NeedleXChange

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Martha Hussey . We talk fresh off the heels of Martha’s solo show in London and discuss DIY curation as well as Royal Academy highs and near-misses, Martha talks textiles’ growing place in contemporary art and why she’s already sketching the next body of work. We also hit the soundtracks, the films, the books, and the beauty in the mundane that fuels he...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Martha Hussey . Martha trained in fine art at St Martin’s and later dove into an art-therapy diploma during lockdown, discovering how stitch can quiet the mind and surface truth. In this first half we get into the meditative mechanics of embroidery, why the back of the work matters as much as the front, and how humour and the “Sexy Stitch” series emerge...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Loren Batt . Loren is an American-born artist who’s made France home for decades. In this first half, we trace her path from linguistics and art history into printmaking, then the leap into layered, tapestry-like paintings and quilted figures inspired by guild traditions, street life in New York, and medieval folk energy. In Part 2 we dive into Loren’s...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Loren Batt . Loren is an American-born artist who’s made France home for decades. In this first half, we trace her path from linguistics and art history into printmaking, then the leap into layered, tapestry-like paintings and quilted figures inspired by guild traditions, street life in New York, and medieval folk energy. We talk bilingual identity, rai...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Chloe Savage . Chloe is a conservation embroiderer, couture specialist, and educator whose studio practice spans everything from National Trust restorations to hands-on needlepoint kits. In this second half of our conversation, we trace Chloe's creative upbringing through diamond mines, Paris couture, and the Royal School of Needlework. She unpacks how...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Chloe Savage . Chloe is a conservation embroiderer, couture specialist, and educator whose studio practice spans everything from National Trust restorations to hands-on needlepoint kits. In this first part of our conversation, we dive into the power of shared studio spaces, the value of peer critique, and how Chloe has built a collaborative practice tha...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Severina Seidl . Severina is a German embroidery artist whose work blurs the line between thread, paint, and narrative abstraction. In this second half, Severina shares her ambitions in fashion embroidery, reflects on the push-pull between creativity and career, and gets candid about what it means to pursue art without a roadmap. Plus, we get her picks...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Severina Seidl . Severina is a German embroidery artist whose work blurs the line between thread, paint, and narrative abstraction. We explore her journey from fashion school in Germany to the Royal School of Needlework, unpacking the nerves, transitions, and discovery of her personal style. From her early experiments in French knots to the impact of Mc...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Manuela Caniato. Manuela is an Italian-born textile artist and educator now based in Belgium, with a background in linguistics and fashion history. In this episode of NeedleXChange I continue my conversation with Manuela Caniato. Manuela shares the thinking behind her embroidered portraits that explore themes of damage, decay, and beauty. We discuss her...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Manuela Caniato. Manuela is an Italian-born textile artist and educator now based in Belgium, with a background in linguistics and fashion history. In this first half we talk about her journey from advertising to academia, her teaching in both Italy and Belgium, and how fashion functions as a language of identity. She reflects on the symbolic power of c...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Kirstie McLeod . Kirstie is a textile artist whose career has spanned performance installations, couture wedding dresses, and large-scale garments that test the limits of fabric and endurance. Kirstie is the artist behind the Red Dress, a 13-year global collaboration of 380 embroiderers from 51 countries. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:30 - T...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Kirstie MacLeod . Kirstie is a textile artist whose career has spanned performance installations, couture wedding dresses, and large-scale garments that test the limits of fabric and endurance. In 2009 Kirstie launched The Red Dress embroidery project, something that has become far greater than anyone could have anticipated. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I welcome back Dr Jack Roberts AKA JPR Stitch. Jack is a textile artist known for his bold, abstract stitchings and his dedication to daily practice. This episode dives into the quiet and public sides of creative work. Jack talks about the unglamorous tasks behind the scenes, how he decides what to share, and the realities of having 90,000 followers who don’t neces...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I welcome back Dr Jack Roberts AKA JPR Stitch. Jack is a textile artist known for his bold, abstract stitchings and his dedication to daily practice. In this first half of our conversation, Jack shares the origins of his daily stitching habit, how a holiday doodle grew into a years-long discipline, and the making of his first book. We explore the discipline of show...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Lesley Wheeler . Lesley is a poet, quilter, and textile artist whose work merges narrative, symbolism, and stitch. In this second half we discuss her development as a maker — from trusting her intuition with complex textile projects to learning embroidery, lace, and machine techniques. Lesley talks about fabric collecting, playful side projects that kee...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Lesley Wheeler . Lesley is a poet, quilter, and textile artist who brings tarot symbolism to life through fabric and thread. In this first half of our conversation we explore how she approaches tarot as both a meditative tool and a form of visual storytelling, her PhD in confessional poetry, and the ways writing and textiles draw from the same creative...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I continue my interview with Tal Fitzpatrick . Tal is a socially engaged artist and craftivist whose practice explores how making can give people agency and foster connection. We explore the philosophy underpinning her work, from dissensus and the importance of tension in activism to the pitfalls of toxic positivity. Tal reflects on the ripple effects of collaborat...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Tal Fitzpatrick . Tal is a socially engaged artist and craftivist whose quilts and textile projects blend creativity with activism. We talk about her artistic journey from early influences, including her grandmother’s politically charged textile works, through to her PhD in craftivism as DIY citizenship. Tal shares stories of working in disaster recover...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Melissa English Campbell . Melissa is a textile artist known for her experimental weaving practice that pushes the boundaries of pattern, structure, and meaning. In this second half of our conversation, Melissa shares how her signature style emerged—from weaving mirrored fabrics and incorporating sticks to reflecting on cultural history and appropriatio...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Melissa English Campbell . Melissa is a textile artist whose weaving combines painting, double-layer structures, and found objects to create works that shift between glitch-like distortion and serene beauty. In this first half of our conversation, Melissa talks about her upbringing across Europe and the US, how dyslexia shaped her way of thinking, and h...

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir . Claire is a textile storyteller whose work transforms scraps of family life - old clothes, baby socks, even diaper cloth - into intimate quilts and stitched offerings. We explore the second phase of her practice: community, upcycling, and the emotional weight textiles can carry. Claire shares how she’s embraced memory quilting...

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir . Claire is a self-taught textile artist who uses embroidery as a storytelling tool to explore memory, motherhood, and creative discipline. We discuss her two 52-week stitched story projects—how they emerged from a desire to carve out creative space amidst the chaos of parenting, and how small weekly acts of making became a powe...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Fuzzy Mall . Fuzzy is a visionary textile artist who transforms reclaimed fabrics into playful, large-scale works that break the mould of traditional quilting. We explore how he uses his art to resist digital doomscrolling, experiment with ‘analog AI’ and 3D forms, remix old portraits into new pieces, and why music, reclaimed chaos, and joy fuel his cre...

In this 100th episode of NeedleXChange I interview Fuzzy Mall . Fuzzy is a self-taught textile artist celebrated for his huge, detail-rich portraits and installations made entirely from reclaimed fabrics. We talk about how he evolved from painting to pushing the boundaries of quilting at an epic scale, the ideas behind his Faces of Hamilton project, and what draws him to go bigger and bigger with...

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Deborah Simon . Deborah is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and embroiderer known for her hauntingly beautiful bears and rabbits that blend faux fur, taxidermy and anatomy. We talk about her early influences, how she went from painting to sculpture, and why she’s so fascinated by the tension between the cuddly teddy bear and the deadly wild bear - plus how ca...