2015 was very tough for Mary Carson. Early in the year, her beloved brother died from brain cancer and in December her mother passed away after suffering from Parkinson’s and dementia. Mary’s world was turned upside down and she struggled to escape her sad thoughts. That’s when she found sanctuary in stitching.

Mary had always been, in her own words, ‘a maker of sorts’ but hadn’t stitched in any dedicated fashion for nearly 40 years.

As a child, growing up in Milwaukee, Mary inherited a love of fabric from her seamstress grandmother. Then as a young woman in the 60s and 70s, Mary started sewing out of necessity; she is tall and at the time stores didn’t stock garments to fit her frame. But she started to resent having to make her own clothes and as soon as designs became available in her size, she walked away from sewing.

After a four-decade break, hand-stitching helped Mary find a sense of peace; the challenge of turning fabric and thread into visual stories provided a welcome distraction from her grief.

Hailed by Small Business Saturday UK as one of the most talented artists they’ve ever come across, Kent-based painter Emily Tull has forged an enviable reputation for herself over the last 20 years – most recently for her embroidered images.

Originally specialising as a painter in her Fine Art degree, it was only whilst stitching hessian onto a wooden frame that she had a light-bulb moment that moved her to stitch across the canvas itself.

Today she creates portraits and wildlife artworks by hand-stitching onto vintage and recycled materials. Her contemporary and versatile style of embroidered imagery has been recreated onto cards, limited edition prints, tote bags and cushion covers.

A regular participant in solo and groups shows, mainly in Kent and London, Emily has also won several awards. In 2017 she won the Kent Creative Award – Visual Arts (Non-Digital). She won first prize for ‘I Am Here’ in The Brain and Mental Health Exhibition at UCL in 2015, and her artworks have been displayed in the Mall Galleries Royal Academy Summer Show and been shortlisted in the Winter Pride Prize and the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize. In 2014 she was a contestant in the Sky Arts Portrait Artist Of The Year competition.

A strange thing happened about a year ago: my stitches were getting smaller. Stranger still, neither my technique nor my materials had changed. Not wanting to admit to waning eyesight, I instead decided “lighting” was the problem.

So I scoured the Internet for fellow stitchers’ task lamp reviews, and I ultimately chose the Stella desk lamp. Indeed the brighter light made a huge difference, and I decided problem solved.

But about six months later, my stitches started shrinking again! My day of reckoning had arrived. My ageing eyes needed more support, so I purchased my first pair of reading glasses. Ta-da! Just as chocolate goes with peanut butter, so, too does a good lamp and some type of magnifying lens. I could see everything literally in a whole new light.

I thought I was a genius in discovering my winning combo until the Brightech company recently reached out to Textileartist.org to review their Lightview Pro XL lamp. What? A magnifying lens attached to a lamp? I leapt at the opportunity, and after just one use, there was no looking back (sorry… I had to use that pun somewhere).

Imagine tackling your next textile art project as an athlete would. Setting daily, weekly and monthly goals. Tracking your progress in meeting those goals. Researching and analysing what does and does not work.

That’s exactly the challenge textile artist Marilyn Rathbone undertook when the Olympics came to London in 2012. She decided to literally “train” for a 100-metre dash in the most unexpected and creative way an artist could. And she learned as much about herself as she did her art.

This article showcases Marilyn’s creative process that combines research with technique. You’ll learn how she uses seemingly “ordinary” materials and just a handful of “simple” techniques to create extraordinary and compelling works of art.

You’ll also learn about her more recent exploration into illustrating mathematics. Both her stories of the process and understanding of the concepts will surprise and delight.

Caroline Bartlett could be described as a “historian in stitch.” Her passion for exploring the historical, social and cultural associations of textiles result in art installations that take your breath away.

Her work entitled “Stilled” is a prime example. As you’ll discover in this article, every material choice—from threads to hoops to fabrics—has a significant historical connection to the space in which the work was installed.

In the newest article from our From Conception to Creation series, you’ll also discover how Caroline breaks traditional boundaries of how textile art is displayed and viewed. Her works are not neatly framed and hung on a wall. Instead, Caroline takes over entire spaces and literally suspends her work in ways that engage viewers like no other.

Examples of Caroline’s work can be seen in various public, corporate and private collections, including those of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Crafts Council. Her work has also appeared in over 35 national and international exhibitions since 2000.