Future Heirlooms: the man himself

Today’s Future Heirlooms is with the man himself, Mr. X Stitch.  I decided to ask Mr. X, a.k.a Jamie Chalmers, if he would do an interview mainly because I myself wanted to know more about him and how he got to be the founder of the “number one contemporary embroidery and needlecraft blog on the planet!”  And I figured if I was interested perhaps so were you.

…and I also found out that he is one smart and interesting cookie with a killer sense of humor.  Mr. X can we have a beer together at a pub someday soon?

How did you begin to embroider?

I began embroidering on a whim, choosing a cross stitch pattern as a pastime while on holiday. I’d stitched a small piece in a Bayeaux tapestry project at school and forgot how much I enjoyed it, so when I started the pattern on holiday, I found it surprisingly pleasurable. The great thing about cross stitch is that it’s all just little squares, and although I can’t draw for toffee, I seem able to make these little squares into stitcheries that people enjoy.

“for toffee” is this a British thing I don’t know about?

Are you self taught or formally trained?

I’m self taught and have learned to correct the early mistakes I’ve made through the advice of friends and peers. I’ve done a few day courses with the Royal School of Needlework which taught me the wisdom of waste knots, and I’ve had some real “d’oh!” moments when people have shown me simple techniques that have really helped me with the process of stitching. One of the classics was a discussion on a cross stitch forum about how to speed up stitching times, and the answer came back “use shorter lengths of thread when you’re stitching…” – sometimes it’s those simple answers that make all the difference.

This reminds me of a quote from Louise Bourgeois:

“Usually knots happen to people who are lazy, because they don’t want to rethread the needle too often.  Plain laziness.  So they get a thread that is much too long.  Now if a thread is too long it’s going to get into a knot, and I loved  to undo the knots. “  Read the context on the statement here.

Would you describe your work as subversive and if so how do you use the medium to do this?

I think I’ve only created one subversive piece in the true sense – Rock Out With Your Cock Out – because it’s the only piece that looks innocent until further examination. (I think a number of his pieces fall into this description personally- I mean he is using the tradition of needlepoint to say some pretty wild things, right?) I have to defer to the mighty Beefranck for true subversive inspiration as her pieces look like classic historical embroideries, until you read them and then the message kicks you in the butt.

For me that’s the essence of embroidery subversion.

What are the differences between embroidery and cross stitch in your opinion, other then the technical?

I refer to cross stitch as a gateway craft, as it’s extremely simple to learn and is a terrific way to engage with embroidery. There’s a pleasant safety and security in those little crosses and I love helping people get started with it, so that they realise the joy of stitching. Once the initial boundaries have been cross(stitch)ed, then it’s great to see where people go from there.

Cross stitch has a massive amount of untapped potential within the tiny squares and grids, but embroidery has an unlimited scope. I remember being somewhat overwhelmed by the freedom of creativity that embroidery offers, and have only made small ventures in that direction thus far, but I do believe that the possibilities are endless. And that’s why it’s so great to see new people connecting with the medium in exciting ways.

How has your work evolved since you first began working with embroidery?

I find that my work tends to involve fonts and phrases, rather than images, and I’ve enjoyed exploring this particular genre in various ways. I never really know what direction the work will take next, but I’ve developed a penchant for variegated and glow in the dark threads, and there’s plenty of scope to explore the possibilities of using those materials.

What is the next direction or step for your work?

I’m not entirely sure. The various strands of Mr X Stitch work (as well as my day job) keep me plenty busy, so I don’t necessarily have the time to explore future options as quickly as I might like. However, I have got a lot of political views and somewhere down the line they are going to have to be explored using this magnificent craft, so that will be interesting.

Describe your working practice?

This is hard to explain as my stitching practice is quite haphazard. It usually involves having an idea, letting that ferment in my brain for a while, stirring it a bit using my computer and then stitching it as I go. The stitching either takes place at home or on the train. That seems to be the general formula for my work and it’s worked out okay so far.

Can you talk about the experience of being a male needle lover?

I think the experience of being a needle lover is pretty similar irrespective of gender. The main difference with being a male stitcher is the reaction of others. The current socio-political paradigm of embroidery has been constructed over a few hundred years, and unfortunately it is still unusual to be a man who stitches out in the open. I hope that there are a lot more men who stitch in private. I know the personal journey I went through when I decided to be more open with my stitching, particularly on public transport, and if embroidery wasn’t so darned pleasant to do, I may have given up a long time ago. However, it’s been worth it as I now stitch wherever I like and (on the whole) am not bothered with what people think.

The one thing that interests me about men who embroider is the approach they take to the subject matter. I never wanted to stitch the cutesy stuff and wasn’t interested in the mainstream patterns of country cottages etc. So my work started from a completely different place and has explored themes that are relevant to me. I see this happening with other men, and it’s interesting to observe the range of male-oriented topics being explored through stitch. I’m also very pleased to see that chauvinism appears to be ignored in stitch; I think that the process of stitching – the time it takes and the meditative nature of it– encourages people to produce work filled with honour and respect. Or a good dose of sarcasm. Eitherway, I don’t think someone could complete a piece of stitched work filled with fear or loathing, you can’t sustain those kind of emotions for long enough. And if that doesn’t prove that stitching is amazing, I don’t know what does.

I so agree with this last statement and always remind me students as they come up with a new work, that they will be with that work for a long time, so make sure it is something you can and want to stay with.

How did you start Mr X Stitch and why?

