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

Marloes Duyker is an illustrator from Utrecht in the Netherlands, who specialises in fabricated illustrations using free machine embroidery and applique with great effect.

She focuses on free machine embroidery, creating contemporary portraits that have a deftness of delivery and an elegant simplicity. Unlike Rosie James, whose technique is similar but who captures moments of waiting, Marloes’ pieces are iconic, with a timelessness and visual aesthetic that will remain contemporary for a long time.

Primarily focusing on applique, with the use of materials including lace and neon threads, Marloes manages to mix nostalgia with modernity with terrific effect. There’s a classic sense to these pieces, even though they touch on contemporary issues.

Whether it’s commercial commissions or her own artistic output, Marloes’ applique work pushes the concept to new depths, and I think it is an inspiration to any of us embroiderers. She has great command of lines, and her use of negative space is particularly effective when applied to her portraiture.

Marloes’ work defines contemporary embroidery for me, raising it to from craft to art, and I simply applaud her for what she does. Her work is both beautiful and obscene; contemporary and yet honouring that which has gone before. It is playful and yet there’s an edge to the work that is oh so appealing.

You can see Marloes’ work at her website, buy her pieces on Etsy and follow her on Instagram to see where her creativity expresses itself.