“I’ve found as the years have rolled by that the more proficient I have become at stitching, the less of my conscious attention is required to keep on track. I enjoy the fact that stitching bespoke work requires more concentration because every piece is different so you have to adapt your approaches to problem solving and learning new stitches.

A good example of this began right at the start of the Art Makes People Powerful work before I had even laid a stitch. When looking at the size of the piece, it was quickly apparent that the work wouldn’t fit any commercially available frame. “Free-stitching” would have made maintaining the tension a real challenge, so I took it upon myself to build a custom frame with the help of another Fine Cell Work stitcher. The initial construction was a satisfying achievement to overcome, building something suitable in this environment with limited resources.

All bespoke pieces, with their unique demands, carry a level of job satisfaction and achievement which is completely different from standard Fine Cell Work pieces. I think it derives from a combination of the problem-solving, the greater size of the piece and the bespoke design. It is therefore no surprise to me that this piece has given me the greatest sense of achievement of anything I’ve done. After several months of stitching 6-18 hours every day, I almost didn’t want to hand it in!

There were moments with this piece where the scale of its size and the challenges I met whilst stitching it had me doubting it would ever be possible, but ultimately, I am glad I took it on and was able to turn the vision into a reality.

Even though at times I found myself growling at the canvas, it was worth it – thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make something so special.”

- Keiron, Fine Cell Work stitcher

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