About Niamh
Niamh Wimperis is one of the most colourful and dynamic embroidery artists currently practicing.
According to Niamh, she’s “all about feminism and plants”, and finds a lot of her inspiration from her vast collection of house plants, and childhood memories of her grandparents house, Selsley Herb and Goat Farm. Her work has evolved from ultra political – – with her feminist pieces featured in Ms Magazine, Buzzfeed and The Huff Post – – to this more calming botanical style.
Niamh achieved a Masters Degree in Contemporary Craft in 2017 from Plymouth College of Art. Her final piece, an interactive installation titled ‘A Feeling Of Safety, Perhaps’ was exhibited in the MA show and as part of Dwell, a two woman collaboration for Plymouth Art Weekend at Plymouth Art Centre.
In 2018 Niamh was chosen to be on the BBC2 programme, The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts. This was a “living history” reality show in which Niamh and 5 other talented crafts people lived in a William Morris-esque arts and crafts commune for a month, complete with wearing Victorian clothes, eating Victorian food and using Victorian tools. The 4 part BBC2 show aired in January 2019. You can read more about her experience here, and watch the series here.
Niamh now lives in Camden Town with her partner Alex, a watch maker. She is currently writing her first book, continues to make work (including commissions), and has launched her #WEStitchKit – a monthly embroidery kit subscription box. You can find about more about her kit subscription here.
Signature Technique
Botanical Embroidery
Top Tips
- Use the Satin Stitch for a shimmer and shine effect.
- Stitch on two layers to avoid warp and seeing stitches on the back.
- Keep your fabric tight as a drum in your hoop or your piece will pucker.
- Nothing in nature is perfect, so don’t be afraid if a stitch appears strange or off the centre line. That’s how it appears in real life.
- The Fly Stitch is wonderfully versatile; use it for pine branches, flowers and leaves.
- If you find your thread is suddenly shorter, you probably have a knot. Use your needle to pull the knot apart.
Videos
Books and Patterns
Posts
Folded Star Cushion
Valerie originally showed this pattern as a folded potholder workshop but Joy turned it into a delightful cushion that co-ordinates beautifully with her quilt. I finally finished the pillow that I wanted to make to match the quilt I had done last year. I ended up putting the design on like an applique after i got it done because my pillow is square not round or hexagon.
Can I watch on my Kindle and/or Smart TV?
Our thanks to Shelagh for the following information about watching on her Kindle: I have downloaded dolphin browser from a link on this page ( www.groovypost.com/howto/install-flash-player-kindle-fire-hd/) the page also had a link to download Adobe Flash Player. I have just viewed the tasters on your site successfully. I thought this information might be useful if you need to give advice to others experiencing my initial difficulty.
How to Sew an Heirloom Quilt (by machine)
Just spent 4 days (away from home!) on a workshop with Pauline Ineson; absolutely brilliant - no quilt to show but LOTS of samples, notes and I learnt SOOOOOO much about my machine. (as did everyone else there). If you want to know more about this quilt (and her other award winning quilts) then we interviewed her at the Festival of Quilts back in 2010 and you can watch it by clicking here: You can also purchase her book in the shop AND there is also an Heirloom Starter Kit - so what's stopping you!