Summertime: Part 3 – leaves, stems, and branches

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Salley Mavor

As promised, I’m picking up where we left off last year and continuing the series about Summertime, the fourth of my seasonal landscapes. In the coming months, I’ll share photos, videos and commentary about different aspects of the project, from raspberries to wee folk inhabitants to a life size Baltimore Oriole. I went overboard documenting the process, so there’s a ton of material to show. So far, I’ve written an overview of the piece, Part 1 – Tree Trunks, and Part 2 – Tree Houses, Part 4 – Baltimore Oriole (body) , Part 5 – Baltimore Oriole (head and feet), Part 6 – rose vine , Part 7 – raspberry plants, and Part 8 – stitching flora..

Summertime is the summer scene in a series of four seasonal landscapes that capture the wonder and magic of the natural world. Posters, note cards, prints, bookmarks, and jigsaw puzzles of Summertime and the other scenes in the series (Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen and Harvest Time) are available in my Etsy Shop.

See the Four Seasons Series and dozens of other works in my exhibition, To Every Season: Works by Salley Mavor at the New England Quilt Museum, Sept. 9 – Dec. 31, 2025.

Enchanting Threads: The Art of Salley Mavor at the Albany Institute of History and Art

LEAVES
Some of the foliage in this piece are realistic interpretations, like the leaves on the rose vine and raspberry plants (which will be covered in future posts), but others are pure fantasy. I wanted the scene to look believable, without being completely true to life. It’s not biological illustration; I was more interested in creating a unique ecosystem where little people could live alongside birds and berries.

I made the leaves with 3 basic materials – wool felt, wire, and embroidery floss. The following Stitch Minute video demonstrates how to make a simple leaf, edged in wire.

Stitch Minute – leaf

STEMS
Wire is literally the backbone of my work. I use it as a structural framework to keep floppy materials (like felt) firm enough to exist in space, above the background fabric. In this piece, I used copper wire made by Parawire to edge the leaves and form their stems.

The trick is to cover all of the shiny metal with floss. It takes many passes around the wire to make a smooth surface.

This video shows how I wrapped the wire stems on the central tree in the Summertime scene.

For me, making curvy stems and bending them around is like doodling with wire. I’m never sure how a vine is going to grow and climb. This purple bush was calling out for something extra, so I made a curly vine to wrap around its trunk.

In this Stitch Minute video, you can see how I wrapped the curly vine, including its little corkscrew tendril.

BRANCHES
After years of developing ways of making tree branches, my preferred method these days is forming wire armatures and covering them with felt or embroidery floss. I usually embroider a textured “bark” pattern onto the felt before sewing it around the wire. Thicker tree trunks involve a different process, which I wrote about in Part 1.

In the following video, you can see how I stitched felt to cover the section that branches off into 3 separate wire limbs.

Stay tuned for Part 4 in this series, which will be about the Baltimore Oriole. If you want to receive email notices when I publish new posts, please subscribe to this blog using the form below.

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.

Enchanting Threads opens!

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Salley Mavor

I’m excited to share photos of my new exhibition, which opened last weekend at the Albany Institute of History & Art. Enchanting Threads: The Art of Salley Mavor will be on view for 7 months, through March 2, 2025. So, there’s plenty of time to plan a trip to Albany, NY with your friends and family! For those who live too far away to visit, I’ll try to give you an idea of how the show looks.

The museum’s exhibition team did a fantastic job designing the layout and hanging my artwork, which is spread throughout 4 galleries. It’s one of the most artful and tasteful presentations of my life’s work that I’ve seen!

For the first time, visitors will see both original embroidered artwork and 8 ft. tall printed enlargements of some pieces, including Summertime, from my series of seasonal landscapes. I’m glad that Rob took hires photos, so that the blown-up reproductions are clear enough to see every stitch. It feels as if you could step inside the scene and pick raspberries!

The framed 24″ high originals in the four seasons series are displayed together. Over the past few years I’ve documented the process of making Mossy Glen, Summertime, Harvest Time, and Frosty Morning with photos, videos and commentary.

Enchanting Threads includes just about everything in my personal collection, from the doll house I made in 1975 to Birds of Beebe Woods. Past exhibitions have included several pieces on loan from private collectors, but I figured that borrowing artwork from their owners for 7 months was too much to ask.

