Flight
Art Textiles: Made in Britain are pleased to announce their new exhibition, Flight.
This will be launched at The Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Art Gallery
Kent on September 10 2025, and will then tour throughout 2026.
See GROUP EXHIBITIONS, in the menu bar above, for more dates and venues.
Read our artist statements below.
Art Textiles: Made in Britain are pleased to announce their new exhibition, Flight.
This will be launched at The Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Art Gallery
Kent on September 10 2025, and will then tour throughout 2026.
See GROUP EXHIBITIONS, in the menu bar above, for more dates and venues.
Read our artist statements below.
Louise Baldwin
My intention with these works was to create a chattering, layered sense of movement, small pieces forming a whole, it could be a tiny flutter of a wing or the migration of a population. Fragments of history are held together, old boxes, prints, gardening manuals, rulers, tapestry and fabrics are stitched, glued and stapled together. They are holding tight and moving on to somewhere new.
In the larger pieces the scale of the imagery is ambiguous, there is also perhaps, a suggestion of home, found in the decorative edge, part of a quilt or architecture? The grain lines in the wood becomes a map, a landscape that has to be crossed a destination to be found.
In ‘Holding on’ I was considering if the bird was resident or migratory, here to stay or about to be swept away by the wind and the call home.
Instagram @louisebaldwin_textiles
Above Louise Baldwin
Jessica Grady
The two pieces of work I created for Flight are both inspired by journeys and birds eye views, looking at landscape and shape through a wide lens. My work is abstract in nature with suggestions of paths, maps, and areas of forests, oceans, and arid plains. Looking at the world from above and afar.
Satellite takes inspiration from images of the earth from space, I wanted to pull back the images into colour breakdowns, using recycled materials and textures to create a grid formation work of sixteen individual pieces that encompasses small colour studies.
Each study can be pulled into imagining a section of our planet or perhaps even a vision of our future planet. The circle is a key shape to my work, and in this work is representative of the earth and the view point from a snapshot satellite image. The blue and green colours are the most prominent colour ways deliberately, a reminder of the power of nature and the need to be kinder to our planet, letting the wildness of the world become the strongest view point. Each individual piece in Satellite is hand stitched and embellished using combinations of recycled and mixed media materials including waste plastics, papers, textiles and found objects.
Meander is a contrasting piece which is entirely hand stitched with recycled threads, ribbons, and wools. It is a piece created by evolving, with no concrete plan, or as I like to call it - doodle stitching! Each stitch that is added to the base fabric starts the idea for the next stitch to be put in place. The base is a hand painted calico with splashes and dashes of colour to set the direction and tone of the stitched patterns on top. I wanted the threads to lazily scribble and wiggle across the fabric, mimicking footpaths, canals and rivers, hundreds of overlapping and intersecting journeys.
The sense of movement in the stitching is very free and winding, drawing your eye down and through the long fabric panel. Meander is inspired from a birds eye view but with drawn detail represented in threads. The long journey of its creation to completion is also entwined into the artwork, as this work has travelled with me up and down the country as I have added one stitch at a time. Together the two pieces showcase my love for detail, colour and texture.
Instagram @jessicagradyembroidery
The two pieces of work I created for Flight are both inspired by journeys and birds eye views, looking at landscape and shape through a wide lens. My work is abstract in nature with suggestions of paths, maps, and areas of forests, oceans, and arid plains. Looking at the world from above and afar.
Satellite takes inspiration from images of the earth from space, I wanted to pull back the images into colour breakdowns, using recycled materials and textures to create a grid formation work of sixteen individual pieces that encompasses small colour studies.
Each study can be pulled into imagining a section of our planet or perhaps even a vision of our future planet. The circle is a key shape to my work, and in this work is representative of the earth and the view point from a snapshot satellite image. The blue and green colours are the most prominent colour ways deliberately, a reminder of the power of nature and the need to be kinder to our planet, letting the wildness of the world become the strongest view point. Each individual piece in Satellite is hand stitched and embellished using combinations of recycled and mixed media materials including waste plastics, papers, textiles and found objects.
