Deborah Slabeck Baker was first introduced to textiles by her grandparents, both of whom were talented needle workers. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Deborah pursued academics prior to raising a family and spending two decades teaching ballet. She now lives in Chicago, Illinois.

With her children grown, Deborah found her way back to creating textile art less than 10 years ago. Her work is heavily influenced by traditional needle arts and folk art, and can be seen on display at Yard Dog Gallery in Austin, Texas.

In this interview, Deborah discusses her first experience with sewing, her decades spent teaching ballet, as well as a long list of arbitrary rules she has set for herself.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Gemini

Academics and the arts

TextileArtist.org: What initially captured your imagination about textile art?

Deborah Slabeck Baker: My paternal grandfather was a tailor and taught me to sew before I could write my name. He would give me a scrap of fabric and a button to learn to sew. I remember making clothes for my Barbies from fabric I found in his scrap box. He also taught me to knit with an empty spool fashioned with four finishing nails. It created a crude knitting ‘machine’ to make cattails from yarn.

My maternal grandmother taught me to crochet at a young age and my mother and all my aunts were knitters.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Conflicted

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I have always thought of myself as an artist but my art career has had a circuitous route. As a young child I was always drawing and creating. I was fortunate to attend an amazing private high school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Kingswood School Cranbrook was part of the Cranbrook community. The entire school was designed by Eliel Saarinen and is a masterpiece of architecture and design.

The school stressed academics and the arts. It was one of the only high schools in the US that taught weaving and had over 40 floor looms accessible to its students. I also learned to weld there. They had a ceramics department, too. My drawing teacher was very encouraging and probably responsible for me applying to art school, following high school.

I first attended The University of Michigan but transferred to The Center for Creative Studies in Detroit where I received my BFA in Fabric Design and Ceramics. In 1977 I moved to Chicago to get a Master’s degree at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. I worked primarily in ceramics there and also did a lot of drawing.

Following school I married and made no serious art for 25 years. I was engrossed in child-rearing and my husband and I completely rehabbed two homes. I was a lifelong ballet dancer and used dance as my creative outlet. Mentored by my ballet teacher, I eventually trained to become a ballet teacher and taught ballet for over 20 years. Today I still teach dance to special needs children through a theater program during the school year.

Finally, after my children were grown and out of the house, I began to make these small embroidered pieces. I didn’t really have a studio space, so textiles were a way I could create something and throw it in a bag to store and put away when I was not working. I have continued to work in this manner for about eight years now.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Cancer

Black cotton embroidery floss on natural linen

What is your chosen medium and what are your techniques?

For the last several years I have been making embroidered drawings using black cotton embroidery floss on natural linen. I really only use two basic stitches: satin and running.

How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?

I consider my work to be drawings with thread and think of them as visual poems involving wordplay, word association, double entendre, puns, rebus, encoded messages and symbols. They incorporate layers, pattern, embellishment, calligraphy, silhouette and x-ray, symmetry, and balance. Often about very personal narratives of love, romance and relationships.

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

I usually just work in my living room on my sofa. I do not premark my fabric and work directly on the fabric with the simplest of materials: needle and thread. I almost always begin with a word or title and create from there.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Sampler 1

Traditional needle arts

Do you use a sketchbook?

I keep an annual scrapbook of sorts made up of a visual vocabulary of things I cut from magazines or rough sketches of ideas. I also keep a running list of titles.

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

I like and am inspired by all traditional needle arts. I recently saw a show about Shakers which inspired my most recent work of samplers. I also love folk art, outsider art, pop art, the Chicago Imagists, and Bend Gee quilts. Really all art and design interests me.

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why?

I have fond memories of the first embroidered piece I made, because it started me back on my path of making art.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Cut and Paste

Arbitrary limitations

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

When I first started back to work I gave myself arbitrary limitations, such as using only black thread on linen, no cutting out stitches, make it work, and start a new piece as soon as you finish one. I still follow most of these rules I made for myself, though I do give myself a break from making art now and then. I even cut out stitches occasionally, but try to make each piece work first. I am basically a minimalist.

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Keep working. Each piece leads to the next.

What other resources do you use?

I try to see a lot of other artists’ work. I go to museums and galleries and often just search the internet looking for new art and artists.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Sampler 2

Searching for new representation

What piece of equipment or tool could you not live without?

Linen, needle and embroidery floss.

Do you give talks or run workshops or classes? If so, where can readers find information about these?

I was a visiting artist at my alma mater Center For Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan a few years ago. I would certainly welcome any opportunity to speak or teach.

How do you go about choosing where to show your work?

I am represented by two galleries in the US: Packer Schopf in Chicago, which unfortunately just closed its doors this month, and Yard Dog in Austin, Texas. Both of these galleries were recommended to me by art friends, who felt my work would fit in with their aesthetics. I am searching for new representation in Chicago right now.

Where can readers see your work this year ?

At Yard Dog Gallery in Austin, Texas and my website.

Deborah Slabeck Baker – Déjà Vu

Keep updated on what Deborah Baker is up to here: deborahslabeckbaker.com

Deborah describes returning to her art after many years. Can you relate? What was your path to creating art? Let us know in a comment below.

Ami James lives in Derbyshire, England, and she is fairly new to textile arts. She started sewing just over two years ago after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The 34-year-old mother reached out to us with her inspiring story: Ami found that textiles and crafts had significantly aided her recovery. In fact, she turned her passion into a business by opening her own haberdashery in Swadlincote.

In this interview, Ami James discusses the sudden onset of type 1 bipolar disorder, how her newly discovered passion for embroidery helped her to cope, and what eventually led her to open her own haberdashery.

Textile art by Ami James

From being happy to depressed

TextileArtist.org: Tell us a bit about your background and life before textiles.

Ami James: Five years ago my life was completely different. I was happily married to my hubby David with one child, Ben, who was 6 years old at the time. I had completed a few small cross stitch kits that you can get free in a magazine but that was about my limit. I had no interest in sewing or any other crafts.

In June 2011, the nightmare for me started.

My mood plunged dramatically out of the blue. Within a couple of weeks I had gone from being happy to depressed and suicidal. The change came with such speed that my world had been turned upside down. I can remember David taking me to see my GP where I explained everything and he prescribed me antidepressants… well, that didn’t work.

Two weeks and lots of appointments later I was considered high risk and was taken to hospital to be evaluated. Bipolar, that’s what I have. My official diagnosis was bipolar type 1 with psychosis. That’s when the hard work started.

How and when did you stumble upon textiles as a medium?

After being discharged from hospital, my mum took me out for a coffee every week. We would talk about everything and nothing. It was a great distraction.

One day, I took a brochure that had come through the letterbox about courses being held at the local adult learning centre. We had already been planning on learning something new that would become a hobby. But at the time we were looking for something like flower arranging or upholstery. We noticed there was a beginner sewing classes that ran over a number of weeks. That was it – we both signed up.

It was great for me because not only was I learning something new and having sometime with mum but I was also socialising.

So I learnt how to use a machine and basic patchwork, and we made cushions, bags and doorstops. I looked forward to every Tuesday afternoon.

Textile art by Ami James

Textile art by Ami James

No pressure for it to be perfect

What inspired you to explore textiles for yourself?

Three weeks into the sewing class, my dad treated me to a sewing machine. I was so chuffed. It was a basic machine but that was fine as I didn’t need a fancy one. It lived on the dining room table and was quickly surrounded by fabric and threads. I wanted to try so many techniques but I really wanted to start quilting.