The blog began in August 2008 as a way of promoting the patterns I was trying to sell on etsy. After prattling on about cucumber sandwiches and the Zen approach to drying clothes, I began to seek out other embroidery artists to see what inspiration lay around. Once things got going, I began to realise that there weren’t many embroidery websites out there, and so I researched how to make the best of your blog and began the journey to where we are now. It was only when Beefranck came on board in February 2009 that things really began to take off. She’s the brains of the outfit, I’m just the monkey.

I’m cutting a long story quite short, but it didn’t take long before Bridget and I realised that we could make a valid contribution to the world of embroidery, and do our bit to showcase the new and interesting pieces people were making. Hopefully we’ve done some good, and I’m immensely proud of the achievements we’ve made and the fantastic people we’ve got working with us on the site.

Since you are exposed to a ton of embroidery on your blog every day what are some trends that you see happening?

The one major trend that I see is embroidery being used to respond to pop culture with increasing speed.  Technology has empowered people to create their own patterns and designs, and blown open the gates of creativity. These days if you want to stitch the funniest joke from the Cleveland show last night, or the lyrics to Lady Gaga’s latest tune, it’s really easy to do so, and it’s exciting to see new stitcher’s emerging and showing their personal passions via the medium of stitch. Internet memes are also being translated to stitch within moments (stitching time notwithstanding) and today’s culture is being reflected in embroidery in a myriad of ways.

It’s really encouraging and the perfect antidote to the stagnation of the mainstream embroidery world that you see in the big craft stores these days.

Are there any trends that you see that you do not like?

There’s rarely a time where I see something I don’t like – often the enthusiasm exhibited or quality of technique will offset my own personal reactions to the subject matter. One aspect of the stitching world that does frustrate me, however, is how the people involved in the embroidery industry fail to respond to new ideas and concepts, and continue to produce products that are uninspiring.

The mainstream of embroidery, as reflected in the big craft shows and craft stores, has largely ground to a halt, with the same old patterns being produced by companies who fear changing the status quo for losing profits. This has the effect of perpetuating a stagnation of creativity which disenfranchises so many potential stitchers from even picking up a needle.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for patterns of tigers or Home Sweet Home stuff, and I know that the process of stitching to a pattern like that is extremely pleasurable and has merit. But in order to bring new people on board, new ideas have to be explored and then promoted, and this means that new and sometimes challenging ideas, like the work we feature in our NSFW posts, has a valid place in the contemporary embroidery context. But it’s not just the naughty stuff; any stitchery that reflects new ideas and cultural references will help expand the genre. Each time a creative boundary is pushed, it leaves new creative space for people to explore, which leads to growth and development and new embroiderers.

These contemporary cultural references, and “controversial” ideas rarely make it any further than the internet and the mainstream stitchery industry continues to pump out the same, safe, stuff because it’s less risky than opening up the doors to new ideas. That’s what frustrates me. We can’t be afraid of change – if embroidery stays where it is, it’s a goner.

(Of course we’re on a mission to prevent that from happening, and I think we’re gonna win!)

Who inspires you?

I get inspired by anyone who produces a new piece of embroidery. I’ve seen established artists continue to produce new works of excellence and I’ve seen brand new amateur stitchers create pieces that reflect their life and interests. As I said earlier, I respect people who follow store-bought patterns, but it’s the new original works that come from out of nowhere that always amaze me.

What is the single most exciting piece of fiber work that you have seen?

I think one of the most amazing moments was when we discovered the work, above image, of Severija Incirauskaite-Kriauneviciene, the Lithuanian artist who stitches on metal. Her car bonnet pieces were astonishing and really opened my eyes to the possibilities of stitching on other media than traditional textiles.

Another piece that really blew me away was Stitchalicious’ stumpwork heart, which is the most amazing piece of stumpwork ever. It changed the way I thought about the craft and I am thrilled to have that piece hanging up in my lounge.

What else do you spend your time doing?

My days are just packed. With a full-time job as an IT Training Team Leader for a national children’s charity, the website, podcast,  and Phat Quarters territories on Flickr, deviantArt, and Ravelry- there’s a never-ending stream of things to do.

I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who helps with the various presences we have online as they are unsung heroes a lot of the time and I am forever grateful.  If I manage to get those workstreams under control, I can spend a bit of time chilling out with my wife, Alissa, aka the Duchess, or doing some stitching.

And now I find myself being drawn into the world of Roller Derby as well, which is super awesome, so yes, my days are just packed.

Where can we see your work? links, websites, galleries, shops, etc.

My work can be found online here–

and I was honoured to be included in the recent from the tongue … exhibition, curated by the one and only Joetta Maue,  (that’s me!) and I hope to exhibit more work in the future. I enjoy swapping pieces with people and so most of my stuff is held in private collections, which makes me extremely proud.

However it would be remiss of me to ignore the fantastic Mr X Stitch etsy store, which was the reason this whole adventure began, where you can purchase PDFpatterns from some of the coolest new designers out there. Buy the patterns, learn the basics and thentake your own imagination and a needle and threads and go nuts!

Until next time keep stitching!!

And don’t forget this call for work.

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Joetta Maue is a full time artist primarily using photography and fibers. Her most recent work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. Joetta exhibits her work throughout the U.S. and internationally, and authors the art and craft blog Little Yellowbird as well as regularly contributing to the Textile Arts Center blog. Joetta lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, baby son, two cats,and a goldfish.