Welcome to modflowers!
modflowers sews and sculpts art dolls and decorative creatures from cloth and clay, transformed via minute stitches, imagination, hours of work – and a little stitch-based alchemy – into miniature marvels. Mounted in boxes or glass domes, free-standing or hung on the wall, each creation is a unique and tiny work of art, made with skill and care.
modflowers is a one-woman band – just me, Sharon, designer and maker. I am fascinated by the way children see the world – and how materials, objects – and our lives – can be transformed by our imagination and willingness to being open to play.
You can read more about me and my work in 91 Magazine’s Meet the Maker feature.
I blog about life as a maker: the things I make, the things I love – and all the inspirations and the ups – and downs – of living a creative life.
My passion is to hunt and gather old, discarded textiles from the past (be they beautiful and collectible, or just dusty and rejected) and to transform them into creatures, figures, soft sculptures, dolls – call them what you will – that although mute, have stories to tell.
My creations are made, apart from a few specialist fabrics and other bits and bobs, mainly from upcycled, recycled and repurposed materials. Old fabrics, with their innate tales of lives already lived, bring the magic of their own secret histories to the pieces I create. My intention is that the creatures I make seem to have lives of their own – and are busy living them when we’re not looking.
As well as using vintage fabrics, I disembowel cushions for stuffing, seek out vintage threads, buttons, old tins and boxes from charity shops and reclaim bits from thrifted jewellery. I also use modelling clay and sometimes papier mâché and other found items in my work.
My fascination lies with the miniature, the oft-overlooked, discarded, forgotten or unnoticed…
I am inspired by the books of my childhood, such as The Midnight Folk, The Twelve and the Genii and The Time Garden, amongst others, stories in which magic lives amongst us, under our noses, if we only have eyes to see it. I aim to capture that magic in my work, and to bring it to life for others to enjoy.
My philosophy is that we should not be too hasty to put away childish things. On the contrary, in a world that can be big and frightening, there is real joy in rediscovering the small and comforting. 
Everything takes shape in my living room workspace or at the kitchen table in Nottingham, England – usually accompanied by a cup of Earl Grey tea and the burble of voices from the radio. Each unique creation is an original design, requiring hours of careful stitching. The characters emerge as I work, often taking on personalities of their own and paying no heed to my initial plans.
The story of modflowers begins with a love of vintage fabrics…
I’ve always been an arty, crafty sort. I wish now that I had followed art as a career path earlier in life.
But I didn’t – and in 2011 I found myself at the end of my tether with a job I hated and with no idea where to go next. I had a collection of vintage fabrics and some sewing skills. I decided it was time for a change.
I started making cushion covers from my fabrics – the name modflowers came from my favourite vintage floral fabric designs of the 1960s and 1970s. The cushions began to morph into faces; owls, cats, birds…
I took up patchwork again, which I had taught myself as a child, and made some quilts.
Then I became a bit obsessed with cloth dolls and so I learned how to make them. I got even more obsessed. I honed my skills and the dolls got smaller and smaller – so I got myself some stronger spectacles.
Instead of creating a hobby-project graveyard in the cupboard, I finished things and put them in my shop to see what would happen. I stopped being too embarrassed to admit that instead of managing budgets and overseeing staff, I faffed about with bits of fabric and played with dolls.
I stopped doing a job I hated – and started building a life I could love.
I sell my wares online on Etsy via several small collections a year. My work is limited in quantity, just like the textiles from which it is made. To be amongst the first to find out when I have items for sale, join my mailing list.
Sometimes, you may find my wares for sale at local fairs – I have one coming up this winter, in my home town of Nottingham. Click the image for more details (N.B. I’ll be there on the Saturday only)…
I also create art dolls for fabric designer Sarah Campbell, using vintage Liberty and Collier Campbell fabrics from her personal archive that she and her sister Susan Collier designed, and also Sarah’s more recent quilting cottons and hand painted fabrics.
The “Painted Treasures” collection (below) was exhibited and sold in Anthropologie’s store on London’s King’s Road in 2020.
My Liberty fabric dolls (pictured below) were commissioned especially to showcase Sarah’s archive fabric designs and featured in the Liberty In Fashion exhibition, celebrating fifty years of the brand at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London in 2015.
These dolls also appear in Sarah’s book, “The Art of Pattern”, available exclusively from Sarah, here.
More recently, I have discovered the joys of combining textiles with clay. My work continues to evolve.
You can see my most recent work in the gallery or over on Instagram.
I have also written occasional sewing tutorials, which have been published in magazines including Mollie Makes and Love Sewing. My work has also been featured in The Sunday People magazine, Period Living, Teddy Bear Times and 91 Magazine and in the August 2023 edition of Daphne’s Diary.
I work from home, a Victorian semi-detached house in suburban Nottingham…
Please note that although my designs are playful, they are not toys – they are designed for display rather than play and are unsuitable for children, due to their small parts and delicate construction.
I love collaborations, be it a custom-designed doll, a guest blog post, or anything else (within reason!) that sounds like fun, so if you have a project in mind, get in touch via my contact page.
Or why not have a read of my blog, see my latest makes on Instagram, take a peek at what I share on Facebook or browse through my inspiration boards on Pinterest? I have also recently joined threads, where I post randomly and connect with other makers.
If you would like to be kept up to date with modflowers blog posts or shop updates and the other small things I share exclusively with subscribers, you can join my mailing list:
It’s always lovely to hear from you, so don’t be shy: leave a comment on my blog, or just say hello.
Thanks for visiting!
