I developed a love of American folk-art applique over a number of years whilst taking classes run by Essex textile artist Sharon Blackman. Moving to Dorset encouraged me to develop my own style in response to the magnificent colours and textures of the scenery here.
I have been collecting textiles for many years, finding it impossible to pass a material shop without buying something. Needless to say, I have a stockpile of bits. Some have been bought new, some I have hand-dyed, some are bits left over from other projects and some are recycled from friends & family whose clothes I often eye up to see how I could use them in the future. These can be very special as they hold precious memories.
Each larger picture takes many hours of work, involving photographing the scene, sketching, choosing materials, cutting, piecing & hand-sewing the shapes, adding fine detail and then presenting in a frame.
About my work
The three beach huts are constructed from my old trousers, Neil’s shirt and my shirt, the yellow boat is made from a piece of my daughter’s old curtain material and parts of the sand-castle are made from material that I’ve dyed. The little white boats are made from a white shirt of mine. Two out of three doors on the beach huts are made from material left over from my kitchen bunting.
