Even the most apathetic teenager will dig these little embroidery cards from Curiousdoodles.

Fibristos and Fibristas, i’d like to introduce to you an artist whom not many have heard of or seen: she’s a grey presence on the web, popping in once in awhile to leave a comment or share an experience. With no blog, no Flickr, no Facebook, Samantha Fahy is an incredibly detail oriented embroiderer i met online, immediately falling in love with her lucid depictions of the macroscopic and solitary.

You explore very intense small sections of the world–what keeps you interested in this?
I try to see the beauty of the world that I live in: I don’t live beside a beautiful forest, by the sea or near the mountains, so I concentrate on the small, overlooked things that are available to me within a concrete working-class town. Everyone can appreciate the weed growing through a crack in the pavement, spider’s webs after rain, or the colour of the sunset, even if it is over the industrial estate. But whilst I look at these small details, I try to place them in a larger context ie:  sewing bees, I’m adding ideas about community and free will; sewing autumn leaves I’m incorporating ideas on disintegration and rebirth. I’m in love with the tiny overlooked things around us: snails and bees and weeds, sewing alone cross legged somewhere, a demented pixie.

Samantha Fahy/"Snail Love" in progress

Samantha Fahy/"Snail Love" detail

Do you have “studio sessions” or are you a stitcher on the fly?
Six years ago I decided to get off the path i was on. I left a well paid job at a University and started on this new adventure. I can create/stitch/draw whenever the mood takes me, but like everyone else, I still have to fit in the gardening/DIY/housework and i have to feed my husband every day or he would starve! That’s not to say that some days I don’t play truant from my own “list”, thinking “just one more stitch and then I’ll….” In fact, sometimes it still feels kind of ‘naughty’ that I can play to such a large extent in my life.

Samantha Fahy/Untitled

How do you develop your work? Sketch, photo, sample?
Anything can start the fire of an idea: a doodle, a photo, a colour combination, a sample. I must admit to being a bit of a geek and doing research on what’s got me excited about moth wings or spider silk. Nature is my constant source of inspiration and I can see a million possibilities in one foot of garden, so I’ll be out there on my hands and knees sketching for a while yet! All these things pile up on the desk until the work begins to take shape in my head. Some are just outlines before I start sewing, and  I make the colours and patterns up as I go along; others are worked out in much more detail. The occasional piece decides for itself in which direction I’m going, and no amount of tugging on the reins makes any difference.

Samantha Fahy/Samples book

I also have a design wall, where half formed ideas face me as I sew, this can sometimes lead to wonderful cross pollination of subjects and connections.

Do certain images appeal more than others ? Are they stories or symbols, or are they representational of your interior world?
My pieces are based in reality but are then abstracted and enlarged to include my interior world as well. I put together connections and patterns that help to explain my reality. I suppose I pick images that give me joy or are a celebration of a time and a place, though i can definitely appreciate others who choose perhaps more dark or sad subject matters. With all my pieces nature plays a starring role.

What does embroidery do for you?
I hand stitch everything, not because I’m anti-machine, but because i love the peace of hand stitching, the utter slow mindfulness of the process. For me, when the needle pierces the fabric, creating a small pop as it comes out the other side, and then the soft whoosh as you pull the thread through, is like breathing slowly. It brings me  tranquillity in a very urban environment…police helicopters circling, put in another stitch…..and breathe. Hand stitching makes me smile, and creating art deepens the appreciation of what i have around me, grounding me thoroughly in the here and now. Sometimes i think I’m making my life as I want it to be with each stitch, as much as I’m creating pieces of work.

Was embroidery a progression from something else?
I’ve always used my hands to create, for the house when we couldn’t afford it, presents for family and friends when I wanted to say I love you, but I’ve had precious little embroidery training and i didn’t have a lovely long line of strong women to pass on their sewing skills to me. I’ve learnt from books, trial and error, and lots and lots of unpicking!

Do you have work that is more favoured personally?
I don’t have favourite pieces, I have favourite bits on many pieces. I’m far, far from the stage yet where I’m 100% happy with everything I do. That’s a good thing, keeping you moving forward  and making every piece a discovery.

