Creating spaces where stories can be shared, heard and held.
At the heart of my practice is a simple belief, textiles can hold stories.
As a Community Arts Practitioner, Textile Artist and Public Historian, I create research-led participatory textile projects that invite people to explore stories of place, identity and belonging through collaborative making. Whether I’m working with museums, heritage organisations or communities, every project begins in the same way, by listening. Through conversation, research and shared making, I create welcoming spaces where people feel able to share memories, explore ideas and discover connections with one another.
For me, textiles are a way of listening.
Cloth holds memories. Stitch slows us down. As our hands become busy with fabric and thread, stories often emerge naturally, stories that might never have been shared or captured. Working with textiles creates space for reflection, curiosity and conversation, allowing people to contribute in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful.
Research-led Participatory Practice
Every project begins with curiosity.
Before the first stitch is made, I spend time exploring the stories, histories and communities that shape each project. This might involve working with museum collections, archives, oral histories, local research or simply listening carefully to the people who know a place best.
Rather than presenting history as something fixed, I invite communities to explore it together, adding their own perspectives and lived experiences through collaborative textile making. Participants don’t simply contribute to an artwork, they help shape the creative journey itself.
The result is work that feels authentic, rooted in place and genuinely owned by the people who have created it.
Slow Stitching
Slow stitching is more than a creative technique; it’s a way of making space.
Guided by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, my practice embraces slowness, process and the beauty found in imperfection. Working with reclaimed, cherished and everyday textiles, participants are encouraged to discover the stories already held within cloth while creating new ones together.
Slowing down allows conversations to unfold naturally. Memories surface, ideas develop and connections grow. The finished textiles become tangible invitations for conversation, reflection and remembrance.
Connection, not perfection.
One of the values that runs through all of my work is a simple belief: creativity belongs to everyone.
Many people arrive at a workshop convinced they “aren’t creative” or worried they won’t be able to sew. Others haven’t picked up a needle since school. That’s absolutely okay.
My workshops aren’t about producing perfect stitches or technically accomplished embroidery. They’re about creating welcoming spaces where people feel comfortable to explore ideas, share stories and enjoy the experience of making something together.
Every contribution matters. Every story has value. Whether someone stitches one careful line or fills a piece of cloth with colour and texture, they have become part of a shared creative journey.
Because, for me, it’s always about connection, not perfection.
Creating Lasting Legacies
The collaborative textiles created through my projects become more than artworks.
They become shared records of communities, preserving stories, celebrating identities and strengthening connections between people and place. Long after the final stitch has been sewn, these works continue to invite conversation, spark memories and remind us of the power of creating something together.
Every Stitch A Story 