When a badger happens upon an old abandoned garden shed, and decides to make the tools therein his own, a wonderful woodland world emerges.

Grounded in observational drawing, and exploration of rich and varied textures through sampling with stitch and fabric – the Maker and the Mice is an ambitious installation piece created for my final year studio Degree Show at NCAD.

Taking inspiration from the world around him, the badger creates a mischief of mechanical mice to help him with his tasks. Furthermore he helps his old friend the Owl with some mechanical enhancements.

The work is cross-disciplinary with materials including found objects, handmade textile and stitch samples, watercolour pencil, print, ink, stitch, appliqué and much more.

Integral to the work was the exploration of the tension between hand based stitch and machine embroidery, with many of the pieces and components of the installations combining multi-head machine embroidery with hand painting and hand stitch.