Elf Doll Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/4404881905

The doll is 17cm tall, including the hat, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 
This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

Nativity Scene Dolls Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/4397959392

The dolls are between 15cm & 16cm in height. Baby Jesus is 5cm tall, and the Manger is 8cm x 5cm.
​ 
The dolls are knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 

This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy.

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

In this piece I hand embroidered onto cotton calico using straight stitches. I decided to hand-dye the fabric to see the contrast between the embroidered lines that caught the rust-dyeing and the lines that did not. 
I added some rosemary, nails and steel wool when hand-dyeing, to add texture to the final piece. I am delighted with the results. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall

Nativity Wise Men Dolls Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/4379763311

The dolls are 15cm, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 
​
This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

I have continued experimenting with hand-dyeing, specifically rust-dyeing. The results came out really well, and I hope to use the finished card in future projects. 

©Joanna Cox Marshall ​

Nativity Shepherd Dolls Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/4327517453

The doll is 15cm, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 
​
This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

Last month, I rust-dyed a card to see if it would leave bold patterns and colours; I was not disappointed. In this development, I have incorporated hand embroidery onto the card. I was interested in how the embroidery thread picks up the rust-dyeing and the finished texture on the top of the card. I am delighted with the results. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

Katherine of Aragon Doll Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/4325317160

The doll is 16cm, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 

This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

In the past, I have only ever rust-dyed onto fabric, so I decided to explore other materials to experiment with. I was not disappointed in the final result of using the card. The nails have left a clear mark on the paper, and the colour deepens where there is more water with the steel wool. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

In this development, I have take some rosemary from the herb garden and used it within my had embroidered samples. I used linen which was hand-dyed in rosemary for 72 hours. In the first sample, I have stitched the rosemary just using DMC embroidery thread, making a 2D visual sample. I went a step further, incorporating the rosemary into the linen. I finished with making the photograph of two pieces of rosemary into a kaleidoscope photograph. These images could be used as a base to develop the samples into a larger piece of hand embroidery which could also incorporate rosemary leaves into it. 

Year 1 - Creative Arts: Module 3

​©Joanna Cox Marshall

It was wonderful to spend the day experimenting with knitting, crochet and weaving. Using images from my garden as inspiration, using a range of different materials and tools, the process was mindful, which meant the knitter could just let go and not follow any rules. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

Bluebell Flower Doll Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/1887142240

The doll is 16cm, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 

This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall

​'Prettiness in their Bobbins' is an artwork highlighting the cottage industry of lace-making during the 1850s in Brackley, Northamptonshire, a market town where I live. Through research, I have found that the social history of this craft has been lost in modern accounts and oral history, which has moved away from the documented exploitation of women and child workers during this time. Modern local accounts romanticise the history of lace-making in the area, focusing on the beauty of the lace rather than the poverty and callous merchants who sold the lace at the local market.

I have hand-embroidered selected words and phrases taken from Rev. Mozley's 1830s account of the women and children's working and living conditions as lace makers onto small linen pillows. Highlighting the plight and consequences of the craft on their daily lives. In the 1851 Brackley Census, 132 women and children were listed as lace makers; the youngest child was seven years old. None of the children named on the census attended school; those who were younger than seven years old did not have to fill in an occupation, so it can only be concluded that they were also lace makers. 

All materials used in this artwork are recycled or vintage. The phrases from my research are embroidered onto linen using cursive handwriting from the 1850s. The text pillows are displayed alongside a lace-making pillow and will hopefully draw the viewer into understanding the workers’ conditions beyond the lace produced. A hand-embroidered Paisley Pear motif is included in this project, as this lace motif was invented in a village not far from Brackley, and is native to this area.
​
​Year 1 - Creative Arts: Module 2

Before I started this project, I reflected on my research. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

Earlier this year, I visited Hever Castle in Kent. I used one of my images to sketch, and then broke it down into mark-making, while thinking about the words I had selected. From here, I made a small sample using a thread on a card. 
I have been bulk hand-dyeing fabric this year, so I used one of my fabric pieces for this development. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall

Celebration Flower Doll Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs
​edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/1888984491

The doll is 15cm, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 

This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

A beautiful 1990s blouse, which uses tailoring skills to finish the garment. This project took two weeks to complete, with some sewing done at home. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

Here is a 1980s blouse completed over two weeks. Below are a few images showing the completion of the blouse, from cutting out to top stitching the neckline, and finishing the garment by making the buttons. There are no shortcuts in dressmaking; this includes using the correct equipment, which includes dressmaking scissors and pins.

​​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

I was excited to start rust-dyeing this year, now that the weather is much finer and I can leave my dyeing outside. 
I hand-embroidered onto linen with Pearle embroidery thread; the linen is a square cut from a disused tablecloth. I added some wire wool and wrapped up the square tightly with a piece of string. I left the square to soak in salted water for a few hours before transferring it outside into a small plastic bag. 
Seventy-two hours later, I was able to unwrap the small square and was delighted with the result. 

©Joanna Cox Marshall ​

Experimenting with Hand Embroidery - 2025
In this exercise, I experimented with different thread weights using the same embroidery stitch to show size, form, and texture. I used a variety of shades of green, so the viewer is not distracted by the colours used. 
​
Year 1 - Creative Arts: Module 2

​©Joanna Cox Marshall 

​Ruby Tour Shirt - 8th to 22nd May
​Private lessons enable the learner to have flexibility, and through lesson plans, this can allow the student to work on their project at home and reduce the lessons needed. Private lessons should fit in with your budget, experience, and schedule. Here is a rugby tour shirt with a matching hat. Well done, Mrs T.

​©Joanna Cox Marshall

Tudor Cardinal Doll Knitting Pattern by Edith Grace Designs 
​edithgracedesigns.etsy.com/listing/1870208976

The doll is 15cm tall including the hat, knitted in double knitting wool & worked flat. 

This pattern can be purchased as a PDF Digital Download from Etsy, Love Crafts & Ravelry.

As the weather is much finer, I have started to hand-dye fabric in bulk. Today I have hand-dyed fabric in onion skins; the fabric does lighten after it has dried, but the colour is still warm. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall