British Seasons: Making a Textile Collection

Post 1: Creating a Textile Collection: Where It Begins

This new textile collection begins not in the studio, but on my sofa before breakfast.

For over two years I have kept a Daily Sketchbook practice — a quiet ritual of drawing every morning before breakfast. Whether I am at home or travelling, I always carry a small sketchbook. Over time, these books have filled with hundreds of intimate observations, each rooted in the moment it was made.

Drawing daily and outdoors is central to my process. The immediacy of hand-drawn lines allows me to respond instinctively to the natural world, capturing energy, movement, and atmosphere in a way that feels both honest and alive. My sketchbooks act as a visual diary, but they are also an ongoing source of ideas that later feed into my studio work.

Each morning I draw what is directly in front of me, guided by my List of 10 prompts. These simple instructions help me stay present and responsive, allowing patterns and ideas to emerge naturally over time.

One drawing from this practice, Tulips Day 458, has become the starting point for a new textile design. It was created on day eight of the list, with the prompt “Shapes and add pattern inside.” I drew the simple outline of my tea mug resting on the table before me, then filled it with tulips I had seen blooming during my morning run & a bunch at home - a quiet merging of observation, memory, and seasonal change.

What begins as a small, personal drawing often holds the seed of something larger. These moments - fleeting, domestic, and ordinary - are where my textile work starts.

Today marks day 730 of this practice, without a single missed morning.

More soon, from the studio.

From Sketchbook to Making a Pattern Repeat.

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