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Stitching Life

http://stitchinglife.com



I am a textile artist working full-time from home in the UK. I work entirely by hand, making art quilts and small stitched cloths from mainly recycled materials such as old linens and clothing. I dye most of my fabrics and threads myself and occasionally sell hand-dyed materials.


Artist's statement:  Although my formal art training is in paint, I prefer the tactile quality of textiles as a medium of expression. Cloth is with us throughout our lives, a constant presence that touches us, both literally and figuratively. Our very first experience following our birth is that of being wrapped in a cloth; as preparation for the grave, we are wrapped in a shroud.

I choose to work by hand because I love the feel of the needle and thread through cloth, and I like to feel the way the cloth is responding to stitch. I think of the process of stitching as a quiet conversation between myself, the needle and thread and the cloth itself. The act of piecing scraps of cloth together is a metaphor for the way our lives are composed of brief moments joined together. I also think of the many women before me who have sat quietly and stitched, either for duty or for pleasure. I prefer in general to work with natural materials - linen, cotton, silk, wool - and I remain mindful that these were once part of living organisms. I try to remain respectful to the cloth, to the process and to tradition.
-Karen Turner


Location:  East Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Blog:  Stitching Life
Online shop:  stitchinglife
Languages spoken:  English



"Midnight", Art Quilt by Stitching Life









Tags:  patchwork, applique, embroidery, quilting, cloth, thread, stitch, (by) hand, abstract

Zamirte - Natalie Magnin




I'm Belgian and live in the South of FRance since 2002. I love the peaceful nature here!!

I studied textile art and that's how my passion for felting started. It's the whole process of deying the wool, choosing the right colour combinations, materials, and the creation itself that I like.  I adore the brightness of silk, the texture of fiber, the colours of nature in spring, all of the nuances in the sky, and the colour of rust. I like to try out the effects of plant dyes on different fabrics and I especially love the rust dying.

I have a great respect for Slow Cloth!



Location:  Aude, France
Online shops:  
Blog:  zamirte
Networking:
Languages spoken:  Dutch, French, English



Hand-dyed and felted accessories by Zamirte








Tags:   wool, wet felting, wearable art, natural dyes, stitching, needlework, nunofelt, creative felt, fiberfusing

JML Studios





I love making things! My artwork runs the gamut: collage, painting, drawing, assemblage...

But my old love of textiles has resurfaced! I'm loving feltmaking, wet and dry, and hope to meet others who like feltmaking as well.




Location:  Deering, New Hampshire, USA
Online shop:  janeleblanc
Memberships:  I belong to various Etsy teams: New Hampshire Team, Mixed Media Art, and Business Topics.
Languages spoken:  English


 Felted Orb by JML Studios





Tags:  felting, craft, wet felting, feltmaking, critters, vessels, needle felting, wool applique

Nells Embroidery




I am a contemporary fibre artist. I have a love of machine and hand embroidery. For my artwork I essentially draw and paint with thread, using the needle as a pencil and the fabric as my canvas. Combining a variety of threads, fabrics and mediums to create works of two or three dimensional art. I have challenged myself to explore the use of basic straight and zig zag stitch to create cloth with stitch only...with some help from a water soluble fabric! Using this technique and exploring different stitch tensions, I can create 3 dimensional artwork using only thread. Whatever the technique or medium, the detail, design and texture, I always make my artwork unique.

Artist's Statement:  My love of all things fabric and stitch related comes from a childhood spent in the sewing room with my mum. As a result, I have been designing, dressmaking and embroidering for as long as I can remember. Now I like to think of myself as a fabric artist as this fits well with my chosen techniques.

I completed my HND and BA Hons in Fashion and Textile Design in the UK.  During this time, I developed my love of machine embroidery and continued over the years to experiment whenever I could.

In the Summer of 2005 I completed my City & Guilds Level 3 Machine Embroidery Course which helped me to take my ‘playing’ and ‘experimenting’ to a higher level. Shortly after, I moved from the UK to Vancouver, Canada, where I am continuing to develop my design work and creativity, whilst finding new and abundant sources of inspiration.

I am a purist when it comes to my art work. I design and create all my own patterns and everything must include some form of embroidery. I take a lot of photographs which I often refer to for inspiration.

I am stimulated and inspired by my environment, people, cultures, travels, textures and fabrics. All of which I fuse together to create and develop my own style of stitching and art. I like to experiment with unusual materials, pushing the boundaries of design, my imagination, and of course my sewing machine!



Location:  North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Online shop:  nellsembroidery
Memberships:
Languages spoken:  English

Manipulated wall hanging using only straight stitch and water soluble fabric. 
Detail, Nells Embroidery.













Tags:  embroidery, Machine embroidery, beading, artwork, Fabric, Textile, Texture, Needle arts, Fiber Arts, Mixed media

Julie Kornblum

Forever Yours, detail, by Julie Kornblum

upholstery piping, waxed linen thread
plastic and metal discards
20" h x 10" w x 5" d             2007



I remember always wanting to be an artist as a child, but somehow I never picked up paintbrushes or pencils. I was surrounded in my home by fabrics, needles, thread, and yarn; and I gravitated toward them. I weave, knit, crochet, and make baskets; and love the interplay between textile structures and the colors and textures in the materials. I love using fiber art techniques to create my wall pieces, sculptural baskets, and jewelry. The process is as satisfying as the final product. 

Work available at:  Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo, California; Textile Art Center, Minneapolis, MN


Artist's Statement:  My work combines the immediate and the ancient. I apply post-modern materials to the centuries-old processes of basketry weaving knitting and crochet. As a fiber artist, I follow the path of a thousand generations of artists from around the world. As a contemporary artist, I'm concerned with how our plastic trash impacts the environment.

My materials are cast off, surplus, or waste: copper wire from the recycle yard; audio cassette tapes that even the thrift store wanted to throw away. Both physically and conceptually, my materials are creations of the modern age. Physically, they are by-products of industrialization.  Conceptually, the notions of disposability and one-time-use are purely modern inventions. I hope to help raise the awareness that leads to reducing our production of trash. 


Location:  Los Angeles, California, USA
Online shops:  JulieKornblumStudio (Etsy, in construction)
Blog:  juliekornblum 
Memberships:
Languages spoken:  English





Copper Lace Cuff by Julie Kornblum













Tags:  weaving, basketry, jewelry, recycling, crochet, beads, copper wire, fiber art, sculpture

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