My newest children’s picture book, My Bed, Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World, brings readers 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 safely in their beds.

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.”
“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.

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:

• Title Page
• Night Sky – part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
• Afghanistan – part 1, part 2
• Ghana – part 1, part 2, part 3
• 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
• Mongolia – part 1, part 2, part 3
• Home – part 1, part 2, part 3
• Animals (spot illustrations) – Rooster, Camel, Parrot, Elephant, Goldfish, Cat, Duck, Sheep, Rabbit, Cow, Crocodile, Giraffe, Dog, Pony.

The book’s author, Rebecca Bond, wrote a poem that celebrates the diversity of children from around the world. 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

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

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.

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