The show features over 100 framed tableaus, original picture book illustrations, and sculptural objects from the past 40 years, including fairy houses, walls crowded with wee folk dolls, and the cast of characters from my stop-motion film Liberty and Justice.

Characters, props and scenery from the stop-motion film, Liberty and Justice.

Bedtime Stitches, the touring exhibition of the entire collection of original illustrations for my most recent picture book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World, is included, too. To find out where Bedtime Stitches is going next, please visit the Exhibitions Page.

I had an opportunity to walk around the galleries with museum staff and docents, and answer questions that they thought visitors would be curious about, such as how long it takes to make a piece (2 to 6 months) and if everything is really hand stitched (it is). I’m looking forward to returning to Albany to give a talk about my work to the general public in early December (date TBA).

At the opening, I had the pleasure of meeting Janny Mironchuk, a long-time fan, who is responsible for bringing my work to the Albany Institute of History & Art. At my urging, she contacted the museum’s curator and suggested that they consider hosting an exhibition of my work. I’m grateful to Janny for approaching the museum and helping to set the stars in alinement for this exhibition to happen!

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that landing an art show is an art in itself, with no sure path to getting there. For me, attracting the attention of exhibition committees and curators hasn’t been easy. I’ve sent out countless proposals that go unanswered, but every once in a while, I hear from a venue that wants to work with me. These opportunities often involve fans who are passionate about my work and want to see it in person, close to where they live. A personal recommendation from someone who is part of a museum’s local community can sometimes convey enthusiasm better than an artist’s own entreaty can, especially if one’s art is not easily defined. Happily, plans are underway for two solo exhibitions in 2025 and 2027, which will be listed on the Exhibitions Page when their locations and dates are confirmed. That being said, I certainly welcome inquiries from museums and art centers who are interested in hosting future exhibitions.

I believe that my embroidered pieces have the most value when they are put on public display, where people can become emersed in their detail and 3-demensional quality up close. That’s why I’ve decided not to deplete my supply of original artwork by selling it. (Books, prints, cards and puzzles are for sale in my shop.) Otherwise, it would take many years to create enough new pieces to fill an exhibition space. Now, I always have a body of work available to show. After 50 years of single-minded dedication to making art, I feel a shift taking place. Instead of stitching every spare minute, I’m happy to take time to play with my grandchildren and weed the garden. I don’t know what’s coming next, but my wish is to keep living an artistic life and to share my vision with the world.

2023 in review

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Salley Mavor

Here we are again, at the dawn of a new year! As usual, 2023 flew by so fast that it’s hard to comprehend how we could have passed through all four seasons already! For me, it was a year full of blessings and opportunities, both personally and professionally, highlighted by the arrival of a new family member, new artwork, new exhibitions and new products in my shop.

Artwork packed and ready to go to the Southern Vermont Arts Center.

Thank you to all of you who follow this blog and take an interest in my work and life as an artist. As we enter its 15th year, I marvel at the constant influx of new subscribers every day! According to some, the blog format has faded in popularity compared to other fast and flashy social media platforms, but not here. The slow, in-depth, and thoughtful way of writing posts with pictures is more in keeping with my style of working. My Facebook and Instagram pages attract more visitors, but I’m constantly directing people to my blog because this is where you’re more likely to find out about what I do and why I do it, not just a little snippet of the story. So, now that you’re here, please come along as I review the past 12 months and share posts (linked in bold blue letters) published in 2023.

The most significant event in my life this year was the birth of our grandson, Elias in January. During the winter and spring, he and I covered many miles strolling on the bike path behind his house, while I sang every song I could remember. Though, I did manage to get some work done in the studio, including a baby banner with his name, birth date and weight.
Baby Banner for Elias shows how I created the felt banner, including correcting a misspelling.

Baby banner for Elias

WINTER DISPLAY at BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
I was thrilled to be invited to set up a display at the Boston Children’s Museum last winter. The snow scene was populated with sample dolls from the Winter Play chapter of my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures.
Boston Children’s Hospital Installation shows a practice set-up of the scene in my studio.

Boston Children’s Hospital Installation

Adaptive Sled for the snow scene gives an inside view in photos and video of how I constructed an adaptive sled for the snow scene.

