NeedleXChange

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!

This is a repeat of episode #56.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Diana Weymar.
Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project, a collaborative needlework project that immortalises quotes from Donald Trump as a crowdsourced documentary of an unusual part of American history. Diana is the author of Crafting A Better World, a book focusing on collaborative craftivism which is a great addition to your craft library and one of the topics in this second part of our XChange!.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:45 - How Inspiration Strikes
00:09:17 - Navigating the Challenges of Social Media
00:23:45 - Crafting a Better World: How Diana’s Book Came To Be
00:35:45 - Lessons Learned From Making Her Book
00:39:01 - Craftivism as a Time Capsule: Care and Maintenance in Challenging Times
00:45:45 - Favourite Album/Book/Film
00:58:05 - An interesting fact that not a lot of people know about Diana Weymar

Links:
Website: tinypricksproject.com
Instagram: tinypricksproject

Intro music is Her Name Is Edith by OTE via Epidemic Sound.


About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!

This is a repeat of episode #55.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Diana Weymar.
Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project, a collaborative needlework project that immortalises quotes from Donald Trump as a crowdsourced documentary of an unusual part of American history. Diana is the author of Crafting A Better World, a book focusing on collaborative craftivism which is a great addition to your craft library.
In this first part of our NeedleXChange we talk about how the Tiny Pricks project came to be, evolving from a personal project to a collective form of embroidered therapy for many people, and the surprise of it being a project that continues to this day.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:10 - The Tiny Pricks Project: From Fun to Momentum
00:11:32 - Stitching That Which Resonates
00:18:12 - “I Am A Very Stable Genius” - How Tiny Pricks began
00:35:56 - Building a Safe and Supportive Community

Links:
Website: tinypricksproject.com
Instagram: tinypricksproject

Intro music is Her Name Is Edith by OTE via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!

This is a repeat of episode #12.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso.
John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years.
Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask the graphic parts of his subjects, John’s work treads the line between pornography and personal portraiture. His art is unapologetic in its openness and his expressions of the passion of gay love are both sensitive and sensational.
In our NeedleXChange we talk about how John’s artistic career has run alongside the timeline of the HIV pandemic, the value in re-appropriating homophobic slurs, and how his art has defined his own queer identity.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:38 - How John’s subjects come into being
00:04:00 - Why John hand quilts his work
00:08:00 - The challenge of entering into quilt shows
00:16:00 - How John honours his feminine side and strives for masculinity
00:21:00 - Reflecting on his earlier work
00:23:00 - John’s definition of success
00:25:15 - Favourite Album
00:26:55 - Favourite Book
00:29:26 - Favourite Film
00:33:00 - John’s reflections on working in the care sector

Links:
Website: john-paradiso.com
Instagram: john_paradiso_artist

Intro music is Let's Go Find The Sun by Sarah the Illstrumentalist via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!

This is a repeat of episode #11.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso.
John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years.
Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask the graphic parts of his subjects, John’s work treads the line between pornography and personal portraiture. His art is unapologetic in its openness and his expressions of the passion of gay love are both sensitive and sensational.
In our NeedleXChange we talk about how John’s artistic career has run alongside the timeline of the HIV pandemic, the value in re-appropriating homophobic slurs, and how his art has defined his own queer identity.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:38 - John’s award winning piece- The Prince of Pansies
00:07:00 - John’s early photography work
00:10:20 - How John’s work ran alongside the AIDS epidemic
00:13:00 - The current state of HIV & AIDS
00:15:24 - John’s transition into textiles
00:20:24 - The power of pansies
00:22:00 - Reclaiming slurs
00:26:45 - How textiles makes graphic work easier to consume

Links:
Website: john-paradiso.com
Instagram: john_paradiso_artist

Intro music is Let's Go Find The Sun by Sarah the Illstrumentalist via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!

This is a repeat of episode #52.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Emma McKee.
Emma McKee is a Chicago-based cross stitch artist whose work is adored by hip-hop artists and basketball icons.
This is the second part of our NeedleXChange and we explore Emma's relationship with Chicago, her love of her Dad, how she has evolved as a designer and we check out her cultural recommendations!
If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on your podcast platform so more people can share the love!

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:00 - The Barter System and Artistic Integrity
00:05:54 - The Trade-Off of Being a Full-Time Artist
00:08:19 - Evolution as a Cross-Stitch Designer
00:12:28 - Finding Inspiration in Cities
00:20:43 - The Qualities of a Great Dad
00:28:00 - The Impact of Boredom and Politics
00:31:15 - Favourite Albums and Films
00:41:03 - Emma's Fascination with North Korea
00:44:06 - From Opera Singer to Cross-Stitcher
00:46:05 - Creating Large-Scale Cross-Stitch Projects for Interiors

Links:
Website: stitchgawd.com
Instagram: thestitchgawd

Intro music is Loopty Loops by Pandaraps via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com