Millie Sewell-Knight is an illustrator & textile artist based in South-East London, England making work inspired by fashion, folk art and the natural world.
How did you get into embroidery?
I taught myself to embroider when I was studying art and design at college and fell in love with it even though my first attempts were very messy! I had a couple of books and some iron on designs from Sublime Stitching that you could transfer to fabric and then stitch over. I do sometimes wish I’d gone on to study textiles and got a bit of formal training but I’m very happy with how far I’ve progressed on my own.
Do you have a background in design?
I’ve always been very arty. I studied illustration at university and in the final year of my degree I really focused on trying to bring my embroidery work into it and merge my embroidery and illustrative practices together. I also wrote my dissertation on the politics of embroidery and its role within contemporary art – inspired by the book Subversive Stitch by Roszika Parker which is so interesting if you want to learn more about embroidery’s history. I think I have definitely been much more productive since finishing my course and having the freedom to set projects for myself though!
What are some of your favourite stitches?
I love chain stitch and satin stitch (but it has to be super neat!) I also love French knots for adding a bit of texture. Split stitch is what I use the most in my work though.
Are there any stitches you’re keen on learning?
I would love to learn some trickier more decorative stitches. I really enjoy experimenting so a goal for this year is to branch out a bit and learn some appliqué and quilting techniques. I’m also loving adding beads and other embellishments to my pieces at the moment so I’d like to explore that further.
Where do you get your materials and threads from?
All over the place! eBay is always convenient and is great for picking up remnant fabrics, hoops or embellishments that people no longer want. It feels good knowing you’re taking old or unwanted materials and giving them a new lease of life in your work, I do worry about my environmental impact so I try to be as sustainable as I can with my work and the items I sell on my shop and packaging etc! There’s also a market a few times a week on the street I live on where there are usually a couple of stalls with boxes of sewing supplies which is handy when I need something right away.
How do you start a new piece of work, what’s your design process?
I tend to start out with a sketch on my iPad so I can visualise what I’m thinking and play around with the composition of a piece, or I scribble it down in my diary or my phone notes. Once I’ve got a rough idea I’ll sketch it onto fabric and get sewing. I don’t tend to plan out colour schemes or what stitches I’m going to use, I pretty much make that up as I go along because I’d rather just get started!
Are you overwhelmed with designs and ideas or does it take time to find new embroideries to stitch?
Sometimes it takes a while for new ideas to come to me which is why I’m grateful to also have my illustration practice, so if I’m in a rut with my embroidery I tend to just put it down for a while and go back to drawing. I do get pretty restless especially if a project feels like its taking a long time, so I will always have more than one embroidery piece on the go so that I can swap between them and working on them still feels fresh.
Do you embroider for fun or is it a full time job?
A bit of both at the moment. I work on embroidery or illustration commissions and also take part time jobs. I’d love to do it full time in the future though. The one-off pieces I sell on my shop sometimes are more for fun, because I’ll make whatever I feel like making and it’s just a plus if somebody likes it enough to buy it for their home!
How do you find using Instagram? Do you ever worry your work will be copied?
I am on Instagram way more than I should be, but often forget to post anything for quite a while. I’m not good at keeping up with that. I’m very grateful for Instagram because I’ve had most of my commissioned work come from there and it’s so useful for having your work seen by people at the moment, you never know who might see your posts and want to work with you! I think anyone sharing their work online has worries of it being copied, especially as it unfortunately seems to happen to people all the time, but if you want to be seen you have to put yourself out there and I think the pros of having an online presence do outweigh the cons.
Do you ever feel nervous or anxious your followers won’t like your work?
I do because I am generally a nervous person and of course it can be hard not to take it personally when people don’t seem as interested in some things compared to others, especially when you’ve spent so much of your time on it! I try not to get wrapped up in thinking about what other people like or don’t like though because it can get unhealthy very quickly and isn’t productive for me.
Do you ever feel pressured to post images that you know will get lots of likes instead of simply posting what you like?
I feel like my Instagram is as much for me to see what I’ve done as it is for anyone else so no, I post what I like and am proud of work-wise and if other people like it too then that’s a bonus!
What do you love about embroidery?
My favourite thing about embroidery is the tactile nature of it, especially as my illustration work is usually digital, it’s so satisfying to have made something and hold it in your hands. I love the textures you can create and the weight that some pieces have when they are heavily embroidered or covered in beads! I also love that it’s a skill that has so much history and has evolved so much over hundreds of years, so many people have used embroidery to tell their stories and decorate their lives and I think that’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.
Follow Millie here.