Claire Wellesley-Smith

A decade of daily stitching. Archiving ten years of my #stitchjournal begun in April 2013 as a ‘record of days, but not a daily record’. The cloth is made up of multiple pieces of recycled linen and is nearly 10 metres long - no longer the portable project I began. I intend to continue, but this piece is now archived. I’ve written a little more on my recently revived blog today, link in my bio #stitchjournal #thinkingthroughmaking #dailypractice #slowstitch #resilientstitch

Recent daily stitching has been tied to the final stages of my PhD in the Geography department at @theopenuniversity My stitches have been like my edits, and there were many of them. My project was connected to my community based practice and post-industrial textile areas in West Yorkshire and East Lancashire. I was driven to explore the impacts of projects that happen over a long period and that closely link craft practices, heritage and community resilience. I am pleased to share that I passed my viva (defence) last week with minor corrections. A big relief - it has been an immense challenge working alongside studying and caring responsibilities, particularly during early part of the pandemic. My project was supported by my brilliant supervisors George Revill, Steve Pile and Kevin Hetherington. Massive thanks to my family, friends and co-workers for putting up with the stress over the last 6(!) years. I’m looking forward to new projects - some starting very soon #PhD #vivavoce #lifelonglearning #stitchjournal #dailypractice #thinkingthroughmaking

UK Publication day! Thank you to @batsfordbooks my editors #kristyrichardson and #nicolanewman and #michaelwicks for the beautiful photography. I am honoured too, to share the work of these amazing artists @lynnsetterington @alicekettle @amymeissnerartist @willemien_de_villiers @ruthsingertextiles @bridgetharvey @raisa_kabir_textiles_ @angelamaddock Thank you for continuing to support my work and to all of you who preordered a copy. It is hugely appreciated ❤️ Hoping to see a copy in an actual bookshop soon. Here in England they reopened on a Monday after our latest lockdown. Signed copies will be available through my website next week. Author 📷 @carolynmendelsohn_ #resilientstitch #publicationday

On Sunday 17th May, join Rachelle Francis and Dr Claire Wellesley-Smith for a conversation on making, memory and wellbeing, hosted by textile artist Shelly Goldsmith. This conversation will bring together personal story and creative practice, revealing the therapeutic power of stitching to connect us to ourselves - and to each other. Rachelle will share the personal story behind her exhibition, My Hands Are My Voice, which brings her work into dialogue with that of her late mother Diana. Claire will reflect on her acclaimed 'Stitch Journal' (2013-23), a daily reflective stitching practice created over a decade. This piece was made alongside her working life in community-based socially engaged textile practice and projects that connect arts, health and heritage. Rachelle Francis is a textile artist whose practice spans fashion embroidery, textile art and social practice. After an eighteen-year career designing embroideries for couture brands, the uncovering of Diana’s artworks prompted a shift in focus towards participatory and socially engaged work. @embellished_somethings Dr Claire Wellesley‑Smith’s work sits at the intersection of textiles, heritage, creative health and research. She is the author of Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art (2015) and Resilient Stitch: Wellbeing and Connection in Textile Art (2021), both published by Batsford. @cwellesleysmith Shelly Goldsmith MA RCA, Emerita Reader, is a textile artist whose practice is shaped by long‑term collaborations with Psychiatry and Forensic Science professionals. @shellytippingoldsmith We recommend visiting 𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘺 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 before the talk. The exhibition is free to enter; tickets for the talk can be booked via the link in bio. 🧵 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵, in conversation: textiles, memory & wellbeing 🗓 Sun 17 May, 12 - 1pm 📍 The Learning Lab, The Beaney, Canterbury 🎟 £15 (£12 concession) Book via the link in bio. Ticket sales support future With & Without Diana workshops. Limited spaces. 📸 3) Michael Wicks. #TextileArt #WomenInArt #ArtistLegacy #ArtAndHealing #MentalHealthAwareness #DianaFrancis #MyHandsAreMyVoice #ArtExhibition

Late April textile things Couching samples @bienkranj Updated my hand dyed threads A visit to @wyedean Unpicking quilts, more on substack Reprints available soon @batsfordbooks

Spring things from this week Madder root and thread Flowers from friends Damson blossom Threads for @bienkranj Allotment tulips Easter eggs

Late March featuring sampling from a brilliant teaching weekend with @textile_study plus final days to see Sowing Connections exhibition, a project I delivered with @southsquarecentre @bdartscentre and women from the Rasi/Twine Together group.

