Claire Edwards is a freelance hand embroiderer and textile designer. She’s highly passionate about craft and is proactive in learning the many disciplines in surface design.
How did you get into embroidery?
Many years ago, whilst I was serving in the Royal Air Force I bought some cross-stitch kits. I never completed any of them as I didn’t have the patience to keep going with them. When I decided to go to University in my mid 40’s I initially applied to do 3D contemporary jewellery, but on the day of the interview I saw an embroidered jacket on the wall at university and changed my mind and enrolled on the BA(Hons) Textile Surfaces at Staffordshire University. In my second year we undertook a module on the stitched surface and that was me hooked. I loved sitting for hours in the peace and quiet sewing away, I had found patience. In my final year of my degree I decided to specialise in hand embroidery and entered the Hand & Lock prize for embroidery to push myself. I was awarded 2ndplace in the student fashion category.
What are your favourite stitches and why?
I don’t really have any favourite stitches as there are so many. I’m like a magpie so I love working with beads, sequins and goldwork materials as they’re so sparkly but most of all I love the textures that I can create by mixing the different materials together.
What stitches would you like to learn?
I feel like I’m still at the tip of the iceberg with my embroidery knowledge. This month I am travelling to London to learn Tambour beading at Hand & Lock. I’m so looking forward to learning this technique as it will transform my embroidery but feeling apprehensive as the last time I tried it at home, I ended up in A&E with the hook stuck in my finger! I’m also studying for my MA so have modules to complete in silk shading, goldwork and 3D raised embroidery and stumpwork over the next two years. Having the option to negotiate the content of my masters has been the driving factor in continuing with my studies and it only felt right that I filled it full of embroidery.
What other textiles would you like to explore?
I would love to learn pattern cutting and dress making skills. Before Hand & Lock I had never made any type of garment before so having that knowledge would enable me to see how my embroidery could be placed. As part of my master’s I have been exploring preservation and encasement, which has led me to experimenting with resin. There are so many other materials that I want to play with that I can incorporate into my embroidery.
What kinds of images do you like stitching and why?
I haven’t found a favourite yet and I still don’t think I have found my signature yet, but I know that I’m not a flowery person. I draw whatever I find interesting.
Where do you buy your materials, thread and equipment from?
I tend to buy most of materials online as living in rural Shropshire there just isn’t the choice. I buy all of my sequins from JosyRose. My goldwork materials are from Golden-Hinde and Embroidery Material. My beads come from many different places, but I use Totally Beads and Spoilt Rotten Beads for the majority. More recently my resin supplier is Resin8. I buy my materials from Whaley’s or if I am in London I will visit Maculloch and Wallis and Misan Textiles.
How do feel about sharing your work on Instagram?
Instagram is a great place for promoting my work and I’ve gotten quite a lot of work from it. The embroidery community is a strong and supportive one and it’s great to encourage each other but I’ve found that over the last few months, a lot of us have been struggling with our fans not seeing our posts. I’m always a little worried when I post new work as I never know how they’re going to be received, especially with my new work in resin – it’s not the usual thing that people do with embroidery.
What other ways do you promote your work?
I have a website and a Facebook page but in all honesty the time that is needed to focus on and make a success of social media is time that is taken away from my embroidery. I’ve recently been asked by an Embroiderers Guild group to talk about my work – I love meeting with like-minded people who love textiles so I’m really looking forward to this. It’s something that I would like to do more of in the future.
Do you ever get worried about people copying your designs?
Of course. I have had a recent issue with someone taking my images and passing the work off as their own on Instagram – even my business logo was used. It’s quite upsetting to see this happen, especially when you put so many hours into the planning and embroidering of each piece.
Who are some of your favourite embroidery artists to follow?
There are so many. I love the work of Karen Nicol – her book Embellished is my go to book when I need an embroidery pick me up. Humayrah Bint Altaf is another artist whose goldwork is inspiring. I’ve also enjoyed following the work of Emma Wilkinson on her graduate collection with her use of Thermachromic beading techniques and last but not least Beata Kania. Her work for the Hand and Lock prize was utterly inspiring so you can imagine how excited I was when she became my mentor for Hand and Lock. Her advice was invaluable.
Lastly, what do you love about embroidery?
I love seeing how you can make a plain piece of material come alive with different stitch marks and embellishments. It is my peace time, a place where all of my worries go away as I focus on one stitch followed by another. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2015 and stitching keeps my hands and wrists moving. Despite the pain I feel whilst stitching, the joy of seeing something I created at the end of it is more than enough to put it into perspective.
Follow Claire on Instagram here