The circle as method and metaphor

Throughout 2025 I undertook a self-led research project exploring what happens when we create in circle - particularly women-led spaces - and how these communal acts of making shape both art and connection.

Rooted in work with textiles, this research looks at the lineage of women’s work: embroidery, sewing, knitting, weaving — the everyday creativity that has long held communities together, often unrecorded or undervalued. I’m interested in how these ancient forms of fibre work carry matrilineal knowledge, and how gathering to make can offer women a modern form of refuge, regulation, and empowerment.

The heart of the research

Through reading, writing, conversation, and participation, I am exploring how circles of making act as matriarchal structures of care, learning, and belonging. These circles are not only places where things are made, they are places where something deeper is remade: confidence, friendship, community, and the permission to take up space.

My approach combines practice-based research, community facilitation, and artistic experimentation. I have been holding sewing and craft circles across the North East, working with women’s charities such as Her Circle in Newcastle, and collaborating with artists and community facilitators who share an interest in feminist, socially-engaged creative practice.

Artistic Output

I explored how a craft that is brought into a circle is often secondary to what emerges through the shared act of making; connection, conversation, and care. Alongside this, I developed new textile artworks that document and respond to these encounters, using reclaimed materials, stitched text, and layered techniques.

This research fed into a foundational body of work and into a larger cross-generational practice, connecting women through shared stories and stitches. I eventually began referring to this as the 'Mother Tongue' project.

Send me a message:

If you would like to get in touch for more information or to work with me, you can reach me at hjmcreativearts@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can submit a message through the form on this website.

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