Now, for some unknown reason, I found that I could not follow patterns – and I mean not any pattern or instructions. Dress patterns, sewing patterns, quilt patterns, knitting and crochet patterns… no, I couldn’t follow any of them.

I gave up trying and went on my merry way, making it up as I went along. I find that way there’s no pressure for it to be perfect and it’s more unique.

Tell us a bit about the condition you have and how it has affected your life in general.

Bipolar is classed as a mood disorder but to many it’s much more. In fact, people that don’t know about bipolar automatically think that we are “just moody.”

High and low moods are just a part of it. The other symptoms that make up bipolar are normally the worst parts.

Restlessness, irritability, racing thoughts, anxiety, panic attacks, easily distracted, aggression, and struggling to focus is classed as a high mood – so not a good mood as you might think.

Depression, lack of energy, negativity, hopelessness, memory problems, no concentration, tired, emotional, intrusive thoughts of self harm, hallucinations, paranoia, guilt, emptiness, feelings of no worth, and loss of interest are all symptoms of a depressive episode.

After being discharged from hospital I spent the next two years trying different medications, some of which had harsh side effects. I tried different therapies and coping strategies, as well as weekly appointments with my psychiatrist. The biggest part of my recovery after the breakdown was learning about bipolar and how to come to terms with it. This wasn’t easy for a long time as I felt ashamed and weak.

The biggest part of my condition is anxiety. Anxiety for me was a living nightmare. It triggered panic attacks, hallucinations and paranoia. My husband was living the nightmare with me. He is so supportive and caring and it has been a learning curve for him, too.

I have now found a happy level with my medication. I do have to have blood tests every three month to make sure my blood hasn’t turned toxic with the levels of lithium in my body. I still have good days, really good days, bad days and really bad days but I’m getting there.

Textile art by Ami James

Textile art by Ami James

The learning of new skills

What role have textiles played in coping with your bipolar disorder?

A huge part… from the sewing class I became more confident. But the biggest change was definitely my awful anxiety. Instead racing thoughts about negative and dark things, I had a mind full of fabrics, quilts, new equipment, and things I wanted to try.

Okay, so my mind was still racing, but full of positivity instead. But then that stopped the hallucinations, paranoia and low moods. Sewing became some sort of a therapy for me. I would try and do something crafty every day. The changes in me didn’t go unnoticed – my family and friends all noticed. It wasn’t just down to sewing or crafts, as I soon realised it was the learning of new skills and techniques that was also keeping me grounded and focused.

Simply Needlecraft Haberdashery

Bloody hard work

Tell us about the business you set up and how that came about.

In September 2014, I had an idea. I wanted to set up a haberdashery in my local town of Swadlincote. My family thought I was absolutely barking. I had seen an empty shop which my family talked me out of as it was too far out of town and I’m glad they did. My dad suggested having a market stall to see how it went.

That’s how Simply Needlecraft started. Six months of getting up at 5 am twice a week come rain or shine. My dad was my partner in crime. It was bloody hard work but we enjoyed it. We had such a good reception and the stock was growing fast. We started to gain loyal customers. It was so much fun.

However, a trip to the local post office was where the real journey started when I spotted an empty shop in the town centre. Looking through the window, it appeared perfect and I just knew I wanted it. I made a call to the estate agent and booked a viewing for the following week.

We loved it.

We picked the keys up on February 13, 2014 and decided we would open the doors to the public on the 1st of March. Two weeks of painting, decorating, cleaning, sourcing furniture, more cleaning, ordering, unpacking, and being excited, and we were ready in time. The local Councillor came to cut the ribbon along with local newspapers and radio stations. It was a lovely day and the shop was packed full of crafters.

Fast forward 15 months and Simply Needlecraft Haberdashery is doing great.

Ami James – Simply Needlecraft Haberdashery

I became a dealership for Singer sewing machines.

In 2015, we have already expanded and now there’s a fabric snug, upstairs is being worked on as we speak, and it is turning into a lovely, comfy, bright, and inspiring sewing studio where people can hire out Singer machines and come in for classes.

It’s a dream job for me. I’m surrounded by beautiful fabrics, yarns and all things crafty. I love seeing what my customers have been making, and I can fit coursework around the shop. It’s without a doubt the best decision I have made.

I will never be free from bipolar and I can’t say if I will have another breakdown, but I’ve found my coping strategy in sewing. I can’t imagine my life without it now.

Find the Simply Needlecraft Haberdashery online at: www.simplyneedlecraft.com

Ami shared her very inspiring story about how textiles can change lives. Have you or someone you know had a life changing experience through art? Tell us about it in the comments.

Brazilian artist Renato Dib creates exquisite adaptations of the human form using velvet, silk, and other materials. The intimacy of the human form serves as an endless source of inspiration in his work. Beginning his career at a very early age, Renato’s work was first featured in an exhibition at the age of 14.

In this interview, Renato Dib shares with us how his career in art began at any early age, his preference for flesh colors, and the political barriers placed on contemporary art.

Renato Dib – Membrana Rachmaninov No 2 (2007)

Renato Dib – Lagrima Prego (2010)

Many ways to work with fabric

TextileArtist.org: What initially captured your imagination about textile art?

Renato Dib: When I started to paint I used to do it directly onto some kind of fabric, not on stretched canvas. I soon noticed the tactile sense of those fabrics and started to glue other fabrics and materials over it.

Within time I learned how to sew. I was interested in the relation between the clothes and the body. The canvas was not anymore just a surface to be painted, but some kind of representation of the skin.

That was the start of it, but as I developed my own particular techniques, I saw that there were many, many ways to work with fabric. And many relations with the body itself.

Textiles may represent or be like skin, spots, hair, wrinkles, grooves, eyelids, internal tissues, and organs. Folded fabric could be like the folds of the brain.

Since artwork cannot be touched, using attractive materials or creating situations that would prompt touch would be a sort of “transgression,” if that’s possible. It’s the same idea in the field of human relations: to touch or not to touch wounds and openings?

What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

I think my early influences towards textiles were in my house. My mother used to hire a seamstress to make clothes or to fix clothes for us. She used to come home every week and I was fascinated by the process… but neither she nor my mother taught me how to sew. It was considered a “girl” thing.

I didn’t care and I started to sew by myself…

I think one of my first artistic influences was Klimt and his luxurious representation of fabric and bodies. And the anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, the flesh in Rubens. Then Francis Bacon, Rauschenberg, Eva Hesse, Lygia Clark, Annette Messager, Louise Bourgeois, Leonilson, and Hans Bellmer…

Renato Dib – Projeto Linhas da Mão Experiência 12 (2015)

Renato Dib – Projeto Linhas da Mão Experiência 14 (2015)

Think as a painter

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I became an artist at a very early age. My first exhibition took place when I was only 14 years old. Since then, I’ve studied many techniques, but was always drawn to painting. And I still think as a painter even when making fabric sculptures.

When I was 21, I went to college to get a formal education in fine arts here in São Paulo.

At the same time, I went to the studio of Leda Catunda (another Brazilian textile artist) to help me think about my work, as well as some other artists’ ateliers.

I never went to sewing, embroidery or tricot classes; every technique I use was self-taught.

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

I’m attracted to some special fabrics, by the way they are constructed. I love jacquard for its complexity. I love organza for its simplicity. I love silk and its history, thinking of the cocoon and the silkworm.

I mostly use plain fabrics to construct my panels and objects. My first technique is to cut and sew, do some patchwork, and some apliqué, working the fabrics in an unusual manners. I love to create new ways to use the same fabrics.

