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.

Peter and the Wolf CD

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Salley Mavor

A good story told in combination with orchestral music is a special treat. I had the pleasure of working with my friends at Maestro Classics on one of their recent CD projects. They hope that families will be educated as well as entertained with their series of award-winning story and music CDs for children. The producers of the recordings, Bonnie and Stephen Simon, have a house in Woods Hole and we have known each other for quite a few years. I remember Bonnie talking about her idea of making recordings of the Stories in Music™ performances that her husband Stephen had conducted in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center. Well, they did it, and their company, Maestro Classics, now has eight CDs available, with more planned for the future. I was very excited to be asked to illustrate the CD box for Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.

The Russian story was a perfect match for my folk art style and it was a joy to bring Peter and the animals to life. In addition to designing the cover illustration with Peter and the cat in the tree, with the bird taunting the wolf, I made a scene to be used inside the case. Here’s a sketch I made of Peter with his grandfather in their fenced in yard, which later was developed into a sewn scene. My layouts are usually simply drawn, with figures and other important features positioned in the space.

Sketch of Peter and his grandfather

Later, when I’m sewing, the color and details will start to emerge. The fence posts are made from some bone beads which have been sitting patiently for years, waiting to be useful.

inside illustration from "Peter and the Wolf" CD

I also made individual characters from the story, including the hunters to be used as illustrations in a little activity booklet of games and information that comes with the CD. Lately, I’ve been using painted bead heads for some animals like cats and birds. It’s almost like a child’s costume, with a painted face and hood with ears. But, the wolf needed to have a long pointed head. It was important that he be scary and imposing, not too cute, so I gave him teeth, intense eyes, and a shaggy mane. You can see and listen to Maestro Classic’s CDs here.

Felt Wee Folk Challenge Alert!

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Salley Mavor

Word just in that Patty from My life under the bus has announced a Felt Smack Down 2010 “Challenge Alert”. The premise of the challenge is to make something based on my Felt Wee Folk book . Please visit her blog to find out details and to let her know if you are interested in participating, since she’s limiting the number of submissions. Patty has asked me to judge the projects, which really sounds like fun. This is giving me the idea of offering some kind of contest myself in the future.

Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects

Self-Portrait on CTpub’s blog

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Salley Mavor

Announcement! Today, C&T Publishing’s blog is posting an article I wrote about my self-portrait. You can see it here. There are other photos of Self-Portrait: my personal history of fashion on my first blog post here.

detail from my Self-Portrait, 2007

Close-ups (mother and child)

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Salley Mavor

This grouping of mother and child pictures starts with a piece I made while pregnant with my first child, in a naive style that’s also reflective of my inexperience with motherhood. Then there’s a detail from “Family Portrait”, which I made for a Christmas card in 1986, showing my son Ian in my arms. Next is a close-up from “Mother’s Dance”, a more active piece, with many gesturing arms and then a detail from a CD cover entitled “A Little Music on the Prairie”. The series ends with a nursing mother from “The Red Chair”.

detail from "Mother and Child", 1983

detail from "Family Portrait", 1986

detail from CD cover, "A Little Music on the Prairie", 1994

detail from "The Red Chair", 1994

Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.

Favorites (sewing notions)

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Salley Mavor

This collection of sewing memorabilia has come my way via grandmothers and great aunts. Inside the Queen Marie needle book are several packs of gold and silver eyed sharps. Don’t you just love the idolized cover scene of 3 generations sewing together? I’ve used some of this rick rack and these hooks & eyes make hinges and door handles in my artwork. And, call me old-fashioned, but I always wear a thimble.

Queen Marie needle book

a selection of hook and eyes

buttons purchased at Gladding's for 10 cents

rick rack braid

family thimbles

Queen with Duster

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Salley Mavor

In the late 1980’s, my 97 year old grandmother died and we cleaned out her house in Bristol, RI. Along with drawers full of old keys and costume jewelry, I saved a stash of garter clips and kept them in wait for a future project. Their day came in 1995, when I started working on Queen with Duster.

“Queen with Duster”, fabric-relief, 10″ x 11″, 1995

I’m always on the lookout for small interesting objects that can be sewn down and I liked the pattern created with the garters lined up. The figure started out as a bride, but evolved into a queen when she was crowned with a bejeweled pin.

a collection of my grandmother’s garters

Her dress is made from an old wool petticoat of my grandmother’s that was washed so many times, it had become very thin felt. The silver hairpins were also my grandmother’s and she made the tatting on the bottom of the skirt. See “Pink House”, another piece made with my grandmother’s things, here.

my grandmother, Louise (Salley) Hartwell in the 1920’s

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Milkweed Pods

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Salley Mavor

The pods are light and almost have the texture of handmade paper. They open up in the fall, bursting with the most delicate, downy seeds and their boat-like shape and small size make a fitting bed for a little person.

This sleeping girl nestled in her milkweed bed is in my board book, Wee Willie Winkie.

For more ideas on wee doll bedding, visit my post about walnut shells here.

Christmas cards past

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Salley Mavor

Throughout her lifetime, my mother, Mary Mavor, made some beautiful Christmas cards,which she sent out every year. This selection spans many years, from the late 40’s to the 90’s. Some of her early cards were done in blue print, which she commonly used in the 50’s for reproducing small print runs.

by Mary Hartwell (Mavor), hand colored blue print, about 1947

by Mary Mavor, hand colored blue print, about 1950

by Mary Mavor, 3 color silk screen, about 1955

by Mary Mavor, hand colored off set print, 1990

Close-ups (Winter Trees)

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Salley Mavor

This group of trees starts with a paint and crayon picture I made as a child of 7. Next is a detail of a painting I did in art school and then part of an early fabric relief winter scene. The last two are taken from my book, Pocketful of Posies.

snowman and trees, 1963

from “Laplander Mural” 1977

detail from “Skating” 1987

from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.

Snowy Monday

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Salley Mavor

We drove around town this morning, marveling at the snowy scenery, which made everything look like a Christmas card. Here are some photos of Falmouth and Woods Hole.