Sarah B – Treadled Textiles.

I am a Textile Artist with a focus on environmentally sympathetic practice. My flat-pack mannequins are a long term and permanent project and now, adjacent with the business of my flat-pack figures, I use eco and repurposed fabrics to make clothing, items and art pieces on any of my treadle sewing machines and which are presented on FlatMannies if possible.

I have practised in art and design with a sensibility towards sustainability for years. A piece from my recycling work is in the permanent collection at The Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP) in Poole UK and is an item which formed part of a collection that won me the Best Newcomer Prize at the inaugural Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, Devon UK.

I often embellish cloth with printed, appliquéd or embroidery designs or with a combination of construction techniques. I have always had an affinity towards surface pattern and playing with colour and shape ever since the days of graduating from Brighton with a Fashion-Textiles degree and gaining a place at Texprint London, in the same year.

In early 2021 curiosity led me to work on embroideries with the backing fabric removed. After many experiments results proved successful and what I now call ‘Stitched Shadow Art’ was born.

‘Maggie Bird’ designed in Autumn 2019 and block printed for zero-carbon shirts in January 2020. First shown at the Member’s Showcase exhibition at The Devon Guild of Craftsmen… now MAKE Southwest, in March 2020. Sadly covid forced an early closure to my show.

The block for ‘Maggie Bird’ just before any ink got near it …

On 15th July 2021 the Devon Guild of Craftsmen announced via their newsletter to members that it has a new name… MAKE Southwest… and with that… a new logo …
Images showing designs, garments and textiles on display at The Devon Guild of Craftsmen in Bovey Tracey in spring 2020. The Showcase closed prematurely due to Covid19.


Floral design called ‘Henry’… block printed and made into shirt-jackets with front patch pockets and wing collars. The green version has the print enhanced with free-(treadled) machine embroidery. No electricity was used in their making.

The bright red and yellow print in the background of the image shown above (partly seen) is called ‘Trebah’ .. It’s a silkscreen print that I designed from drawings done in Trebah Gardens, Cornwall.

My georgeous vintage machines (undergoing some modifications here)… supported by an even more vintage treadle-table.
Treadling a Free-Machine-Embroidered Motif.

Hhhhhhhh

The sun shone briefly on this November day when two totes in gorgeously bright recycled cloth were finished. Their making marked a breakthrough in honing construction.

On a bright December day all the woollen jumpers (that have been collected over some time) got sorted into a colour-system. Ideas are coming together for what can be done with this resource….

Egg Cosies …… The first items treadle-made from the jumpers. (January 2021.)
I experimented with treadled-stitched structure recently… (March 2021) …It worked out…
April ’21 … Other ideas for what I’m currently calling ‘Standing (treadled) Stitches’ are coming together…
Early May ’21 … What I’ve decided to call the ‘Woolly Rouleaus’ project starts to make better sense now with the addition of a tea-cosy to the (so far) small collection.
Mid May ’21 – Discovered that Buildings can work in ‘standing stitches’ opening up a whole new realm of possibilities… This piece is called ‘A Falmouth Terrace’.
Standing Stitches in the Devon Guild’s Spring Show at Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey this year. This amazing show on the edge of Dartmoor is open from 29th May until 10th July 2021.
Batch production today (June ’21) fortunately including wonderful colours, lovely rouleaus, soft linen and stitched drawings. And soon to literally include dried English lavender from Kent.

July 2021.. Am sourcing lavender exclusively from the Southwest now that I’ve found it farmed locally on the Lizard Peninsula… (at the lovely Roskorwell Farm).

December 2021 … Worked on these feathered friends and finalised how best to present them. ‘Standing stitches’ seem to look best under glass…

Finished this new standing-stitches piece in April ’22. It’s called ‘On the Quay’.
This piece is called ‘Marine Parade’. It was finished in May ’22 and is the most challenging stitched picture treadled so far.. Have decided to call this kind of work.. ‘Stitched Shadow Art’ as have discovered that ‘Standing Stitches’ is a crochet term.. The potential for cast shadows to become integral to each embroidery is a key element of this idea.
If you have visited St Mawes in Cornwall you might recognise these lovely dwellings…

Finished this piece today..27th May (’22).
An Instagram post today (17-11-22). I needed a brighter selection of egg cosies… and got them finished just as eggs become less plentiful in supply !
Work in progress on a new design and printing block for swing tags. February ’23.
Happy to have work selected for this year’s Summer Show in Bovey Tracey.

My stand at Potager Garden for their Summer Arts Fair .. A wonderful weekend had in the company of fantastic artists and visitors… all in glorious sunshine too. It’s well worth a visit to this stunning place if you’re in beautiful Cornwall.

Exhibition Stand at The Creative Craft Show, Exeter, September ’23. A great response to my work…. some wonderful teaching sessions and lots of greetings cards sold…

Spring 2024. Have worked out how to stitch landscape-format pieces in the ‘stitched shadow art’ range … Am so pleased this has worked as always having to work in portrait format isn’t as liberating as art needs to be…. Treadled stitches as usual of course🧵

Was terrific meeting so many visitors interested in the work I displayed at Handmade Oxford (June ’24) …. and selling pieces too of course. A great show…. Thank you #handmadeinbritain

Elated to have work in this annual show again. It shows a development of my work too as I’ve included dye rendering within the appliqué. Definitely a technique to continue working on …

Exhibited, demonstrated and taught for ICHF at their Stitching Show in Farnborough early autumn ’24 … A fantastic time…

September ’24 … Had confirmation of a last minute stand at a Tutton & Young event in Brighton. Will show Stitched Shadow Art within an exclusive Art context for the first time. Can’t wait !

An artist’s stand at The Dome in Brighton …. So good to be back in that vibrant city.