And I do embroidery, tricot, crochet, and some painting also, when it is needed.

Sometimes I use pieces of fabrics with a history, such as used pillows, used clothes, towels and linens, beads, lace, and trimmings. All with some kind of information that caught my eye and excited me to manipulate them.

I love to go to flea markets and second hand shops to find materials.

And I don’t make projects. I want to be inspired by the materials to make some shapes and propose some color relations, although I mostly use flesh colors.

How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?

I never thought of myself as a “textile artist.” I’ve always been a contemporary artist that uses this kind of material and explores the meaning of it. I use mostly “ready-made” materials, given colors, and put them all together.

I want to think about what is inside somebody, beyond their appearance, their clothes, their skin, and what is behind their thoughts… or mine. There’s a lack of this kind of human reflection nowadays within the sphere of intimacy. Contemporary art is now so political, so outsider…

Renato Dib – Membrana Rachmaninov No 6 (2009)

Renato Dib – Nó Vê-Lo (2010)

From the inside out

Do you use a sketchbook?

Not really. My sketchbooks are a mix of references of both images and texts. I like to do some collages though.

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

• Sheila Hicks
• Adriana Varejão
• Sarah Lucas
• Nicola Costantino
• Nick Cave
• Dorothea Tanning
• Mathew Barney

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

The body is a question that I don’t intend to leave. This goes from the macro to micro, from the inside out, and vice versa.

Renato Dib – Air Embroidery, Installation (2015)

The way we access information about art

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Don’t be afraid of hurting yourself with a needle…

What other resources do you use?

Pinterest and Instagram are awesome. I think websites and apps changed the way we access information about art.

What piece of equipment or tool could you not live without?

A pair of scissors.

See more from Renato Dib by visiting: www.flickr.com/photos/renatodib

Renato describes contemporary art as political. Is he right? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

The Open College of Arts offers award-winning distance learning degrees, including a number of exceptional Textile Art Courses. Their aim is to help “develop your creative capacities in the interpretation and application of imagery, tactile awareness and understanding of the theoretical and conceptual issues central to the practice of textile art”.

Each month a different OCA tutor discusses concepts relating to textiles, including both theoretical and practical applications of the skills taught in their courses. In this guest post by artist and tutor, Brenda Miller, she looks at why the textile journey is more important than the outcome through several of her wonderful short films.

The constant struggles of making artwork and staying open to change – confident to tackle something new

Keeping an open mind to ways of translating ideas to share with an audience has become key to the way I work. I aim to use this approach when tutoring my OCA students to inspire and challenge them to achieve their goals. In my work at the moment, I feel that it is the textile journey that has become the focus more than the outcome for my artistic practice. I like to collaborate with people involved in textiles including factory workers, shop owners, artists and people who love to make. I express this in my short film pieces, which have been shown in galleries and film festivals in the UK, USA, Canada and Denmark.

Brenda Miller – Walking (still 2013)

Keen to extend my knowledge

Since childhood I have always had a passion for making textiles. Like many OCA students, it was while my children were young, I was able to study and discovered a part-time City & Guilds course, which ignited my passion and enabled me to learn as well as experiment with a wide range of techniques. At the end of this I started to exhibit my work.

Constantly keen to extend my knowledge, I gained a place on the Creative Arts degree at Bath Spa University, studying textiles and fine art. In my final year, I tended to paint textiles and to stitch paintings in fine art. It was the fine art approach to textiles that has continued to excite and drive my work. More recently, I went back to studying, this time at Goldsmiths College, University of London and obtained an MFA in Art Practice. This course was taught in groups of students from different artistic backgrounds to stimulate, challenge and question our ideas in a rigorous environment with open access to a whole range of facilities including specialist textile workshops.

Along the way, I was drawn to digital embroidery and digital knit. However, I found that my practice was increasingly turning towards a more socially engaged approach. I could trace this back to a project entitled, Lazy Daisies, a display of 10,000 hand embroidered flowers planted in the Eden Project Mediterranean bio-dome as part of the South West Textile Group show in the early 2000s. For me this was a rewarding project involving volunteers over the enormous age range of 4-94. I was later supported to bring the installation to Under The Edge Arts in 2005.

Lazy Daisies 2003, Eden Project (detail)

Lazy Daisies, Under the Edge Arts, 2005

How textiles are made today

Living in an area with a history of wool production I visited a local factory, making green baize for billiard tables to find out how textiles are made today. I found Sharon working alone in a large industrial building containing the space- age looking warping machine. When she first started working there, the factory made woollen suiting with stripes and checks. Now it was raw natural wool all day every day. It made me reflect on how some workers are de-skilled and isolated in their work today. This led to my first short film, Sharon and Me, shown as part of my MA Fine Art show in 2009. It was pivotal in the direction my practice has taken since.

Sharon and Me (still) 2009

Then after college, I was faced with the dilemma of how to continue to develop my skills and find technical support as I had not been able to spend long enough to reinforce the knowledge required to edit film. However, I managed to resolve this even though it took me some time. By this point I was eager to create a new piece of work and needed to research volunteers to take part, an appropriate venue to film and help with filming. This ended up as an even steeper learning curve that I’d anticipated, as I had to edit the footage from two cameras, plus for the first time deal with sound. I had not considered the complexity of the editing skills I was to need. However, with support this was achieved and Landscape with two women was produced.

Landscape with two women (still) 2012

The Tailor of Gloucester

I now feel more comfortable working in this more socially engaged way, I find that one story will lead to another and work is connected through threads of textiles in a freer way than before. At the moment I am working on a series of pieces through a chance comment about the story of The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. The film, Thinking Stitch, and the most recent piece I have edited, Sharing Stitch, have lead to a third piece, Participation Stitch, currently being editing. In the last piece, I have been collaborating with a group of people to learn and produce tailored, hand-made buttonholes as mentioned in the story. In turn this has lead on to my next project where I am planning to record conversations between shop owners.

Thinking Stitch 2013 (still)

Sharing Stitch (still) 2015

My collaboration with artist, Liz Harding, Physical Stitch, will be shown at Nature in Art, Twigworth, Gloucestershire, from 10-30 August and I am planning a solo show at 44AD in Bath next spring.

Physical Stitch (still) 2014

Although my focus has changed, I still need to make. I am producing a series of self-portraits and a rag rug at the present time.

Behind closed doors, 50 x 39 cm (detail) 2015

Find out more about Brenda Miller here: www.oca.ac.uk/brenda-miller and more about the excellent courses offered by OCA here: www.oca.ac.uk

Other articles by OCA tutors on TextileArtist.org

Rebecca Fairley explores her flair for the unconventional.
Collette Paterson discusses the impact world cultures have had on both her teaching and her art.
Neil Musson reveals how the exploration of new mediums and techniques influences the art he creates.

Do you have a question for the wonderful tutors of OCA? Please leave it in a comment below this post.

Freddie Robins is a Senior Tutor for Knitted Textiles and Reader in Textiles at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. She is known for her subversive knitting and embroidery which explore dark themes including violence, murder, pain, and loss – often with an unexpected humorous twist.

She recently converted a nearly 500-year-old barn into a home and studio, and enjoys making use of surplus or donated materials to create new pieces of art.

In this interview, Freddie Robins shares her passion for teaching and creating three-dimensional forms through knitting, and explains why her work perfectly captures the most grisly of murders.

