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Explore Artisans Museums & Galleries Experience Itineraries About
©Tas Kyprianou
©Lol Johnson
©Lol Johnson
©Lol Johnson
©Lol Johnson

Emily Jo Gibbs

  • Textile worker
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Master Artisan
Emily Jo Gibbs Textile worker
©Lol Johnson

The value of making

  • • Emily first started as a handbag maker
  • • She was taught sewing as a child by her mother
  • • Her work includes stitching of still lifes

Emily grew up in a creative household with her mother who had studied fashion tailoring. After a degree in three-dimensional design, wood, metal and plastic, she went on to start her own successful handbag business; they can be found today in the V&A Museum and in the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. Following her work in the fashion industry, she decided to go back to her childhood love of sewing and started making stitching of still lifes and portraits in silk organza, a textile she knew well from her handbag making days. As well as teaching workshops that can be found on her website, Emily is a member of the renowned 62 Group of Textile Artists. She is now committed to using her art to showcase other people and the world of crafting.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Lol Johnson
  • ©Lol Johnson
  • ©Lol Johnson
  • ©Tas Kyprianou
  • ©Tas Kyprianou
Photo: ©Lol Johnson
Jamie - 4th year apprentice shipwright

Hand stitched appliqué portrait of Jamie, a young shipwright apprentice standing with his arms folded. Part of The Boat Builders series of portraits documenting the foreman and apprentices at Berthon Boatyard in Lymington. A celebration of people who prefer a hands-on approach, whose knowledge and skill are gained and learnt through making.

Height 26 cm
Width 23 cm

Photo: ©Lol Johnson
Portrait of a metal worker

Hand stitched appliqué illustration of Ane Christensen’s tool rack with metal files, PPE and light switch. Part of The Value of Making series of portraits depicting makers through the tools they use. This series was created to celebrate the skill, dexterity and the creative problem solving of people who make things.

Height 49 cm
Width 63 cm

Photo: ©Lol Johnson
Portrait of a shoemaker

Hand stitched appliqué illustration of Maiko Dawson’s tools, including her yellow shoe last and hammer. Part of The Value of Making series of portraits depicting makers through the tools they use. This series acknowledges the value of clever hands in an increasingly digital and cerebral age.

Height 45 cm
Width 46 cm

Photo: ©Tas Kyprianou
Bill

Hand stitched appliqué portrait of Bill, a young boy with yellow hair and a green hoodie. This portrait is part of Kids Today, a series of portraits depicting the children who play together on the small cul–de-sac in South East London where Emily lives.

Height 25 cm
Width 20 cm

Photo: ©Tas Kyprianou
Footpath to Southwold

This hand stitched illustration represents sticks in a jam jar. The water represented in the jar gives us a realistic reflection of the sticks in the glass, making the water seemingly visible when it is only hinted at.

Height 49 cm
Width 41 cm

Enjoy an experience with Emily Jo Gibbs

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