Cath Hawkes | Mr X Stitch

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your year is off to a great start! 2018 is the year of the dog, so this month I would like to introduce you to Hawkes Hounds - the work of Catherine Hawkes! Catherine Hawkes and Hawkes Hounds "Cath Hawkes is a self taught textile artist based in Croydon, South London. After leaving the UK in 2000 to live in Romania, The Netherlands and then Sweden she pursued a creative career in stitching, design and sculpture inspired by the canine characters that she came across in her travels. Since returning to the UK in 2014 she has developed her hounds using stitch, appliqué and needle felting to be the unique one off characters they are today. A recent collaboration with Sam Tofts' Little Mustard shop in December 2017 has provided a new and exciting platform for her work." Cath uses a combination of felting and stitching in her work. While the bodies are made from a variety of fabrics, the faces are needle felted. "Each face is needle felted using roving wool to create details, every eye is needle felted and noses are created from boiled wool, stitched and needle felted. I have developed a technique over time that gradually builds up the hounds features." She finds inspiration in her own dogs: Max, Frank, and Margaret and in rescue dogs everywhere with "big characters and a story to tell". Read on for more pictures of the delightful Hawkes Hounds! For more Hawkes Hounds, check out her website, Facebook, or Instagram! If you are in the Croydon/South London area, she also offers workshops so you can learn to create your own woolly companion! As always, thanks for reading and see you next time! Woof! 🐶 If you would like to submit your portfolio (or an artist you admire) for consideration for this column, please complete this form. It’s quick and easy!