From Sketch to Finished Commission

Carol is a contemporary textile artist specialising in machine embroidery. She creates unique, one off textiles by stitching directly onto painter’s canvas using a variety of richly coloured threads.

From sketch to finished commission Carol Naylor

Her stitched textiles range from small intimate pieces to large -scale hangings, and she also works to commission, with hospitals and education authorities as well as private commissioners amongst her clients. Her award -winning textiles have been widely exhibited in the UK and she has exhibited and worked in the USA, New Zealand, France, Portugal, and Spain. Here she explains the planning and the final outcome of a commission

I have been working as a freelance textile artist since 1997, although I keep thinking about retiring, it hasn’t happened yet--I often say to people ‘artists never retire, we just get slower!’ For those of you who love stitch like me, I thought I would show you a piece I have just completed.

I enjoy a challenge, and this was a collector in the USA who already had several pieces of my work. She wrote unexpectedly to me earlier this year asking if I would make her another one.

Private Commission ‘Blossom Trees’

As it was a commission, I then asked her if she had something in mind. She wrote back to say that their Spring was wonderful in California and would I like to think about blossom trees.

Well, that was something I had never done before, and I enjoy a challenge---

We agreed that the piece would be a certain size, to fit a frame of approx. 55cm x 62cm, and that I would include a river, hills and obviously, the trees set in the landscape.

With my husband at the wheel, we began to take small trips near to our home in Chichester, West Sussex. We had to follow the government rules re Covid of course, but we are lucky to live in a beautiful part of the UK and so we started “Spot the Blossom Trees.” There are a lot around here, white, pink, red, pale greens—so much to think about. On my walks in the parks and these local drives, I watched as slowly the trees began to emerge from Winter to Spring, buds opening, colours exploding, the promise perhaps of better things to come. I did some very quick visual notes in my sketchbook, then worked out an idea I quite liked, and sent it to her.

Modern technology makes it so easy to communicate, and happily she loved it.

With this article I have included some of the stages from start to finish so you can see the way the piece gradually took shape.

The sketch was merely a starting point. When I start stitching, the machine and threads seem to have minds of their own. Free motion embroidery is exciting and often unpredictable. I have literally, 100s of threads. My rule is never use cheap threads, they aren’t worth it in the long run, so Madeira threads and Wonderfil provide me with endless possibilities.

The river caused huge undulations in the base canvas which I knew it would. I work

I have literally, 100s of threads. My rule is never use cheap threads, they aren’t worth it in the long run, so Madeira threads and Wonderfil provide me with endless

The river caused huge undulations in the base canvas which I knew it would. I work on painter’s canvas without stabiliser or a hoop. Each piece is an adventure, and I was lucky that my client loves this side of my work.

When I start a piece, I am never sure what it will look like when I finish. As I type, it is at the framers and so should be wending its way across the pond soon. Sometimes I get to see the work customers have bought over the years,

but…….. I will have to save up to see this one again!

Contact Carol Naylor

Email carolnaylor45@gmail.com Web www.carolnaylor.co.uk Blog www.carolnaylortextiles.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ carol.naylor.18/ Instagram @naylorcarol

After a long career in art education and graduating from Manchester in Embroidery/Textiles, Sara returned to her first passion of stitching, both by hand and machine. Taking inspiration from a visit to the Ice Age Exhibition, at the British Museum, she

was inspired by the stone drawings. To develop the idea that animals are, partly observed, partly mystical, but the aim was to achieve a character that was their own. The local landscape of the Forest of Dean has also permeated a series based on gardens, birds and animals.