Freddie Robins – Pocky (2014), 700 × 400 × 120 mm

The best place in the world to study textiles

TextileArtist.org: What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

Freddie Robins: My godmother, Pamela Darking. She taught me many different needle skills being a fantastic needlewoman herself. When I was a child, she made many of my clothes, often copying things that I had seen in magazines and shops. She would make the same things in a smaller size for my favourite doll, Amanda. I still have Amanda and her full set of clothes. She stands in a large glass cabinet and is currently wearing a 1970s cheesecloth shirt, patchwork skirt and handmade sandals.

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I studied Foundation Art & Design in Hastings (now Sussex Coast College Hastings), then Constructed Textiles, specializing in Knitted Textiles at Middlesex Polytechnic going straight on to the Royal College of Art, again specializing in Knitted Textiles. My tutor at both Middlesex and the RCA was the indomitable John Allen. He was the most supportive tutor, allowing everyone to develop along their own path. One of the reasons that I teach myself is because I was fortunate enough to have exceptional tutors when I was a student. I am now back at the RCA as Senior Tutor for Knitted Textiles and Reader in Textiles. It was, and still is, the best place in the world to study Textiles.

Freddie Robins – One Letter Apart (2013), 1700 × 550 × 430 mm

In a studio knitting alone

What is your chosen medium and what are your techniques?

Knitting; hand, domestic machine and digital, automated machinery.

I love knitting because by passing a length of fibre between two sticks, or across a bed of needles, you can create a piece of fabric or a three-dimensional form. Witchcraft!

How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?

I use knitting to make non-functional objects. In other words, sculptures. I trained as a designer with a strong emphasis on the craft and skill of knitting but my current work sits pretty firmly within the sphere of contemporary art.

Knitting has long held associations with women, practicality, comfort, and warmth. Women’s busy fingers never resting, justifying sitting down and watching TV, or more recently a fashionable activity to undertake in public, social settings; Stitch ‘n Bitch clubs and Yarn Bombing. I do none of these things. I spend my time in a studio knitting alone, dedicated and designating time to knit – knitting inherently useless things.

Knitting is my way of interpreting, communicating and coming to terms with the world that I inhabit. It sits between me and my internal world, and the physical world around me, like some form of knitted comfort or rather discomfort blanket. My knitting practice questions conformity and notions of normality. I use knitting to explore pertinent contemporary issues of the domestic, gender and the human condition. My work subverts these preconceptions and disrupts the notion of the medium being passive and benign.

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

I like to work alone in my studio with the radio on. I have a very large studio at home but it is separated from the living space. I don’t like anyone coming into my creative space when I am working – no one! I also tend to spend too much time dealing with admin, like answering these questions. Words increasingly fill my head and life. Words are so dominant. I find they detract from my creative practice. The best time for me to get down to work on my creative practice is in the afternoon through to evening. I often go back into my studio at night when my daughter is asleep.

Freddie Robins – Walkin Stick (2014)

A strong affinity with four French female artists

Do you use a sketchbook?

I do, but not as often as I intend to. I mainly use them to record ideas so that they don’t get lost in my overloaded life. I did promise to work in one for an hour per day but have not kept my promise.

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

I have a strong affinity with four French female artists; Annette Messager, Sophie Calle, Marie-Rose Lortet, and Louise Bourgeois. I went to one of Louise Bourgeois’ last weekly salons at her home in New York and was once in the same exhibition as her. Our work was installed next to each other and images of these works were printed on opposite pages in the exhibition catalogue. When you closed the book the works “kissed.”

I also love the work of Frida Kahlo and have seen countless exhibitions of her work. I even travelled to Mexico to see her childhood home, the Blue House, and the modern house that she and her husband, Diego Rivera, commissioned. They had two separate homes joined by a bridge. Sounds idyllic but I wouldn’t bother with the bridge!

I respond to these artists and their use of materials and exceptionally strong identity of practice.

Freddie Robins – Knitted Homes of Crime (2002)

“A very skilled and fast knitter”

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why.

My favourite piece of work, the piece that I think is most successful, both technically and conceptually, is Knitted Homes of Crime. This work is comprised of seven hand-knitted tea cosies in the form of houses. But these are not the sweet, benign objects that they appear to be. These are the homes of female killers or the houses where they committed their crimes. When someone commits a heinous crime, such as murder, they are damned, and when a women commits it she is doubly damned, once for committing the crime and once for going against her sex. Women are supposed to be nurturing and life giving. The murderers that I used are all women that killed alone, women that killed without the participation of a man.

When I exhibit these works I also include text, which tells the stories of the murders and the amount of time it took to knit the houses. The inspiration for the forms came from my collection of vintage and contemporary knitting patterns and knitted objects. I have a number of knitted tea cosies representing quaint, stereotypical country cottages. The idyllic country home. My knitted tea cosies are true representations of the houses in question. I found some photographs of the houses in books, others I had the addresses for and went and photographed them. I then made knitting patterns from the photographs.

As with many of my hand knitted pieces, this piece was knitted by someone else, in this case Jean Arkell. I sampled and wrote the patterns and then got Jean – a very skilled and fast knitter – to make them. The pieces were then returned to me and I embroidered the detail and made them up into the finished cosies. We made one house per month for 7 months. We worked by post with me also sending the story of the crime along with the pattern and yarn. I am very aware of the undervaluing of anonymous skilled labour and always fully credit and pay anyone whose skill and hands I use in the production of my work. This includes credits on gallery labelling and in printed catalogues.

Craft Kills is a close second and the piece that is most requested for images in magazines and books and for loans to exhibitions. I would love to sell this piece just so that I don’t have to be continually packing it off for exhibition.

Freddie Robins – Craft Kills (2002), 2000 × 680 × 380 mm

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

When I first began I made technically challenging work. I have moved away from making such complex works and have developed a new expedient approach to making. I have to make and resolve the work with what is to hand. My recent materials are all my samples and surpluses, things donated, inherited and found. In 2007, I completed a research project (funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council), which also left me with a large quantity of waste material in the form of knitted bodies. My new body of work makes use of this excess. I am working with what I already have instead of deciding what I want to make and then choosing and buying new materials.

Taking this stuff as my starting point and holding current concepts and themes in mind, I am working spontaneously with my materials. Enjoying the release from preplanned, designed work I am knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing and pinning onto the knitted bodies and body parts. The bodies and body parts are made three-dimensional by filling them with expanding foam. A process that gives them form, enabling them to stand, but adds little weight. They remain visually light contrasting with the dark themes that I am exploring.

Freddie Robins – Cecil (2014), 240 × 100 × 1220 mm

A constant inspiration

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

I am a big advocate of education. Go and study textiles. Study to the highest level that you can afford to. Beg, steal or borrow the money to do so but do pick your courses carefully. They vary enormously. Find out who is going to teach you. What are the graduates from the course doing? You want a good education but you also want to be surrounded by other students who share your passion and ambition.

It takes time and integrity. You do have to have something to say and be competent enough to say it through your chosen material and process.

Any creativity needs feeding. Don’t starve yourself of inspiration or time. It takes a long time, a lot of commitment and determination. According to Richard Sennett, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. Take creative risks. Don’t be scared to fail the first couple, or even more, times. I have failed a fair bit. At the time, it’s disappointing and frustrating but it doesn’t matter in the long run.

Be true to yourself and your creative voice. Integrity is everything.

Can you recommend 3 or 4 books for textile artists?

My favourite book is Leviathan by the American writer Paul Auster. It is not related to textiles but he weaves multi-layered stories, and this one features the artist Sophie Calle. I am in awe of his writing, finding him a constant inspiration. Again, he has a very strong voice and has honed his craft. He is a master of the written word.

