About Salley Mavor

About Salley Mavor

“My aim is to breathe life and emotion into embroidery, an art form that is often perceived as purely decorative.”
Salley mavor

A needle is my tool, thread is my medium and stitches are my marks. For over 45 years, I’ve created 3-dimensional hand-stitched miniature worlds that range from precious to poignant to provocative. My art serves a variety of purposes: it appears as illustrations in children’s books, stand-alone framed artwork, and stop-motion animation.

There is a distinctive over-the-top quality to my art. A combination of storytelling imagery, extra attention to detail, fervent craftsmanship, and the interplay of familiar, yet intriguing materials set it apart.

While I take delight in every careful stitch, it is the spirit of play and the pursuit of a bigger visual narrative that propels my work forward. My objective is to move beyond the confines of embroidery as a medium and create art that is valued for its message and emotional resonance as well as its workmanship.

What I make today and how I do it, is a culmination of a life-long search to find ways of translating what I feel and imagine into something real to share. My wish is for people of all ages to connect with my art in personal and meaningful ways.

Mavorkids1963

Where did this doll-infested needle and thread universe come from? It began at the height of the baby boom, in a family of introverts who were either making things or staring into space. You could say that we excelled at parallel play.

Detail from “Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion”

Education
While studying illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970’s, an insightful teacher encouraged me to tap into my crafty and playful side. This newfound sense of freedom felt like doing a happy dance—an organic, joyful expression straight from the heart. No longer confined to traditional art mediums, I discovered that working with stitching and soft sculpture allowed my ideas to come alive in new and unexpected ways. For most of my career I have followed this path, creating stitched scenes in bas-relief, much like miniature, shallow stage sets, with figures imposed on embellished fabric backgrounds.

Books – My 3-dimensional artwork is photographed and reproduced in children’s books, including the 2010 award-winning Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World. My bestselling how-to book of doll projects, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures continues to inspire creativity.

Shop – Personally autographed books, cards, jigsaw puzzles, notebooks, and posters with printed reproductions of my embroidered scenes are available in my Etsy Shop.

Birds of Beebe Woods poster, cards, puzzles and notebooks are available in my Etsy Shop

Sale of Original Artwork – My original pieces are no longer available for sale. I have made the decision to retain all works currently in my possession. By holding on to these pieces, I am ensuring that there is a well-rounded and representative body of work ready for exhibition purposes. This way, I can maintain a collection that accurately reflects my artistic vision and creative journey. Printed reproductions of my work are available in my Esty Shop.

Sharing Knowledge – I do not teach classes. However, this blog is full of informative and inspiring photos, videos, and descriptions of projects I’ve made. My how-to book Felt Wee Folk provides step-by-step instructions for making wee folk dolls, with many examples and patterns. To learn my personal philosophy about sharing knowledge and artistic privacy, please read this post: to teach or not to teach.

Animation
After the 2016 presidential election, I formed a satirical wee folk drama troupe, The Wee Folk Players (they’re a stitch). Also, my husband Rob Goldsborough and I made a short stop-motion animated film titled Liberty and Justice: A Cautionary Tale in the Land of the Free.

Screen shot from “Liberty and Justice” animation

My solo exhibit Liberty and Justice was abruptly cancelled in 2018 at its original venue due to its political content. The show was generously picked up by the New England Quilt Museum and the Cotuit Center for the Arts, and portions were included in The Art of Cute at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine. You can watch my interview about the Liberty and Justice exhibit on WGBH TV and read the post Finding My Voice, which includes an excerpt of my talk about making art that is both precious and provocative.

EXHIBITIONS

To see a schedule of current and upcoming exhibitions of my original bas-relief artwork, including the Bedtime Stitches national tour, please visit the Exhibitions Page.

My most recent book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World was published in 2020. You can see blog posts showing the book’s progress here. SALLEY MAVOR: Bedtime Stitches, the touring exhibition of original bas-relief artwork for the book is scheduled into 2027. The current list of venues is here. Inquiries from museums are welcome. For information about hosting the show, please use the contact form below.

See how I made the illustrations for my new picture book, MY BED in this 8-minute documentary.

I live and work on Cape Cod, in Falmouth, Massachusetts. For answers to frequently asked question, please go to the FAQ Page. Contact me using the form below or write to P.O. Box 152, Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Autographed books, prints, puzzles, cards, notebooks and posters are available in my Etsy shop.

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Social Media: Follow me at BlueSky, Facebook and Instagram.
Shop: Autographed books, posters, puzzles, notebooks and cards are available in my Etsy shop.
Contact me via the form above or write to P.O. Box 152, Woods Hole, MA 02543

PODCASTS:

The Object Itself Podcast : Salley Mavor shares the inspiration and process behind her Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion. Published 1/23/25

NeedleXChange PODCAST: Salley Mavor – Telling Wee Folk Tales PART 1 and PART 2. Recorded 11/8/24
School of Stitched Textiles PODCAST: Textile Talk with Salley Mavor. Recorded 9/26/24.
Creative Exchange PODCAST with the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. Staying True to Yourself and Your Work with Salley Mavor. Recorded 1/6/23
Craft Industry Alliance PODCAST with Mimi Kirchner and Salley Mavor. Recorded 6/1/15

INTERVIEWS

Watch TEXTILE TALK: Textiles in 3D with Salley Mavor, Barbara Schneider, and Jean Sredl, presented by SAQA. Recorded 5/29/24.
Read an interview with the Embroiderer’s Guild of America
Read this interview to find out about my foray into political satire
Read my thoughts about artistic privacy and when to tell how and when not to.
Watch WGBH OPEN STUDIO interview
Read my acceptance speech for the 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Read an interview with Create Whimsy
Read an interview with Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Watch a 2016 Interview with Falmouth Community TV

Book trailer for Felt Wee Folk – New Adventures

Information

Autographed books, posters, cards and jigsaw puzzles are available in my Etsy shop.
To see a list of all of my books, go to My Books.
Watch videos about my work: Videos Page
For info about exhibits of my original work, visit the Exhibitions Page.
Frequently asked questions: FAQ Page

Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion (pictured below) is on semi-permanent display at the Woods Hole Public Library. Posters of the piece are available in my Shop here.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky.