Early March things, more on my substack today Daily practice Kerbside crocus Medals for #IWD2026 Winter turns to spring Messy undersides

ReThread 2026: Arts and Sites activities with Dr Claire Wellesley-Smith 📍Layer House, Tomšičeva 32, Kranj 🪡Workshops: Making space | 28 – 31 May 2026 🪡Talk and Exhibition Opening: Stitching Praxis | 28 May 2026 at 18:00 🪡Literary Salon, Conversation about Claire Wellesley-Smith’s books: Slow Stitch and Resilient Stitch | 30 May 2026 at 19:00 We are delighted to announce @cwellesleysmith , internationally recognised textile artist, geographer, academic researcher, arts-and-health practitioner, and author of the influential and widely reprinted books Resilient Stitch (2021) and Slow Stitch (2015). Her socially engaged projects are often long-term engagements alongside communities in former areas of industrial textile production in the UK and Europe, employing textiles as a medium to carry stories, heritage narratives and the geographies of making. In a creative health and cultural heritage context she has fostered connections with a wide network of organisations, individuals, and heritage institutions. Recent projects include The Synthetic Revolution, a major curatorial project for the British Textile Biennial and Connective Material at Museum Dr Guislain, Belgium. She is currently a Visiting Fellow in Geography and Environmental Studies at The Open University. You are warmly invited to take some time for yourself and join us in the programme. For more information, please follow the link in our bio. All activities will be in English, with Slovenian translation provided if necessary. The programme builds upon the activities of the Textile Art Biennial BIEN and its WellBIEN platform, which explores the effects of intertwining textiles, and nature, as well as the influence of the environment on creative processes. Photo of artworks: Michael Wicks, Workshop photo from Bronte project archive Portrait: Carolyne Mendelsohn

ReThread 2026: Arts and Sites 📍28–31 May 2026, Layer House and surroundings, Kranj, Slovenia ReThread 2026 is a four-day retreat exploring the intimate dialogue between textile, landscape, and self. Participants will explore stitching and other textile techniques as a way of recording the environment, sketching impressions, and creating diary-like traces of time and place. The programme builds on the Textile Art Biennial BIEN and its WellBIEN platform, examining how textile and nature intertwine and influence creative practice. 🌿 Programme Highlights: Claire Wellesley-Smith, an internationally acclaimed textile artist and researcher, will guide participants in exploring ways of observing and responding to their surroundings through textile processes. Tea Pristolić, Edita Dulić, and Barbara Brinovec Pribaković will guide a process through which a temporary, vibrantly pulsating textile space of care will emerge. Every morning Matija Samec will guide participants through grounding practices that cultivate awareness of self and nature. The programme concludes with a Creative Reflection session led by the programme curator Jasmina Ferček. 🌿 Limited to 14 participants. For registration, tickets, and detailed information, please use the link in our bio. The programme will be in English and translated into Slovenian if necessary. Organizer: BIEN Textile Art Biennial via Carnica Institute Partners: Layer House, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage – Kranj Regional Unit, Prešeren Theatre Kranj

Early February, teaching, writing, stitching, endless winter - more on substack Hungarian Redwork, family threads West Dean walls Daily couching Wintery sky Rasi/Twine together @southsquarecentre Allotment rhubarb Slow stitch @westdeancollege

January things, more on Substack: Daily stitching Haworth in winter January words @bronteparsonagemuseum London lecture Stitching together @southsquarecentre Project archive Dormant madder bed Studio clear up