Photo courtesy of Roz Woodhead

As part of our occasional blog series ‘Meet the Maker’ we speak to Stitchmakers, a Sussex based group of embroiders who runs regularly meet and work together, showcasing their resulting work in locations around Sussex including Denmans this month.

Photo courtesy of Christine Tebbitt

Stitchmakers began as a group in 1998 as a result of working together for the City and Guilds Creative Embroidery Course.

As years have gone by members have joined and left but it has always worked with around 12 people in the group. We mostly work on our own pieces but occasionally a situation presents itself where a collaborative piece is needed or as a challenge piece. This has happened for the exhibition at Denmans Garden this year as we came out of the Covid pandemic lockdown and were able to work together again.

An Autumn theme was collaged from photographs taken of the garden, then interpreted individually in a variety of methods but still needing to work as a completed piece. The final piece will be on show at the exhibition.

We take much of our inspiration from surrounding landscapes, gardens, wild areas, buildings and environments. We all have our own style of working using a variety of techniques including, machine embroidery, hand stitching, painting/ printing, felting, patching, 3D and much more and we continually try to challenge ourselves by workshops, critiques of our work and exhibiting. This can only be achieved by feeling ‘comfortable’ as a group, building close friendships and confidence.

Photo courtesy of Roz Woodhead

Working in design, creativity and handling colour, shape and form is all good for the ‘Right Hand Side’ of the brain as well as the camaraderie of working in a group having huge beneficial effects for us all.

As Denmans has reopened in recent years we found there were many pockets of inspiration for us to use in this exhibition, some pictorial and some abstract and all interpreted in different ways.

We have exhibited as a group and as individuals in many venues – this year we have been at Ramster, The Art Trails, Sullington Barns, The Oxmarket Gallery, and now at Denmans Garden later this month.