CHLOE REDFERN
How long have you been embroidering?
For around eight years now, but I started
embroidery ‘properly’ around two years ago.
Previously, I made mixed-media painted
pieces that I stitched into.
Do you like to work in a wide variety of
stylesand designs?I quite liketo stick to
certain formats, usually working in hoops
between 3in and 6in, but I’m planning to
branch out a bit and experiment with some
larger pieces and pieces in oval hoops and
I’m also thinking of framing some for an
upcoming exhibition. I tend to work with one
style, ‘drawing’ with thread then filling in
areas with small stitches, but I quite oftenlike to create more densely filled in pieces,
too, like these cat faces.
Are animals a favourite subject of yours?
Definitely. I have stitched a couple of animals
andmade these pieces into embroidery patterns,
and I also love making portraits of people’s pets.
You also do lots of bird designs, don’t you?
Ido. My first ‘proper’ embroidery was of a
bird, a blue tit, and back when I was working
with mixed media, birds featured a lot in my
work. They lend themselves so well to being
embroidered, I find. I really enjoy thinking
up unique ways to translate their colours
and feather patterns into stitch.
What do you do with all your finished
projects? Generally, I off er finished
embroideries for sale through my Etsy shop.
Sometimes, these will be pieces I’ve stitched
for patterns, and sometimes they’ll be stitched
specifically for sale. There are also a couple
of exhibitions that I’m hoping to enter some
embroideries into soon.
Have there been many finished designs
you simply couldn’t part with? I do have
trouble parting with my embroideries
sometimes. I was sad to see one particular
little wren go, although obviously happy
that he had found a nice new home.
What’s next on your creative agenda?
I have a slightly larger hoop that I’ve been
meaning to do something with for a while,
so I’d like to start an embroidery in that.
I usually work at quite a small scale, so it’ll
be fun to try something more adventurous.
I’m also planning to start work on a new bird
pattern for my shop shortly and have plans
to experiment with different ways of hangingfinished work. Plus, I want to play with
different ways to include more beads in
my work. So lots of things on the agenda.
Are you someone who needs to work on
several projects at once or do you prefer
to see one project through before starting
another? Working on one thing at a time is
usually best for me, as I feel I can really give
it my full concentration. I also have quite a
small work space, so it’s easier if I keep things
organised. I do generally have an ongoing
project on the go, too though, so if I finish
something, I always have something ready
to just pick up and stitch. These days, I find
I can’t jut sit and watch television without
some stitching to work on.
Were you professionally trained in stitching
and craft or are you self-taught? My mum is
a textile artist, so I’ve picked a lot up from her
over the years. I also did art and photography
A levels, which certainly helped develop my
creative process, and an art foundation year
in which I focused on textiles. We weren’t
taught technical embroidery techniques in
this but, again, it was very useful for me to
experiment with different techniques and find
a route on a creative path. In terms of actually
learning to use a needle and thread, I’d have
to go right back to when I was much younger,
with my nans and Mum teaching me how to
stitch on scraps of fabric and Aida. I really like
to experiment with the possibilities of quite
simple stitches in my work now, and work
mostly with backstitch, straight stitch and
French knots, but I have taught myself a few
more complex stitches by reading things and
watching videos online.Gett ing to know ...
FINISHING
8
If you used a larger working hoop,
remove the embroidery from it and
re-stretch it in the middle of a 12cm
(5in) framing hoop with the screw
fitting placed at the centre top. At the
back, trim the surplus calico about
2.5cm (1in) outside the hoop.9
Thread a needle with a long, doubled
length of machine-sewing thread
and sew a line of large running stitches
near the edge of the fabric at the back
of the hoop. When you get back to the
start, pull up the thread to gather the
edges firmly over to the back. Fasten
the end of the thread securely.10
Centre a cream felt circle over
the back of the embroidery
and, using a long length of matching
thread, slipstitch the edge of the felt
to the calico just where it emerges
from the hoop. Your cat portraits are
now ready to hang and enjoy.CHLOE’S THREAD
TIPS Experiment with different
numbers of strands to get different
effects. Six strands are great for bold
outlines and filling large areas, and
single strands are great for blending
and adding details. Work with threads
other than stranded floss, too.
Machine-sewing threads can be used,
either singly or with other strands to
make thicker stitches. Mixing different
coloured strands in the one needle
can create lovely tonal effects.CHLOE’S GREY
CAT TIP Although the grey cat
appears simpler than the others, it
can actually be the most challenging
one to stitch in terms of stitch
placement and direction. I suggest
looking at photographs of cats, oreven better, a real cat, as well as
the stitched examples, to examine
the fur direction. Place some widely
spaced straight stitches in the
direction the filling stitches will be.
Then fill the rest of the space with
straight stitches. Even though only
one colour is used, it still has some
tonal variation to it as the light
catches the stitches.CHLOE’S PORTRAIT
TIP These cat stitcheries are a
good base to work with if you want
to experiment with creating other
cat faces or a portrait of your own
cat. You can easily change the
colours used for the stripes and
filling. If your cat has more varied
colours, work extra stitches in one
strand of thread to blend the areas.94 HomespunHSP1902_p086-094_Pawtraiture PROJECT.indd 94 12/11/2017 12:17:49 PM