Maggie Grey
I chose Maggie Grey as a textile artist to study because she works with metallics and water soluble fabrics. I also enjoy experimenting with these techniques.
Maggie is currently the editor of Workshop on the Web, an internet-based magazine, and was previously editor of Embroidery magazine. She has travelled extensively, teaching in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. She has exhibited widely including Wessex Textiles and travelling exhibitions with the Knitting & Stitching Show.
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She often uses computer software to create and enhance designs and was a founder member of the Computer Textile Design Group, having been its vice chairman as well as leading its education sub-committee. One of Maggie’s techniques is to stitch heavily on water soluble fabric, creating exquisite designs using metallic threads, incorporating objects such as beads, pipe cleaners and melted embossing powders to create necklaces, bracelets, purses or motifs to stitch onto bags. She works in layers, building and combining colours and shimmer which produce her wonderful designs. |
In 2009, Maggie was invited to send a piece of work to South Carolina for an exhibition curated by Susan Lenz, entitled ‘Cyber Fyber’. The exhibition was all about the web and was shown online as a gallery tour in addition to the main exhibition. Maggie’s piece, shown above called ’Binary Humanity’ is about the real people who use their eyes to look at the screen and their fingers to type. Cast paper hands and faces show this on a background of metal and painted plastic. Around the edge are comments from Maggie’s blog by people, describing what the internet means to them.
Maggie has produced numerous books describing her work, which are very easy to read and understand. She is an inspirational speaker and I was lucky enough to hear her speak a few years ago.
Rachael Howard
Rachael Howard was one of the Royal College Of Arts first six embroidery postgraduates in 1992. Since then she has become well known for devising new ways of combining screen-printed drawings with appliquéd fabrics and machine embroidery.
Rachael’s illustrative style is simple, capturing the essence of the moment with spontaneity. Her sketches are full of vitality and expression, often humorous and it is easy to identify with the mood of the drawing through the use of a few careful outlines. Her images portray everyday stories and events through image, stitch and text in wonderfully executed embroideries.
She creates sketches and screen and digital prints to which she applies appliqué to fill in her designs, using both hand and machine stitching. She reuses fabrics from fabric shops, jumble sales and charity shops, including well-worn clothing and prefers tightly woven material as it cuts easily for appliqué.
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Rachael has been involved in many public art commissions and is a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
