Sewn Art

It's already the second week of February and I'm only now thinking about the year ahead. I'm not one for new year's resolutions, but I do like to have a think and set some goals/intentions for the year. Otherwise I can easily float passively from one year to the next rather than actively deciding where I want to go.

There's a pretty extensive to-do list brewing this year. Near the top of the list is to make more things with my hands, something I used to do all the time. Like these below.

I started making these sewn drawings years ago when I worked for Anthropologie.  I hand-sew them on muslin with my machine and a needle and thread for the finer details. It takes ages and is a bit of a process, but I love the result.

And my favourite. 

From a photo of my kids, taken years ago in Costa Rica. We went there to film a pilot for a TV documentary. We got some great footage and photos thanks to our dear friend, Director of Photography David McFarland. (My son carried that muddy coconut-like thingy around for the whole trip and my daughter gave him that mud mustache).

I usually like things a bit more abstract, but for some reason I really like doing these as quite literal portraits. I wasn't sure if they were any good when I was doing them, years ago. Then I went to Somerset House to see Tim Walker's exhibit recently and saw prints of someone else's sewn art selling for a fortune. MUST. STOP. DOUBTING. MYSELF.