Soft: group show at The Mill

Tonight my parents and I paid a visit to the newly installed exhibition at The Mill, Soft, in which my soft sculpture book, On Being Soft, features (that's a lot of "softs"!)

There really is something for everyone at the exhibition; knitted wall hangings, silk Devoré, soft sculpture, even a cross stitched  QR code! In fact, almost every imaginable type of textile craft/art was featured.

This gorgeous quilted wall hanging by Gilli Haqqani, titled Easter at Kew, is an incredibly intricate (and large!)example of free machine embroidery. It was one of my favourite pieces in the exhibition.

Another large piece, Bambooed by Sba Shaikh, showcased silk Devoré, a technique in which a chemical gel is applied to silk, dissolving it and leaving burnt-out sections. Sba used the gel to create bamboo patterns.

This is a working, cross stitched QR code by Kelly Duggan.

This colourful, hugely touchable piece was created by Debs French and Morwenna Brewitt from hundreds of pompoms.

Another colourful piece, a naive elephant  appliqué  constructed from recycled textiles by Gillian Lawrence.

This series was another one of my favourites from the exhibition; stunningly realistic soft sculpture kitchen appliances by the formidably talented Harriet Hammel.

A Grand Lady,  appliquéd and framed in velvet by Sheila Aslan.

This quilted wall-hanging by Fatima Ahkrah-kha is a little too traditional for my taste, but beautifully executed.

Having a chat with some ladies who were admiring my book!