Tamara Russell is a Textile Artist and passionate advocate of sustainable living specialising in free machine embroidery, hand stitching and mending based in Melbourne, Australia. In her textile practice, she explores her surroundings interpreting what she sees in embroidery. Her work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands and Australia. She is the founder and curator for the Naarm Textile Collective.

Tamara’s practice engages with the natural environment recreating images and shapes in her embroidered works in 2 and 3D form. In her work she is able to portray social issues including environment, climate change and the treatment of asylum seekers. Textiles are the perfect medium for expressing thoughts using hand and machine stitching.

Tamara works with found materials and finds joy in the unexpected uses that can be found for them. She loves this unpredictability and enjoys the inventiveness necessary to transform them. She uses materials that are reclaimed, things with a history that have been discarded and might otherwise end up in landfill.

Tamara regularly hold classes teaching hand embroidery, free machine embroidery, creating from reclaimed materials and various forms of mending. See scheduled classes here or contact to arrange individual or group sessions.

Tamara was taught to sew by her mother as a teenager and loves making her clothes and mending them as they age.  Tamara enjosy personalising her wardrobe through embellishment and visible mending.  Fast fashion is not sustainable so we need to love the clothes we already own and work harder to make them last. By mending our clothes we create a bond with them ensuring we wear them longer. Come along to a mending workshop and learn how to revitalise your wardrobe.

International Shipping – If you would like to have work shipped overseas, please contact Tamara who will find the most cost effective way to ship your items.