Gaelle Chassery

As our Dream Map Project* unfolds, I will be featuring artists taking part in this collaborative piece of art. Today we hear from Natalie Tyler, who trained as a print textile designer at CSM and designed commercially  for the fashion sector as well as being a visiting lecturer to Fashion, Textiles and  Jewellery courses. She has developed a love of embroidery which has helped her to  explore and experiment with pattern, imagery and texture. A love of still life inspires  her work. Natalie's Dream is called “Hand in Day” and was made with v arious embroidery threads and beads on cotton. Here is what she says about it:  "I was a freelance print designer and had a weekly hand in. Deadline was feared and celebrated, depending how the week had progressed. My friend was there handing in her beautiful designs. My turn came and I produced tiny pieces of fabrics that got fainter until there were only outlines of print. Met with silence and bewilderment, I remembered I d...

As our Dream Map Project* unfolds, I will be featuring artists taking part in this collaborative piece of art. Today, we hear from  Tony Phillips, also known as The Manbroiderer, whose embroidered Dream is called "The Silence Beneath the Stars." Tony's artist statement: "My work explores the emotional landscapes of hope, vulnerability, and transformation through the tactile language of embroidery. Inspired by nature and personal storytelling, I stitch narratives that invite reflection and connection. Each thread becomes a quiet act of resistance, a celebration of slowness in a fast world. Through workshops and kits, I share this meditative craft, fostering community and creativity. My practice blends tradition with experimentation, honouring the past while imagining new possibilities in textile art." Tony's dream uses hand dyed cotton fabric, silk organza and cotton thread, and here is what he says about the dream:  "This piece emerges from a dream I ha...