Page 13 - The Digital Cloth Issue 6

seaside nostalgia. Being think, we just stitched wanted to pursue my
young and enthusiastic away until he seemed own work and set up as
we thought that filling a complete. Flossie was a self-employed
large space with over the starting point. artist. My partner, Janni,
fifty, true-to-size, Something about the and I upped sticks and
handmade, fabric way he came alive, moved to France for a
beach balls seemed a enchanted me, the few months, to

fantastic idea. It was a creation of a lifelike concentrate on
laborious undertaking, form and the nurturing our creative
but we were delighted application of fabrics interests.
with the result. that were already part Back in the UK, my Mum
of our story conjured and I opened a shop
The beach ball project a magic that I knew I and gallery space in
led to us being asked to wanted to develop and Chichester, West Sussex.
create a suitable explore. The shop was called

sculpture for an art trail Pretty Scruffy, we sold
set in and around the We had graduated our own work
beach huts of Hayling by now and found alongside that of many
Island. We didn’t have ‘proper’ jobs, I joined a local artisans. It was
long to come up with fantastic independent a golden few years, I
something, but we jewellery company, my loved working
decided to make a boss Julie, taught me so closely with my mum,
life-size textile sculpture much about the and I had time to
of a donkey. ‘Flossie’ business and retail concentrate on
the fabric donkey was aspects of the industry. developing my own
constructed from a She also gave me the work. My textile
wonderful mishmash of wonderful creatures began to

anything we could find opportunity to travel to attract interest, through
lying around, reclaimed Jaipur in India with her the gallery and on
wood from our log pile, on buying trips. I fell in social media. The
the contents of our love with India and gallery opened up lots
recycling bin and the during these trips I of new opportunities
winter duvets from our couldn’t help but and it gave me the
linen cupboard. We feather my nest of confidence to focus
constructed a wooden fabric hoardings, fully on my sculptures.

frame, wrapped it with lugging home all the
duvets and sheets, then block print fabric, After starting our own
patch-worked the second-hand saris and family, we closed the
surface with a as many Kantha quilts gallery, so I could
collection of fabrics we as I could fit in my concentrate on being
had gathered and cut suitcase. I’m still using Mum to my two
from old clothes. In the pieces of these textiles gorgeous boys, and
space of four days and in my work today. spend any spare time
nights (ha!) solely on my own
Flossie was born, we After several years, I work. Slowing down,
didn’t have time to needed a change, I and taking the time