Few artists capture the emotional and historical resonance of cloth quite like Hannah Lamb. Working from her studio in Bingley, West Yorkshire, Hannah’s practice explores the dialogue between textiles, place, and memory. She’s best known for her delicate cyanotype prints and those ethereal, blue-toned “shadows” on fabric. As well as her pieces that blend stitch, print, and deconstruction in poetic harmony. Her work moves effortlessly between the personal and the historical, often responding to archives, architecture, and the rich textile heritage of northern England.
Alongside her artistic practice, Hannah is a lecturer, author, and member of the renowned 62 Group of Textile Artists. Her first book, Poetic Cloth: Creating Meaning in Textile Art, was published by Batsford in 2019, and she’s just released her much-anticipated follow up, Unfolding Cloth: Inspiration from Historical Textiles, (September 2025). In this inspiring conversation, Hannah reflects on her creative journey, her teaching at Bradford School of Art. She also discusses the ways in which research, heritage, and serendipity continue to shape her work.
Plus, read on to find out how you can win a signed copy of her latest book.
Hannah Lamb
Textile Talk with Hannah Lamb
Listen to the episode on your favourite podcast platform or click the link below to listen now.
A Creative Upbringing and the Freedom to Explore
Hannah’s love of textiles was nurtured from an early age. Growing up in a family where creativity was part of everyday life, her mother and grandmother made clothes and knitted jumpers. She was surrounded by fabrics, threads, and buttons. This tactile world fostered a deep curiosity for making and material play. She recalls “a jam jar of PVA glue in the kitchen and a pot of paintbrushes always ready to hand,” giving her the freedom to experiment.
Her formal education was equally rich in experimentation. After studying embroidery at A-level and completing a foundation course, Hannah pursued a degree in Embroidery at Manchester, where she found the perfect balance between fine art and textiles. Later, she completed a Master’s in Textiles, allowing her to re-focus her practice. But not through new techniques. Instead, from a deeper understanding of her artistic voice.
From Commercial Making to Artistic Freedom
Like many artists, Hannah’s early career included balancing creative ambition with practical realities. She experimented with producing small batches of jewellery and textile products but found the commercial side constraining. It was only after taking on a teaching role at Bradford College that she gained the stability to pursue her practice on her own terms.
Teaching became a vital counterpart to her studio work and constantly fed into one another. She describes how conversations with students often remind her to “take her own advice”. Whether that’s taking risks, simplifying ideas, or trusting the creative process. Collaborations with her students, such as the Brontë Parsonage Museum’s Fragment of a Dress project, have become meaningful opportunities for shared learning and community.
Win a FREE Signed Copy
Win a free signed copy of Hannah Lamb’s newest release, Unfolding Cloth.
Simply, subscribe to receive our newsletter for your chance to win. Entries close on 12th November.
Competition open to UK residents only. Prizes can only be posted to a UK address.
Techniques, Serendipity and the Magic of Cyanotype
Hannah’s practice embraces a wide range of techniques. From delicate hand stitch to printmaking, collage, and the fascinating devoré process. Yet it’s cyanotype printing that has become her signature. Originating in the 19th century, this photographic process uses light-sensitive chemicals to create striking blue images through exposure to sunlight. Hannah loves its immediacy and unpredictability, describing the process as “printing with the sun.”
Despite her technical knowledge, she resists over controlling her materials. Instead, she welcomes accidents, brushstrokes, and imperfections. These moments of “serendipity” that breathe life into her work. “You’ve got to stay awake to what’s happening,” she says. “If you don’t give yourself the opportunity to notice exciting things, you risk becoming an art-making machine.”
Honouring Heritage: Textiles, Archives, and Place
Living and working in West Yorkshire, Hannah is surrounded by the legacy of the industrial textile mills and the ongoing hum of modern production. This connection to both past and present has shaped her artistic sensibility. She often draws on historical collections, archives, and museum collaborations to inspire new work. Her project Fragment of a Dress, for example, was sparked by discovering catalogued items labelled simply “fragment of…” which are small, delicate remnants that led her to explore storytelling through textile fragments.
Hannah is deeply moved by the emotional power of historical cloth, describing such objects as “portals” that connect us to those who made, wore, or cared for them. Her upcoming book, Unfolding Cloth, delves deeper into this fascination, guiding readers through ways to use historical textiles as inspiration for contemporary practice.
Listen to Textile Talk with Hannah Lamb
Tune in to this episode of Textile Talk to hear Hannah Lamb in conversation with our head of centre, Gail Cowley. You’ll gain fascinating insights into Hannah’s creative process, her passion for storytelling through cloth, and the magic of working with light, history, and texture.
Listen now and explore more about Hannah’s work at www.hannahlamb.co.uk.
