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.

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.

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.