Meander is a contrasting piece which is entirely hand stitched with recycled threads, ribbons, and wools. It is a piece created by evolving, with no concrete plan, or as I like to call it - doodle stitching! Each stitch that is added to the base fabric starts the idea for the next stitch to be put in place. The base is a hand painted calico with splashes and dashes of colour to set the direction and tone of the stitched patterns on top. I wanted the threads to lazily scribble and wiggle across the fabric, mimicking footpaths, canals and rivers, hundreds of overlapping and intersecting journeys.
The sense of movement in the stitching is very free and winding, drawing your eye down and through the long fabric panel. Meander is inspired from a birds eye view but with drawn detail represented in threads. The long journey of its creation to completion is also entwined into the artwork, as this work has travelled with me up and down the country as I have added one stitch at a time. Together the two pieces showcase my love for detail, colour and texture.
Instagram @jessicagradyembroidery
Cas Holmes
Dandelions are a symbol of resilience and transformation for good reason. This humble ‘weed’ is recognised for its medicinal properties, one of nature’s first foods for bees in the Spring, and, despite it’s ability to grow almost anywhere, it is an indicator of good soil health.
For ‘Flight’ I celebrate the dandelions extraordinary properties and delicacy as they turn to a clock and set seeds. Recent scientific discovery confirms that this common plant is among the natural world’s best fliers.The movement of air within each parachute-shaped bundle of bristles surrounding the seeds allow them to travel great distances – often a kilometre or more, kept afloat entirely by wind power.This ability to keep afloat is inspiring research of small scale drones that require little or no power consumption.
In terms or ‘resilience’ the dandelion has also become symbolic. I used to fly all over the globe to teach and exhibit before care responsibilities tied me to the home. My mind and my feet allow me to roam, technology and friendship helps me to remain connected to the world and keep sowing seeds….oh, and the original ink drawings on top of which the stitch sits were done when I had one hand in plaster!
Instagram @casholmestextiles
Facebook @casholmestextiles
casholmes.co.uk
Dandelions are a symbol of resilience and transformation for good reason. This humble ‘weed’ is recognised for its medicinal properties, one of nature’s first foods for bees in the Spring, and, despite it’s ability to grow almost anywhere, it is an indicator of good soil health.
For ‘Flight’ I celebrate the dandelions extraordinary properties and delicacy as they turn to a clock and set seeds. Recent scientific discovery confirms that this common plant is among the natural world’s best fliers.The movement of air within each parachute-shaped bundle of bristles surrounding the seeds allow them to travel great distances – often a kilometre or more, kept afloat entirely by wind power.This ability to keep afloat is inspiring research of small scale drones that require little or no power consumption.
In terms or ‘resilience’ the dandelion has also become symbolic. I used to fly all over the globe to teach and exhibit before care responsibilities tied me to the home. My mind and my feet allow me to roam, technology and friendship helps me to remain connected to the world and keep sowing seeds….oh, and the original ink drawings on top of which the stitch sits were done when I had one hand in plaster!
Instagram @casholmestextiles
Facebook @casholmestextiles
casholmes.co.uk
Above Cas Holmes
Christine Howell
I am a contemporary, abstract artist using the ancient skill of wet felt making as the starting point to create my artworks. I combine the simple raw materials of wools, papers and textiles to create the felted ‘canvas’ onto which I respond with marks in stitch or inks. My minimal artwork uses a limited, muted colour palette.
My inspiration comes from being in expansive land or seascapes. I am seeking to recreate my feelings of personal balance that I have when I am in these limitless landscapes. I would like the viewer to approach my work with an equanimity that may take them to their inner place of calm.
