*Not Your Nanna’s Needlework

The

Moody

Project

Person standing in a garden surrounded by colorful flowers, smiling and wearing a floral headband.

Felt, but make it .

Hi, I’m Tess

(She/They) I’m an award-winning artist, poet and scholar based on Gadigal Land in Sydney/ Australia.

I’m the granddaughter of a lacemaker, third-gen fibre artist, and maker of messy, moody, unapologetic work. This isn’t delicate embroidery - It’s raw and textured.

And like women, it’s loud and proud and hot as hell.

Want your walls to feel something?

Want to feel your walls.

Let’s make something unapologetically yours.

A poem titled 'A Poem for You Mum' typed on white paper placed on a textured surface.

Featured Product

BEST GIFT FOR YOUR MUM

A personalised poem, crafted just for you.

Give a gift that speaks from the heart. This bespoke digital poem is written based on your responses and delivered as a beautifully designed PDF – ready to print, frame, or share.

Includes:
✧ Custom poem from your answers
✧ Printable, gift-ready PDF
✧ Delivered by May 8 – perfect for Mother's Day or special occasions

A unique, meaningful keepsake for birthdays, anniversaries, or anyone who deserves a poetic tribute.

Exclusive Services

Colorful wool landscape art on round lace doily surrounded by multicolored yarn balls, showcasing vibrant hills and textured patterns.

Custom Felt Scape

from $99

Your Inner World, hand-felted into being.

A one-of-a-kind textile artwork that captures your inner landscape—made with care, intention, and a deep respect for your story. Each piece is crafted slowly and sustainably, using natural fibres and reclaimed materials. Guided by your emotions, memories, or moments, I translate feeling into form—creating a felted world that is uniquely yours.

Whether you’re marking a transition, honouring a loved one, or simply seeking a soft space to be seen, your story will be held gently, and stitched with love.

Custom fibre artwork designed to capture memory, emotion, and personal story through bespoke textiles.
Embroidery art featuring a curvy female silhouette in warm hues and wheat-like patterns

Embodied Portraits

from $280

Emotions Embodied

A soft rebellion. A stitched reclamation.

With Embodied Portraits, you are invited to take up space—not just in your body, but in art. You send a nude and an emotion. I transform it into an abstract, stitched art piece: layered, textured, and deeply personal. No faces, no identifiers—just the lines, curves, and feeling of you, rendered in fibre.

This is not about perfection. It’s about presence. The art is guided by mood, memory, and motion—how your body holds your story.

Each piece is created with care and consent. The result? A one-of-a-kind tactile landscape that honours your body and the emotion it carries.

Memory Scape

from $150

Custom Memorial Art

These bespoke fibre artworks are designed to hold memory, emotion, and story—woven with intention and made to last. Whether you’re honouring a loved one, marking a life moment, or preserving a piece of family history, I’ll work closely with you to create a deeply personal textile piece that feels both beautiful and sacred. Each commission begins with a conversation. Together, we’ll explore the textures of your story—memories, colours, feelings, fragments—and I’ll translate them into a felted landscape or fibre composition that speaks softly and meaningfully to your experience. This is art as ritual. A way of remembering. A way of holding.

  • "The poem Tess wrote moved us beyond words. It was meant to accompany the felt scape, but it ended up becoming something so much bigger. My wife and I were both so struck by its beauty that we used it as our wedding vows. I’ve since had it framed — a daily reminder of the love we carry and the tenderness that art can hold."

    — Graeme R., Edinburgh, Scotland

  • "There is something profoundly healing about having your emotions turned into art. The piece Tess created for me feels like a visual diary entry from my heart — soft, intricate, and completely unique."

    Jasmine K., Wellington, NZ

  • "When I opened the parcel and saw the felt scape and poem, I cried. It captured parts of me I didn’t even have words for. It now sits by my bed, grounding me every morning. Thank you for seeing me so gently."

    — Claire M., Hobart, TAS

  • "I commissioned a felt scape to honour my late grandmother, and Tess wove her spirit into every fibre. The poem that accompanied it was so moving I’ve framed it. It’s more than art — it’s memory, legacy, and love."

    — Elena S., Adelaide, SA

  • "As someone with ADHD, I often feel like I’m too much and not enough at the same time — scattered, sensitive, chaotic. The piece Tess made for me didn’t just reflect that; it honoured it. The textures were layered like my thoughts, the poem was gentle and kind. For once, my brain felt like a place of beauty."

    — Lila W., Ballarat, VIC