Demo: Stitching scenes from life by Harriet Riddell

Author name

Monday, 02 November, 2026, 19:15 – 21:00

Conservative Club, Long Street, Devizes SN10 1NW

Panoramic sketch of a long historic building with arched openings, red and yellow accents, and a crowd below

Smiling woman sewing fabric outdoors at a table with a sewing machine and craft supplies

Back to join us with a new demo, Harriet creates landscapes and portraits using her sewing machine. Her work is almost always created in situ, often using her pedal-powered sewing machine, which we may need a volunteer to operate.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Harriet Riddell travels with her sewing machine, pitching up in unusual locations from the informal settlements of Nairobi to the tea fields of the Himalayas. Through free motion embroidery, she captures her surrounding environment and the people she meets.

Adventure, interaction and finding a deeper connection with people are key elements to each piece of Harriet’s work. Behind every ‘stitch’ lies a narrative of people, place and culture. Finding ways to power a sewing machine in remote locations has been an ongoing theme.

She encourages her street audience to pedal a bicycle, which generates electricity and powers the art. This increases the interaction between her, her subject and the art itself. Other times, batteries and solar panels are used to power her stitches.

InStitchYou started in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire. Harriet created a body of work in local pubs, cafés and laundrettes (anywhere with a table, chair and plug), then after graduating, InStitchYou took to Greenwich market, festivals and art fairs, performing live Stitched Portraits, Stitching weddings and finding an intrepid spark with her sewing machine.

The pandemic gave her the idea of stitching portraits live over Zoom. This allowed her to 'travel', hear stories from new people, and stitch portraits from her home. This was such a success that Harriet continues to take portrait commissions over Zoom today and posts the artwork to you.

Life has changed again for Harriet since the birth of her first child in 2022. Harriet is currently working part-time whilst learning the new and exciting juggling act of being both artist and mother.

Visit her website here.

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