We’re back with another Designer Spotlight and this time, we’re thrilled to be talking all things bold and bright with the wonderful Emily Peacock! Known for her colourful and eye-catching designs, Vic recently caught up with Emily to talk about her beginnings with art, what inspires her and those iconic portraits in collaboration with Appletons!

Without further delay, let’s check out their chat…

Hi, Emily! Tell us a little bit about yourself – your background, general day to day life, hobbies (other than crafting). This can be as vague or in detail as you like, we understand that some things you may want to keep private!

I came into this world wanting to make things. I was very much a dreamy child and loved staring at the details of life – colour, structure, shapes and patterns. I unfortunately went to a very academic school which didn’t suit me at all because its focus was to send pupils to the top universities. I struggled a bit after school over who I felt I was, versus what my background told me I should be… and so it took me a while to confidently ‘come out’ and be ok with that.

In my working life, I worked in Graphic Design for a while. I learned about layout and typography and my brain became more discerning over what makes good design. I mainly worked in packaging design and you can see the graphic influence in my work because I have used a lot of type and flat colour over the years. I like a limited palette and a design that grabs your attention from across the room – just like a product on a shelf.

I have been running my company for 18 years and I work from home near Bournemouth. My youngest daughter, Rosa, runs the kit making side from Brighton. I often get asked “are you busy?” and the answer will always be yes. I am always working on something new and always will be until I no longer can! I break up the day by going to the gym and I also have a huge passion for symbolism and the esoteric side of life, which is really all about understanding how the world talks to you and pattern spotting – so it fits in nicely with design. I don’t have a TV and I’m not really a mainstream person, so when I work I am usually listening to something that expands my understanding of the world.

What a wonderful way of absorbing and learning new things – we love that! Your passion for crafting has been prevalent since childhood; what was it about needlepoint in particular that sparked your creativity further to craft your passion into a business?

After I left school, I took an Art Foundation Course and I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to do textiles or illustration. As a result, my portfolio wasn’t that coherent and so I wasn’t suitable for a degree in either! I am so drawn to wool as a material, but I am also drawn to illustration and graphic design… so I combined the two. I don’t think of myself as a textile artist, I think of myself as a designer-illustrator that works in wool. I don’t really vibe with a lot of traditional needlepoint design, nor am I drawn to embroidery, I like to think that my hybrid approach offers something unique to a traditional craft.

I started selling my ideas as kits because I just wanted to see if my ideas were good ideas! I thought it would be nice to see something different, so why not see if an idea has public appeal?! Luckily I launched my business at the time when there was a huge resurgence in craft and it has been looking after me for many years.

(Image credits: Domestika/Emily Peacock)

All great ideas; they’re fab! You’re well-known for your wonderfully bold and colourful designs; what are some of your favourite tones to use when it comes to those initial concepts? Do you begin with colour, or is it the initial idea that sparks you to then create a palette around that subject?

I’m a very mutable person. I have a lot of styles that I love, a lot of ideas that just come to me and then I get my sketch book out and start to play. Every design I do usually has several versions before I’m happy – so the idea is the main starting point and the colour comes afterwards. Working with colour is my favourite part of the process but it is also quite challenging. The main reason for this is what can look good in skein form often doesn’t hit the same way in stitches. The subtle shadows in stitches can make wool look darker and duller and so I am always turning the colour intensity up on my designs. I enjoy throwing random colours I like in a pile and seeing what looks good next to each other.

I think it’s so easy to get into a predictable colour rut and use the same colours over and over. When I teach, I find a lot of people use the same colours in their design that they also wear and decorate their house in. Constantly relooking at combinations and picking colours you wouldn’t normally go for can really expand your limitations.

It certainly freshens both your perspective and your palette! Your portraits of public figures have proved incredibly popular over the years, with your latest kit celebrating visionary designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. What’s your selection process like of choosing your portrait subjects, and how do you manage the balance of achieving their likeness whilst maintaining your own individuality?

Oh those portraits! They are the hardest things I design. The portraits are commissioned by Appletons who approached me a few years ago. I had been suggesting they launched their own brand of kits using designers who work with their wool. After me nagging them for a while they asked me what I would come up with. I froze for a bit(!) and then said it would be great to celebrate the fact that they were a British company by having portraits of well-known people from these islands. I started by designing Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Shakespeare and Jane Austen and they sold rather too well! So it has now turned into “Who are you doing next?!”.

