Isabel Fletcher

Isabel Fletcher is a textile artist exploring the way overlooked production offcuts can act as portals into the craft of their industry. Reframing disregarded offcuts as glimpses into the craft of making, Isabel aims to increase empathy for possessions and encourage a reduction in consumption and waste. She sees a direct connection between education, craft and sustainability. Whether interacting with her work at an exhibition, or attending one of her workshops, she hopes to re-engage people with making and materials.

Working intuitively by responding to the nuanced properties presented by offcuts, Isabel's sculptural works take on ambiguous forms. She is fascinated by materials and their transformation from 2D to 3D. Combining offcuts with processes of machine and hand stitch, the artist critically interacts with the materials to identify their three-dimensional possibilities. The abstract nature of the work allows the mind to wander and imagine beyond the now normalised systems of take, make, waste. Imagination is key.

Her latest framed works mark the start of a new avenue within Isabel Fletcher’s practice, existing alongside her sculptural works, by capturing its essence within a smaller scale. Mounted in custom-made frames, these works embody her exploration of materials and processes.

Created as studies at the beginning of Isabel’s most recent body of work, Archive Iterations (2024), this work delves into her family history in the Yorkshire textile industry by reworking archival textiles from the Mill’s cost books. Isabel has used neutral textiles to reinterpret the textiles, giving focus to structure and stitch over colour at this initial stage of research.

With her practice rooted in craft but working across art and design depending on the project, Isabel has collaborated with brands such as Kvadrat and TOAST and has presented work in both solo and group exhibitions, including ‘Waste Age’ (Design Museum, 2021) and ‘Eternally Yours’ (Somerset House, 2022). In addition, she regularly works to site specific commissions for interiors, architecture, and galleries.