Lucy Njoki is a self-taught textile and embroidery artist, currently living and working in Camden, London, with her 3 children. Lucy creates fabric artworks and other lovely things using vintage, preloved, natural fabrics and the processes of patchwork, appliqué, quilting, collage, embroidery and fabric printing.
Lucy also loves writing and in addition to her written reflections on her blog, she slow stitches stories, poems and words into little fabric books.
Throughout childhood and later as an adult, Lucy learnt through experience to stay small and nice, to reign in her imagination and to ignore her instincts and innate voice. Through counselling, hard work, creativity and big doses of self-compassion, Lucy is learning to take up space, to take her power back and to let loose her imagination.
Lucy’s work is inspired by the wonders of nature and driven by that need to let go, to dream, to put back the pieces when we are broken and to create something new, beautiful, joyful and sometimes even silly.
Lucy believes in sustainability and ‘cheating’ a system that makes us crave new and more. Therefore, she mainly uses preloved, vintage textiles in her work. She also uses deadstock fabrics, remnants and occasionally treats herself to some sustainably produced linen! There is something about giving a preloved textile a new lease of life that brings Lucy joy: A vintage curtain turns into a beautiful patchwork bird; a charity shop shirt becomes a rainbow; a scrap of sari fabric shines as a golden sun and so on.
Lucy is of mixed African and British heritage. She believes in the importance of inclusion and representation in all areas including the creative world of the arts and literature.
Lucylu dreams... 