This great Northern England tradition known as 'clippy matting or 'Proggy matting' was a great communal and family past-time. Groups of people whether it be within the family unit or as a community would sit together and form these mats. They had huge wooden frames that they would sit at or small ones for their knees. They used their old clothes and textiles cut into strips and created fantastic patterns. During war-times this was a way of recycling, when make-do-and-mend could no longer be done, the clothes and textiles would be made into these mats or quilts.
Unlike today where clothes are thrown away to make way for the new ones.

After my degree show in 2013 when I created '
'Temporary looms' I had a lot of carrier bags left and I was finding it hard to store my large frames. I decided to dismantle the frames and recycle the bags, using them into a different form and using a very old tradition to create my 'retail mat'.

This is an on going project as I bought 6 metres of hessian and will continue to work on it. People are more reluctant to donate their carrier bags as you have to buy them now. 

As I do different projects with the bags I have left the scraps go into the mat.


This great Northern England tradition known as 'clippy matting or 'Proggy matting' was a great communal and family past-time. Groups of people whether it be within the family unit or as a community would sit together and form these mats. They had huge wooden frames that they would sit at or small ones for their knees. They used their old clothes and textiles cut into strips and created fantastic patterns. During war-times this was a way of recycling, when make-do-and-mend could no longer be done, the clothes and textiles would be made into these mats or quilts.
Unlike today where clothes are thrown away to make way for the new ones.
The Holy Biscuit 
Byker,
​Newcastle Upon Tyne.