Salley Mavor finishing Felt Filigree Sculptures

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As time ushers us into 2026, I want to express my appreciation to all of you who follow this blog and take an interest in my work and life as an artist. As we enter its 17th year, I marvel at the constant influx of new subscribers every day! I hope that my words and photos inspire you to create your own artistic life. The blog format may have faded in popularity compared to other social media platforms, but an in-depth and thoughtful approach is more in keeping with my style of working. This is where you’re more likely to find out about what I do and why I do it, not just the little snippets that I post on Instagram and Facebook. So, now that you’re here, please come along as I review the past 12 months and share posts (linked in blue letters) published in 2025.

SUMMERIME
During 2025, I posted 7 more segments about the summer scene in my series of seasonal landscapes. There’s one more part to go (Part 10 – wee folk), which will be published in 2026. Post links:
Summertime: Part 3 – leaves, stems, and branches
Summertime: Part 4 – Baltimore Oriole (body)
Summertime: Part 5 – Baltimore Oriole (head and feet)
Summertime: Part 6 – Rose Vine
Summertime: Part 7 – Raspberry Plants
Summertime: Part 8 – Stitching Flora
Summertime: Part 9 – Moss, Sky, and Stone Wall

My son Ian holding up one of the felt filigree sculptures.

FELT FILIGREE SCULPTURES
I shared photos, videos, and commentary about my new “Felt Filigree” sculptures. Felt-covered wire has been a mainstay in my pieces for several years, but this is the first time I’ve created works that are entirely made with covered wire.
Post link: Felt Filigree Sculptures

TO EVERY SEASON at the New England Quilt Museum
It was an honor to exhibit my work at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA this past fall. A big thank you to all of you who made your way to Lowell to see my work in person! Visitors saw a wide selection of framed bas-relief embroidered scenes spanning 40 years of my career, spread out in multiple galleries. Soon, I will be returning pieces that were loaned for the exhibition.

There were also four glass cases filled with wee folk characters set up in miniature seasonal environments made with houses, furniture, trees, and foliage saved from other projects. Post links:
To Every Season at the new England Quilt Museum
Making a Scene

BIRDS OF BEEBE WOODS revisited
I shared thoughts about what inspired this collection of hand stitched birds and gave a behind the scenes peek at how I made it 13 years ago.
Post link:
Birds of Beebe Woods revisited

Bedtime Stitches at the Mariposa Museum in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Exhibits at Mariposa Museum
It’s been such a pleasure collaborating with the Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center this past year. They hosted 2 exhibitions of my work in both of their locations, on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and in Peterborough, NH. Bedtime Stitches & Other Works has been extended through Jan. 4, 2026 in Peterborough.

Bedtime Stitches & Other Works at the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough, NH

Post links:
Bedtime Stitches on Martha’s Vineyard
Exhibit at Mariposa Museum in Peterborough, NH

Wee Folk Family RAFFLE
I was happy to make a family of 5 dolls for a special fundraiser to benefit the Waldorf School of Cape Cod (my children’s alma mater). A big thank you to all who bought raffle tickets! You helped raise $4150 for the school’s newly renovated kindergarten classroom. That’s a gift that will give for many years to come.

I really enjoyed all aspects of making this little family, from painting their faces, to embellishing their felt outfits, to sewing their wigs. Different parts of the process were documented in photos and videos. Post link:
Wee Folk Family RAFFLE

Posies Tree and Storytime at Cahoon Museum
My collection of nursery rhyme ornaments were displayed in the Pocketful of Posies Holiday Tree at the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA. In the post, I explain how the collection of ornaments originated back in 2012.

I enjoyed reading a selection of my books to a delightful group, which ranged in age from 2 to 82! Post link:
Posies Tree and Storytime at Cahoon Museum

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!
I invited you to watch a one minute video that features a selection of my art that celebrates winter. I also sing the first part of the carol, “In the Bleak Mid-winter.” Post link:
Happy Winter Solstice!

Elias & Eddie 2025 ornaments
The yearly tradition of making personalized ornaments of my grandchildren to give to their parents continued. I shared photos, videos and commentary about making wee folk depictions of Elias and Eddie in their winter outfits. Post link:
Elias and Eddie 2025 ornaments

Looking ahead to 2026
I’ll soon be in winter hibernation mode. It’s that special time when you can become immersed in projects without the distraction of warm weather! My goal this year is to resist the temptation to push myself to accomplish so much professionally. Don’t worry, I’m not disappearing — I’ll keep sharing glimpses of my process and posting stories on this blog for a while yet. Creating art will always be my source of true contentment, but I also want to savor these moments with my family, especially when my grandchildren are little. The writer, Anne Lamott recently spoke about this subject in a way that felt real to me. We are the same age (70) and she said, “There’s a huge change as you get older. The striving quiets down and the longing for being instead of doing grows stronger.”
Wishing you a year of good health, happiness, and unforgettable moments.

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SALLEY MAVOR

WEE FOLK STUDIO