Other titles I would recommend are the following. They all contain my work but I would be an idiot not to do some self-promotion here.

1. Strange Material – Storytelling Through Textiles, Leanne Prain, Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver, 2014, ISBN 978-1-55152-550-1
2. In the Loop: Knitting Now, edited by Jessica Hemmings, Black Dog Publishing, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-906155-96-4
3. Contemporary Textiles: the fabric of fine art, edited by Nadine Kathe Monem, Black Dog Publishing, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-906155-29-2
4. KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting’s New Wave, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York, 2007ISBN 978-1-584-79631-2
5. Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting (catalogue), Museum of Arts & Design, New York, 2007, ISBN 1-890385-12-3

Freddie Robins – Basketcase (2015), 260 × 520 × 260 mm

A variety of types of spaces

What other resources do you use?

I go to a large number of exhibitions, spend too much time on the internet, especially eBay, and dip in and out of Twitter.

I love magazines but am too mean to buy many. I do have a diverse range of subscriptions:

• Vogue
• The Fortean Times
• Crafts

The Tate and RA magazines also come through our letterbox.

One of the benefits of teaching is that you learn as much from your students as they learn from you. My students are a great resource.

What piece of equipment or tool could you not live without?

My hands and eyes.

Do you give talks or run workshops or classes? If so, where can readers find information about these?

I rarely give public talks and almost never workshops. My teaching position takes up all the energy that I have for other people. When I’m not at the RCA I like to be alone in my studio.

How do you go about choosing where to show your work?

I rarely get to choose. I am usually invited to show by a curator, gallery or museum. I like to show in a variety of types of spaces but my work does work best when shown in a neutral environment without too much visual noise. I guess what I am most concerned about is the work being seen. I do not want to show where there is no audience.

Where can readers see your work this year?

As always, I am exhibiting too much. I still haven’t learnt to say no despite having a sign above my computer saying, “Say NO!”

1. Knit, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Lister Park, Bradford, West Yorkshire
   25 February – 23 August 2015
2. Yan Tan Tethera
   Walford Mill, Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset
   6 June – 12 July 2015
3. Liberties
   Collyer Bristow Gallery, 4 Bedford Row London, WC1R
   2 July – 21 October 2015
   Visitors must make an appointment to view by calling 020 7242 7363
4. What do I have to do to make it OK?
   Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park, London, SW11
   26 August – 1 November 2015
5. Sluice_art Fair 2015
   Showing with The Essex Embassy from the Blackwater Polytechnic
   Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1
   16 – 18 October 2015

I regularly post this information in the news section of my website.

Also don’t forget to see the MA Textiles graduate exhibition at the Royal College of Art this summer. Show RCA 2015 runs from 25 June – 5 July Open 12 – 6pm (closed 3 July) at The Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU. Entrance is free.

Keep up to date with Freddie Robins by visiting: www.freddierobins.com

Did you enjoy spending some time with Freddie? If so, please share this interview on social media.

Best known for creating beautiful quilts chronicling significant events, Joseph “Sunshine Joe” Mallard was first introduced to quilting by his great, great grandmother as a young boy. His own quilting adventure began much later in the 1970s.

Joseph has always been passionate about sharing his artwork with anyone that would listen. Having spent time in many different cities across the United States, he has developed a knack for attracting crowds and creating dialogue around his work.

In this interview, Joseph Mallard talks about learning from his great, great grandmother, how he was inspired by Rosie Greer, and the more than 630 references on his quilt documenting Barack Obama’s first term in office.

Joseph Mallard – Tie Quilt

Beautiful bright colored quilts

TextileArtist.Org: Talk us through your first experience of quilting.

Joseph “Sunshine Joe” Mallard: When I was in elementary school in Summit, Mississippi, I was a very skinny boy. Although I was very outgoing and seemed to have lots of friends, I was not good at playing sports. I remember when the other boys were choosing sides to play basketball or football, no one wanted me on their team. During those early years, I would walk home alone after school feeling rejected. I would always find my great, great grandmother, who was a former slave, sitting on the front porch making quilts.

She used colorful pieces of fabric from flour sacks, old clothes and any material she could find. She never used a pattern, but she made some of the most beautiful bright colored quilts one could imagine. I watched her quilt every day. She would allow me to thread her needles and she would tell me stories about slavery.

Sunshine Joe – Tie Quilt (Barak Obama)

But the inspiration to create yourself came much later, didn’t it?

During the late nineteen sixties and early seventies, I was living in Connecticut and saw Rosie Greer on television doing needle point. Watching that famous football star doing needle point took me back to my childhood days when I watched my great, great grandmother making quilts.

That was the day I went out and purchased a package of embroidery needles, several skeins of embroidery floss, and a pair scissors. I began creating designs on denim jackets for my two sons. My friends liked the designs and asked me to make designs for them.

Sunshine Joe – Tie Quilt (Barak Obama)

Sunshine Joe – Tie Quilt (Gabby Douglass, London, Steve Jobs, MidEast Revolt, Dr. Billy Taylor)

Chronicling a long period of time

Specifically, the piece you’ve created to document Obama’s first term in office – why did you feel it was important?

I thought it was important to the study of material culture in that it would be an example of a quilt as chronicle, a description of its maker’s life over time, as it unfolds. Quilts have traditionally been created to commemorate a single event in time, either past or future, such as a wedding, birth, death, arrival or departure from a community, political or military campaign or an election. They have also been used to illustrate a historical period or a snapshot of time in the past. However, relatively few examples exist of quilts that have been created for the specific purpose of chronicling a long period of time as it is occurring.

Because Mr. Obama is the first African American President of the United States of America, I thought it would be important to capture events that happened around the world during the first four years of his administration.

There are over 630 references in that piece. Can you talk us through 4 or 5 of the most significant or unusual?

• Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
• Cory Booker, a courageous African American who fought to rid Newark, New Jersey of depravity and despair.
• Dr. J. Blaine Hudson, a longtime University of Louisville educator and leading voice in the city’s African American community.
• Chief Justice John Roberts one nine U.S Supreme Court justices who issued a landmark ruling on President Barack Obama’s Health Care Reform legislation.
• Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is the name given to a protest movement that began on September 17, 2011, in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street financial district, receiving global attention and spawning the Occupy movement against social and economic inequality worldwide.
• The Middle East Revolutions – a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests (both non-violent and violent), riots, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on December 18, 2010 in Tunisia with the Tunisian Revolution.

Sunshine Joe – Tie Quilt (Gabby Douglass, London, Steve Jobs, MidEast Revolt, Dr. Billy Taylor)

Sunshine Joe – Tie Quilt (Gabby Douglass, London, Steve Jobs, MidEast Revolt, Dr. Billy Taylor)

Encouraging mercy and peace

Apart from the piece we’ve already discussed, which other quilts you’ve created hold particularly poignant memories and why?

My most recent quilt is in progress. The title of the quilt is “The other side of the American Dream.” It addresses problems young people face in our society today. The word “Bullying” is front and center. Nearby is the image of a young man on a skateboard carrying a can of spray paint, ready to spread his message with graffiti. Words of reform are embroidered around the young man encouraging mercy and peace.

J-Moose & ‘Skate board guy’

How did the American Quilt Study Group come about and what is its purpose?

The American Quilt Study Group establishes and promotes the highest standards for interdisciplinary quilt-related studies, providing opportunities for study, research, and the publication of work that advance the knowledge of quilts and related subjects.

Want to see more of Sunshine Joe’s incredible quilts? Visit: www.moosefarmusa.com

Joseph “Sunshine Joe” Mallard takes a very unique approach to quilting. Did his idea to chronicle events through quilting resonate with you? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below.

