About Sheridan

 

As a teenager, I would often loiter in the old Liberty of London store on Elizabeth Street in Sydney and   dreamily brush the piles of soft, precious cotton. Eventually, I saved my money and purchased a handkerchief and vowed never to use it. I’m pretty sure I still have that handkerchief.

The lure of textiles, shiny buttons, snippets of lace, stitched flowers, and pretty trims has never dissipated. Like a bowerbird, drawn to finding small, precious pieces, I have travelled the world and collected these treasures.

You’ll usually find me somewhere in the back of an old haberdashery store, opening the drawers to see what’s hidden inside, or rummaging through suitcases of linens in flea markets.

Preferably, I travel alone so I have time to linger, to search, to open old trunks, and to talk to the people along the way who have held these treasures for safekeeping. Taking notes, so that I can recall these stories, is an essential part of my process.

It’s easy to become obsessed with searching until I drop, and I confess that I often wear myself out.

I always carry an extra suitcase to bring home my finds, and every time I have to lug that extra, heavy bag through an airport or train station, I vow to cease this obsession. But when I arrive home and open up those suitcases, the unpacking begins, and I vow to never stop.

As I unwrap a piece of lace still wrapped in yellowing paper or spill out a jar of old buttons to be washed and sorted by colour, the process begins to collate these treasures. Carefully washing old linens, so they come to you clean and smelling fresh, is my favourite way to spend a warm, windy day.

I am drawn to objects with a story, and now I want to share them with you.