found freedom in stitching with fewer threads and in a more varied way, and am doing more mental planning of my pieces.

And I definitely have a much broader scope of possibilities for my work. I am excited to see where it takes me.

Elevating my art through stitch

And how has your work developed?

Since taking the course, I believe my work has matured and become more sophisticated. I added hand stitching to my cut cloth pieces (which had been lying around in my studio for sometime in an unfinished state, but with me undecided as to how to complete them) and was pleased with the result. The stitch adds another dimension to the pieces, which in my view really elevates them.

I am now working with fabric that has a much lighter weave which is much more conducive to stitching than the heavy canvas I had been working with. I am stitching with a more limited number of threads but being more inventive with them, mixing threads in the needle, and using spacing and the direction of stitches more creatively.

A big difference too is the addition of children into my work, made possible by the tracing paper and back stitch method I learned on the course.

All the techniques I learnt on the course and the exposure to all the different samples and work by other students have been very inspirational. I love that I now have a great resource book (which I made on the course) to look through when I need inspiration.

What did you most enjoy about the course and what were the greatest challenges?

That’s a difficult question! I think what I most enjoyed was the community aspect, the fact that I never felt like I was doing the course in a vacuum. Sue and the other students were out there to give their support.

I liked that all sections of the course encouraged us to to follow our individual artistic bent, that it was ok to stray a bit from the task at hand, and that in no way was this a course in which you had to do set tasks in a ridgid way.

As a graphic designer, I loved that the course is so beautifully and clearly presented visually.

My greatest challenge was doing the class on turned-in appliqué. It can be fiddly getting the fabric to fit, I would cut it out and it would end up not fitting right. I was happy that I persevered and will be using the technique in future pieces!

Connection and inspiration

How were you supported on the course by Sue and the other students and did the interaction play an important role in your development?

The support and inspiration I got from Sue, Joe, Sam and other students on the course was and is a huge part of what makes this course so great.

The webinars that Sue gives are always very interesting and informative, and it is so useful to have them in the library and to go back and rewatch them. Through these webinars one gets to feel a connection with Sue that would be absent without them. They are a great opportunity to have questions answered, to learn more about Sue’s work, and to listen to her comments on the student pieces.

I am also a big fan of the Private Facebook group attached to the course; it is so inspiring to see what everyone else is up to. I have learnt so much by looking at all the amazing samples that are posted and am in awe of the talent in the group.

The comments left by fellow students are so useful, and encouraging, it has been really amazing to watch the development of individual students in their work and to see the progression of individual pieces. This is a wonderful upbeat community from all over the world.

What has been your experience of making textile art since completing the course and which elements of the teaching do you revisit when creating your work if any?

Since completing the course, I have been working on a “sister” piece to They Come Out By Night, which I worked on whilst doing the course. This piece is a bit trippier, I used the back stitch and tissue paper drawing method for the boy. I will also be adding couching and will use appliqué for the main beast and the boy.

I am now working with a variety of strands in the needle and mixing colours in the needle, something I hadn’t explored before taking the course.

It is the residual experience of doing the course that I am constantly drawing on, and I also look back through my printouts and samples to get inspiration, and am of course still posting my progress in the Facebook group!

A culmination of skills and vision developed over many years

Tell us about a piece of work you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of and why.

I’m really proud of my piece They Come Out by Night, (18” x 17.5”) as it is a great transformation piece for me. I had never done a piece like this before, I see it as a culmination of skills and of a vision developed over many years.

Finally, I am working in a textile medium, the medium that I wanted to explore over 30 years ago but was sidestepped from. This piece which has been very well received has proved to myself that I have the patience, the ability and the temperament to work using hand stitching to express my artistic vision. I am excited by future possibilities.

Can you talk us through the creation of this piece from conception to creation.

My work always flows from the subconscious mind, so I do not do much planning in advance. I just commit to whatever I come up with in the moment.

I knew I wanted to do a large piece with a substantial composition so, as I was about to travel to Europe, I drew out my main beast in pencil on the fabric and chose my image for the little girl before I left. I then threw an assortment of embroidery floss and yarn into my bag, along with special fold up scissors for the airplane.

The piece is created using many of the techniques I explored in the online course with Sue.

The tongue is heavily stitched. This caused the cloth to wrinkle, though, I have to say this does not bother me. I kind of like it not being flat.

Spiders were added as a remembrance of all the spiders I encountered at my parent’s house in rural France; they have a pretty active bat population there too! Bats, snakes, long tongues and sharp teeth seem to be in all my pieces.

I decided to do the girl’s dress all in white with a running stitch but with barely any strands in between stitches. The spiders and tall green plants are couched wool, and once home, I needle felted the Beastie, (I hadn’t yet covered the appliqué part of the course at the time and indeed was putting it off as I was a bit intimidated by it!).

The Beast has couching around it to add definition. I was not happy with the plain needle felting and so stitched into it for detail to add character.

As I was stitching away from my studio, the coloured backgrounds were painted in after the stitching was done; it seemed that the stitching was too busy and needed to be quietened down. It was a little nerve wracking painting over and between stitches, however I am very pleased with the outcome.

Once finished I had to figure out how I was going to display the piece in a show I had coming up. I did not allow extra cloth around the edges of my piece for framing. Not wanting to put the piece behind glass, I stitched a cloth panel to display it. The piece is attached in multiple places to the background so that the weight of the piece is spread out. I left the bottom third of the piece loose so that it can be lifted up to view the back, which I always find intriguing.

Building a body of textile work

Have you shown any of the work you’ve made and what has the response been?

I have been showing my work consistently in galleries for many years now, however, In 2016, I showed my first textile piece Sigil of Mullov Nna at Booked 13 at The Pierro Gallery in South Orange, NJ.

In 2017 I showed Serendipity in Booked 14, a large piece with a lace-like design cut out of it, with some hand stitching included and in March of this year I showed my first heavily embroidered piece, the piece which inspired me to take Sue’s course — Motherlode.

All these pieces have been extremely well received which has encouraged me to continue on my textile journey.

Most recently in November 2018 I had a solo show at The Watchung Arts Center, NJ, USA where I showcased my textile work, which included cut Tyvek, cut fabric/stenciled works with hand stitching, and my hand embroidered pieces along with some of the abstract pieces I did for samples for the course. It was wonderful to see the body of work displayed together for the first time, and I was very encouraged by the reception of the work.

How do you see your work developing in the future?

I plan to do a series of trippy pieces in the vein of the one that I am presently working on, all the time working to more define my style.

As a counter to these pieces I plan to do more cut lace/stenciled pieces embellished with stitching. I’m thinking that these images might reflect the ones in the more colorful trippy images. The pieces take a long time to do though so this might end up being a long term plan.

For a break, I will do some quick little abstracts as I really enjoyed doing those on the course. The back stitch drawing method has opened up possibilities to me for adding children to my pieces, so future pieces will most likely have children in them.

For more information visit Ann’s website.

How do you use stitch as a means of creative expression? Have you found your artistic voice using textiles? Tell us your stitch story in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.