Needlepoint works on a grid and so a huge challenge is to get a feature such as a moth or eyes onto a tiny grid of, say 10-15 stitches. I can put one stitch in a different place and it completely changes the feature. There’s definitely a cycle of initial excitement at the idea of doing a portrait, followed by curiosity, followed by despair, self-loathing and hating the world (!!) and then I get a breakthrough. That sounds dramatic. It is. I also have to keep stepping away from the design because I think I have a likeness and then I look the next day and wonder what I was thinking. So hard!

It certainly sounds like a tough series of days in the studio, but I think we can all thank you for your time and effort in creating these showstopping pieces! What are three essentials you need in order to have a successful day designing?

A clean room, an enthusiastic mind, and coffee.

What does a typical day in look like for you at HQ?

I’m a big morning person, so I get up at about 5.30am and check and answer emails. I then do a bit of stitching and go for coffee at my local café and chat to the girls. I talk to Rosa at the studio every day to see how she’s getting on and then I usually get lost down a Pinterest rabbit hole looking at my latest obsession. I go to the gym every other day and lift weights because I need to counterbalance how sedentary this job can be, or I’ll go for a walk on the beach. Then in the afternoon I’ll either be stitching or drawing and charting.

A very quiet life suits me as I am very introspective and need a lot of peace. My house gets messy very quickly as I have paper and wool everywhere whilst I am working things out but I try to clear up before I go to bed so I don’t start the next day in chaos. I love working for myself. I don’t think I’d be a good employee or team member!

If you had to choose, what’s your favourite pattern or kit you’ve designed so far?

Loving the colourwork and highlighting to Celine; she’s ace! If there’s a day where you’re facing a creative block, what are some of your go-tos to get your creative juices flowing again?

There’s never a day when I feel that. Needlepoint takes so long to do that ideas come along when I’m working on a piece and I get hugely frustrated that I can’t finish a design fast enough to get going on the next piece.

Outside of the portrait series, do you have any specific inspirations behind your projects?

Not really. I think there are common themes of uplifting colour, clear, eye-catching designs but the themes can change a lot. I just go through phases of being obsessed which can be anything from Religious art to fruit labels to cats! It’s just whatever is the theme du jour!

A great way to follow your creative instincts and the inspiration around you. Your artistry and talents have led to designs in Elle Deco and more, alongside winning Designer of the Year at the very first Needlecraft Awards! With countless other successes, is there one celebration in particular that still feels like such a pinch-me moment?

When I first started out I was just so happy that my work was well-received. I think deep down most of us suffer from imposter syndrome and artists and designers have to be risk takers because they break new ground and we never know how that’s going to play out. I have a particular view on life – it’s a game and we need to just play it. Once I was over the shock of actually having a viable idea and being on TV and in magazines I am now very neutral about it. I try to take success in the same way I take criticism – not letting it swing me in any direction.

Another one of your passions is knitting; is that discipline something you’d like to bring into your brand down the line? We can see the vibrancy already!

I think I have a secret fantasy where I am invited to collaborate with a knitwear designer or company to produce some designs. I LOVE knitting. There is a bell that strikes around about October and I have to get the needles out. I have far too much wool lined up for different projects and it is a compulsion with me and I don’t care because there are far worse addictions. It gives me such joy. I have a 2D pattern brain and would struggle with the construction of a garment but HELL YES to designing the decorative aspect. Would I ever incorporate it in my business? I don’t think so because I don’t know enough about it… but I will leave this here if there are any smart designers who want to play.

You hear that, people?! 😂 Finally, do you have any tips for readers developing a passion for crafting?

Play, play, play. We don’t do enough of that. See what’s out there, push yourself a bit with a new skill and find designs that really appeal to you because the design is what will give you the enthusiasm to complete a project.

Thanks for having me!
x

It’s been an absolute pleasure, Emily, and a great tip to finish on! Thank you so much again for chatting with us today; we can’t wait to see what you do next!

For more on Emily Peacock and her wonderful designs, see her website HERE. Alternatively, you can visit her over on Instagram, and shop her full collection with Appletons HERE. Thanks for joining us today and if you’re keen for more Designer Spotlights, be sure to enter your email below to keep up to date with all that’s happening inside The Craft Room! ⤵️✨