Craftivism Episodes

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Kirstie McLeod . Kirstie is a textile artist whose career has spanned performance installations, couture wedding dresses, and large-scale garments that test the limits of fabric and endurance. Kirstie is the artist behind the Red Dress, a 13-year global collaboration of 380 embroiderers from 51 countries. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:30 - The Stories Behind the Wearers 00:07:48 - The Calico Garment Initiative 00:18:13 - The Emotional Jour...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Kirstie McLeod . Kirstie is a textile artist whose career has spanned performance installations, couture wedding dresses, and large-scale garments that test the limits of fabric and endurance. In 2009 Kirstie launched The Red Dress embroidery project, something that has become far greater than anyone could have anticipated. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:07:00 - The Evolution of the Red Dress Project 00:12:23 - The Impact of Collaboration 00:1...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I continue my interview with Tal Fitzpatrick.Tal is a socially engaged artist and craftivist whose practice explores how making can give people agency and foster connection.We explore the philosophy underpinning her work, from dissensus and the importance of tension in activism to the pitfalls of toxic positivity. Tal reflects on the ripple effects of collaborative projects, how making can empower people to find their voices, and the role of connection in socially engaged textile practice.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Tal Fitzpatrick.Tal is a socially engaged artist and craftivist whose quilts and textile projects blend creativity with activism.We talk about her artistic journey from early influences, including her grandmother’s politically charged textile works, through to her PhD in craftivism as DIY citizenship. Tal shares stories of working in disaster recovery communities, how that shaped her understanding of art’s power, and the origins of major projects like the PM Please Quilt and the global Universal Declaration of Human Rights Quilt Project.

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir.Claire is a textile storyteller whose work transforms scraps of family life - old clothes, baby socks, even diaper cloth - into intimate quilts and stitched offerings.We explore the second phase of her practice: community, upcycling, and the emotional weight textiles can carry. Claire shares how she’s embraced memory quilting, involved her children in the process, and honoured personal history through fabric. We also talk about the online communities that have shaped her artistic journey and the joy of letting go - by giving her stitched offerings away.

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir.Claire is a self-taught textile artist who uses embroidery as a storytelling tool to explore memory, motherhood, and creative discipline.We discuss her two 52-week stitched story projects - how they emerged from a desire to carve out creative space amidst the chaos of parenting, and how small weekly acts of making became a powerful tool for self-discovery. Claire reflects on the freedom found in constraint, the messiness of memory, and what happens when we stitch the ordinary moments of our lives into fabric.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Holly Searle.Holly is a visual artist who transforms vintage tea towels into striking, subversive works of textile art,In this second part of our NeedleXChange, the conversation turns fully to Holly’s Tea Towel Project - a growing collection of over 180 vintage textiles transformed into bold, felt-lettered artworks.Holly discusses the power of protest through domestic materials, how she balances sharp commentary with playfulness, and why she believes textile art can speak volumes about the world we live in.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Holly Searle.Holly is a visual artist who transforms vintage tea towels into striking, subversive works of textile art,In the first part of the NeedleXChange, Holly talks about the origins of her creativity - from childhood memories and charity shop treasures to her fascination with nostalgic and domestic objects.Holly shares how personal history, humour, and a love of the overlooked inform her practice, and we begin to explore the foundations of her acclaimed Tea Towel Project.

Bren Ahearn is a needlework artist using samplers to unpack masculinity, memory and social conditioning.

Bren Ahearn is a needlework artist using samplers to unpack masculinity, memory and social conditioning.

Sarah Corbett is founder of the Craftivist Collective and an advocate for change via gentle activism.

Vanessa Marr is an artist and lecturer whose work explores the invisible labour of women through textiles.

Vanessa Marr is an artist and lecturer whose work explores the invisible labour of women through textiles.

Betsy Greer is a writer, speaker and advocate for the benefits of craft as a tool for change.

Betsy Greer is a writer, speaker and advocate for the benefits of craft as a tool for change.

Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project.

Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project.

Marcia Bennett Male is a textile artist whose work explore her experiences as a black woman living in modern Britain, and focus on black historical figures.

Marcia Bennett Male is a textile artist whose work explore her experiences as a black woman living in modern Britain, and focus on black historical figures.