Textile Talk

Gail Cowley
Textile Talk

This podcast is for craft and textile enthusiasts all around the world. We're constantly adding great interviews with textile artists, tutors and retailers plus a little advice on our own distance study courses in craft and much more. The School of Stitched Textiles is the largest UK provider of City & Guilds Accredited Textile based distance learning courses. You can find out site at https://www.sofst.org/. We also host the Stitch Directory, which showcases independent craft retailers and suppliers from around the world https://www.sofst.org/stitch-directory/.

  1. Artist Interview - Alison Whateley

    20 NOV

    Artist Interview - Alison Whateley

    Alison is a self-taught artist who works primarily with textiles, often incorporating mixed media elements into her work to enhance their compositions. She began her journey into textile art in her mid-forties, and since then, her work has continually evolved as she experiments with new techniques and ideas. Her work is a celebration of the natural world, captured through this tactile and versatile medium. Drawing inspiration from the ever-changing seascapes and landscapes around her, Alison seeks to capture the beauty and tranquillity of nature in each piece she creates. She skilfully combines new and reclaimed fabrics, using meticulous layering and stitching to create two distinct styles: one that is richly textured and abstract, and the other that embodies a representational, painterly quality. Her work has been featured in notable exhibitions, including the ING Discerning Eye exhibition and the Royal Society of Marine Artists’ exhibition. She also took part in series 9 of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. She is a member of the Society for Embroidered Work, the Visual Artists Association and the Devon Artists Network. She has now written her first book entitles ‘Textile Seascapes’ which is published by Crowood Press. It takes readers through the essential skills and techniques needed to create stunning textile seascapes. This comprehensive resource equips both beginners and seasoned artists with the knowledge to craft beautiful textile pieces. Alison's site https://alisonwhateleydesign.co.uk/ School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/ Amazon link to Alison's book https://amzn.to/3Up7cHU

    58 min
  2. Artist Interview - Salley Mavor

    18 OCT

    Artist Interview - Salley Mavor

    The Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate Convention Centre runs from the 21st to 24th November 2024, And here’s an exclusive offer just for you: Use the discount code SST when you book to save on your tickets. Simply head over to theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate/sst to secure your spot. Artist Salley Mavor has spent over 4 decades honing her signature style and working methods, carving out her own niche within the children’s book world and the fiber art community. She creates 3-dimensional hand-stitched artwork with fabric, found objects and a unique combination of embroidery techniques she’s developed during her career. A combination of storytelling imagery, extra attention to detail, fervent craftsmanship, and the use of familiar, yet intriguing materials set it apart. Her pieces are presented as tableaus, like miniature shallow stage sets, with scenery, props and characters assembled in shadow-box frames. Her scenes have been used as children’s book illustrations, social commentary, and stop-motion animation. As an illustration student at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970’s, Salley left traditional mediums behind, preferring to communicate her ideas with sculptural needlework. Salley has illustrated 11 picture books using her distinctive blend of materials and hand-stitching techniques, including Pocketful of Posies, which won the 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Her popular how-to book, Felt Wee Folk is in its 2nd edition, inspiring creativity in all ages. The picture book, My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World is her most recent publication. She works in her home studio in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Links  Website: www.weefolkstudio.com Shop: https://salleymavor.etsy.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salleymavor/ Facebook: a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fweefolkstudio%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cgail%40sofst.org%7Cb28a49bafc234c1981e908dcdb650140%7C19fecc49ef5742608e38bf2ef9d1c84e%7C0%7C0%7C638626474097378948%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zCTFBPnWzKDuzqJSbVTMUQG6py8yjKqLtsCdTE4EgtU%3D&reserved=0" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    1h 5m
  3. Artist Interview - Helen Godden

    26 JUN

    Artist Interview - Helen Godden

    Helen moved from Art to Art Quilting in 2004 and has enjoyed many international awards for her unique approach to machine quilting and creating art quilts. In 16 years of quilting, Helen has won 16 awards at Houston including the inaugural A World of Beauty and Master of Innovative Artistry. Helen’s work is predominately pictorial, with strong design and exciting play with colour. She uses her painting and design skills and creates whole cloth painted surface and then with her sewing machine, adds movement and detail into the design with her free-motion machine quilting. Helen literally draws with her sewing machine bringing her painted images to life. Combining her teaching degree and her Art experience, she teaches from a slightly different angle and enjoys helping even the most traditional of machine sewers to find new direction in free-motion machine quilting and opening up new avenues for their creative potential. Helen has taught all over Australia and the world including Dubai, China, South Africa, UK, New Zealand, Canada and USA including teaching at the Houston Quilt Festival for the past 10 years. During Covid with so much time at home, Helen created a 6.5 m long quilt which is all painted with dye and free- motion quilted whole cloth and is the longest quilt in the world made by 1 person and 1 piece of fabric. Since Covid Helen also teaches extensively online as well as enjoying face to face teaching. https://helengodden.com/ https://www.sofst.org/

    1h 4m

About

This podcast is for craft and textile enthusiasts all around the world. We're constantly adding great interviews with textile artists, tutors and retailers plus a little advice on our own distance study courses in craft and much more. The School of Stitched Textiles is the largest UK provider of City & Guilds Accredited Textile based distance learning courses. You can find out site at https://www.sofst.org/. We also host the Stitch Directory, which showcases independent craft retailers and suppliers from around the world https://www.sofst.org/stitch-directory/.

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