HARVEST TIME
During 2023, I posted 6 more segments about the fall scene in my series of seasonal landscapes. There’s one more part to go, which will be published in 2024.
Harvest Time – Part 3 (felt leaves)
Harvest Time – Part 4 (embroidered plants)
Harvest Time – Part 5 (toadstool mushroom)
Harvest Time – Part 6 (underground)
Harvest Time – Part 7 (wee folk)
Harvest Time – Part 8 (storage containers)

**Harvest Time – Part 5 (toadstool mushroom)**

**Harvest Time – Part 8 (storage containers)**

SUMMERTIME
This past year I finally completed Summertime, the fourth piece in my series of seasonal landscapes. In the coming year, I will post photos, videos and commentary about various aspects of the project.

Normally, I wait until a piece is finished before writing blog posts about it, but I couldn’t wait to give you a preview of Summertime and whet your appetite for what’s to come! The following 2 posts show photos and stitch minute videos documenting my process, including this raspberry video.
Studio News
Summertime makes the finish line!

Studio News

Baltimore Oriole Sneak Peek includes photos and videos of creating the bird for Summertime.

BEDTIME STITCHES TOURING EXHIBITION
Bedtime Stitches in Pacific Northwest shared the news that Bedtime Stitches was on view last winter at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum.
Summer Tidbits announced several opportunities to see my work in person, including Bedtime Stitches last summer at the Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum and this past fall at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.
Bedtime Stitches 2024 Schedule:
March 2 – May 5, 2024, Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC
July 27, 2024 – March 2, 2025, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY.

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR
Wee Worlds on view in Vermont is an overview of my exhibition, The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the Southern Vermont Arts Center (on view until Jan. 7, 2024)

The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the Southern Vermont Arts Center

This was the first time that all four pieces in my recently completed seasonal landscape series were shown together. Over the past few years, I’ve shared photos, commentary and videos that give a behind the scenes peek at how I created these bas-relief embroideries. You can catch up in the archives here: Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen, Summertime, Harvest Time. Summertime will be added in 2024.

Wee Worlds exhibition video Watch a video of the Vermont show and find out the reasons behind my decision to stop selling my original pieces.

Wall of Wee Folk describes how I gathered and affixed the display of about 150 little dolls to the gallery wall.

NEW PUZZLES
NEW Wee Folk Group Portrait gives an inside view of setting up and taking a photo of 20 years worth of little dolls for a puzzle image.

What’s new in my shop announces the addition of more jigsaw puzzles and a CD that feature my artwork.

Vintage Valentine gives a background look at collecting and arranging vintage spools for my nostalgic assemblage and introduces a new jigsaw puzzle and a spiral bound notebook featuring its image.

Wee Worlds exhibition video

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Salley Mavor

The Wee World of Salley Mavor, Southern Vermont Arts Center, photo by Dave Barnum

It’s so gratifying to hear that visitors are traveling from all directions to see my exhibition at the SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER! Carloads of fans are coming south from Canada (crossing the border from both Ontario and Quebec) and north, east and west from many different states. One woman wrote, “I went to the show yesterday. Seeing the work in person gave me shivers.” I wrote back that I hoped it was the good kind of shivers! If you live too far away to make the trip, here’s a short video that gives an overview of the show.

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR
On view through January 7, 2024 at the
SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER, Manchester, VT

On view are are over 75 shadow boxes and other objects, including original picture book illustrations spanning my career. The show contains BEDTIME STITCHES, the touring exhibition of artwork for my most recent book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World. Also on display are a wall full of wee folk dolls and stand alone pieces that explore a range of social narratives, from the everyday to topical subjects.

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

The main reason I decided to pause or maybe altogether stop selling my original pieces is that I want more people to experience the detail and 3-dimensional quality of my work in person. Lately, I’ve realized that I can’t afford to let go of my recent pieces because their current value lies in being available to show. If I were to sell what I have, it would be difficult to put together an exhibition like this one in Vermont. The logistics and expense of arranging loans with private collectors would be prohibitive. It would take at least 20 years to make a new body of work to fill a gallery of this size! I want to make art for as long as I can, but I also I want to spend the next 20 years enjoying being a grandmother and that might mean making art at a more leisurely pace.

