Page 9 - The Digital Cloth - Issue 5

Once this has been agreed I draw my
design full size and section up the
drawing accordingly. I work on the
focal characters first, noticing
which pieces will be behind
others, I cut and place these
loosely together. I trace each
section so that it becomes a
mirror image onto bondiweb, then
iron onto my chosen piece of
fabric. That piece is then
accurately cut out and laid onto my
backing cotton. Once all my pieces
are cut and laid and wiggled into
place (I find tweezers very useful
for this!) I iron them, invariably
a tiny snippet has moved just
before I lay my hot iron down which
can be most frustrating!
Next its time for sewing, I drop
down the feeder teeth on my
Bernina Machine; I can then control
the stitching. I rarely use black
but for the most part work with
navy blue Guittermann thread, this
gives a much more graphic image
which is all part of the overall
‘drawn patchwork’ type feel which I
favour! Creating a new piece is so
exciting. I am constantly surprised main elements of the artwork come

at how they emerge before my very together. I use navy voile to add
eyes, the colour, the pattern, the shadow where appropriate and this
texture, how they catch the light! really helps the bunnies to look
Once the main characters have been grounded.
created I then make the rest of the Choosing the right frame is
piece. With the bunnies the client important. I normally use white
wanted a snowy landscape for them or grey, these give a contemporary
to snuggle in, I achieved this with finish which goes with most home
layers of white, pink and lilac interiors. In time I would like to
satins and then blanketed the whole take a framers course and build my
background in sheer white voile own from scratch.
which I am very lucky to have been able
softened everything. I love to sell my artwork all over the
adding unique touches such as lace, world; from the UK and Europe to
it gives another dimension of the US and Australia. Recently I
interest and texture and this snowy have just completed two large
scene was just perfect for that. commission pieces for the Church of
Finally its time to sew the whole England. I don’t calculate or plan
piece together, I cut around the out my career (I always think I
bunnies carefully and place them should, but never do) its much more
onto the background, this stage is organic than that and often I give
always so thrilling; seeing the two in to my artistic whims and can go