Page 74 - The Digital Cloth Issue 7

many ways, has given me a chance to step back, experiment with different carved stitch effects

slow down and focus with greater clarity on to create a digital design template for the
what I’m doing and why. embroidery machine. I use an embroidery
software programme to do this – filling a basic
I did my degree in the history of art and have a shape with directional stitches and often
bit of an obsession with medieval and multiple colours. Through this process –
renaissance art, old textiles, decorative art and looking at the colour, structure and pose of a
nature illustration. I love folk art and bird I enjoy gaining a greater connection to the
outsider art. Colour, texture and pattern play a subject and its beating heart beneath the
big part in my work. My journey with surface. A finished digital design is then run on
embroidery started accidentally 20 years ago an industrial embroidery machine I am lucky
when I began work at a quite corporate print to have access to, usually on a linen or heavy
and embroidery company. I learned graphic cotton ground and then I transfer it at home to

design and digital embroidery design skills and my ordinary sewing machine where I add extra
came to realise the range and potential of colour, detail and depth with free-motion
modern embroidery techniques. I love the embroidery on top. The beauty of this method
complex stitch types and 3 dimensional carved is that, rather like someone working in lino
effects which can be achieved. The embroidery print, I can, if I choose produce more than one
machine is central to the work I create now. piece from my design templates – with varying
details or backgrounds.
My inspiration comes from a keen interest in

the natural world – particularly the birds within After focussing in great detail on the main
the landscape. I’ve been a keen bird watcher subject matter, the backgrounds to my pieces
since childhood – encouraged by my Dad to are worked in a much looser and more
listen and observe and with a natural intuitive, playful fashion. I re-use and re-cycle
curiosity to learn more about them. While scraps of often very old careworn fabric– the
birds are familiar in our lives, they are also mys- older and scrappier the better, plus prints or
terious and magical. They can sing and fly and sometimes handmade paper which I like to
set themselves apart from us in this. There is a combine in an impressionistic and loose style of
rich historic tradition of birds depicted in art, collage rather like a fabric mosaic. I love playing
be it as religious icons or delicate around with this – sticking pieces down,
observations of natural history. I didn’t set out ripping them off, re-positioning, layering.

to focus on birds as my main subject matter, but There’s an element of happenstance to this
at the moment, they are what I obsess about the method which is refreshing after the intensity
most. of detailed bird study. This background I
continue to stitch into and over, using the
Much of my time is spent outdoors walking sewing machine for a sketchy effect and
with my dog and making a mental note of what bedding down the surface. At the end I often
I see – birds and wild flowers in particular. A add a teeny bit of paint or chalk to finish a piece
fleeting glimpse for instance of a – I’m certainly not a purist about it. I will use
Treecreeper crawling up a tree trunk, many methods and materials to achieve the

encourages me to learn a bit more about it and effect I’m after. I often try to achieve a look of
study it’s form and habits. I look at age and permanence- born of an interest with
combinations of photos in detail- sketching old samplers and a love of history- kind of
basic composition ideas and looking closely at faded glory in muted colours- with the bird
feather structure and colour so that I can standing out in distinct contrast to this.