For ‘Flight’ I am seeking to represent the transience of the ephemeral flashes of colour as darting birds fly across my line of sight. I’m unsure what it was and where it went. Was it large or small, close or far away? In the picture above, I am sketching these flickering streaks in the sky.
christinehowellartist.com
I am a contemporary, abstract artist using the ancient skill of wet felt making as the starting point to create my artworks. I combine the simple raw materials of wools, papers and textiles to create the felted ‘canvas’ onto which I respond with marks in stitch or inks. My minimal artwork uses a limited, muted colour palette.
My inspiration comes from being in expansive land or seascapes. I am seeking to recreate my feelings of personal balance that I have when I am in these limitless landscapes. I would like the viewer to approach my work with an equanimity that may take them to their inner place of calm.
For ‘Flight’ I am seeking to represent the transience of the ephemeral flashes of colour as darting birds fly across my line of sight. I’m unsure what it was and where it went. Was it large or small, close or far away? In the picture above, I am sketching these flickering streaks in the sky.
christinehowellartist.com
Rosie James
I have created a body of work for FLIGHT which reflects on the flying experience over the years. Looking at the well dressed passengers on planes in the 1940s, people being served 3 course meals in the 1960’s to the foil wrapped dishes of the 1980’s.
Bringing these explorations up to date by reflecting on my own experience of flying. I managed to get the last flight out of Kuala Lumpar airport in March 2020 as Covid struck the world and airports shut down. We thought then, as our skies went quiet, that flying would never be the same again that airlines would suffer as people stopped flying. However we see now, 5 years on, that there has been an increase in people flying compared to before Covid. Air travel is surging and setting record highs.
This led me to wonder where it will all end, and to imagine a dystopian future of skies full of planes, packed airports, the awards for frequent flyers, the penalties for people with the wrong bag in the wrong place. The madness of flying and the strangeness of the airport as a space heaving with people all on their own individual trajectory to points all over the globe.
Who are those people with the gold bags?
Instagram @rosiejamestextileartist
Facebook @rosiejamestextileartist
I have created a body of work for FLIGHT which reflects on the flying experience over the years. Looking at the well dressed passengers on planes in the 1940s, people being served 3 course meals in the 1960’s to the foil wrapped dishes of the 1980’s.
Bringing these explorations up to date by reflecting on my own experience of flying. I managed to get the last flight out of Kuala Lumpar airport in March 2020 as Covid struck the world and airports shut down. We thought then, as our skies went quiet, that flying would never be the same again that airlines would suffer as people stopped flying. However we see now, 5 years on, that there has been an increase in people flying compared to before Covid. Air travel is surging and setting record highs.
This led me to wonder where it will all end, and to imagine a dystopian future of skies full of planes, packed airports, the awards for frequent flyers, the penalties for people with the wrong bag in the wrong place. The madness of flying and the strangeness of the airport as a space heaving with people all on their own individual trajectory to points all over the globe.
Who are those people with the gold bags?
Instagram @rosiejamestextileartist
Facebook @rosiejamestextileartist
Edwina Mackinnon
My work for this exhibition is based on the theme of Flight of Fantasy.
Over 35 years I have dyed and printed metres of cloth for various exhibition themes - many were used but many were for sampling ideas and didn’t make the cut!
For my annual 100-day challenge this year, 2024, I decided to resurrect these fabrics and incorporate a different piece each day to make a scroll. The fabrics were stitched and embellished accordingly, to create an eight-metre scroll.
My work usually develops from a collection of fabrics, sometimes hand dyed, often printed. The prints made from the lino plate I carved of a feather became the focus for the designs for
Fight…. and. …Flight.
Time flies by when you’re having fun!
Instagram @edwinamackinnon
My work for this exhibition is based on the theme of Flight of Fantasy.
Over 35 years I have dyed and printed metres of cloth for various exhibition themes - many were used but many were for sampling ideas and didn’t make the cut!
For my annual 100-day challenge this year, 2024, I decided to resurrect these fabrics and incorporate a different piece each day to make a scroll. The fabrics were stitched and embellished accordingly, to create an eight-metre scroll.
