Based in Deal, Kent, I was once rather grandly described as a narrative textile artist. I say I still play with dolls!
Textiles and miniatures, in one form or another, have been a big part of my life, since as a small child I created clothes for my dolls from my mother's dressmaking scraps. From there I went on to study art and and needlework at A level but left when a school visit to the CANDA factory in Portsmouth resulted in a job offer! There I learned to pattern cut and grade which led to a spell producing stage clothes for the prog-rock group Gentle Giant.
Two bags of Laura Ashley offcuts started a love of quilting and I spent many happy years designing, making and selling quilts. Teaching too. That first one is now slightly chewed and faded but reminds me of some happy times.
A departure from cloth to clay followed with the present of a small kiln. I made numerous tiny Kentish Wealden houses which sold in local shops and craft fairs. A move to Scotland and I was soon making models of the Study at Culross and little harled stone-stepped houses for the National Trust for Scotland.
Having spent over 30 years working with fabric and stitch, I dusted off my knitting needles and turned to wool in 2010, inspired by Fiona Goble's wonderful and quirky book 'Knit your own Royal Wedding'. The full set of royals, footman and corgis with their own twist, were soon on show in the window of my home in Deal. The reaction I received was amazing, which led me to cover other events to the extent that, when not engaged in commissions, a good deal of time is now spent planning and covering topical events and figures in wool.
My pieces offer (I hope) a fun (and slightly irreverent and hopefully, not cruel) twist on topical events, and judging by the lovely comments I receive, have widespread appeal; they are equally loved by young and old.
Some of the events covered include the Olympics (every medal as it was won), the World Cup (live team updates), the WW1 commemoration (100 poppies with a poetry trail), a floral window box for Deal in Bloom (with the Mayor as a gnome - oddly I didn't win) and most recently, the General Election (a series of knitted incarnations of all the main party leaders, several members of the BBC Election broadcast team and a studio mockup). Nigel Farage declared himself delighted he did not have grey hair and our local parliamentary candidates demanded photographs beside them, which they subsequently tweeted!
I absolutely love seeing and hearing people's reactions to my work. To hear the comments and laughter outside my window is a constant source of pleasure. The politicians in particular, gained widespread radio, TV, print and online media attention around the country, resulting in numerous requests for commissions.
I feel very lucky to be able to spend my time in this way. It is a lot of fun. But it's still playing with dolls!
Contact me at enquiry@knittingimage.com
Events covered
2018 Ho Ho No (Deal), Elph-icke, Trump and May casting their boats adrift, Deal, Kent
2018 Remembrance Sunday, Linden Hall Studio, Deal, Kent
2018 Centenaries of WW1 and Women getting the Vote Deal, Kent
2018 The Royal Wedding Deal, Kent
2018 The FIFA World Cup Deal, Kent
2017 Christmas cheer, Elph-icke on the shelf, Deal, Kent
2017 We three Puddings, Trump, Corbyn and May, Deal, Kent
2017 ICHF Events, 2018covering a campervan, Birmingham NEC
2017 The EU Referendum, Theresa May as Brexitannia, Deal, Kent
2017 T-Potus. Presidential Inauguration, Deal, Kent
2017 Monte Carlo Madness for Martha Trust, Deal, Kent
2016 Coming up Trumps, US Presidential Election, Deal, Kent
2016 Rome or Bust for Martha Trust, Deal, Kent
2016 Ready Steady, Gold - Rio Olympics, Deal, Kent
2016 Britain in Bloom, Deal, Kent
2016 EU Decide, Deal, Kent
2016 Hamlet, Deal, Kent
2016 Now I am 60, Deal, Kent
2016 Fererro Crochet, Deal, Kent
2015 Alice 150 years, Deal, Kent
2015 Jeremy Corbyn elected - JC Saves, Deal, Kent
2015 Margo and Julie's wedding, Deal, Kent
2015 75 cranes for Hiroshima (origami), Deal, Kent
2015 Knit one, vote one: Parliamentary candidates, Deal, Kent
2014 The 12 Days of Christmas v2, Deal, Kent
2014 Lest we forget, Deal, Kent
2014 Poppies and Poems, Deal, Kent
2014 FIFA World Cup, Deal, Kent
2013 While Santa washed his socks by night, Deal, Kent
2013 It’s a boy! Deal, Kent
2012 The 12 Days of Christmas v1, Deal, Kent
2012 Deal in Bloom, Deal, Kent
2012 Diamond Lil, Deal, Kent
2012 Tour de France / London Olympics, Deal, Kent
2010 The Royal Wedding, Deal, Kent
© Knitting Image