New Work by Jean Draper for UNmaking

Unpicking Complex Conversations  

Freely drawn letters and broken words and sentences relating to UNmade are hand stitched and overlapping as in a series of complex conversations. The base is felt with additional appliqué and needle felting. Layers of words and part words relating to subject and representing complex conversations are intuitively hand stitched in a variety of threads. Threads wound on small wooden sticks represent the unpicking of the words and letters.

Jean Draper - My UNmaking

I always begin work with research, investigating subject matter through extensive drawing and note-making. Usually, a list of possible developments gradually emerges and is recorded.

Through my freelance teaching and lecturing, I have been fortunate enough to travel—several times to Australia and more extensively to the American Southwest. Happily, I have always been driven by friends, so during travel, I have been able to consistently record aspects of the journey in my sketchbook/notebook. With rapid lines, I recorded aspects of the landscape, changing shapes, rocky facades and strata, as well as ancient sites. I also recorded a series of words and phrases describing what I was observing, plus place names, routes taken, colours, and other information, especially relating to peoples who had inhabited the land. My resulting work was inspired by details of desert landscapes in particular. 

My notes were the starting points for works where the whole fabric was covered in hand-stitched words as I remembered and contemplated places I had experienced, almost becoming a chant or mantra about the land. The letters and words were stitched completely by eye using whipstitch, resulting in a repetitive, deeply textured surface.

Over time, I have continued to develop and celebrate stitched words in my work, as seen in my Unmaking piece.

I am dedicated to stitching by hand, working intensively for long periods. My style is characterised by dense layers of stitch which gradually emerge from the fabric. I love to feel the structure and handle of the fabric change gradually as the work progresses and is turned in my hands. An important practical element for me is the ease and rhythm of passing the needle back and forth through the pliable fabric, to which end I use the finest needle possible for the thread I am using. I use mainly straight stitches, couching, and seeding, all of which make directional lines and marks relating strongly to my natural way of drawing.

The combination of rhythm and intensity of the stitching evokes a kind of meditation as I concentrate on the words, their meaning, and the shape of individual letters. I find that I begin to make other connections with the words, recalling places and people, and thinking of past conversations.

My Unmaking piece records my thoughts as I stitched, resulting in an involved, multi-layered texture of words and part-words. ‘Unpicking’ in my title has a dual meaning. Firstly, I have literally unpicked parts of the work, keeping wraps of the excess thread attached to the surface. Secondly, in my head, I find I constantly ‘unpick’ or go over past conversations and situations, sometimes regretfully or perhaps trying to make sense of what was said or meant.

Jean Draper. September 2026

In Conversation with Jean Draper

Materials & Tools

What kinds of fabrics do you like to use for your base substrate, and what are your go-to threads and needle types for these detailed pieces?

My fabrics are usually cotton or linen, firm but not too thick or tightly woven. I do not like to "fight" for every stitch, so the needle and thread must pass through easily and enable the creation of a stitching rhythm.

I use a variety of threads—silk, coton à broder (a smooth, non-divisible embroidery cotton that glides effortlessly without splitting), pearl cotton (cotton perlé—a two-ply twisted thread with a satiny sheen that creates raised, defined lines), stranded cotton, and fine weaving thread. I do not use threads that have a strong twist, as these do not blend or lie well.

My needles are always embroidery needles with a long eye, and I use ones as small as possible that will still take the thread.

Technique & Process

When you begin stitching, where and how do you actually take that first stitch?

For previous works with rows of words, I usually tack a few guidelines to help keep things fairly straight. Pieces like this have been stitched left to right and top to bottom, as in regular text. The heavily layered pieces, like Unmade, are stitched randomly by eye, composing and balancing colour and shape bit by bit.

Rhythm & Meditation

You mentioned that your stitching acts almost like a "chant or mantra" about the land. Could you tell me a bit more about how that meditative rhythm feels as you work?

When stitching, I am totally absorbed. In pieces about particular landscapes, I am repetitively stitching words and phrases descriptive of that place. Achieving a rhythm in my stitching—repeating words and remembering the experience and perhaps the people—becomes meditative. Important memories are gradually recorded and grow out of the fabric.

Concept & Expression

Since you describe unpicking both threads and past conversations as a way to make sense of the past, do you view the physical act of stitching and unpicking as a way of mapping your inner landscape rather than just an actual place?

Exactly. The work may begin in response to a place or title, but it becomes something more complex, especially where people and past conversations are involved.

Looking at how your notes and thoughts translate into cloth, do you see your overall process as a form of visual journaling?

Not really. My initial drawings and notes are possibly a form of visual journalism. My intention is that the finished piece becomes a complete and meaningful visual statement. Although the stitched pieces described are frequently inspired by the natural world, other work—sometimes sculptural—often starts with social or political issues.

Exhibition Details

Experience the full Unmaking exhibition at Stroud's Museum in the Park, featuring a series of workshops led by TSG artists.

• Exhibition: UNmaking
• Dates: 12 September – 8 November 2026
• Location: Museum in the Park, Stroud
• Admission: Free