All items by HandsDown

Hand stitched embroidery and textile art.

My dear Aunty Doll. the tapestry queen, gave me my first embroidery kit when I was in my early teens. It was a small tablecloth with flowers in the corners. I was enthralled and immediately became completely immersed in producing the different stitches. The pleasure I took in that first project has never diminished and simple traditional embroidery became a lifetime hobby. There were times, whilst bringing up my children and pursuing a career, when the stitching took a back seat, but it never stopped completely.

Over the years, from the 60s until the present day, I have collected a mountain of books, transfers, fabrics and threads, which take up a ridiculous amount of space in my home! When I retired from my psychotherapy practice, at age 65, I now had time to enjoy all this treasure and I decided the time had come to branch out and expand my knowledge of textile embellishment. I was lucky enough to be gifted some art lessons and then took some online courses, all of which were a revelation and enabled me to take a wider view, play with a more abstract approach and incorporate other media such as paint and objects. Most importantly it gave me the confidence to begin to design my own projects.

I hope you enjoy my work and that it will inspire you to have a go yourself! The benefits in terms of stress relief and the satisfaction of creativity are immense.