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Embroiderer's Guild of America
February 2025
This month EGA was delighted to sit down with Cath Janes, an artist who specializes in a particularly revealing style of needlework: anatomical embroidery. An affiliate member of the Institute of Medical Illustration, Janes has received multiple awards for her work. Her embroidery will be exhibited at The Broderers’ Exhibition 2025: The Art of Embroidery at the Bankside Gallery in London from February 25 to March 2, 2025.
Embroidery Magazine
Nov/Dec 2022
From stitchers just starting out, to a master embroiderer, the November/December issue features something for everyone to enjoy...
Cath Janes explains how embroidering the deepest recesses of the human body has brought her two years’-worth of commissions...
My day in cups of tea
February 2022
We asked anatomical embroiderer Cath Janes to tell us about her day in cuppas – and how her unusual business began from her hospital bed...
"I hand embroider human anatomy and medical illustrations. It’s pretty niche. I work from my sewing shed which means I have a five-metre commute. The first few hours are all about admin then I start stitching my latest commission..."
Unfortunately This article is no longer available to view online
Taylor & Francis Online
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE
3 Aug 2021
My work as an anatomical embroiderer began during facial surgeries to repair my Bell's Palsy. Following failed pectoralis minor reanimation surgery I started embroidering the facial muscles and my new career was born.
I'm a freelance broadsheet journalist by trade, but always loved the practice of hand stitching and the science of anatomy. Realising I could meld the two was truly a light bulb moment.
New Paradigms in Healthcare
2 Aug 2023
by Ouraria Varsou
The marriage between anatomists and artists is an ancient one. For centuries, the human body has been observed and dissected to allow us to answer fundamental questions about who and what we are. In this chapter (12), we examine the work of educators, artists and researchers who use textiles, knitting and stitching to create representations of human anatomy.
Inspirations Magazine
Issue 119
Read how my struggle with Bell’s Palsy, along with depression, PTSD and now ADHD, formed the foundation of the anatomical embroidering I do today. I also reveal the reality of life as a niche artist (the highs and the lows), what drives me to keep going and why we can all find value in doing embroidery or simply enjoying the result of it.
Cath Janes interviewed by Lynn Bowles
Sunday 29th March 2026 at 4:00pm
Cath’s interview with Lynn Bowles is, unfortunately, no longer available to listen to online. It was a great conversation between the two of them as they chatted about Cath showing her latest piece in London along with how and why she stitches about maternal mental health.
Backstage, Series 5: Episode 2
Thursday 19 June at 9:00pm Start at 12 mins 13 secs
ITV Wales’ Backstage visits Cath Janes to find out how she creates her hyper-realistic hand embroideries. Here she chats in her studio to Jess Hope Clayton, revealing how she processes her experience of trauma through her art.
She also talks about her artistic processes and what it’s like to use such a traditional medium for such a contemporary conversation.
Cath's interview lasts just over 4 minutes.
Friday 7 March 2025
Listen to Cath’s chat with Gary Raymond of the BBC Radio Wales Arts Show, where she talks about the showing of her latest piece on birth trauma at a prestigious London embroidery exhibition. You can also listen to how she’s taking centuries of embroidery tradition to create contemporary fine art embroideries that give a voice to women from the past as well as today.
The Rev Craft Biz Podcast
Cath Janes talks to Sam Hunter about how she began stitching anatomical embroideries, and telling the stories of her medical trauma in art.A gentle heads up - we cover medical trauma, post partum depression, menopause, PTSD, and women’s healthcare in this episode. The conversation gets deep, fast, but demonstrates how all women can find an outlet for their experiences through whatever artform they choose.
Fibertalk podcast
Cath Janes interview with Gary and Beth
When it comes to Cath Janes, it’s hard to tell what is more impressive; her needlework and use of color or her amazing ability to accurately represent anatomical structures with needle and thread. In addition to her needlework talent, Cath’s journey is another example of the power of needle and thread to help deal with factors such as ADHD, postpartum depression, and multiple surgeries.
In our conversation, we also talk about commission work and what it was like when professional medical illustrators included Cath’s creations among the best in the medical field.
Susan Weeks of stitcherystories.com chats with Cath Janes about:
The joys and frustrations of commissions and the inspiring stories behind her anatomical embroidery commissions. Other subjects covered are:
FROM HACK TO HOOP
Lucy Metters of ARTspire interviews Cath Janes
March 2023
Lucy Metter graduated from Birkbeck, University of London 2022 with a BA in Journalism and Media . She's a writer and journalist, specialising in lifestyle and human-interest features.
Visit Lucy's website and explore her mini-mag ARTspire. On page 7 you'll read about Cath's inspiring journey from her studies as a politics and law student through to her rewarding career as a broadsheet journalist, and then her life-changing post-natal breakdown followed by facial surgery which went badly wrong. A journey which resulted in a hugely successful new career as an anatomical artist hand embroiderer.
Cath Janes won eight awards from the Institute of Medical Illustrators since 2022
"It was thrilling to win five awards on my first time of entering. Knowing that such seasoned medical illustrators could see the beauty and value of my art has been one of the high points of my career so far."
If you like my art and you'd like to commission an original piece then please contact me by email to discuss what you'd like.
If you would like to buy an unframed giclee print which perfectly captures my original workplease visit my Etsy Store where you will see which pieces are available, the price and delivery details.
If you'd like some of my weatherproof vinyl stickers to put somewhere interesting they too are available on Etsy.
© Cath Janes
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