Jessie Chorley is a London-based textile artist, specialising in embroidery and paper crafts. Born in Kent in1980, she spent her childhood in North Wales, before moving to London to study for the BA in Fine Art Textile Practice at Goldsmiths College. While still a student, she chose to dedicate her life to making beautiful things by hand and, shortly after graduating, she set up her own business as a full-time designer and maker. Over time, she has also become an author, social artist and tutor, as well as running an independent shop/studio selling her work in East London from 2007 to 2021.
Jessie now delivers workshops internationally at venues that include the V&A Museum and The Foundling Museum, both in London, the Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool and West Dean College, West Sussex. She also runs her private studio and workshop in South London.
“I find beauty and inspiration in things that have been discarded or put to one side – fabric cut directly from pre-worn clothing is my most frequently used material.” – Jessie Chorley
Traditional hand embroidery, printmaking, collage and needle-turned appliqué techniques are at the heart of Jessie’s practice as an artist-maker. Needle and thread are her drawing tools. She uses them to create scenes and stories, combining stitched images and words, largely on pre-loved fabric and paper.
Jessie mainly works with fabric and paper, which she often sources from antique markets, fairs and junk shops. Collecting is something that goes hand-in-hand with her making process. She is drawn to pre-used, worn, and discarded items that display marks of a previous life. Jessie’s evergrowing personal archive of ‘found’ items serves as her ongoing inspiration and is often her starting point for an artwork.