A Slice of Bulgaria
November 2024
Textile sculptural cake - tapestry weaving with assorted yarn, quilting with beadwork, crochet doily (by my sister) and papier-mâché plate
With plate - 120cm x 80cm
Cake alone (without candle) - H60cm x L65cm x W55cm
Created as part of a collective exhibition at university where we focused on symbolism and culture, this piece aims to blend personal heritage with tactile storytelling in a playful manner. The choice of cake designs in our collective show reflected the idea of shared experiences across cultures, connected by the universal act of enjoying food. The design of my cake showcased a woven Bulgarian house and rug motifs, complemented by quilted images of women performing traditional dances, blending cultural symbolism with a celebratory, joyful theme. The tactile nature of the work not only allows the work to be interacted with beyond sight alone, it also creates a more immersive environment that creates connections with viewers, allowing them to experience a part of my culture in a playful and free way.
Baba Marta
March 2025
Yarn, roving, Bulgarian coins, martenitsa, Pizho and Penda, metal frame, pine wood rods
W122 x H192 cm
Inspired by the Bulgarian springtime tradition of Baba Marta, this large-scale weaving evokes themes of protection, renewal, and seasonal cycles. Layers of fibre, oversized knots, and tangled textures suggest both ritual and refuge. The work merges folk craft aesthetics with contemporary material language, functioning as both a visual chant and a textile shield. It celebrates embodied making and ancestral knowledge.
From Their Hands to Mine
April 2025
Hand-dyed cotton, hand-dyed satin, embroidery thread, hand-dyed and hand-spun yarn, beads made from polymer clay
W70 x H210 D70 cm
This suspended textile sculpture explores intergenerational care, craft, and memory. Three handmade doilies from deceased family members are stitched into the structure, alongside cyanotype portraits of relatives. Hand-dyed cotton, which is coloured with Bulgarian Easter egg dyes, creates a bridge between my current life away from home and the cultural traditions that keep me connected to where I come from. Cascading elements of satin, yarn, and beads extend from the base, representing tactile transformation and emotional inheritance. The work functions as a vessel for grief, joy, and connection.
Sewn Together at Alphabet Soup
April 2025
Fabric squares, assorted fabrics, embroidery thread, fishing wire
W140 x H120 cm
Created during the off-site exhibition Alphabet Soup, this quilt is the result of a collaborative making space. Participants contributed stitched, woven, and pieced fabric elements in an open, playful environment. The final quilt was assembled post-exhibition to preserve these spontaneous creative moments. Though the construction is orderly, the materiality retains the warmth and joyful chaos of collective hands at work. The piece acts as both a document of community and a lasting collaborative artwork.
This piece shifted my focus from individual to collective making. Hosting the drop-in space was its own kind of practice… part hosting, part holding. It made me think about generosity, permission, and how care can be extended through creative invitation. Completing the quilt afterward was a quiet responsibility: to honour the contributions of others while still shaping them into something whole. It made me think more deeply about authorship, and how a work can belong to many.
The Garden That Stayed With Me
July 2025
Hand made wooden frame, tissue paper papier-mâché, cupboard hinges, metal screw eyes, acrylic yarn, hand spun woolen yarn, hand dyed and waxed batik fabric, hand dyed fabric, assorted beads, 100% merino wool, polyester batting, metal rings
62 x 62cm, double side
A double-sided textile installation inspired by a university trip to Singapore, this work captures moments of colour, nature, and cultural richness. Featuring vibrant abstract weaves, double-sided batik panels of hibiscus and orchids, heritage tree imagery, textured beadwork, and soft fibre elements, the piece blends memory and making. Hanging outward from the wall, it invites viewers into a tactile, layered reflection on place and personal experience.
Cloth Into Stone
November 2025
Ceramic mosaic, buff clay imprinted with carved lino blocks, underglaze and shiny transparent glaze, grout, all on wooden board, displayed on a vintage desk
Mosaic - 59 x 61cm
This ceramic mosaic reimagines the traditional Bulgarian rug which creates an interesting conversation for the rug, which is traditionally warm, woven, and placed around the house… but now “fossilised”. The patterns in the tiles were inspired by typical Bulgarian motifs and created by pressing lino blocks and family doilies into clay, which echoes the domestic gestures of Bulgarian tables layered with decorative lace. Through the translation of the soft textile motifs into cold, heavy tiles, the piece creates a striking contrast between warmth and hardness, memory and material. I decided to display it on a table rather than a wall, as it invites touch first and sight second, allowing blind and sighted individuals to be able to experience the design through their hands, which honours textiles not just as a visual object, but as one with deep tactile history.
Cracks in the Pavement
March 2026
Ceramic, hand spun yarn, acrylic yarn, canvas, embroidery thread
Can be displayed in varied size - each hexagonal tile 18x18cm
Trolls of Life
June 2026
Acrylic and wool blend yarn, hand dyed bamboo fibre, merino wool, porcelain, white grogged, glaze.
D310 x W495 x H290 cm
An installation formed of four weavings and a ceramic totem, bringing together ideas of memory, nostalgia, and inherited craft knowledge. With ceramics woven into the weaving and textile elements incorporated into the ceramics, this piece considers how inherited traditions can be broken up and reimagined, with troll figurines sparking nostalgia.
Her Hands, My Hands
June 2026
Ceramic imprinted with Grandmas embroidery, weaving using woollen yarn
W55 x H59cm