"Consider, for a moment, if every surface was entirely natural, or that all of us could create art from our natural surroundings for free. I can remember making daisy chains as a child, feeling that first thrill of discovery that I was creating something directly from nature. Taking inspiration from the natural world allows for art, healing and nature to all come together in one big creative adventure."
Using natural materials in textile art is way of connecting a place directly with its artistic representation, but it also makes the artist tap into and observe the true rhythms of the natural world: the seasons, the weather and, in both of these, time. Incorporating consciously foraged goods in art gently forces you to slow down, to take note of each season's bounty, and kindle or rekindle an awareness that we are all part of one big eco-system.
In this book, find a wealth of instruction and inspiration on how to incorporate naturally foraged materials such as leaves, grasses, lichen and dried flowers into your artwork. In the process, discover a range of textile techniques suitable for all levels and abilities to support and complement the design your natural materials create in your pieces. These include hand and machine stitching, solar dyeing, felting, hapa-zome and more.
Each technique forms one of many backbones in Caroline's large body of work, and she has carefully created a small project, based on her own artworks, after each newly introduced method, so you can put your new skills into practice. Throughout, Caroline stresses the importance of taking your time with each method and working organically, letting your foraged goods guide your design. This is an approach that not only encourages an intuitive creative process, but develops a more mindful, positive experience for the artist too.
Interwoven with practical guidance and projects are Caroline's stunning gallery of works, offering inspirational examples of how to take your work farther, and simultaneously demonstrating nature's abundance and its variety.
This is an enriching book on textile and natural art that celebrates the maker's relationship with art and the natural world.
Table of Contents
*TBC*
Introduction
Foraging
Colour
Materials & threads
Equipment & notions
FORAGED PURSUITS
Technique: Natural dyeing
Project 1: Bojagi Patchwork
Gallery
Technique: Wet felting
Project 2: Forage & Felt
Gallery
Techniques: Acetone-transfer printing, FME on soluble fabric
Project 3: The Brecks
Gallery
Technique: Natural hand embroidery
Project 4: Natural Shadows & Repeat Patterns
Gallery
Technique: Pressing flowers
Project 5: Machine-embroidered Wall Hangings with Pressed Flowers
Gallery
Technique: Vermicelli stitching
Project 6: Memories & Place
Gallery
Technique: Hapa-zome
Project 7: Natural Patchwork with Hapa-zome
Gallery
Project 8: ‘Ancient Woodland’
Gallery
Presentation & framing
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Show More +
About Caroline Hyde-Brown
Caroline originally trained in Fashion Design at Solent University, and for several years designed clothes and scarves for an international textile agent. However, in 1992 she decided to return to her first love embroidery and went to study Textile Design at Nottingham & Trent University.
In 1995 she started her own business designing and producing embroidered fabrics for Liberty, including pictures, cushions, lighting and wall hangings. She also produced three one-off collections for John Lewis. Whilst exhibiting at the Country Living Spring Fair in 2002, the Japanese store, Takashimaya, selected Caroline and several other British makers to take part in a national craft promotion, travelling and working across the East and West Coast of Japan. Caroline stayed in Japan to research the art of Hapa-Zome, Ikebana, and the ethos Wabi Sabi. In 2018 Caroline, trained as an Arts Award Adviser and in Mental Health First Aid, to further her knowledge on mindfulness and well-being.
Caroline has always maintained a strong sense of global responsibility. She uses only natural fabrics, and colours are extracted from flowers, herbs and vegetables grown in her garden. She invests a substantial amount of time and research into sourcing her materials, and many of the papers she uses are from economically developing countries, where rural communities rely solely on this as a source of income. The art she produces is inspired by the cycle of nature, and simplicity and authenticity are key.
Caroline lives in Norfolk, UK, with her husband, daughter and pet dog.
Website: www.theartofembroidery.co.uk
Instagram: @artistcaz
Facebook: @artistcaz