My work usually develops from a collection of fabrics, sometimes hand dyed, often printed. The prints made from the lino plate I carved of a feather became the focus for the designs for
Fight…. and. …Flight.
Time flies by when you’re having fun!
Instagram @edwinamackinnon
Sandra Meech
Inspired by the Somerset Levels near where I live, over the years I have done many pieces based on marks and images in the landscape.
For this exhibition ‘Flight’, I have chosen to reference the spectacular starling murmuration, that happens in December and January every year, on the ‘Levels’ near Ham Wall.
In the last 13 years, living in Somerton, I have done a great deal of photography, drawings and sketchbook collages based on my local landscape. Theses often include ‘marks’ that depict the rise an fall
of water levels, photographic images of trees and detailed local maps.
I often layer images on the computer, and, for this series I have included my own photos of the murmuration. These compositions begin as collages on paper, then images are heat transferred onto
cotton with machine stitch added for dimension.
For the colours in this series, I wanted to consider the ‘half light’ at dawn and dusk when the masses of starlings are leaving or coming back to roost. It is a truly amazing wildlife spectacle and worth a visit to the Avalon Marshes in Somerset.
www.sandrameech.com
Instagram @sandrameech
Facebook @sandrameech
Inspired by the Somerset Levels near where I live, over the years I have done many pieces based on marks and images in the landscape.
For this exhibition ‘Flight’, I have chosen to reference the spectacular starling murmuration, that happens in December and January every year, on the ‘Levels’ near Ham Wall.
In the last 13 years, living in Somerton, I have done a great deal of photography, drawings and sketchbook collages based on my local landscape. Theses often include ‘marks’ that depict the rise an fall
of water levels, photographic images of trees and detailed local maps.
I often layer images on the computer, and, for this series I have included my own photos of the murmuration. These compositions begin as collages on paper, then images are heat transferred onto
cotton with machine stitch added for dimension.
For the colours in this series, I wanted to consider the ‘half light’ at dawn and dusk when the masses of starlings are leaving or coming back to roost. It is a truly amazing wildlife spectacle and worth a visit to the Avalon Marshes in Somerset.
www.sandrameech.com
Instagram @sandrameech
Facebook @sandrameech
Above Sandra Meech
Sylvia Paul
I have always been fascinated by statues particularly those of mythical beings. My work for Flight is inspired by statues of mythical creatures with wings. Often these statues are made from stone or bronze and have been standing strong and still for many years.
Mythical beings with wings have origins in cultures across the world. From the sphinx in Greek mythology to angels in Christianity the symbolism behind these beings is often spiritual or magical.
I used a black background for all the pieces and different coloured silk fabrics for the body of the beasts. Using free motion machine embroidery I portrayed the statue like beings.
On each piece the wing has been created separately, hand embroidered and embellished with beads. I wanted to bring the wings to life by using this contrast of materials and technique. For the wing of the angel I created the feathers separately out of various fabrics and lace remnants. The wing was assembled over a shaped stiffener and then attached to the main piece.
Working as a professional painter for over forty years I have paintings in collections worldwide and continue to exhibit in galleries and art fairs. My paintings have been shown at the Mall Galleries and in 2009 at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
I started creating textile art in 2013 after a gift of kimonos from my Japanese daughter-in-law’s family.In 2015 I exhibited my textile art as part of the Tokamachi Quilt Festival in Japan.
I was selected to show at the European Textile Network exhibition, in Haslach Austria in 2019.
I have exhibited in 2022 and 2025 at the Bankside Gallery with The Broderers’ Company exhibition The Art of Embroidery. One of my pieces was bought by Diana Springall for her collection of textile art.
In 2023 and 2025 my work was selected for Stitch by Stitch in The Willow Gallery. Oswestry.I have also shown at the International Textile Exhibition at Queen Street Gallery in Neath 2024.
