Handmade Birds by Abigail Brown
British textile artist Abigail Brown uses scraps of fabrics to create delicate small bird sculptures.
Abigail spent a large amount of time as a child in the company of her grandma, an incredibly talented, hardworking seamstress, in a house strewn with loose threads and scraps of fabric.
‘My grandma had a beautiful patchwork bag she kept all her fabric scraps in, ‘ the raggy bag’, and when I was old enough to display my feelings of desire for this magical object full of wondrous bits of colour, pattern and texture, she made me my very own, much littler version.’
There is nothing more natural to her than to work with fabric, using it to give life to the little creatures that form in her mind. Continuing to work in this way she feels forever connected to her childhood and the wonderful days she spent with her grandma.
Abigail is a continuous collector of fabrics, either bought new or used items she gathers to give new life to. Her pieces might be formed from her old pyjamas, someone’s curtains from the 1970’s or her friend’s old skirt. She loves the colour and vibrancy of the new fabrics but the life that still lives on in an old garment or piece of cloth, and enjoys the process of turning it into something new. Her work centres around animals because they fascinate and inspire her.
Her work is all hand made; hand sewn by Abigail herself in her studio. Each piece is exquisitely crafted with great love and attention to detail. Whilst pieces are often replicated, no two will ever be the same and that is what makes each one such a treasure.
Abigail studied a BA in Surface Decoration and Printed Textiles, graduating in 2003. During and since that time she has worked as a designer and illustrator of children’s books, children’s wear, stationery, and greeting cards, and produced work for the advertising industry – all whilst continually exploring ideas in fabrics for herself.
Read more: Abigail Brown
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