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DESIGNER EDGE
MICHELLE HOLMES
First, let it be said that all of Michelle Holmes’ creative work
is inspiring and unique, as is her stables studio (featured in
Homespun November 2015 issue), but in the interest of conserving
text space here, we’re going to concentrate on her charming Betty
series of embroideries, which completely win your heart. They’re
the fusion of yesterday’s storybooks and modern art, remarkable
in what they convey in just a few stitches. And they speak of
things so many of us hanker for – the simple life of home and
crafts and happy day-to-day chores. Never have wash days,
feeding the chickens or cycling to the postbox felt more enticing.
To breathe life into Betty, Michelle treats heavy cotton calico with
a tea-coloured dye, on to which she free-machine embroiders in
graphite-grey thread. “I prop up sketch books in front of my sewing
machine and refer to these as I work, but I don’t draw her out withpencil first. Working
directly onto the cloth
allows spontaneity,
and this adds to Betty’s
character – even small
stitches suggest
posture and mood,
atmosphere and life.”
Michelle deliberately
simplified the elements
for this series to create
a rather cartoonish
eff ect. This neatly
attired and utterly
sweet character always
wears the same outfit and hairstyle, which on a subliminal level
only increases the sense of warm familiarity the viewer has for her.
You feel as if you know Betty. She’s an aunt, a friend, a family
member ... gently successful by virtue of her contentment.
“In stitch,” Michelle says, “I want to explore buildings and
environments associated with Betty; maybe a series of places she
visits – haberdashery shops, the post off ice, the local hall ... I set
myself a target a few years ago to embroider a Betty each week
and post her on Facebook. I wanted to build up a gentle story
reflecting the events, conversations or ponderings of my week- a stitched diary with quite universal themes.”
There is very much a sense of the past in the Betty series, which
is no coincidence, since Michelle loves old books and illustrations,
borrowing from them to reflect the atmosphere of bygone days.
“As I child, I loved book illustrations, especially etchings just
in black and white on cream paper,” she says. “I loved the
simplicity of the text with illustrations enclosed.”
Michelle uses a machine-embroidery viscose
thread and a thick linen thread in cream for hand
stitched details. She often presents the work on card
and set in box frames or as wallhangings and quilts.
Whatever the format, Betty’s future looks
promising. Michelle is planning to create a book of
these illustrations, which she acknowledges will bring
her inspiration full circle, back into paper.
“I am both a crafter and an artist. I think of the
crafting side of me as the techniques I employ when
trying to push boundaries to develop new ways of
working. The artist side to me is creating work that
in some small way represents my place in the world.”
Here are two of the best stop-off points to get to
know Michelle’s work better: http://www.facebook.com/
MichelleHolmesEmbroidery and
http://www.folksy.com/shops/MichelleHolmesEmbroiderer.- Susan Hurley Portrait photograph: Steve Bond, http://www.stevebondimages.com
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