One piece that i go back to again and again, inspiring new work each time, is a book I made about things in my garden. No bigger than 3cm, each couple of pages deals with a different subject. To other people it may not seem too thrilling, and there’s not oodles of embroidery in it, but the sketches, notes and stitch samples I made as i went along provide masses of ideas.

Samantha Fahy/Samples book detail

What are you exploring next?

I made a heart piece recently, a different subject matter for me, and though a challenge at times, as the stitching is very dense, I enjoyed trying different texture ideas in one ‘over the top’ piece. To run your fingers over the nodules and veins is a sculptural experience in places. A lot of this work will be taken forward and used in pieces to come….snails and the universe next!

Samantha Fahy/"Hearts Are Complicated"

Samantha Fahy/"Hearts Are Complicated" detail

I’m sure at some point we will be hearing or seeing more of Samantha!  More of her work is featured in the upcoming July/August issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.

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Arlee Barr is a Canadian artist, working primarily with textiles. She describes herself as “curious, eccentric and just a little opinionated“.  Surrealist in thought, Fauvist at heart, Arlee likes the eclectic, explorative and absurd. Sprinkled around the interwebs, she can be found hanging around her fantastic blog.

]]> http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/05/28/interview-with-samantha-fahey/feed/ 6 http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/04/30/septemberhouse-2011-calendar/ http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/04/30/septemberhouse-2011-calendar/#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Mr X Stitch http://www.mrxstitch.com/?p=11502

When we came across this product last year, we knew it was a great idea. And so it’s good to see them again – SeptemberHouse’s genius fabric calendar templates:

The good thing about them coming out now means you’ll have good time to stitch a few of them for people before 2011 starts. So I’d get a bunch of them!

Each calendar comes with some suggestions, which are useful for getting your creative juices going. These calendars are groovy – I made one for Curegreed with a Douglas Adams quote on it. And forgot to take a picture of it…

They’re a brilliant idea and you can make some great gifts with them – so go get ‘em and tell her Mr X Stitch sent ya!

(She’s also got some really nice embroidered jewellery for sale as well!)

]]> http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/04/30/septemberhouse-2011-calendar/feed/ 2 http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/04/14/needle-exchange-exploring-craftivism-part-two/ http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/04/14/needle-exchange-exploring-craftivism-part-two/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:00:58 +0000 Penny Nickels http://www.mrxstitch.com/?p=11253

Welcome back! Last time we looked at historical examples of fiber arts being used to explore sociopolitical issues, this week we’re going to look at the contemporary counterparts. Now I could spend pages writing about different craftivists and their motivations. However, because this wave is fairly recent, this information is more widely available online and elsewhere so I’m only going to focus on a handful of artists.

Before, I split the work into two categories. Work that calls attention to a specific issue and work that supports a cause. This week I’m going to add a third, fiber as an instrument of change.

One of the examples I touched on last week was the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, but I confess, I didn’t really understand how massive it is, literally. Not only is it estimated to weigh over 54 tons, as of 2010, it is the largest piece of community folk at in the world. Cleve Jones had the idea of the quilt when he was attending the 1978 memorial for assassinated San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Because of the stigma surrounding AIDS, many people were unable to properly grieve, or even have their loved one’s remains properly cared for, as many funeral homes and cemeteries refused to handle the remains of AIDS victims. The quilt became a way for family, friends, and the public to honor people that died.

Each panel measures 3′x6′, about the size of a cemetery plot

Gwendolyn Magee is a textile artist in Jackson Mississippi. Many of her pieces depict what she calls, “… dramatic, visual representations of the African American experience.” I first read about her work in the issue of Quilter’s Home that was banned from Joann’s for being too controversial, (which fits in nicely with this article… Banned art that questions the status quo… Hmmm). Anyway, that’s where I first encountered her piece, Southern Heritage/Souther Shame. She said it was a response to “… The failure of a referendum to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi state flag.”

She went on to say, “There was all this talk, ‘I’m not racist, I want to keep this as our heritage.’ I felt a need to show very explicitly that heritage. It involved a heckuva lot more than sipping mint juleps on the veranda or strolling around the plantation with a parasol.” Read more about her work HERE.

Next we have a MrXStitch favorite, Alexandra Walters or Knit-R-Done, as she’s know around these parts. She boldly and honestly explores themes in her work that would make a less courageous person shrink. Her embroidery piece Gay for Eagles reflects her position on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and as a military wife, she has keen insight into the argument.

