My Bed Book

My newest children’s picture book, My Bed, Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World was published by HarperCollins in 2020. It took about 2 years to hand stitch all of the illustrations and I’m excited that you can now see the fruits of my labor. Autographed copies of MY BED are available in my shop here.
Reviews like these are pouring in –
“(My Bed) is just stunning, calming and healing”, “ingeniously illustrated” and “I am overwhelmed by the beauty and all the little details of each page.”

Watch this video to find out how I made MY BED.

See how Salley Mavor made the illustrations for her new picture book MY BED.

A Japanese translation of MY BED, published by Fukuinkan Shoten is now available in Japan.

A touring exhibition of the original embroidered bas-relief artwork that is photographed and reproduced in the book is now underway. Salley Mavor: Bedtime Stitches is traveling around the country, with bookings into 2027. More information about the exhibition (including a current schedule) is at the end of this post.

I shared the process of making the 3-dimensional bas-relief illustrations for MY BED on this blog, which involved stitching, embroidery and other embellishment techniques. Posts I’ve written about each page are listed here:

The book’s author, Rebecca Bond, wrote a poem that celebrates our diversity, while also bringing us together through the universal theme of children sleeping safe in their beds. As the illustrator, it was my task to bring these children to life and create their varying environments.

SALLEY MAVOR: BEDTIME STITCHES

A touring exhibition of original artwork for my picture book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World, has been traveling across the country. The show is an opportunity for the public to see up close the fine detail and 3-dimensional quality of my bas-relief sculptural embroideries. Since its premiere in 2020, Bedtime Stitches has been exhibited in a dozen museums and is booked into 2027. Interested museums are welcome to contact me for information about hosting the exhibition. Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

What’s being said about the exhibition:
“Bedtime Stitches Provides Cozy Respite From a Tumultuous Year”
The Falmouth Enterprise
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“The genius of Salley Mavor’s meticulously realized imaginative worlds is just what we need right now.”
Artscope Magazine

Throughout the book, there are spot illustrations of animals on text panels. To see how they were made, click here.

BEDTIME STITCHES TOURING EXHIBITION

Sept. 11 – Dec. 19, 2020, Cahoon Museum, Cotuit, MA.
Feb. 28 – May 30, 2021Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, IL
Sept. 14 – Dec. 31, 2021, New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA
Jan. 25 – April 10, 2022, International Quilt Museum, Lincoln, NE
June 7 – Sept. 11, 2022,  Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, ME, Bedtime Stitches is included in the retrospective exhibition, What a Relief: The Art of Salley Mavor
Oct. 15 – Dec. 31, 2022Historical and Cultural Center of Clay County, Moorhead, MN
Feb. 1 – Apr. 30, 2023, Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum, La Conner, WA
July 6 – Sept. 15, 2023, Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum, Carrollton, Georgia
Sept. 30, 2023 – January 7, 2024, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT. The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor includes Bedtime Stitches.
Jan. 20. – May 5, 2024Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC
July 27, 2024 – March 2, 2025, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY, Enchanting Threads: The Art of Salley Mavor includes Bedtime Stitches.
June 10 – July 20, 2025, Mariposa Museum and Cultural Center, Oak Bluffs, MA
Aug. 1, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center, Peterborough, NH. This location also includes a wide selection of other work by Salley Mavor.
Oct. 31, 2026 – April 18, 2027, Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA

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Visitors to the exhibition, as well as those of you at home with a copy of My Bed, can hunt for details in the artwork using the downloadable sheet 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.

Recent Posts

2025 in REVIEW

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

Wee Folk Winter set-up

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

Bedtime Stitches & Other Works at the 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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