Sylvia Hammond

I am a stitcher, I just love to stitch, it is in my dna, passed down from my great grandmother, my grandmother and my mother. I am happy to machine stitch but my favourite technique is hand sewing, slow but meaningful. I use mostly recycled fabrics - old sheets and tablecloths which are then indigo dyed. I love the rippling texture created by the stitches as well as the meditative nature of the actual stitching.

My inspiration is very eclectic and strikes at any time, it might be nature based, architecture, a song lyric or a challenge theme I take a fancy to. My trouble is too many ideas and not enough time: I always have several pieces on the go at once and frequently have to force myself to finish a piece before starting another - deadlines are good.

Detail from SlowStitch Diary 2020 measures 7.5 inches wide by 160 inches long

“Lockdown Yearning”. 2021 measures 40 inches wide by 19 inches tall. It was made for 2021 Ledbury Poetry Festival and inspired by the Poem "I must go down to the sea again".