Queen portrait created from names of WW1 fallen

Joy Pitts was inspired by the Queen's 2014 Christmas message

An artist has created a portrait of the Queen using name tapes bearing the names of servicemen killed in World War One.

Joy Pitts was inspired by the Queen's Christmas message, which took reconciliation as its theme and recalled the Christmas truce of 1914.

She took the names from a war memorial in Ilkeston, the Derbyshire town where she lives.

In a letter, the Queen said she was "very touched" by the portrait.

It is called Reconciliation and is being exhibited as part of the Wirksworth Festival until 25 September.

The portrait of the Queen is entitled Reconciliation

"It took me 136 hours to assemble and I used 125 grams of dressmaker pins, which is quite a lot," said the artist.

"It hurts your fingers, it's quite intense, but I like the idea of pinning them because it goes back to the idea of the clothing and the process of making."

This piece, called Red Rabbit, was commissioned by fashion designer Paul Smith

The name tapes for Reconciliation were specially woven, but Ms Pitts has collected used clothes labels for previous artworks.

Her fans include fashion designer Paul Smith, who commissioned her for his private collection.

Reconciliation is on display in the window of The Book Shop, Market Place, where people can meet Ms Pitts between 10:00 and 17:00 BST on Sunday.

The name tapes feature names taken from Ilkeston Cenotaph in Derbyshire