Thrift Design | Mr X Stitch

For shame my trusty readers, I'm late with our monthly Etsy needlecraft adventures! This British Summer Time malarky has thrown me, I'm having too much fun enjoying the lighter evenings to make any sense of what day it is. I hope you lovely lot can forgive me, I promise today's superb maker is worth the wait! The fabulous Lucy Wray of 'Thrift Design' brings new life to a fantastic array of materials using the tools we all know and love – a needle and thread. Lucy loves experimenting with different materials and equipment and always tries to push the boundaries of their intended use. Her latest find is a 1970's pasta cutter, which she's going to use for printing and cutting paper. Lucy studied 3D Design at Manchester School of Art where her rule breaking/problem solving comes from. There is a strong environmental element to Lucy's work, all of her pieces are made from salvaged and recycled materials, combining things like recycled single use plastic with 200-year-old wood offcuts. "Giving materials a second life has become a passion of mine. I love that unwanted materials can metamorphose into something completely new and go beyond their original purpose." What is your earliest stitching memory? My earliest stitching memory is when my mum gave me her old hand-powered Singer sewing machine. I loved that thing – I wish I still had it, although it was hard to manoeuvre the fabric and turn the handle at the same time. I remember learning how to re-thread the machine pretty fast, because my mum took too long to get around to doing it for me. It was such an achievement when I’d mastered it. What fires your imagination? I really enjoy looking around old country houses, especially the large glass cases housing taxidermy. I think it goes without saying that I love exploring the countryside. I also love camping but it’s the Victorian decorations that really inspire my pieces. Oh that, and the way morning mist separates out all the layers in fading colours - that too. I love the way Lucy's mind works, her combination of recycled materials is inspiring. Most people wouldn't look twice at a cardboard box, but Lucy's imagination and skill transforms them into such beautiful and detailed pieces. Please do make sure to pop on over to her shop to see more of her wonderful work! ----- Jessica Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins is a Textile Artist and Illustrator based by the sea in Portsmouth. At her happiest with a needle and thread, with a passion for genealogy she often explores old photographs in her Textile art. With her fingers in many creative pies she loves to experiment with new techniques, creating illustrated and stitched goodies for her Etsy shop. Save