Jan Beaney’s machine embroidery begins long before a needle touches fabric. It starts in a sketchbook, with a scribble she would never show anyone else, built from a habit she calls simply looking, looking, looking. Beaney joined the 62 Group in 1963, within months of its founding, and is now
Victoria Merness’s photographic embroidery began with an ultimatum, not a plan. Partway through her master’s degree at the University of Salford, a tutor told her to choose, paint or stitch, never both on the same piece. She chose stitch, and has not looked back since. By the time that decision
What does it mean to use a sewing machine as a paintbrush? For Murron Fraser, a contemporary textile artist whose practice weaves together machine embroidery, printmaking, and hand-applied processes, the answer lies somewhere between nature, folklore, and the kind of uninhibited creative play that most adults forget they are allowed.
There is something quietly magical about seeing thread come to life. In this episode of Textile Talk, we welcome textile artist and creator of Nudinits Sarah Simi, whose work sits at a fascinating intersection of knitting, storytelling, and stop motion animation. Many will already know Sarah through her much-loved characters,
What does it look like to build a creative practice from a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay? And how can structured study help transform that journey? In this episode of Textile Talk, we’re joined by American textile artist Holly Jackson, whose richly layered mixed media work draws on narrative,
In this episode of Textile Talk, we are joined by internationally respected textile and mixed media artist Wen Redmond, whose work sits at the intersection of photography, fibre, and digital experimentation. Based in New England in the United States, Wen has spent decades exploring how photography can be transformed through
There is something quietly compelling about embroidery that slows you down. It asks you to look longer, to notice small shifts in colour, texture and light. And few contemporary embroidery artists capture that sense of stillness as convincingly as Cassandra Dias. Working in thread-painted landscapes, Cassandra’s embroidery sits in an
Some conversations stay with you because they articulate things you already feel but have never quite put into words. This episode is one of those. In this edition of Textile Talk, we are joined by textile artist and educator Kandy G Lopez, whose monumental stitched portraits are as emotionally charged
There are some makers whose work feels instantly familiar. Not because you’ve seen the quilt before, but because the spirit of it feels lived-in. Carolyn Forster is one of those artists. Her quilts have the warmth of things that have been handled, cherished, and stitched with a kind of thoughtful
In this special episode of Textile Talk, we’re joined by two of the most insightful voices in contemporary embroidery. Robert Ossant and Jessica Pile. Between them, they’ve shaped how the world sees couture embroidery, blending its centuries-old craftsmanship with the artistry, innovation and storytelling of modern fashion. Their new book,
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