NeedleXChange

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Stephanie Matthiesen Avilés , aka Fine Frog Stitching. Steph is a cross stitch designer who is quickly gaining renown for her design aesthetic that combines deft use of colour with leftfield subject matter. In this second part of our interview, we nerd out about coffee, discover a shared love of Odesza and find out a fact that not that many people know!...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Stephanie Matthiesen Avilés , aka Fine Frog Stitching. Steph is a cross stitch designer who is quickly gaining renown for her design aesthetic that combines deft use of colour with leftfield subject matter. In this first part of our interview, we learn Steph's journey to being a cross stitch designer, her creative background and some valuable lessons in...

Your NeedleXChange host, Jamie Chalmers, reflects on the show and shares news about what's in store for 2024. In this episode of NeedleXChange we interview [artist name]. [Succinct description of artist] Timestamps: 00:00:12 - Intro Links: Website: https://www.mrxstitch.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch/ About NeedleXChange: NeedleXChange is a conversation podcast with embroidery...

This episode of NeedleXChange is the second part of my interview with Dr. Isabella Rosner . Isabella is a needlework historian, Curator at the Royal School of Needlework and the host of the Sew What? podcast. We have a fantastic conversation and I absolutely love Isabella's combination of Los Angeles attitude and thorough passion for historical needlework. She is the Yin to my Yang. Timestamps: 00...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Dr. Isabella Rosner . Isabella is a needlework historian, Curator at the Royal School of Needlework and the host of the Sew What? podcast. We have a fantastic conversation and I absolutely love Isabella's combination of Los Angeles attitude and thorough passion for historical needlework. She is the Yin to my Yang. Image is a casket made by Elizabeth Hal...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Chrissie Juno Mann . Chrissie is a world-class embroiderer and tutor, having graduated from the Royal School of Needlework, and in this second part of our NeedleXChange we have a terrific talk about needlework types, newsletters and the most controversial topic of all - what the back of your work should look like..! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:00...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Chrissie Juno Mann . Chrissie is a world-class embroiderer and tutor, having graduated from the Royal School of Needlework, and in our NeedleXChange we have a terrific talk about finding creative/work balance, why traditional needlework is still important and that interesting point where a new idea comes creeping into your brain. Timestamps: 00:00:00 -...

This episode of NeedleXChange is the second part of my interview with Manya Goldman . Manya is a needlepoint artist whose stitched snapshots capture moments of her personal history with intentional intimacy. We have a great conversation about, among other things, how Manya composes her pieces and how they evolve as she makes them.. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:29 - The evolution of Manya’s n...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Manya Goldman . Manya is a needlepoint artist whose stitched snapshots capture moments of her personal history with intentional intimacy. We have a great conversation about her process and how her academic career as an art teacher and psychotherapist brought her to this recent renaissance. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:45 - Manya’s success in The M...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Sally Wilson . Sally Wilson is a UK-based Mixed Media artist whose work has to be seen to be believed. Her background in sculpture and years as an art teacher underpin her creative output, which is diverse and exciting, Sally's life was transformed after a head injury which has fundamentally altered how she thinks, but her artwork evolved with these cha...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Sally Wilson . Sally Wilson is a UK-based Mixed Media artist whose work has to be seen to be believed. Her background in sculpture and years as an art teacher underpin her creative output, which is diverse and exciting, Sally's life was transformed after a head injury which has fundamentally altered how she thinks, but her artwork evolved with these cha...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso . John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years. Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask the graphic parts of his subjects, John’s work...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso . John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years. Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask the graphic parts of his subjects, John’s work...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Niki McDonald . Niki McDonald, also known as TapestryGirl, is an Australian needlework artist whose urban pop art portraits use modern street art styles to tell stories of iconic characters she has created. In this second part of our interview, we talk about how Niki’s work fits within the art ecosystem, her local art scene in Sydney, and she shares a r...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Niki McDonald . Niki McDonald, also known as TapestryGirl, is an Australian needlework artist whose urban pop art portraits use modern street art styles to tell stories of iconic characters she has created. In this first part of our interview we talk about how Niki juggles the artistic path while also working in special needs education and being a moder...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Meredith Woolnough . Meredith Woolnough is an Australian machine embroidery artist whose organic creations are instantly recognisable and simply stunning. Meredith’s art pieces are celebration of the beauty of nature and at the same time, a technical marvel. We talk about her passion for science and nature, the pleasure she gets from teaching, and how h...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Joetta Maue . Joetta is a curator, artist and teacher whose embroidered work focuses on liminal moments - the in-between spaces that contain magic if we take time to notice them. I’ve known Joetta for over a decade, but this was the first time we’d spoken to each other, and we have a great chat about how parenthood influences her creative approach, what...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Liv Aanrud . Liv Aanrud is a Los-Angeles based artist whose vibrant tufted rug art pieces are a new form of folk art. These large scale pieces simultaneously explore two realms of the female experience - joy and pain - and are packed with instinctual colour choices that make them visually arresting. Among other things, we talk about the perceived novelt...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Jane Sanders . Jane Sanders, also known as Stitchin In The Kitchen, has made a name for herself with her machine embroidered, mixed media pop portraits. Jane’s hippie punk foundations underpin her artistic mindset and, among other things, we talk about the joy of communal art projects and the challenges of commissioned work. Timestamps: 00:00:00 -...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Cas Holmes . Cas Holmes is one of the UK’s favourite textile artists, a respected teacher and author of numerous embroidered art books. Her work often uses found objects and has an alchemical philosophy, where the creativity is discovered at the edge of uncertainty. We have a terrific conversation about the fearlessness of surrendering to artistic flow,...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Emma Homent, aka The Maker’s Marks. As well as creating needlepoint designs that hit that sweet spot of modern nostalgia, Emma is an advocate for contemporary needlework and the value of creative collaboration. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:19 - Bluey 00:5:03 - When Emma & Jamie first met 00:13:30 - Why Emma is so helpful 00:16:55 - You need all th...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Dr Jack Roberts AKA JPR Stitch. Jack is an artistic polymath whose academic background grounds him in the creative context in which his abstract, densely stitched machine embroidered panels are born. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:57 - The beginning of JPR Stitch 00:14:20 - Using Instagram video as part of the practice 00:17:35 - Printmaking 00:27:5...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Cath Janes . Cath is a Welsh needlework artist whose anatomical hand embroideries show the scientific beauty of bodies. Timestamps: 00:00:12 - Intro 00:01:48 - Becoming an artist 00:06:40 - Going viral 00:15:00 - Back story 00:22:20 - Creative path 00:25:35 - How Cath makes money 00:32:04 - Artists that Cath admires 00:40:57 - Using false colour in art...