On Monday 16th October, the A level Fashion students visited The Hearth Art Centre, Horsley in Northumberland to see Mandy Pattullo at her studio. This was a valuable and exciting visit that encouraged the students to work creatively and individually in their current ‘Thrift and Thread’ project. Mandy wished the students lots of success in their project and provided a huge amount of inspiration and advice for their studies.
Jessica Edwards writes:
Mandy Pattullo is a textiles artist, who uses vintage fabrics and recycles them into her own work. Pattillo commonly uses items which show a great deal of history, and have evidence of previous needlework visible in her fabrics. On our visit to meet Mandy she told us about her love of handed-down clothes and quilts, and how local history influences her to not only reflect the history in her quilts but also to put her own creative design into them. Pattullo almost always sews by hand using patchwork, applique and hand stitching to build up the materials she is using – she believes this makes them more intense. She also leaves any edges naturally distressed to illustrate their age.