More exhibitions are being planned, which will be added to the exhibitions page when locations and dates are finalized. I’m also pleased to offer reproductions of my artwork in books, posters, cards, puzzles and notebooks in my Etsy Shop.

Wee Worlds on view in Vermont

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Salley Mavor

I want to express my appreciation to all of the people who helped celebrate the opening of my exhibition, The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER. It was wonderful to meet you and feel your enthusiasm! I’m overwhelmed by the response to the show. In its first 3 weeks, visitors have traveled from several northeastern states and across the border from Canada. Sally, who drove to Vermont from Glen Ridge, NJ, wrote with this over-the-top review, “I’m blown away and my husband reacted like he did to the Grand Canyon.” Whether or not you’re able to get to the show, I thank you for your support and encouragement!

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR
On view through January 7, 2024 at the
SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER, Manchester, VT

On view are are over 75 bas-relief embroideries, including original picture book illustrations spanning my career. In order to hang a representative sampling from earlier books, I borrowed several pieces from private collectors. The show contains BEDTIME STITCHES, the touring exhibition of artwork for my most recent book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World. Also on display are recent works that explore cultural diversity, migration, fashion, the natural world, and a range of social narratives, from the everyday to topical subjects.

Salley Mavor spoke about her work at the opening, while manager of exhibitions, Alison Crites looked on.

My approach to exhibiting is similar to how I plan and make a single piece of art. I first envision the overall composition and define the scope of the project. After that it’s all about arranging lots of small elements to create something whole. The idea for this exhibition came about 2 years ago, when Alison Crites, SVAC‘s Manager of Exhibitions, inquired about having a show of my work. That was a good day! After meeting in person at the museum, we formed a great working relationship through Zoom meetings and countless email exchanges. I feel grateful that Alison reached out and offered this opportunity to share my life’s passion with a wider audience. Visitors to my shows point out all the time how seeing the real 3-dimensional pieces is a totally different experience, so I’m glad that more exhibitions are being planned. I will add them to the exhibitions page when the locations and dates are finalized.

A few days before the opening, Rob and I drove to Vermont from our home on Cape Cod to help with the installation. The museum had previously sent a van to pick up the artwork and I spent the first day unpacking boxes and positioning pieces around the gallery.

Over 3 days, a team of volunteers and professionals hung artwork, applied vinyl signage and adjusted the lighting for the show.

The Wall of Women, which debuted at the Brick Store Museum last year, is back again. It features enlarged photographs of women from my collective portrait, Cover Up (also on display). Their faces are blown up about 12 times the size of the 1″ wooden bead doll heads in the piece. I like playing with scale, taking something tiny and making it huge.

New to this show, is the Wall of Wee Folk, which includes 150 little dolls I’ve made over the past 20 years. Many of the figures are prototypes for my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk.

I set up my recently refurbished dollhouse, which I built 48 years ago. You can view the series of posts about the dollhouse renovation process here.

In the center of the gallery is a sitting area with sample copies of all of my books for visitors to look at.

On display is BEDTIME STITCHES, the entire collection of original artwork for my picture book, MY BED. This portion of the show has been touring the country since the book was published in 2020. Coming up, it will be in Greenville, SC, Albany, NY and Seward, NE. Find out details on the Exhibitions Page.

Interspersed around the gallery are several works from my personal collection, including Birds of Beebe Woods, Displaced, Rabbitat, Whiskers, Face Time, Cover Up, 2 fairy houses and political cartoons from the Wee Folk Players.

Birds of Beebe Woods – photo by Dave Barnum

detail from Birds of Beebe Woods – photo by Dave Barnum

This is the first time that all four pieces in my recently completed seasonal landscape series are being shown together. Over the past few years, I’ve shared photos, commentary and videos that give a behind the scenes peek at how I created these bas-relief embroideries. You can catch up in the archives here: Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen, Summertime, Harvest Time. The scenes are also available as cards, puzzles and prints in my Etsy Shop.

I enjoyed chatting with both new and long-time fans at the opening reception. Some brought old copies of my books to sign and some were eager to share photos of what they are working on. It reminded me that there is a warm and vibrant community of people out there who are linked not only by a needle and thread, but the desire to be a part of the wee world!

