My new children’s picture book, My Bed, Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt this coming autumn. It took about 2 years to hand stitch all of the illustrations and I’m excited that you will be able to see the fruits of my labor relatively soon!
After the artwork is handed in, it usually takes another year to produce an actual bound and ready hard cover picture book. After I delivered the finished art last summer, it went to the publisher’s photographer, book designer and their production, printing and marketing teams. The next step is to have the book printed overseas and then shipped home.
A touring exhibition of the original embroidered bas-relief artwork used to illustrate the book will premiere in October and travel the country for a few years. More information about the exhibition, Salley Mavor: Bedtime Stitches, including a current schedule, is at the end of this post.
For a while now, I’ve shared the process of making the 3 dimensional bas-relief illustrations, which involve stitching, embroidery and other embellishment techniques. Posts I’ve written so far are listed here:
- Afghanistan – part 1, part 2
- Holland – part 1, part 2, part 3
- India – part 1, part 2, part 3
- Iran – part 1, part 2, part 3
- Japan – part 1
- North Africa – part 1, part 2, part 3
- North America – part 1, part 2, part 3
- Russia – part 1, part 2, part 3
- Scandinavia – part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
- South America – part 1
- Animals (spot illustrations) – Rooster, Camel, Parrot, Elephant, Goldfish, Cat, Duck, Sheep, Rabbit, Cow
This list will be updated as more posts are published.
The sewn originals will be photographed and printed in the book. Each spread will depict a child in a different culture and living environment. The story is written by Rebecca Bond and will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the autumn of 2020.
I am happy to announce a touring exhibition of original artwork for the book: SALLEY MAVOR: Bedtime Stories. This will be an opportunity for the public to see up close the fine detail and 3-dimensional quality of my bas-relief sculptural embroideries. The exhibition is modeled after the successful national touring exhibition of the artwork for my book, Pocketful of Posies. Interested museums are welcome to contact me for information about hosting the exhibit. Please see the current schedule below:
TOURING EXHIBITION
Salley Mavor: Bedtime Stitches
Beginning in Nov. 2020
Premiere Exhibition: Oct. 30 – Dec. 22, 2020 at the Cahoon Museum, Cotuit, MA.
Feb. 28 – April 25, 2021, Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, IL
May 15 – Aug. 15, 2021, Historical and Cultural Center of Clay County, Moorhead, MN
Sept. 14 – Dec. 31, 2021, New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA
Jan. 22 – May 8, 2022, Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC
Additional locations will be added when they are confirmed.
Throughout the book, there will be spot illustrations of animals on text panels. To see how they were made, click here.
Animal Icons 
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