Project Evaluation

The first challenge of this project was creating a title that would keep me interested and motivated. After thinking about what I have enjoyed making in the past, and what new things I wanted to try, I chose ‘Supernatural Nature’. I have had fun in my previous projects working with natural themes but I wanted to add a new element - magic. During my research, I found loads of creatures and plants that have a history within witchcraft, superstition and folklore , so I used various museum artefacts and bestiary illustrations as my muse.

One of the first curiosities I looked at was the Cornish pisky. I created a series of dolls made from calico which I stained and tore, with wire wrapped around limbs that were barely hanging by a thread. They embodied a pathos that grew as I made more of them, turning into a heap of lifeless bodies which I photographed among nature without worrying about them getting dirty, and the pictures were quite beautiful.

The success of my calico piskies informed my decision to continue using the fabric for flat, illustrative embroidery pieces - I wanted to try something different from 3D work since I had done a lot of that in my previous projects. Beginning with the pisky, I appliqued different motifs onto squares of fabric, adding colour with watercolour paint for a subtle washy effect. I researched other creatures associated with magic and really enjoyed exploring uncanny medieval drawings of animals and discovering their strange stories. 

Moving forward I looked at artists like Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois and Julia maddison who helped me make the decision to go down the textile route as I worked towards my final piece, and I noticed that my stitching improved as I went along. I’m quite new to hand embroidery and would usually only work on the sewing machine, so this project helped me develop new skills in stitching.

As well as artists, I took inspiration from the world around me - spending so much time at home has made me take more notice of the things I am surrounded by or familiar with. This included the nostalgic BBC series ‘Bagpuss’ and a childhood nursery rhyme blanket, both making me think about the idea of bedtimes stories and the adaptations of folktales in current times which are more child-friendly than their originals. With all my research in mind, I chose to make a duvet cover and pillow case for my final piece, adorned by plants an animals of magical significance. Witch’s familiars, hallucinogenic flowers, lucky charms and more icons make up the large textile piece which tells hidden stories of times past. 

I am really happy with my final outcome, it was possibly my most time consuming piece ever but I think it was worth the effort. Although I had originally wanted more of the sheet to be covered with motifs, I don’t think this would be a realistic goal considering the amount of time each one took, so I don’t mind that it is less packed than I first imagined. To me it gives the impression of a family heirloom with all the old fabrics and threads I used that were passed down from older generations, and this is the vintage feel that I wanted to convey. I also fulfilled my goal of not using any new materials which I set for myself in the evaluation of a previous project, so I feel satisfied that I am working in a more sustainable way.