She says, “… military service is an expression of love and devotion to a country, personal love relationships have no bearing.” See more of her work HERE.

But what about fiber itself being used as an instrument of change? Anyone who’s thumbed through Craft Magazine or browsed Etsy knows about “Upcycling”, but many communities have taken it a step further. As a spinner, knitter and weaver, I’ve become less interested in my Local Yarn Store and really had a great experience buying fleeces and fibers form ranchers in my area (DIY! Buy Local!), but I will always continue to purchase yarn from Manos Del Uruguay.

From their website- “Manos Del Uruguay was founded in 1968 by a group of women aiming to promote social and economic development in the rural areas or Uruguay. The craftswomen are the owners of Manos Del Uruguay and have set up a not-for-profit organization for rural women, to allow them to develop their communities without the need to leave their homes. They are grouped into 17 co-operatives which spin, dye, knit and produce finished garments for sale throughout the world.”

Finally, if you’re looking to purchase amazing needlework of searching for a worthy cause to donate to, I strongly suggest you take a look at Fine Cell Work, the “unofficial” charity of MrXStitch. Click HERE to read how needlework has dramatically impacted a prisoner’s life for the better.

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Penny Nickels is a printmaker that started playing with needles with tremendous effect. She and her husband, Johnny Murder have been described as “The Bonnie and Clyde of Contemporary Embroidery” and you can discover the power of her creativity at her blog.

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Reference material for this article- Photos and quotes are taken from the artists’ websites. I welcome any suggestions for future articles, contact me at donkeywolf@gmail.com

Let me know what you’re interested in!

I love this embellished portrait of Edwin Hubble.

See more great things in the IDoubtIt etsy store.

While I was looking though the beautiful traditional quilts in Marty Mason’s flickr photostream, Molly caught my eye.

See more of Marty’s work at her website and her etsy store.

If you’re in the Bristol area between the 18th and 23rd May, you need to go and check out the Calm Air All Ice exhibition.

It’s organised by two extremely talented individuals, Claire Platt and Camilla Stacey. Individually these two are capable of creating sublime art but combined, well, phew!

We can use the Sheldon Cooper Tangential Supremality Extrapolation and surmise that the integral creativity within each individual gets magnified as a result of the hyperbolic transdermal logarithm… ehh – just go and check out their work. You’ll love it.

Because they’re awesome, they also have a blog to accompany the show.

If you see them, tell them I said hi!

Alli Coate is a supremely talented artist, working over several different media.

She ls adept at painting, drawing and animation, but it is her embroidered works that really get me excited.

She produces wonderful pieces – applique work, embroidered text, multi-layered stitchery marvels.

There is a terrific diversity to her work, yet it is underpinned by a quiet charm. Even “Domestic Violence”, twelve embroidery pieces in a refurbished window frame, is softened by the palette of muted tones and quaint fabrics.

Alli is an obvious talent, and the breadth of her output is admirable. I am always excited to see what she produces next, secure in the knowledge it will stir my soul.

You find out more about her at her website, get to know her better on her blog, and admire her creativity by visiting her Flickr photostream.

Something remarkable is happening over at embloggery. Nicole is blogging her thoughts, but rather than type the posts like us softies, she’s embroidering them! Genius!

Her works always come with substantial notes and comments, so go and see them on her Flickr account which has some of her other works and affirms the fact that she’s kinda awesome really.

Frances Goodman is a South African artist who exhibits work exploring the mundane, the ordinary, the trivial and the dark places that they obscure.

His 2007 collection is called Toilet Graffiti Embroideries.

From his site: “These toilet philosophies, boasts, confessions and rants are reworked into seemingly precious objects, which are at odds with the sometimes lewd and throwaway content. The labour and intensity of hand-embroidering these anonymous, dirty ‘nothings’, reveal a voyeuristic fascination with other people’s sordid fantasies and inner monologues.”

I think these are cool.

Toilet graffiti always teeters on the border of darkness, and some of Frances’ other pieces reflect that darkness much more than the ones shown here. This is a terrific idea; the work is high quality and the length of time each piece must have taken suggests a certain voyeurism – to spend hours stitching some else’s private confessions is not the remit of the clean and pure.

Over to you: What do you think?