Hazel Bruce has been a textile artist and educator since 1990, exhibiting nationally and internationally. She is a member of the 62 Group, a lecturer in Textile Art and Embroidery at Ulster University and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Her work has recently been shown at the World of Threads Festival in Canada, the Miniartextile Borderline exhibition (organised by Arte & Arte in Italy) and the 8th International Biennial of Contemporary Mini Textile Art ‘Scythia‘ in Ukraine.

Hazel’s work explores pattern found in the urban landscape. She prefers to re-use textiles and is inspired by the age-old practices of mending, piecing and patching. She patches together found fabric, then builds up blocks of satin stitch texture using Irish machine stitching, adding hand-stitches to finish each piece. There is a tactile quality to her work, combined with a mesmerising use of pattern repetition with muted, calm colours.

As a university lecturer, she teaches her students techniques to help them start new projects. She uses these methods herself to guide her creative development process. In this interview, Hazel shares how she looks for repeated patterns in the urban world around her, then uses sampling and drawing to research composition ideas. Learn how to use these methods yourself and kick-start your next project.

Initiated by her traditional Italian family’s evening ritual of communal embroidery and crocheting sessions, the textile art of Patrizia Polese today commands a place in international exhibitions with her 2 and 3-dimensional woven art forms.

Using yarn, wire and other natural materials, she is inspired by creatures, plants and minerals and their connection with humans and the world that they perceive. Incorporating other visual art techniques such as drawing, painting and photography, Patrizia creates installations and regularly contributes to exhibitions in Italy, France and around the world. Her work has appeared in both group and solo exhibitions including Miniartextile in Venice and France, XXI Milan Triennal – Women in Italian Design, and XIV Tapestries Triennial, in the Central Museum of Tapestries, Lodz, Poland.

Hailing from the town of Treviso, the home of international clothing retailer Benetton, she has been a contributor to projects with fashion and industrial design companies alike. She also loves to teach ‘the art of the loom’ in private and public schools and runs her own workshops.

In this interview, Patrizia tells how, from humble beginnings, the childhood love of fibre instilled in her by her family founds its way, first to Milan and then to the international stage. She weaves the story of how she could not resist the calling of the nearby Milan arts school – and how that sparked the deepening, creative relationship with the materials she employs in her work today.

Kieta Jackson fashions intriguing sculptured artefacts using woven metal strands and sheet copper that weathers over time.

She weaves fine gauge wire on a loom to produce a tactile fabric that is both hard and soft at the same time. This material is then manipulated into sculpted shapes reminiscent of museum archaeological treasures or beach finds shaped by the sea. Her methods include distressing of the fabric and leaving loose threads to suggest corrosion and ageing of the piece.

A lifelong interest in archaeological relics and unusual objects shapes her work.

Kieta earned her degree in Textile Art at Norwich School of Art and Design in 1999. She was awarded a Distinction at the 5th Baltic Biennial of Miniature Weavers; Poland. Her published works include Jac Scott’s book ‘Textile Perspective in Mixed Media Sculptures’ (2003), British Fibre Art Magazine (Spring 2015) and Peripheral ARTeries (2017).

Emily Jo Gibbs notices the little things, and that’s what makes her work remarkable. Whether noticing the shape of a knobbly stick or the worn handle of a well-used tool, Emily Jo creates hand-stitched textiles with a delicate graphic quality.

Emily literally builds layers of sheer beauty, creating simple yet intricate collages of silk organza pieces and thread work. This article gives you an inside look into that special creative process using her “Beaker with Brushes” textile piece as an example.

Emily is a member of Contemporary Applied Arts, The 62 Group of Textile Artists and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In addition to her commission-based practice. She also teaches regularly at West Dean College and Embroiderers Guilds.

From 1993-2006, Emily was the Creative Director of Emily Jo Gibbs luxury handbags. Her works during that period are exhibited in The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Crafts Council Collection, and the Museum of Fine Art in Houston.

Latvian born, award-winning fibre artist, Zetta Kanta, uses only natural fibres for her tactile wallhangings. Working from her home in Melbourne, Australia, she uses wool and silk to create impressionist-style, modern wallhangings and tapestries that resemble paintings, rather than a non-woven fabric.

It was only after six years of travelling with her talented musician husband, and a foray into freelance graphic design, fashion design and DJing, that she decided to pursue an art course that birthed her love affair with wool.

Along with a passion for fair-trade and environmental sustainability that sees her sourcing wool from local rescue sheep and silk from producers that keep the silkworm alive, she favours softness in her work. This, she believes, promotes healing in the home and a sense of calm in busy public or office spaces.

Zetta Kanta: High Country Sunrise, 2017, Wool, silk, bamboo. Felted. Handspun yarn embroidery