Jessica Ormerod: Healing Through Fabric & Thread
Over in Oxford, quilting and embroidery artist Jessica Ormerod is stitching together an exciting new life chapter.
Just four years ago, she had never even touched a sewing machine. But today, her intricate quilts and embroideries have been admired in a variety of exhibitions, and she’s just started a foundation course in art at Oxford Brookes University.
Above: Jessica Ormerod on the Catford Arts Trail, 2024.
Originally from Oxford, Jessica returned to her home city after 25 years in London — a move shaped by moments of deep change and loss. Shifting from a career in politics to one of creativity and craft, she has found healing through fabric and thread.
Here’s Jessica’s story, in her own words.
Quilting Through Grief: Turning Loss Into Love and Art
I have this slight block about certain technologies. Nobody ever showed me how to use a sewing machine. So, it was like this object that I couldn’t access.
But then, four years ago, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And I just had this really overwhelming feeling that I wanted to make him a quilt. I signed up for an adult education class on how to use a sewing machine, and I really loved it.
I didn't want to buy fabric. I actually buy all of my clothes from charity shops and I didn’t want to change that ethos for my quilting. There’s also a very strong tradition of using up old fabrics in quilts. So I thought: I can just use my husband's shirts that he doesn't wear and my children's jeans that they've grown out of.
Then, when my dad died, I thought I could take his clothes and turn them into quilts for everybody in the family — my children, my brother and sister, my mom. Now, we all have quilted bags that are made out of his shirts and jeans and big quilts that we can wrap ourselves up in.
Doing this was very helpful for me. My family really appreciated it too. They love the quilts because they can recognize all the material in it, because of him wearing it.
I actually gave my sister a quilt made out of my dad’s jeans that he wore a lot during the last months of his life, when he had a lot of chemo and he had to use a lot of oil. I was a bit worried that the fabric really smelt of the oil. But when my sister opened the parcel, she just cried because she really could smell him, which was really beautiful. I realized how powerful all of this was.
Stitching Comfort for Others: Quilts for Friends and Strangers
I then started to make quilts for other people I knew who were ill. Friends, friends of friends. Because I really like the gesture of giving something that just comes completely out of the blue and there's no reason for it. It's an act of love that doesn't require anything back.
The first quilt I made for somebody I didn't know was for a friend's niece who'd been diagnosed with leukemia when she was only 14. She was completely blown away. That was really nice. Then a very old friend of mine’s daughter Ivy had meningitis, so I sent her a quilt. My friend said it was the only thing that Ivy would touch when she came home from the hospital. She just would curl up in it.
A New Way to Tell Stories: Discovering the Power of Embroidery
So, I was making these quilts, and I was thinking a lot about aging and what that meant for me. About how much I changed, how much I hadn't changed, about being a mom. Also thinking about stitching and what that all means. My children were leaving home soon and I was asking myself: what do I want from my life?
Suddenly, I started sewing in this embroidery style, using old pillowcases and sheets. I bought absolutely loads of 1960s suture thread from eBay, which I really like. I really love the ideas of light and dark with the black on white embroidery.
The thing I find really amazing is how much I love sewing with my hands rather than using the machine. I love the machine, but I use it just for practical purposes. With quilting, I use it to put the tops together, but then I always quilt by hand. And I love the embroidery. Even though they’re big projects, I love that it takes me time.
The Heart: Stitching Anatomy, Memory, and Emotion
I have a bit of a thing about hearts. My dad was a cardiologist and my brother is as well. I’ve also got something a bit wrong with my heart. So, I love hearts. I think they're anatomically beautiful. They remind me of trees and their little branches, and so I really love embroidering them.
With this one (on the right), I cut open the scrubs with a suture knife, and then I peeled it back and embroidered on the back of the shirt so that it has this aperture that feels a bit surgical.
Stories in Stitch: The Power of Textile Narratives
I'm right at the beginning of my creative journey. One thing that has really surprised me in this whole process is being so open about my feelings. I don't usually share such intimate stuff about myself. But my art has all been about very important moments in my life, or complicated moments that I've been trying to work out and deal with.
But then, so many people have come back to me and say that they totally relate. For me, anyone can look at it and interpret it and appreciate it and have their own story completely.
I always call them my ‘narratives.’ But actually I think ‘stories’ is better.
I think stories are very powerful.
Jessica’s work will be exhibited at Common Ground on Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, 3rd November to 1st December, 2025.
Know someone working with materials in exciting, sustainable ways and/or making a difference in their community through craft? We’d love to feature their story. Get in touch at hello@destasher.co.uk.
