James Hunting - Embroiderer

Info:  'Why does he stitch? Because he can and very well. James says that he loves it -- “stitching a beautiful line is as good as making a beautiful pastry”. Liking the time hand embroidery takes, although interested in trends fashion, James distinguishes it from couture. He has a high regard for the "petits mains" ( the couture makers, not the designers) who are upstairs in the workshops, hidden but creating beauty like the mice in a Beatrix Potter story. He prefers the couture ethic for it’s hand finish where you can see the stitches (“a hand made buttonhole is like no other”) and the rocket arcs of his rayon stitchings match their precision. Lining, hemming and master-shaping volume with restraint, James believes, are best exemplified in the work of couturier Christobel Balenciaga.' -- Gavin Fry

As an embroiderer, I am inspired by the pattern, colours and techniques of the ‘stan’ countries of Central Asia. I want to let myself be influenced and inspired by them, but not to the point of imitation. I am not from one of these cultures. I cannot appropriate their textile history, just allow the images I have seen invade and influence my sub-conscious soul. The fabrics I use are chosen with care, they are fragments, collected over time, some that originate in the above countries, they are remnants from the time I spent working in the fashion industry, they are samples I produced during this time. The figures in the work are intimate, anonymous objects of desire or interest, captured in a private moment and yet self consciously aware of their physical appeal.

Jennifer Talbot

Info:  My work is deeply rooted in a sense of place. My original training as a geographer sparked a lifelong fascination with landscape and, although I have worked in and travelled to far-flung destinations, it is those places closer to home that continue to capture my imagination. I am drawn to the wild bare lands of Britain's Celtic Fringe; to Orkney, Shetland, Wales and in particular to Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire. Barren, exposed and thinly populated, these are places ‘on the edge'. They are places of vast skies and limitless horizons where the shifting light constantly transforms the landscape. There are traces of an ancient past; standing stones, chambered cairns, Neolithic villages and passage graves litter the landscape.

I make abstract work inspired by landscape and light. I use a variety of fibres such as wool, silk and flax to produce fine, almost transparent, felt. I stitch into this fabric by hand, adding fragments of photographs, dyed cords and silver or copper wire. This is time consuming but very satisfying. I also make 'talisman' pieces for which I use found objects scavenged on walks in Orkney, Shetland and Skomer -- fossils, bones, weathered glass and shells are all worked with dyes, covered with metal foils or bound with threads and combined with other elements made with fabric and stitch. I respond to the archaeology of the islands by incorporating prehistoric inscriptions, runes and symbols in the work.

Jill Denton

Info:  My work is about colour and texture. I have worked for most of my life with textiles in one way or another, and trained as a fashion textile designer. I now work in handmade felt. Working spontaneously and passionately I find the process of feltmaking fascinating and therapeutic. I am constantly delighted by the slightly unpredictable outcome, and the way the fibres hold their pure colour when mixed.

My work is often enhanced and embellished with stitch. I also work in mixed media, using found objects and recycled fabrics and materials, when and wherever possible. My work reflects my concern for the environment and I always try to reuse, recycle and reinvent in my work, at the same time encouraging others to do the same.

I produce decorative artwork and wearable, practical and functional items including shawls, scarves, jewellery, bags, cards and anything else that takes my fancy. I am happy to share my skills with others and am frequently asked to do workshops. I welcome commissions and am always keen to chat about my work, so please contact me by phone or email.

Julieanne Long - Textile Artist

Info:  Living most of my life by the sea, it has had a big influence on my work, in the play of light on the water, and in the items washed up by the sea, the way they are transformed by the water and in the force of the constant rolling tides. I am also interested in natural forms, plants, seeds, trees and fossils, their structure and how these relate to stitch.

Ecology and recycling have been themes which have often run alongside my work, as I have frequently been appalled at the waste we as a society produce in the forms of packaging. Wherever possible, I have tried to use recycled materials in my work. Not only does this offset my guilt in someway about buying things with plastic packaging, but also I have to admit to a secret passion for plastic. Plastic is such a wonderful material to work with -- it can be moulded, manipulated, easily cut and painted. It provides the sculptural elements I want to achieve in my work. I love the juxtaposition too of stitch into plastic, the softness of the thread next to the hardness of the plastic.

The techniques I employ range from hand embroidery, especially needlelace techniques, knitting, felting and weaving, to the use of collage, found materials, plaster and wax.

Lindsay Taylor - Textile Artist

Info:  I create three-dimensional highly textured embroideries. My ranges encompass items such as handbags, jewellery, shoes, wall art and lampshades.

My creations start to grow with the hand dyed base fabric, which is usually silk or merino wool. To this many techniques are added, often overlapping one on top of the other. and this is where the magic happens. Techniques such as devoré, appliqué, felting, heat manipulation, freehand machine embroidery, batik, wire work and bead work. Highly textured layers are stitched often to distort the work leaving it innovatively manipulated, which creates maximum impact in the end production.

Both the shoe and cup sculptures now sit in bespoke terrarium-like enclosures with invisible wall mountings. Lampshade wire bases are all made from recycled materials.

Rachel Coleman Designs

Info:  Since childhood I have surrounded myself with animals and formed stories around their antics. Over the last ten years I have rescued many rabbits and guinea pigs, each a character with a story to tell. At the moment I have a managerie of pets, which are a constant source of inspiration and often feature in my work.

My love of the seaside developed from my interest in childhood memories. I moved a few months ago to be nearer to the seaside, and from this the textile pieces developed. This collection explores piers, fairgrounds, seagulls, all the things that take us back to childhood holidays and long hot summer days.

Rosemary Hufton - Textile Artist

Info:  Is a mixed media artist, whose work has a strong, graphic content; she often uses bold colours and unusual materials to give the surface a textural quality which enhances the overall design. Rosemary often incorporates hand dyed and printed fabrics (such as silks, velvets and handmade paper) into her work. Some of her recent pieces are sculptural knitting using recycled materials such as computer parts, household textiles and wires retrieved from washing machines. She has used similar materials plus recycled keyboards and phones to make a whole collection of ‘wearable art’ entitled “Broadband”.

Ruth Singer - Textile Wall Panels

Info:  Highly-textured, hand-constructed textile wall panels for classic and contemporary interiors in eco and vintage fabrics.

I make one-off and limited-edition framed textiles, using innovative variations of traditional techniques such as quilting, pleating, and gathering, to create unusual textures and sculptural effects. The work is highly tactile and explores texture, scale and repetition using hand-cut, stitched and assembled elements, using techniques I have developed based on the study of historic costume. I endeavour to run an eco-conscious practice, and uses only organic, recycled, reclaimed or vintage fabrics.

In 2006, I was selected by the Crafts Council as one of the best new makers of the year for Springboard at Origin. I originally trained in museum studies and worked in museum education for several years, most recently at the V&A and I combine my business with freelance teaching and writing.