OXFORDSHIRE textile artist Harriet Riddell rolled up at a special art event this week to show off her artworks created entirely from the pedal power.

The 27-year old was invited by the Oxford Bury Knowle Art Group to the Ferry Centre, Summertown, to show off her unique bike-operated sewing machine and to give others the chance to try out the bike to see how the art came together.

Miss Riddell travels the world sketching what she sees and the people she meet as part of her ‘free motion machine embroidery’.

She has taken in locations all across the globe with her bike and sewing machine, including the slums of Nairobi and the tea fields of the Himalayas.

The event on Tuesday aimed to capture the surrounding environment and also the people who joined the group in a portrait embroidery session.

Chairman of the Oxford Bury Knowle Art Group David Paylor said of the event: “It went brilliantly well, it was fantastic.

“There were about 30 people. Some from the art group and some visitors too that came along to see what it was all about.

“Everybody thought it was amazing - nobody had ever seen anything quite like it.

“Harriet is a brilliant person, she travels all over the world with her bike and sewing machine, it was a pleasure to invite her along for the session.”

Her work has been exhibited at the Henley Regatta in the Stewards Enclosure, and also in London, Delhi, Nairobi, Toronto, Paris and Hong Kong.

In England, she focuses on stitching portraits, a method which Mr Paylor believes makes her a particularly unique and one-of-a-kind artist.

He said: “I don’t know of anybody else that does art with a sewing machine, and especially one which is powered by a bicycle.

“Using a sewing machine for art, we as an art group are not too familiar with it. We are mainly interested in sculptures and paintings and things like that.

“So it was a special event, she is really unique and I think she might be totally unique across the world.”

Miss Riddell who is from Watlington and studied contemporary applied arts at the University of Hertfordshire describes herself as a ‘fine artist, pushing boundaries and creating new expectations.”

Oxford Bury Knowle Art Group was formed in Oxford in 1948 and currently has 60 members.

The group holds two or three exhibitions each year at different Oxford venues centred on various art themes.

The next exhibition will be held at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, Headington between May and June with exact dates to be confirmed.