Wall of Wee Folk

Posted on October 8, 2023 by Salley Mavor

When you enter my exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, you will be greeted by about 150 little dolls which form the Wall of Wee Folk. It’s a small part of the exhibition, but the collection of wee folk set the stage for the rest of show, which includes over 75 bas-relief scenes that span 25 years of my career.
The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor will be on view through January 7th, 2024.

On the wall are a whole cast of characters, including public figures like RBG, Greta Thunberg and Abe Lincoln. Many of the dolls are sample projects from my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk. Over the past 20 years, I’ve accumulated quite a collection, which I purposefully haven’t sold, so they can be exhibited along with my wall pieces.

They are usually displayed in cases, but for this show, I tried a new kind of presentation, which you can see in this video. I understand that it will be very tempting for both young and old to touch the dolls. However, I’m willing to take the risk. It’s important to me that visitors have an opportunity to look closely at my work without a barrier, since just about everything else is protected behind glass.

I’ve thought about displaying a group of dolls directly on a wall for a long time, so when I visited the museum to get a sense of the exhibit space, I envisioned a wall dotted with wee folk. I just had to come up with a way to hold them in place.

This photo shows what the gallery looked like when Rob and I were helping install the exhibition. The Wall of Wee Folk is straight ahead, on the distant wall behind stack of boxes that the artwork was transported in.

Installation of The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the Southern Vermont Arts Center

Many of the dolls are ltd. edition Blossom Fairies I used to make, including a sleeping fairy in a nest I made out of grass.

My solution to how to affix them to the wall involved tiny clear plastic clips with a pin backing. These were given to me by Alison Crites, who helped curate the show.

In preparation at home, I spent a few evenings sewing the clip/pins to the back of each doll.

Also ahead of time at home, I arranged the dolls on a white sheet on the floor to get an idea of their spacing.

Once in the museum, we drilled small holes in the gallery wall and stuck the pins in, with a little Goop to hold them in place. Hopefully, they won’t take a walk!

In the coming weeks, I’ll share more photos of the exhibition. Here I am, standing in front of the wall with Anne Corso, the museum’s executive director and Alison Crites, the manager of exhibitions.

The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor will be on view at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, through January 7th, 2024. Besides the Wall of Wee Folk, the exhibition includes a wide array of original picture book illustrations spanning my career, including BEDTIME STITCHES, the touring exhibition of artwork for MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World. Also on view are pieces that explore cultural diversity, migration, fashion, the natural world, and a range of social narratives, from the everyday to topical subjects.

Summertime makes the finish line!

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Salley Mavor

I’m happy to report that after almost a year of work, Summertime, the newest scene in my seasonal landscape series, is finished! Now all four seasons will be included in my upcoming exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor will be on view Sept. 30, 2013 – Jan. 7, 2024.

Further ahead in this post, you will find information about the exhibition, a preview of future posts about making Summertime and new items in my Etsy Shop.

I don’t know why Summertime took so much longer to complete than the other seasons in the series. Mossy Glen, Frosty Morning and Harvest Time also have a gazillion stitches, but they each only took about 4 months to make. It could have something to do with the change in my daily routine since my grandson, Elias was born in January. Playing with the baby is now high on my list of essential activities, which includes sleeping, eating and stitching. Obviously, my priorities have shifted!

To reach the exhibition deadline, I spent the past few months stitching as much as possible, including in the evenings, like I used to do when my children were little. That’s why this is the first blog post I’ve written in months!

As with the other landscapes in the 4 Seasons series, I documented the process of making Summertime with photos and videos along the way, so there’s a lot of material to share in future blog posts, including a varied assortment of Stitch Minute videos.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram and Facebook during the past year, you’ve seen Stitch Minute videos that show different aspects of my process. I’m happy to offer photos and minute-long peeks over my shoulder while I work, but please don’t ask me to explain my techniques in detail. Much of what I do is instinctual and I worry that over-analyzing my process would spoil the magic for me. To learn my personal philosophy about sharing knowledge, please read my post to teach or not to teach.

Here are two Stitch Minute videos that I made in August, while working on Summertime.

New 4 Seasons Items in my Esty Shop

Now that the seasonal landscape series is finished, I’m excited to offer note cards, jigsaw puzzles and archival prints of all four seasons:
Summertime, Mossy Glen, Harvest Time and Frosty Morning.
My Etsy Shop offers FREE SHIPPING on US orders of $35.00 or more. I’m sorry to disappoint my international fans, but due to the prohibitive cost of shipping overseas, I now only take orders from the USA and Canada.

