Welcome to the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge, where we showcase people whose embroidered creativity is fresh and new!

I discovered the work of Lisa Connolly at the Knitting & Stitching Show last year.

She creates stitched illustrations featuring “girls with attitude“. Lisa describes her work thus:

“I tackle atypical themes, immersing myself in the exploration of the strange and unusual. I enjoy conveying tales of the mundane and transporting them into the realms of the extraordinary. I believe my use of mixed media gives a quirky edge to my work, along with the humor I instill in my characters.“

Lisa combines illustration and stitch, and translates her work onto different media, including ceramics.

I liked Lisa’s work the moment I saw it. It takes the charm and innocence of these cute girls and then gives it a nice dark twist.

Her work is influenced by mental illness (not hers, I should clarify) but it explores the dark sides that we all have. These girls are capable of very bad things; the scratchiness of the work and the way the threads are used in an organised chaotic manner do a great job of illustrating the point.

You can find out more about Lisa, including her homeware and fashion illustration on her website.