In May and June 2026 I will be guest artist at The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, Sunbury- on -Thames.
‘Bits and Pieces’ my book about my textile art was published in 2020.
Instagram @sylvia_paul_art
I have always been fascinated by statues particularly those of mythical beings. My work for Flight is inspired by statues of mythical creatures with wings. Often these statues are made from stone or bronze and have been standing strong and still for many years.
Mythical beings with wings have origins in cultures across the world. From the sphinx in Greek mythology to angels in Christianity the symbolism behind these beings is often spiritual or magical.
I used a black background for all the pieces and different coloured silk fabrics for the body of the beasts. Using free motion machine embroidery I portrayed the statue like beings.
On each piece the wing has been created separately, hand embroidered and embellished with beads. I wanted to bring the wings to life by using this contrast of materials and technique. For the wing of the angel I created the feathers separately out of various fabrics and lace remnants. The wing was assembled over a shaped stiffener and then attached to the main piece.
Working as a professional painter for over forty years I have paintings in collections worldwide and continue to exhibit in galleries and art fairs. My paintings have been shown at the Mall Galleries and in 2009 at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
I started creating textile art in 2013 after a gift of kimonos from my Japanese daughter-in-law’s family.In 2015 I exhibited my textile art as part of the Tokamachi Quilt Festival in Japan.
I was selected to show at the European Textile Network exhibition, in Haslach Austria in 2019.
I have exhibited in 2022 and 2025 at the Bankside Gallery with The Broderers’ Company exhibition The Art of Embroidery. One of my pieces was bought by Diana Springall for her collection of textile art.
In 2023 and 2025 my work was selected for Stitch by Stitch in The Willow Gallery. Oswestry.I have also shown at the International Textile Exhibition at Queen Street Gallery in Neath 2024.
In May and June 2026 I will be guest artist at The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, Sunbury- on -Thames.
‘Bits and Pieces’ my book about my textile art was published in 2020.
Instagram @sylvia_paul_art
Above Sylvia Paul
Stephanie Redfern
A ceramicist for 20 years after leaving art college, I began working in textiles and mixed media in 2003
My work consists of textile and mixed media pieces, artist’s books, for which I also write the text, collage, ceramics, and also my latest interest, stop motion animation, for which I enjoy making the puppets, most of which are winged, and backgrounds.
Birds, moths and butterflies have consistently appeared in my pieces over time, with my work in general being based upon the natural world, natural history and museum collections, and landscape.
Folk art and folk customs are also influences, particularly in my animation.
Instagram @stephredfernart
stephanieredfern.co.uk
A ceramicist for 20 years after leaving art college, I began working in textiles and mixed media in 2003
My work consists of textile and mixed media pieces, artist’s books, for which I also write the text, collage, ceramics, and also my latest interest, stop motion animation, for which I enjoy making the puppets, most of which are winged, and backgrounds.
Birds, moths and butterflies have consistently appeared in my pieces over time, with my work in general being based upon the natural world, natural history and museum collections, and landscape.
Folk art and folk customs are also influences, particularly in my animation.
Instagram @stephredfernart
stephanieredfern.co.uk
Above Stephanie Redfern
Christine Restall
Flight or Plight series
The word ‘flight’ immediately made me think of the mad music of ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’ by Rimsky Korsakov – so I decided to make bumblebees my subject. It turned out that this was just as well, because the subject meant I could work small. I was moving house and in fact during the run up to the exhibition I had almost no work space at all and was surrounded by packing cases.
Bumblebees are, as we know, under threat, like all pollinators. There are 27 species in Britain, some becoming increasingly rare and 3 probably extinct. They collect vast amounts of nectar and pollen, and have their own natural predator, their ‘cousin’ Cuckoo Bumblebees, which take over their nests, kill the occupants and do not collect nectar or pollen. I did not know this when I started.