$ Seasons Note Card Sampler is available in my Etsy Shop

Summertime Jigsaw Puzzle is available in my Etsy Shop

8.5 x 11 Archival Print of Summertime is available in my Etsy Shop

The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor exhibition

Yesterday, my artwork was picked up and driven in a van to Manchester, Vermont for my exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. It’ll be a large show, with over 75 pieces, including the 4 Seasons and the original illustrations for my most recent picture book, MY BED. On view will be a wide range of work, from early in my career to today, as well as a wall covered with over 100 wee folk dolls!

There will be a lot to enjoy at the Southern Vermont Arts Center this fall, especially for those of you with a playful bent. I’m so pleased that my work will be just around the corner from a fascinating and whimsical display of the late illustrator Ashley Bryan’s collection of toys, objects, puppets and paintings. Ashley Bryan: The Spirit of Joy and The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor will be on view Sept. 30, 2013 – Jan. 7, 2024. I hope to see some you at the opening reception on Sept. 30th, where l will give a gallery talk at 3:00 PM.

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Summer Tidbits

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Salley Mavor

With so much going on this summer, I decided to list everything in one post. There are current and upcoming exhibitions to see, new Stitch Minute videos to watch, as well as new products and a Sale in my Etsy shop.

But first, a little Barbie nostalgia.

With all of the chatter about the new Barbie movie, I thought I’d show mine from the early 1960’s. She co-mingled with the trolls, who mostly tolerated her. Looking back, I can see why the trolls won my heart. Barbie’s world was conventional and limiting, whereas the trolls opened up possibilities for a kind of magic to happen.

EXHIBITIONS

BEDTIME STITCHES heads south!

The touring exhibition of original artwork for my picture book, My Bed,
is currently on view at the
Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum
in Carrollton, Georgia thru Sept. 15th.

Since its premiere at the Cahoon Museum of American Art in 2020, Bedtime Stitches has been seen by thousands of visitors at 8 different museums across the country from Maine to Washington State. And it’s not over yet! To find out where Bedtime Stitches will be going into 2025, visit the exhibitions page.

Hearing reactions from people who’ve seen my artwork in person makes me feel that organizing this show was worth all of the effort. I especially enjoyed this comment written earlier this year in the guest book at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum:

“It makes you think that everything is possible!”
~ Eleanor, Seattle, WA

2023 WOODS HOLE ART SHOW
July 24 – 29, 10 AM to 8 PM
Woods Hole Community Hall, Water St., Woods Hole, MA

This delightfully eclectic annual community art show is made up of artwork from people who live, work or lurk in Woods Hole. It’s been a long time since I had anything available during the summer to put in, but this year, 2 pieces from my seasonal landscape series, Harvest Time and Mossy Glen, will be included. Please note that the show is up for one week only (July 24 – 29).

If you’re heading down to the village of Woods Hole and manage to find a place to park, you can also see my Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion, which is on semi-permanent display at the Woods Hole Public Library.

Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion at the Woods Hole Public Library

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR

SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER, Manchester, VT
September 30, 2023 – January 7, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, September 30 from 2 to 4 P.M.
GALLERY TOUR with the artist at 3 P.M.

This will be a large retrospective exhibition in the Art Center’s main gallery. It will include a wide array of original picture book illustrations spanning my career, including Bedtime Stitches, the touring exhibition of artwork for my most recent book, MY BED. Also on display will be recent pieces that explore cultural diversity, migration, fashion, the natural world, and a range of social narratives, from the everyday to topical subjects.

Southeastern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

New STITCH MINUTE Videos

SUMMER SCENE PREVIEW
The summer scene is slowly taking shape and I hope to finish it in time for my exhibit in Vermont this fall. When the piece is complete, I’ll write a series of posts that go into more detail, with commentary and photos that document my process. It’s the 4th in my seasonal landscape series. You can learn about how I made the other three, Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen and Harvest Time, in earlier posts on this blog. The images are printed as cards and jigsaw puzzles (20% off sale July 23 – 31), which are available in my Etsy Shop.