Some might say that Marty Jonas was destined for textile arts at a young age. Her mother taught her to knit, crochet and sew, while her father taught her to hammer, saw and drill. In other words, she always kept her hands busy, and always applied her forces to creating things and manipulating textures.

Fiber serves as an extension of Marty’s voice, fueled by her passion to embellish altered textiles and manipulate fabric.

Marty spent seven years studying Embroidery City and Guilds.

In this interview, the artist talks about her extensive education, her passion for creating something original, as well as her impressive book collection.

Marty Jonas – Stainless Mesh Orb with Blue Beads – 8x8x8

Do something better

TextileArtist.org: What initially captured your imagination about textile art?

Marty Jonas: Thread can be used in an infinite number of ways and has the ability to convey messages, alter meanings and transform the ordinary. The tactile quality of fiber, thread and wire, combined with surface design techniques, provide me with the opportunity to speak visually and expressing that which I cannot express in words. Fiber is an extension of my voice.

Marty Jonas – Felt Flowers with Glass Frit – 18x4x4 inches each

What or who were your early influences and how has your upbringing influenced your work?

I am the youngest of three girls. My mother taught us to knit, crochet and sew. My father taught us to hammer, saw, solder and drill. I cannot remember a time when I was not doing something creative with my hands. My father also taught us that when you do something, and it turns out to be easy, then it was waste of time and you should strive to do something better and harder. We were never allowed to sit and do nothing.

Marty Jonas – Circle In A Cube – 12x12x12 inches – Wrapped Slide Mounts

What was your route to becoming an artist?

While growing up, each Christmas, my parents brought out the cherished antique German dollhouse furniture. We were allowed to carefully play with these pieces, which were from the 1880s. There were hundreds of items including a gas working stove, icebox and early Steiff stuffed teddy bears and animals. These items were given to me and in the early 1980s, I decided to build a Victorian dollhouse for the collection. I built the dollhouse and realized that I needed to make carpets. This then started my love of textiles and I needle pointed rugs for each room.

During this time, University of California in Davis, CA was offering surface design classes and quilting was on the upswing. I was not interested in printing on fabric nor in traditional quilting. I attended a fiber exhibition at Mills College in Oakland, CA and found out about a 4-day class in embroidery nearby. The tutor, Jan Beaney from England, informed us about some upcoming classes in London and about the City and Guilds Institute of London. I immediately signed up for both. I took off for London and took my first class at a 13th century abbey. I was housed in a monk’s bedroom.

The City and Guilds Institute of London was just starting an embroidery class by correspondence and I was the first student from the United States. I completed Part 1 and Part 2 in a record seven years. I then continued my education towards an embroidery degree from Middlesex College in London.

I have continued to take classes, where and whenever I find something exciting that I would like to explore.

Marty Jonas – First Embroidery – 5×5 inches

Five different techniques

What is you chosen medium and what are your techniques?

Several years ago I hired a mentor/teacher from The California College of Arts in Oakland, CA to help me to evaluate my art. One of her first suggestions was to simplify the types of work that I made. I need to put out a cohesive group work that people would recognize as mine. She told me to concentrate on one or two techniques or mediums. I had taken so many classes with City and Guilds, each from a different teacher, and learned how to embroider from most every country that my work was all over the place. I felted, appliqued, knitted, crocheted, dyed, smocked, embroidered, quilted, needle punched, machine knitted, machine embroidered, using yarn, thread, fabric, wire, roving. And I loved it all.

We reached a compromise and I said I would take it down to five different techniques but I could never settle on which five.

She also told me to spend half of my time making art and the other half promoting it.

Marty Jonas – Felted Green Orb – 8x8x8 inches

How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?

I try to develop work that is original and new. When I have taken a class and have learned a new technique, I then use that knowledge to deviate away from the teachings. I never want my work to mimic anyone else’s. I want the viewer to say, “I have never seen that before.”

I always want to surprise the viewer with new work and new concepts.

Marty Jonas – Yellow Thread Orb – 8x8x8 inches

Color, line, composition, form, and texture

Tell us a bit about your process and your environment you like to work in.

My works are composed of five basic elements: color, line, composition, form, and texture. Whether my pieces are an abstraction, representational or sculptural, I use the same basic elements to achieve a cohesive balance in the composition – combining lines and color, certain forms and relations forms. Each of these elements or combination of elements builds a significant form and the form is one quality that is common to all my works.

Normally I pick a technique and materials first. Once those are chosen, I experiment with what I can do differently to combine them into something new and exciting. I do a lot of samples that go nowhere. Mathematics and geometry also play a big part in my work. I have a studio at my home and try to finish my normal household tasks in the morning and have the rest of the day free for my art. I work on my art 8-12 hours a day.

Marty Jonas – Vertical Litter – Embroidered Applique – 24×18 inches

Do you use a sketchbook?

While taking my classes at City and Guilds and at Middlesex College, we were required to used sketchbooks. I still refer to them whenever I want a new idea or technique. But now I rarely use one and when looking back, regret that I have not spent more time with recording ideas. I do collect photos of work that inspire me and take photos of my work in progress.

Two years ago, I decided to record all my work using an online book company. I found photos of most of my work, including rejects, samples and some really ugly things. I have composed six books with a total of about 1,800 photos. The books also contain text about each general subject, technique and/or materials. It is my own retrospective. Now when I need to look up an older piece, I do not have to go hunt through the slides, binders, CDs, or computer.

Marty Jonas – Christmas Box Seed – Appliqued – 20×20 inches

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

The following four English embroiderers were my main mentors:

1. Julia Caprara
2. Jean Draper
3. Jan Beaney
4. Jean Littlejohn

Some of my earlier work was inspired by Islamic architecture, Paul Klee, and my all time favorite, Mark Rothko. My 3D spheres all are derived from origami techniques.

Everything inspires me. I see a world of ideas at every turn. I have just returned from a trip to Eastern Europe and while most tourists were photographing the scenery, I looked down and photographed manhole covers.

Marty Jonas – A Garden, Now Empty – 60x36x36 inches

Marty Jonas – A Garden, Now Empty – Detail

Based on the circle

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why?

My best friend died two years ago. She was also an embroiderer and after her death, a group of fellow embroiderers put on an exhibition which included pieces of her work. I made a piece of fiber sculpture to be auctioned off in the show and with the proceeds going to charity. Heather was an avid gardener and so I planned to make a sculpture of a flower with the falling petals.

I crocheted silk thread into small flowers that had an LED light inserted as the stamen and then connected the flowers around a Styrofoam ball. Wires were led down through the stems and the three flowers made a small clump of dandelions. I also added flowers on the ground. The art piece lit up to signify her life and the fallen flowers, her death. I called it “A Garden, Now Empty.” The piece was five feet tall, very fragile and when thinking about it making a trip from the USA to England, I concluded t​hat this was not going to be possible.

So I then made 20 smaller flowers, each signifying a year in our friendship. The flowers were made with hand dyed felt and the underlying ball and stems were covered with broken glass. These were easily shipped to England and auctioned off for charity.

Marty Jonas Sunrise – Knit Weaving – 30×30 inches

Marty Jonas -Blue Astrophylum – Hand Dyed and Felted – 6x10x10 inches

From flat to sculptural

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

My early embroideries were all small 2D embroideries. Now I tend to make more 3D pieces but default back to flat work especially when I need my work to be mobile.

This past spring I had a one woman show with 45 pieces based on the circle. A lot of my work is either circular in form, has circles or is square in format or content.