I made transfer prints on to poplin of my own manipulated photographs of Greek meadows and collaged these with hand painted cotton textiles, and painted some flower details and the various species of bumblebee.
www.christinerestall.co.uk
Flight or Plight series
The word ‘flight’ immediately made me think of the mad music of ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’ by Rimsky Korsakov – so I decided to make bumblebees my subject. It turned out that this was just as well, because the subject meant I could work small. I was moving house and in fact during the run up to the exhibition I had almost no work space at all and was surrounded by packing cases.
Bumblebees are, as we know, under threat, like all pollinators. There are 27 species in Britain, some becoming increasingly rare and 3 probably extinct. They collect vast amounts of nectar and pollen, and have their own natural predator, their ‘cousin’ Cuckoo Bumblebees, which take over their nests, kill the occupants and do not collect nectar or pollen. I did not know this when I started.
I made transfer prints on to poplin of my own manipulated photographs of Greek meadows and collaged these with hand painted cotton textiles, and painted some flower details and the various species of bumblebee.
www.christinerestall.co.uk
Sarah Waters
As a contemporary felt artist I understand the importance, especially in these fragile and uncertain times, for the need to highlight the history, sustainability and renewable resources of wool and to be able to educate and show this to a wider audience.
Sheep, wool and farming are in my blood and my current practice of felt artwork reflects my desire to connect with the land. At the age of thirteen I sold my bicycle to buy two ewes and their lambs, to keep my pony company and learning to spin, weave and dye fleeces. After studying Agriculture, I set up my own company, producing yarn and knitting kits from an ever-expanding flock of several hundred Rare Breeds of sheep. Feltmaking was a natural progression from this and I now have over thirty years teaching and exhibiting in the UK and internationally.
Using both traditional and innovative techniques in my work I aim to show the diversity and quality that feltmaking can be taken to by pushing the boundaries. My felt piece for ‘Flight’ continues to look at my love of the landscape. I have taken an alternative meaning of Flight -a group of similar beings or objects. In everyday life we see a flight of cheese or a flight of wine. My flight ‘Cluster of Contours’ looks at the contours of the landscape. The lines that define the land and ultimately who we are.
At the heart of my work is the use of local wool from the sheep grazing around the beautiful New Forest countryside, where I live. Wool and sheep have existed for millennia and have long been a part of our history. Wool is sustainable and environmentally good for humanity and as an organic material, in a natural environment, is ephemeral and won’t last. It can be transformed by nature back to the earth.
Instagram @sarahwatersartist
As a contemporary felt artist I understand the importance, especially in these fragile and uncertain times, for the need to highlight the history, sustainability and renewable resources of wool and to be able to educate and show this to a wider audience.
Sheep, wool and farming are in my blood and my current practice of felt artwork reflects my desire to connect with the land. At the age of thirteen I sold my bicycle to buy two ewes and their lambs, to keep my pony company and learning to spin, weave and dye fleeces. After studying Agriculture, I set up my own company, producing yarn and knitting kits from an ever-expanding flock of several hundred Rare Breeds of sheep. Feltmaking was a natural progression from this and I now have over thirty years teaching and exhibiting in the UK and internationally.
Using both traditional and innovative techniques in my work I aim to show the diversity and quality that feltmaking can be taken to by pushing the boundaries. My felt piece for ‘Flight’ continues to look at my love of the landscape. I have taken an alternative meaning of Flight -a group of similar beings or objects. In everyday life we see a flight of cheese or a flight of wine. My flight ‘Cluster of Contours’ looks at the contours of the landscape. The lines that define the land and ultimately who we are.
At the heart of my work is the use of local wool from the sheep grazing around the beautiful New Forest countryside, where I live. Wool and sheep have existed for millennia and have long been a part of our history. Wool is sustainable and environmentally good for humanity and as an organic material, in a natural environment, is ephemeral and won’t last. It can be transformed by nature back to the earth.
Instagram @sarahwatersartist
Above Sarah Waters