Meeting on Saturday 7th October 2023
Sally-Anne Lloyd - Stitching and Staying True to Myself
Sally-Anne Lloyd is a textile artist using hand and machine stitching. She has a BA(Hons) in Constructed Textiles specializing in weaving. She also has a C & G qualification.
During lockdown she turned to online challenges delivered via https://www.textileartist.org/ , an organization set up by Sue Stone’s sons and began an exploration of straight stitch, making many samples that she presented in cloth books. She showed us work that began with drawing and mark-making, which is such a strong feature of her practice. She records everything she does in a notebook and her delightful and inspirational zig-zag sketchbooks displayed a mixture of pattern, textures and text.
She gave us a ‘No Fear Drawing’ plan that featured 5 stages that should take no more than a couple of minutes for each stage. She sees this as a leveller, where everyone starts from the same point. Inspired by the portraiture work of Sue Stone, she experiments with the drawing and stitching of faces, suggesting the benefit of starting with someone you don’t know so that likeness isn’t so important. We were shown textural figure compositions, using lino prints, then stitching over, combining techniques; weaving, knitting, hand and machine stitching. She constructs these into concertina cloth books.
Sally-Anne’s work has a strong figurative style showing experiments with image, colour and stitch, with drawing as an important starting point. She advocates stitching to please yourself using familiar inspiration that surrounds you. Her talk demonstrated an enjoyment and a ‘have a go and see what happens’ approach to working with fabric and thread – promoting the view that anyone can do it.
She has drawn much value from having a Ukrainian family living with her. This has inspired fresh imagery and making work that celebrates important life events.
Words © Janet Edmonds/CETG 2023
Photos © Liz Smith/Liz Wilmott/CETG 2023