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Go to as many exhibitions as you can, whether online or in person and visit museums. See all types of art, and not just fiber or textile art.

Marty Jonas – Peacock Bowling Pin – 24x14x14 inches

What other resources do you use?

I spend hours on the internet looking at photos, drawings, art, landscapes, etc. Pinterest is a good source for ideas.

I am an avid book collector and have eight filled bookshelves in my studio. My husband is also an artist and so I have his collection of fine art books at my disposal, too.

What piece of equipment or tool could you not live without?

Needle and thread.

Marty Jonas – Slide Mounts with Hand Dyed Felt – 25X25 inches

Do you give talks or run workshops or classes?

I have given talks but generally shy away from them as I am not comfortable in front of a group. I have not given any formal classes but will teach individuals at my studio.

How do you go about choosing where to show your work?

I used to submit to as many fiber shows as I could find. As my work evolved from flat to sculptural, the shipping has become a problem with some of my larger pieces costing $400 to ship one way. So I now have to really think about what I will ship, to the point that if I want to enter a show, I will plan to make a smaller piece. This has not always been possible.

Fortunately, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and there are numerous shows to enter locally.

Marty Jonas – Dandelion Seeds and Bronze Metal Screening – 4x4x2

Where can readers see your work?

My website, or www.blurb.com for my books.

Marty Jonas – Embroidered Radiolaria Protozoa – 20×20 inches

Spend more time with Marty Jonas by click here: www.martyjonas.com

Did you enjoy getting to know Marty Jonas a little better? Why not tell your friends and family about this interview by sharing it on social media?

Alex Worden is the co-founder of the Boulder-based design firm, Studio TJOA.

Although Alex was formally educated in architecture, his graduate research in textiles became his introduction to the world of textile arts.

In this interview, Alex Worden sheds some light on his thesis, his grandmother’s rag rugs, and speaks of the satisfaction his large scale crochet work gives him.

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Warm textiles enclosing the space

TextileArtist.org: What initially captured your imagination about textile art?

Alex Worden: I think it was the work of Daina Taimina, Matt Gilbert and Kate Pokorny.

Daina Taimina was the first person to realize that you could use crochet to fabricate pliant models of hyperbolic surfaces, she is a mathematics professor out of Cornell University and has been bridging mathematics and textiles for almost two decades now.

Textile art by Daina Taimina

Matt Gilbert created a computational program that enabled him to develop a hyperbolic sweater pattern which is probably one of the most striking sweaters I have ever seen.

Textile Art by Matt Gilbert

Kate Pokorny developed an idea where she wanted to crochet a full sized yurt. Her jump in scale really opened my imagination to what the possibilities were with textiles.

Textile art by Kate Pokorny

What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

I am not certain that it was a direct influence, but it was probably subliminal. I grew up watching my grandmother crochet on the couch when I was a young boy. I used to play with the Lego blocks on the green shag carpet they had from the ’70s while she hooked and looped the day away. So I most definitely have to say my grandmother influenced me indirectly.

Also, my mother and father would hang rugs on the walls of our house and I was always very comfortable with these warm textiles enclosing the space, it felt some what primal and very cozy. Since then I have always enjoyed donning a rug on the wall, my friends would always wonder why I would put them on the walls, but it just felt right.

What was your route to becoming an artist?

My formal education is architecture, and during my time in graduate school I began questioning the new styles that we have been seeing in architecture, primarily the digital utilization and the undulating forms and patterns. As I began to read more progressive theories and historical precedents of surface and pattern development, I realized that these avant-garde forms are steeped in the rules and techniques of textiles and lace. That was really my jumping off point for exploring textiles, but I specifically chose crochet as the primary technique for my explorations specifically due to the new insights I read from Daina Taimina’s work.

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Ceramic Crochet by Alex Worden

Working towards a final product

How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?

During my graduate research I explored as many materials as I could get my hands on, materials such as manila rope, sisal, fishing line, rattan, and crocheted threads dipped in porcelain slip. I have continued to explore these materials since, and I have also come across others as well, but I tend to use crochet as my primary technique. I have started to branch out to other techniques as well, like braiding 4+ strands and knitting.

As for where my work fits, I am unsure. I know that it would be categorized as fiber art but beyond that I will let others determine where it lands.

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

My process is typically emergent. I called my thesis ‘Emergent Explorations: Analog and Digital Scripting’ which I think calls to both the process and the environment that I work in. I think that one of the most important things to consider regarding textile techniques like crochet and knitting, for example, is that when working towards a final product using a pattern, the product is broken up into steps and uses a specific language to instruct the fabricator, which is at its core is coding.

My proposal in my thesis was that one could not only use the forms created by crochet to develop and shape space, but also could aid in the understanding of learning a new coding language utilized by the digital environments. When you crochet you are coding the yarn/material with various loop types. The process is primarily linear in its directionality but because when you loop back into the existing structure it becomes recursive. This type of thinking really aided in my understanding of learning a digital language and being able to translate the technique of crochet into a abstracted digital code.

For those interested, you can read my thesis online or purchase a hard copy.

Do you use a sketchbook?

When it comes to textiles, I rarely use a sketchbook. I try to utilize the physical model as much as possible. A sketchbook or 3D model can be used to help define top down desires, while the physical model enables a bottom up process. I do feel it to be very important to utilize both when working on any project.

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Beautiful patterns

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

Mundane and ubiquitous materials inspire me the most at the moment. I like to find simple materials and bring out the excitement of them through the use of different techniques. As for the other artists that I admire, there are really too many to name them all. I appreciate artists who are doing what they love for no other reason besides they love it.

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why?

I think it that would be my grandmother’s rag rugs. They are just a bunch of old tattered clothes ripped into long pieces, braided together to make these beautiful patterns. I think because she grew up during the depression, she realized you have to make do with what you have and find the beauty in the mundane.

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

I am still trying to realize some of the explorations and experiments that I came across in my graduate research. When I finished, I had only touched on one singular item, if I hadn’t I would be a perpetual grad student.

As for evolving, I have no idea where it is going to go, I think that is what is most enjoyable about the emerging explorations – you don’t know what you will stumble upon!

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Material research and properties

What advice would you give to an aspiring textile artist?

Find that one thing that you really see a potential for exploring. New eyes and new insights can always be had on anything, so if you see an opportunity in something, do it.

Can you recommend 3 or 4 books for textile artists?

• Gottfried Semper – Four Elements of Architecture
• Daina Taimina – Adventures in Crochet
• Lars Spuybroek – Architecture of Variation
• Frei Otto – Institute for Lightweight Structures (IL) series

What other resources do you use?

Knotwe.com is an excellent source for textile artists and they have a textile/surface design registry for artists to share their work and create a profile for themselves.

As for other resources, it revolves more about material research and properties. Since I am utilizing atypical materials for textile purposes, it is good to get an idea of what the properties of the material are while you are experimenting with them.

What piece of equipment or tool could you not live without?

My hands, I suppose.

Crochet textile art by Alex Worden

Large scale crochet work

Do you give talks or run workshops or classes? If so where can readers find information about these?

I have given talks regarding the bridging between the analog and the digital while using crochet as the medium. I was very lucky to have been invited to Russia in 2012 to speak to the University of Art and Architecture in Novosibirsk as well as other various forums here in the States. Most of the information and excerpts from these talks can be found on our studio website.

As for choosing where to show my work, that has been interesting. I never really considered myself an artist until I started sharing my large scale crochet work. It has really started to take off. I am always interested in showcasing my work whenever I get an opportunity.

