Interview: Sarah Fordham
By Jay Timms
Sarah Fordham is a rising talent within the arts and crafts industry. With her witty, crude and comical pieces, she has found her place in the market and this Month has released her first book, X Stitch. Her cheeky pieces often featuring swears and such are hugely popular and have even been worn by the uber cool Fearne Cotton. I caught up with her to learn all about her new book.
What is the main inspiration behind your work?
Everything! Paul Smith has said ‘You can find inspiration in everything, and if you can’t, look again!’ and I agree! A lot of my pieces have quite traditional imagery such as garden birds or woodland critters, but more recently I’ve been making some larger samplers featuring song lyrics I find amusing or quotes from TV and film.
How was it having someone as famous as fearne cotton wearing your work?
It was great! It happened a few years ago now when I just started out making cross-stitch accessories and large badges and things. It was back in the days of Myspace and I knew she was very active online, so sent her a message asking if she’d like one of my pieces and I was lucky enough to get a response. I didn’t expect to see a picture of her wearing it!
What inspired you to write your first book, how were you approached by the publishes?
My publishers found my online store on Etsy and approached me to ask if I’d like to make a book. Of course, I jumped at the chance! Coincidentally I’d been wondering around that time how I could go about doing so, so it was perfect timing really.
Do you think your funny personality comes across through your writing style?
Haha! It might sneak in!
What are your current projects? Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Currently I’m a bit swamped under making lots of orders for my customers such as cufflinks and custom samplers that people want to give as Christmas presents. I’ve just made a heap of cufflinks for what sounds like a party at Facebook HQ! I’ve also been working on making lots of stock for a day I’ll be spending at Liberty in London this month, and for Renegade Craft Fair!
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?
I don’t think there’s just one person that I consider to be a mentor or anything, but the majority of my best pals are also creatives so it can really help to have their advice and support – especially when I find the work load a little overwhelming! My best pal is very good at bringing me tea and sweets.
Who designed the covers, did you have any collaborators?
The publishers (GMC / Guild of Master Craftsman) had control over the layout and design, and I’m quite glad as that’s not really my forté!
What was the hardest part of writing your book? What were the challenges in bringing it to life?
I found it quite hard to work on it without seeing ‘the bigger picture’ of how it really looked until the very end. From my end, I was producing step-by-step photos and the text for it, and emailing it over to the publisher. It was hard to picture in my mind how a lot of it would really look when printed out on the pages!
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for being swell!
So what is next for you? Do you have any plans to write a follow up book?
Next up is surviving the Christmas period and ploughing through all the work I need to make for it! I would love the opportunity to make another book, I’m already mulling over what I would like it to be about, so I’ll have to hope that someone would like to make it!
You can follow Sarahs work over at:
Twitter: @magasinxstitch
Instagram: magasinxstitch
Facebook: www.facebook.com/weheartmagasin
Online shop: www.etsy.com/shop/mamagasin