Interview

• What do you love most about your craft?

  I love the tactility, versatility and materiality of textiles. I often take inspiration from historical textiles and ethnographic objects but I’m a bit of a magpie; I like creating compositions that combine different elements and materials.

• Have you always been interested in textiles?

  As a child I adored art and textiles. I was always entering art competitions. My mother worked in textiles and I loved her teaching me new things; you could say it was in my DNA. When I finally got to the Royal College of Art I was ready to fly!

• Did you learn from a master?

  I was taught and mentored by Karen Nichol who has been an enormous inspiration. She’s a master of Irish embroidery and introduced me to the technique, which is now central to my work. Most importantly, she taught me how to express myself in textiles and translate my drawings into stitch.

• Do you think embroidery is back in fashion?

  Currently, there’s an resurgence in embroidery. People are increasingly after something that’s hand sewn and individual. But fashions come and go, so I hope it sticks! The problem with fashion is that it makes us think embroidery is easily accessible, when it’s actually very time consuming.