Where can readers see your work this year?

Selected pieces will be showcased this June at the Estes Park ‘Face of Fiber in the Rockies’ art show.

I am also working on a art installation that will utilize 36 crocheted Lilypads for the Denver Art Museum’s summer installation. It will be on display from June 15 – September 21, 2015.

For more details on Alex Worden, please visit: www.studiotjoa.com

Make sure to share our interview with Alex on Facebook & Twitter!

Lines of Communication was a Prism exhibition that ran between 20-31 May 2015 at Hoxton Arches, Cremer Street, London E2.

Prism exhibition group was founded in 1999, and focuses on showcasing high quality fine art textile practice and craftsmanship.

This guest post was contributed by Dr Georgina Williams, an independent researcher, artist and writer.

Lisa Earley – Amelia

Lines of Communication: Prism at Hoxton Arches 20-31 May 2015

After more than a decade exhibiting at the Mall Galleries in London SW1, the Prism exhibition group has a new home for 2015 and beyond. Hoxton Arches is an inspired location; less corporate, more art school, a space that greatly assists in drawing the individual artists and their work together as a cohesive whole.

The exhibition was officially opened on Thursday by Freddie Robins, Textile Artist and Senior Tutor on the Textiles programme at the Royal College of Art. For the amassed crowd the message contained within her encouraging words was clear: support the arts by purchasing the work. This collection of Textile Art-inspired pieces is as extensive as it is eclectic. I had the privilege of being escorted around the show by exhibitor and exhibition curator Lisa Earley, and it is certainly an enhanced experience when greater information and insight into each piece is offered than can be derived from the brief descriptions available. This is, I admit, a particular perspective that I personally enjoy, whilst respecting that others – both artists and viewers – may prefer to let the work speak for itself. In Hoxton Arches there is certainly a lot to be said and heard. Artworks informed by experience with illness, language and memory sit innovatively side by side with pieces inspired by technology and consumerism; with a title such as Lines of Communication, it is fascinating, as with all art exhibitions, to see the tangible results of each individual artist’s interpretation through their thought- and creative-processes.

Jo Coombes – I Mind The Gap

Jackie Langfeld – Hubbub

Amanda Hislop – Into the woods

This exhibition is a first class curation of a large number of artists’ work – more than 50 are included in the display. What is interesting to reflect upon is Prism’s objective that the pieces produced in the name of this collective is “Textile-inspired Art” – a small but nonetheless nuanced by-line that allows for ongoing experimentation with mixed-media. Jackie Langfeld’s Hubbub – an array of metal, filament and glass – is a superb example of this. Equally of import is the observation that, as with paint or clay or pastel, “textiles” – even as an admittedly over-generalised composite term for the medium with which an artist works – is nevertheless material behind which nobody can hide. In respect of this, some of the strongest pieces for me are those that demonstrate the undoubted illustrative skills of the creator. Earley’s and Amanda Hislop’s exhibition pieces in particular demonstrate this point impressively, with Hislop’s sketchbook Lines of Communication… a working sketchbook, an especially stunning piece of work.

In recommending the genre of textiles as productive media for aesthetic expression, whilst additionally recognising its more general position in the wider field of visual culture, this exhibition is a terrific endorsement. Hoxton Arches is deceptively extensive without being rambling, with the initial room leading almost unacknowledged through to a second, then out into a courtyard area where refreshments on Thursday were served amongst the exhibits in the pleasantly warm evening air. The entire space has been utilised impressively, with no discernible division between the artworks or the artists, resulting in a free-flowing tour de force of creative output. Lines of Communication showcases a collaboration between imaginative interpretation and technical expertise. The list would be long if I named every piece that, in my opinion, excels in demonstrating one – and often both – of these essential components. That being said, I do wish to highlight one particular artist: Jo Coombes’ work is informed by the lost words of the stroke victim. The two pieces included in the exhibition, Lost for Words and I Mind the Gap, consequently serve to perfectly encapsulate the ethos of the exhibition as a whole: beautiful to look at, expertly effected, and extremely evocative of the artist’s message. It is therefore fitting in conclusion to consider Coombes’ work in the context of Robins’ sentiment from her opening address, as these exquisite, emotive pieces stand as an apposite reminder to the viewer and prospective purchaser that the value far outweighs the cost. In supporting the arts it should always be remembered that the enjoyment the artwork will bring to its owner will remain long after the initial monetary cost is forgotten.

For more information on Prism and future exhibitions, please visit: www.prismtextiles.co.uk

What are your thoughts on the Lines of Communication exhibition? Did you see it? Leave a comment below!

At the age of 19, Lauriane Lasselin moved from France to the Netherlands. In total, she spent more than 10 years studying all aspects of art and design. Although she is passionate about modern and contemporary art, Lauriane also spends a portion of her time as a business administrator.

Lauriane Lasselin reveals the influence her grandmother has had on her work, her approach to creating abstract art, and how she draws inspiration from music.

Lauriane Lasselin – The Wall (207cm x 132cm), 2015

The most fascinating stories

TextileArtist.org: What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

Lauriane Lasselin: My grandmother, Yveth Bessoule, is an amateur graphic artist and painter. She used to renovate antique dolls and the precision of her work fascinated me. Studying art was her dream as a young woman but instead becoming a dressmaker was decided for her.

She has now been passionately taking art courses for many years, and her studio is packed with paintings and sketches.

I can’t get enough of staring at one of her paintings in my living room.

As a child or teen, I would sit in her studio – the heart of her soul for 30 years – and draw while she would be busy writing her autobiography, painting the face of a doll, or typing labels on a typewriter. She always has something to do and when she takes the time to share it with me, she tells me the most fascinating stories.

What was your route to becoming an artist?

My high interest in modern and contemporary art triggered my relatives to guide me to study art. I would have preferred to study something else, although I didn’t know what. So I applied for art preparatory courses and made my decision to move at the age of 19 from Le Blanc-Mesnil (France) to Utrecht (The Netherlands).

In addition to four years of studying art in high school, I spent six years at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie exploring all possibilities of visual expression from design to fine arts.

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

When the work is ready

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

Usually I make work by listening to and drawing inspiration from music. Other times, I work in silence for hours, alone, until very late at night. I stop when totally exhausted and when the work is ready for a break.

Do you use a sketchbook?

I never sketch anything. I have it in my head and it becomes an obsession until it’s materialized.

If I start sketching, it just becomes fake and it doesn’t work for me. It’s just like preparing a diet plan or an exercise schedule: if you don’t really want to do it, then it’s not going to work out.

I’ve seen artists struggling and hoping to find inspiration by scribbling things on paper. When I don’t want to, I don’t make anything for months and I’m fine with it. But when I do, I know what I’m doing and I go for it.

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

I like to look at other artists’ work but I can never remember a name and that’s okay. I don’t need people to remember mine because, to me, contemporary art is meant only for a few to really understand. Most people don’t get it and neither do I.

Lauriane Lasselin – Sur le fil (2015), detail

Lauriane Lasselin – Sur le fil (2015)

Making abstract work

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why?

Louise Bourgeoise, Legs, 1986 see below.

Louise -Bourgeois – Legs (1986)

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

I feel free and I don’t need to justify myself anymore. I used to try to suppress the figurative approach I took to making abstract work. It was art to me, but I don’t have feel the need to make this type of consideration anymore.

I see my work becoming more open. I don’t feel the need to repeat the success I have already had.

You can find more information here: www.laurianelasselin.com

Loved the interview? Tell your friends about it on social media.