ETSY SHOP NEWS

NEW CARDS in my Etsy shop.

George’s Chair features a child nestled in an upholstered armchair, engrossed in a storybook, surrounded by imaginary characters, including St. George and the Dragon. There are also four new cards with images from Mary Had a Little Lamb. They include Mary and her lamb in the garden, in the barn, in the kitchen and in an apple orchard. The different scenes are available separately or in a sampler.

JIGSAW PUZZLES

Enter my Etsy Shop here.

Bedtime Stitches in Pacific Northwest

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Salley Mavor

Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in La Conner, WA

I am happy to announce that Bedtime Stitches, the traveling exhibition of original artwork for my picture book, MY BED, is on view at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum in La Conner, WA through April 30th. This is the westernmost location on the tour and I hope that many of you in the area (including BC, Canada) will make the trip to see the show. To find out where it’s going in the next couple of years, please visit the exhibitions page.

MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World is available worldwide where books are sold, including from online vendors. Autographed copies can be purchased in my Etsy Shop here.

The exhibition of embroidered bas-relief sculptures brings the viewer on an international journey, showing children in varying cultures and home environments around the world. Each intricately rendered scene captures the spirit of a different place and way of life, all the while illuminating the universal theme of children sleeping safe in their beds.

I’m especially excited to have my work at the museum because the Pacific Northwest has such an active quilt and fiber arts community. People are already flocking to see the show and telling their friends about it. Recent visitors wrote, “The pieces are even more amazing in person!” and “I found myself standing in front of each frame and ‘dreaming’. I will go back.”

In addition to the framed original artwork, visitors will see several interpretive boards that touch on different aspects of my working process, including this one about the animal icons featured throughout the book. While I worked on the animals, I took photos along the way and shared how I made each one. Click the animals to link to posts:

Rooster, Camel, Parrot, Elephant, Goldfish, Cat, Duck, Sheep,
Rabbit, Cow, Crocodile, Giraffe, Dog, Pony.

I am grateful to the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum for their enthusiastic invitation to show my work and willingness to book it years in advance! The exhibition is spread out on the 3rd floor of their beautiful Tudor-style Victorian mansion.

Bedtime Stitches is currently booked into 2025 with the possibility of being extended into 2026. Interested museums and curators are welcome to write me information about hosting the exhibit via the contact form below.

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Adaptive Sled for the snow scene

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Salley Mavor

This father and child pair is included in my winter themed display that is currently on view at Boston Children’s Hospital. The exhibit, which I wrote about in a previous post, is in the Mini-Museum in the Hale lobby, not far from the main entrance to the hospital at 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, Massachusetts through March 15th.

The hospital’s art program manager requested that I make a little adaptive sled for riders with disabilities to include in the snow scene. For reference, she sent a link to this futuristic looking contraption. At first I balked at the idea because of such short notice during the holidays. But, I decided to give it a try, as long as she understood that it would be a naturalistic wee folk version.

I knew it would take at least a couple of days to make, so I pushed aside other impending deadlines and focused entirely on the sled. I picked out a father and child from the collection of sample dolls I’d made for the Winter Play chapter of my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk.

I studied the photo of the adaptive sled and and made sketches of its basic structure. I measured the figures and bent wire to form the seat, back frame and handle bars.

I wrapped embroidery floss around the wire frame, making several passes until the shiny metal was thoroughly covered and the thread looked smooth and even. Wrapping is the most time-consuming part! You can’t really rush the process, otherwise it comes out lumpy and crude looking.

I formed the lower frame and runners out of wire and bound it to the seat frame with thread. At this stage the wrapping was quite fussy, with lots of maneuvering in and around joints.

I added arms to the seat with a finer gauge wire.

Up until this point, I hadn’t chosen exactly how to finish the seat – felt or floss or a combination. Since the sled was looking more and more like an old fashioned caned chair, I decided to go all out and weave the seat. I’m not sure how warp and weft apply here, but I basically set up a loom.

In this video, you can see the weaving process from the top and the bottom.

Here’s a video of the installation in Boston Children’s Hospital.

I’ve already been contacted by several people who saw the display while going to a doctor’s appointment with their child or grandchild. Hearing their reactions warms my heart and makes it feel like the effort was worth it! If you’re in the area, please stop by the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Mini Museum.