About

I am an artist, stitcher, teacher and researcher whose practice moves between drawing and stitch.

Making has taken me in directions I could never have predicted. My background spans teaching, art and community practice. Over time textiles and drawing have become central to the way I explore ideas, identity, belonging, memory and place.

I am particularly interested in the knowledge held within making, what we learn through our hands, through repetition, observation and working alongside others,

Travel, particularly my encounters with textile traditions and makers in India, has profoundly influenced the way I think about stitch, learning and cultural exchange.

For me, stitch is both a visual language and a way of thinking—a process of drawing, recording, and reflecting that allows ideas to emerge slowly through the rhythm of making.

I am currently undertaking a practice based PhD at Arts University Bournemouth.

Alongside my research I make my own work, teach workshops, give talks and develop participatory textile projects that bring people together through making.

If you’d like to see current projects and travels, you can follow along here:
📸 Instagram | 📘 Facebook

For enquiries, collaborations, or conversations about textiles, please feel free to get in touch.

Find out about talks and workshops

Find out about textile tours

Travel is central to my practice. I regularly travel to learn from artisans, visit workshops, and explore textile traditions within their cultural contexts. Alongside my independent research, I also lead carefully curated textile tours in collaboration with Aahilya Holidays – a Delhi based independent tour operator.

Whether with a sketchbook or a needle in hand, I’m always looking, learning, and asking questions. Textiles have a remarkable way of connecting people, places, and stories, and that connection lies at the heart of everything I do.

Find out about research

View my portfolio

or get in touch to discuss a workshop, talk or collaboration.

Textiles have an amazing way of connecting people, places, and stories, and that’s at the heart of everything I do—whether I’m making work in the studio, teaching, travelling, or researching.

Other stuff:

https://mrxstitch.com/helen-sill//helen-sill/

https://capug.com/capug

BIT OF BACKGROUND

I was an Embroiderers’ Guild Graduate and Guild Scholar and completed a Masters Degree in Fine Art in 2021 where my research interests were around making and community focusing on the rich textile traditions of Gujarat in North West India and the North East of England.

Past commissions have included work for West Dean Gardens, the Petersfield Museum and being Artist in Resident at Chichester Festival Theatre. My work is in private and public collections.