Contemporary basketry
Making a basket is probably the oldest weaving method that goes back thousands of years. Young branches and strong grasses were used to make small handy baskets for hunting, fishing, carrying, and More »
Fabrics for Fashion: Part 1
Without fabric there would be no fashion. Whether woven, knitted, printed, embroidered or bejewelled, textiles are crucial to the eloquence of apparel and fundamental to the fashion design process. We are presenting More »
Rosalind Wyatt: Text and Textile
The versatility of textiles and the wide spectrum of usage of fabrics and threads are enormous. Rosalind Wyatt, London based visual artist and calligrapher is well aware of it and use it More »
Paulina Bartnik’s embroidered brooches
Paulina Bartnik is a Polish textile artist based in Lublin. Her work amazes equally art lovers, textile crafters and bird enthusiasts. She creates beautifully detailed bird brooches using techniques of needle felting and More »
800 Years of Magna Carta Celebrated in Embroidery
As part of British Library’s epic exhibition celebrating eight centuries of Magna Carta, a new embroidered artwork by Cornelia Parker was unveiled in May. A landmark in constitutional history and a foundation of the concept of the rule of law, Magna Carta is one of the most famous documents ever written. What began life in the13th centuryas apeace treaty between King John and his barons has come to be viewed as the great charter of civil liberties and retains enormous symbolic power as an ancient defence of individual rights and freedoms.
Which fabric paint to use?
Fabric paints are available in two basic sorts – those that are absorbed into the fabric and those that rest on the surface of the cloth. While both varieties are suitable for painting light-coloured backgrounds, if you intended to work on a dark ground you will need to select the sort that rests on the surface of the cloth. This is the most important in order to preserve a clear outline and to prevent the background colour from showing through. The main drawback of working with opaque fabric paints is that they do tend to stiffen the fabric, which affects the drape of the cloth. So, although they are acceptable for furnishing fabrics, blinds and cushion covers, they don’t work as well on garments.
How to hang pictures?
One thing that is more sad than blank walls in ones house is to see a single lonely picture in acres of space. Especially if it is hanged so high up that nobody can see it. It does’nt have to be like this. And you don’t have to be in the possession of valuable pieces of art. Family photos, childrens’ drawings, posters or emerging local artist’s work – everything can look great on your wall. There are loads of different ways that you can hang pictures. Here are some ideas and methods to inspire you.
Calligraphy project – Italic
Calligraphy comes from the Greek Kallos Graphe, meaning beautiful handwriting. For centuries calligraphy was cherished and used for the most important writing documents and as decoration. In this text we will takl about the Italic, which everybody heard of. But can you do it by hand, not the keyboard? Here is the short introduction on how to start with Italic calligraphy.
Artist Textiles: From Picasso to Warhol, Exhibition in Toronto, Canada
At the beginning of May in Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto was opened an excellent exhibition Artist Textiles: From Picasso to Warhol. This major international exhibition offering a fascinating overview of 20th-century textile designs from some of the the world’s most renowned artists. Through pattern design and industrially manufactured textiles made for the mass market, artists found ways to make their work less elitist and more accessible to broader audiences. Before arrived in Toronto, the textiles were exhibited in London (UK), Tilburg (The Netherlands) and Lowell (USA).
Annie Hutchinson: Textile Animal Dolls
Textile artist Annie Hutchinson is born in Wales and she graduated from Cheltenham Art College in 1989. She experimented in different media as a part of her study of Fine Art Sculpture, but she sticks mostly with textiles because of its ‘limitless supplyof pattern, texture and colour’. She like the possibility of creating and developing the ideas while she is working on her art pieces, and that is something that thread and textiles allow her. Annie says, “Life in the 21st century can be a bit hectic: everyone is in such a rush, wanting things done yesterday… when I’m hand stitching or needle felting it allows me to jump off the merry go round.”
Magda Sayeg, The Yarn Bomber
Considered to be the mother of yarn bombing, Magda Sayeg’s work has evolved to include the knitted/crocheted covered bus in Mexico City, as well as her first solo exhibit in Rome at La Museo des Esposizione in the summer of 2010 . What is ‘yarn bombing’ anyway? It has many other names such as guerrilla knitting, kniffiti, urban knitting is a type of street art similar to graffiti, but instead of paints and spray cans uses yarn and textile materials.
Christmas snowflake garland
If you look for a project for this Christmas, making snowflake garland is easy and very beautiful and exciting. Once you made it and decorate your home, it will be a real star and your guests will love it. With minimal material needed and very basic skills you may create the magic.
Eggshell mosaic picture frame
This pretty mosaic frame looks so stunning that not many people will guess it’s made from ordinary hens’ eggs. You can use speckled eggs or even pale blue duck eggs if you can find them, but it’s quite easy to colour plain eggshell with watercolour paint. This project is the perfect way to transform that charity shop find. Paint the frame white before you start to give it a neutral finish.
Emily Jo Gibbs textile art
Emily Jo Gibbs is a British Artist who over the last two decades has established an international reputation for her exquisite work. She has received significant critical acclaim and examples of her work are in several museum collections including the V&A, London and The Museum of Fine Art, Houston. Emily is a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists and in 1998 was formally elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
