The artist we are featuring for the month of November is Clare Skeggs. Clare caught the attention of The Beatrix Potter Society with her beautiful crochet postbox toppers.
Crocheted postbox toppers are decorative hats made for postboxes that have become a charming and popular phenomenon in the United Kingdom. This form of street art uses yarn to decorate public spaces, celebrate special events or fundraise for important causes. It is a form of art that has brought a sense of community pride and connection by spreading joy and bringing smiles to people’s faces.
Clare’s creations feature several characters from Beatrix Potter’s most beloved tales, including Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.
Her Beatrix Potter-inspired crocheted works have been very well received by children and adults of the local communities where the toppers have been displayed at. However, Clare’s postbox toppers have not only been popular with the locals; her endearing work has also taken the internet by storm, and it has been featured in BBC online articles, in addition to receiving very positive reactions on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok posts as well as reposts worldwide.
Just like Beatrix Potter transformed small, detailed observations of nature into her timeless art, Clare also draws inspiration from nature. So, naturally we wanted to find out more about what aspects of Beatrix Potter’s work inspired her the most.
“I am inspired by Beatrix Potter as a woman who made her way in a male-dominated field at the time. Through her botanical studies and books, she elevated the profile of women and demonstrated how determination can lead to great success, leaving us with an amazing legacy. The Lake District would be a very different place without her creative and inspirational vision.”
Clare’s reflection on Beatrix Potter’s determination and journey into becoming a celebrated author is very inspiring. Potter’s long-lasting impact and influence continues to resonate with many artists today. This led us to our next question:
How do you incorporate elements of Beatrix Potter’s style into your own creations?
“I believe Beatrix Potter would have appreciated the postbox topper as it takes a traditional craft and transforms it into a modern, fun way of fundraising. I can imagine Beatrix sitting by the fire at Hilltop with her needlework, perhaps with little balls of tapestry wool nearby. It would have been a magical experience to join her and tell her all about the topper; I think it would have made her smile.”
This is a beautiful sentiment. Before Beatrix Potter was a famous author, scholar and conservationist, Beatrix was a girl that would fill her sketchbook with observations from her own pets and the countryside around her, so it is easy to imagine Beatrix Potter being delighted with Clare’s postbox toppers imaginative storytelling, and admiring her depictions of nature and her most beloved creatures and whimsical art.
Before our conversation came to an end, we also asked Claire about her ambitions and hopes for her art.
What do you hope to achieve with your art that is inspired by Beatrix Potter?
“My original aim was to celebrate my mum’s 80th birthday with a fun, unique gift that I knew she would love. I then realised I also had an opportunity to fundraise for Macmillan Cancer Support. The entire project far surpassed my expectations, and my mum was absolutely delighted. The project went viral on the BBC and other media channels, leading to a national celebration of her birthday and raising over £2,000 for charity. I even sent photos to the Royal Family and received three lovely letters in return. The adventure concluded with my mum’s own photo storybook of the characters adventures.”
It was inspiring to learn more about how Clare uses her art as a form of dedication and fundraising. Her crochet work is a testament to meticulous effort and commitment to getting the details right; her projects taking several months to perfect the characters. To learn about Clare’s fundraising efforts and the charitable focus of her art was deeply touching.
We are grateful to Clare for her time sharing with us and our readers about her passion, her connection to Beatrix Potter and the stories behind her creations.
You can learn more about Clare Skeggs’s crocheted artworks in any of the social platform links provided below:
Instagram: @mycraftingmindset
TikTok: @mycraftingmindset
*Photographs provided courtesy of Clare Skeggs.
