16
September 2026

InStitchYou: Adventures around the World with a Sewing Machine

Welcome to The Arts Society Runnymede
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 - 10:30
The Wraysbury Village Hall
The Green Wraysbury TW19 5NA
Online Event

Adventures around the World with a Sewing Machine

Artist Harriet Riddell takes her sewing machine out of the studio and into the world, stitching portraits and landscapes directly from life. Travelling through streets, marketplaces and mountainsides, she uses thread to capture the energy of place and the people she meets. Along the way, her sewing machine becomes an unlikely tool for communication, breaking down barriers and sparking conversations. With power generated by a bicycle — often pedalled by willing onlookers — Harriet transforms sewing into performance. Midway through the lecture, she will create a fast-paced stitched portrait live, so you can watch the process unfold.

 

Harriet Riddell
After becoming a mother, Harriet Riddell began redefining her artistic boundaries, a shift that propelled her practice in bold new directions. Inspired by David Hockney’s monumental woodland pieces, she has embraced scale as a central element, pushing the delicate line of thread and needle into something larger, grander, and unexpected. Her work subverts the traditional stitch, expanding it beyond the frame into armchairs, textiles, and materials connected to her subjects. Dancing with digital technology, she further amplifies these stitched worlds, blending craft and innovation. The result is an immersive practice that reimagines how art can occupy space and challenge perception.