About Salley Mavor

I make 3-dimensional fabric relief pictures that are photographed and used to illustrate children’s books. I sew together different materials to create fanciful scenes in relief, much like a miniature stage set, with figures imposed on an embellished fabric background. My work is decorative and detailed, full of patterns from nature and found objects, all sewn together by hand with a needle and thread.

Hanging by a Thread exhibit

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Salley Mavor

This month, Hanging by a Thread: Needle Art of Salley Mavor will be shown at Gallery 65 on William in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The owner, Nicole St. Pierre has graciously agreed to hang five large pieces in her gallery’s changing exhibit space. The show will be there until April 1st, 2017. Gallery open hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 – 5:00.

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 9th, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, during New Bedford’s monthly AHA! Night. This month’s theme is “All Sewn Up”, a celebration of the city’s rich textile history, as well as its current day love affair with the textile medium. The streets and venues of downtown New Bedford will be alive from 5 to 9pm with performances, art exhibits, lectures, and much more.

The following works will be shown: (click on title to find out about each piece) Face Time, Whiskers, Cover Up, Birds of Beebe Woods and Displaced.

: Face Time

: Whiskers

: Cover Up

: Displaced, 24″ H x 22″ W, 2016

If you’re in the neighborhood, you can also take in the Excellence in Fibers exhibit, which is at the New Bedford Museum of Art until March 19th.

Coffee break

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) are back with another installment in the American Drama Series. This week’s episode is set in a cozy mid-century style kitchen and stars the Leading Man and his Alt-Right Hand Man.

Opening Scene: The morning sun streams in the window, as two men have a heart-to-heart over percolated coffee. Waxing philosophical about the meaning of life, they discuss their favorite books and share hopes and dreams for the future:
Leading Man: “Is it all going according to plan?”
Alt-Right Hand Man: “Yes, the deconstruction of the administrative state is underway.” (quote by Stephen Bannon, Conservative Political Action Conference, 2017)

During the break, the actors complained about the stale white bread, remarking that they prefer a healthy diet of fresh multi-grain and pumpernickel slices.

The prop team scoured second hand stores for nostalgic items to dress the kitchen set, evoking an earlier, simpler time. To complete the scene, they also procured a copy of Alt-Right Hand Man’s instruction manual, The Art of War.

Here’s a reflective candid shot through the window…

and here’s one of the Leading Man’s understudy, during a pensive moment, while he waited in the wings (below).

To find out about my post-election satire, please read this interview .

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky.

Galapagos adventure

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Salley Mavor

As promised, here are a selection of my husband Rob Goldsborough’s beautiful photographs from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands. The one above of a Galapagos finch is one of my favorites. These finches played an important role in the development of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

We went on daily excursions in inflated pangas from our mother ship.

Sea lions were a common sight…

as were Blue-footed Boobies – the bluer their feet, the healthier they are.

This young sea lion was almost oblivious to my presence.

We saw many giant tortoises lumbering along. The islands were named after the Spanish word for tortoise, “galapago”.

This iguana species is the only extant (or still existing) marine lizard on Earth.

We saw one flamingo in a shallow pond.

Magnificent frigate-birds dominated the sky..

and showed off their red throat pouches on land.

Sally Lightfoot crabs danced over the rocks at the sea shore.

This Black-legged Stilt waded, while an iguana crawled ashore.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the tour. Polly went along, too and you can see her travel log here. The trip was a truly remarkable experience!

Strategy session

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Salley Mavor

Trying their best to avoid being distracted by real life dramatics, the cast and crew of the Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) focused their nervous energy into producing this new skit.

Backstage, the mood was hectic, as all hands worked to stage a war room scene that looked like a “fine-tuned machine”. The prop manager located a portrait of Andrew Jackson, though the poor old fellow is in jeopardy of losing his standing as the worst president ever.

Despite rushed and competitive auditions, the newest actor was cast without incident. He/she wasted no time practicing lines and getting into character.

There was even an opportunity for product placement on the set.

Here’s a candid shot (below) of a rare lull in the action, as viewed from the wings. The troupe will take a very short break before starting rehearsals for the next episode in the American Drama Series. They must keep up their stamina because there’s sure to be a lot of exciting and compelling theater ahead!

Well suited

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) have recently added a new cast member who will play the part of councilor to the leading man. To stay in character, she keeps up a grueling maintenance schedule of peroxide touch-ups and has reserved every size 2 crimson costume available. And the hair and makeup takes forever!

The costume dept. made special pumps because the boss prefers his girls to look lady-like.

There’s always some drama happening on and off the set and she’s learned to avoid upstaging the Twitter Bird star, like in this bathroom scene below.

