Stitched Textiles: Nature Book By Stephanie Redfern

Stitched Textiles: Nature is the fourth title in this successful
theme-based series. It contains an extensive section on techniques,
featuring step-by-step guides to machine- and hand-stitching, attaching
embellishments and found objects to your work; painting and printing on
fabrics including cotton, silk and Khadi paper; and using objects found
in nature, such as leaves, to make unique and iconic prints.

The book includes three beautiful, inspirational projects based on
different facets of the natural world: Ocean, Rainforest, Botany, Birds
and Animals. Stitched Textiles: Nature also features examples of the
author, Stephanie Redfern’s own intricate and detailed works based on
nature, exploring the means by which the pieces have been created, and
the wonderful stories behind Stephanie’s journey as an artist.

The wealth of information and visual stimuli in Stitched Textiles:
Nature is intended to inspire the reader to create their own works
inspired by nature. Stephanie begins by exploring the use of sketchbooks
and study pages; progressing to picking out iconic elements from
sketches and photographs; and eventually assembling a stunning, personal
piece of stitched textile work on fabric or on cotton-blend Khadi
paper; applying handstitch in metallic threads; machine stitch in
whimsical and beautiful patterns; embellishing with natural beads or
found objects.

A ceramist for twenty years, Stephanie began
working in textiles and mixed media in 2003. She now concentrates
entirely upon these media, enjoying the immediate sensations of colour,
design, line and shape using drawing, print, textiles and text.

Her work consists of artists’ books, large wall hangings, and smaller
pieces of textile work, which may be free hanging, framed or on canvas.
It has been extensively exhibited and purchased and resides in many
parts of the world.

Stephanie taught children, adults and special needs students for
thirty years, and has been artist-in-residence at many schools, the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and several times at the Royal
Birmingham Society of Artists. She has also curated a number of
exhibitions, both in textiles and ceramics.

She has written a wide variety of magazine articles, and has been lucky to win a number of prizes for her textile work.

Stephanie has published four books, Into the Cacao Grove, The Stone
Bird, and Shadow and Light, which are facsimiles of her mixed media
artists’ books, and Thoughts, an illustrated collection of her writing.

Stephanie Redfern is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, and Art Textiles: Made in Britain.