An experienced improvisational actress, she’s making use of her natural talent for telling tall tales. She explains her method this way, “It’s really very simple. In theater, we create the illusion of truth. If we do it well, the audience suspends belief and enters our alternate reality. You have to stick with fantasy over fact, or the spell is broken.”

The down-filled blue collar suit was first introduced in Fireside Chat and the leading man is so attached to it that he wears it all the time, way into the wee hours of the morning.

Polly in the Galapagos

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Salley Mavor

Polly just returned from a fascinating trip to the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador. She dressed in an outfit suitable for a Charles Darwin expedition in the 1830’s. The excessive heat and humidity were a challenge in her long skirt, but at least she didn’t have to put sun screen on her wooden face. In this photo, you can barely make out the piles of sun bathing sea iguanas on the black volcanic rocks. A brown baby sea lion nestled in the rocks and slept through the photo session, while another looked on from the water’s edge.

Having nothing to fear, the animals were oblivious to humans. We were told that they don’t sleep close together because of affection, but to keep themselves warm. Polly took along a collection bag and straw hat for protection from the equatorial sun.

This is as close as she got to some land iguanas.

She hiked up to a high lookout on one of the islands…

and climbed cactus plants.

The giant tortoises were impressively old and slow.

While the Sally Lightfoot crabs were gaudy and fast.

This young sea lion slumbered on a bench. Polly resisted the temptation to tickle its whiskers.

Polly got a kick out of posing in front a photo collage of Charles Darwin, who was in his 20’s when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1831. His theory of evolution, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, based mainly on his observations there was published in 1859. More photos of the trip, with closeups of the animals go here.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram

Civics lesson

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial), to ensure a central government in which no individual or group gains too much control.

Behind the scenes at Wee Folk Players: Mirrors (but no smoke this time) were arranged to create a three way reflection on the minimalist set. Being a one man show, the scene didn’t require extra cast members.

Resident tech wizard Rob, promptly processed the documenting photo. The drama troupe is busy trying to keep up with script changes and a grueling rehearsal schedule. New cast members are being auditioned and needles are flying in the costume department. Stay tuned for more episodes in the American Drama Series!

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) formed soon after the 2016 election and have performed a string of episodes in the American Drama Series. To find out about Salley Mavor’s post-election satire, please this interview.

Chaos Advisory

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) are back after a short winter break. Because of the rich backlog of material, the cast and crew quickly assembled, eager to put on a new production in their American Drama Series. This scene features our commander in chief and his alt-right handy man surveying their latest spoils.

Now for some behind the scenes photos ~ The kid’s building blocks came in handy for the set, which went up quickly.

And costumes and makeup were easy enough – the leading man’s outfit was previously made for his part in Flat Earth Society, but Dark Shadow Steve’s robe and staff required an anti-hero alteration. After instructing the cast to review Marvel Comics and study BBC Historical Dramas, the director advised the cast to ham it up, adding that they couldn’t possibly overdo the performance.

The Wee Folk Players are busy writing and directing new episodes in the American Drama Series. To keep up with new posts, subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). And for a wide ranging look at new and old material from my studio, please follow along on Instagram and Facebook. And to find out about my post-election satire, please read this interview .

A Fireside Tweet

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Salley Mavor

From his elevated perch, @realDonaldTrump scatters seeds of wisdom in 140 characters or less, emulating the Fireside Chat, which was how President Franklin D. Roosevelt comforted and reassured the country throughout the Depression and WWII.

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) set designers decorated his nest in a comfortably rich style, evoking a shock and awe, yet homey atmosphere. The crew hauled in a cozy bookend fireplace and built a wool fleece fire to warm the White House hearth.

Props include precious family heirlooms and trophies for the mantelpiece…

as well as his Twitter feed to peck at.

Meanwhile, the costume department fashioned a down-filled blue collar uniform for the leading man. Humbled and honored to play the unifying role of President of the United States, he tweets, “@POTUS – the American people. SO THERE, all of you sad, dishonest, failed phonies, fakes and scumbags, I WON, I WON, I WON! Believe me.”

Fantasy Inauguration Ball

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Salley Mavor

With the spotlight on the upcoming inaugural spectacle in Washington DC and in the spirit of what they believe makes America GREAT, The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) proudly present their alternative take in the Fantasy Inauguration Ball.

Key players in the American Drama Series were cast as leading men, while ordinary citizens auditioned for the unnamed bit parts.

Special dance shoes, some with spike heels, were custom made for the show by the costume department.

Jittery members of the All-American cast (see photos below) waited in the wings, bracing themselves for the coming drama, calling out, “Break a leg!”

The Wee Folk Players are busy writing and directing new episodes in the American Drama Series. To find out about my post-election satire, please read this interview .