Cross Stitch Episodes

In this episode of NeedleXChange I continue my interview Lord Libidan, the Yorkshire-based cross stitch designer, blogger and author. Part 2 is all about the making: his new self-published alphabets book - 110 monochrome patterns, affordable and built to actually be used. We dig into designing letters inside pixel constraints, inventing a "fake 70s" style AI could never imagine, his book back catalogue (Star Trek to Hello Kitty), and how he juggles Sashiko, a tabletop RPG and the famous Pokémo...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Lord Libidan, the Yorkshire-based cross stitch designer, blogger and author. In Part 1 we trace how a rained-off summer and a tiny Highland cow kit grew into a blog, a design habit and a reputation as the craft’s information guy - then nerd out on threads (scented, glow-in-the-dark, neon and the wool comeback), the quiet DMC/Anchor monopoly, why DMC’s colour numbers make no sense, and what AI slop is doing to cross stitch. Links Instagram: lordlibid...

What happens when you spend hours stitching your own crying face? In Part 2, Margot Peer talks me through the piece that made that question literal: a three-by-four-foot cross stitch in yarn, complete with an accidental cascade of threads. Start with Part 1 [NX149]. In this episode The difference between documenting a cry and performing one How a stitched animation took six months, and what happened when she tried glow-in-the-dark materials Where needlework fits in fine art school, ...

Margot Peer turns deeply personal photographs into hyperrealistic cross stitches. An Aphex Twin album cover got her started, and a love of glitches helped her find her own way around the grid. Continue with Part 2 [NX151]. In this episode How painting informs her stitch work Why using a pattern converter can feel like cheating What a 1930s typewriter art movement taught her about the grid My pick for your next listen If you liked hearing how Margot turns personal photographs int...

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 cu...

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 #51. 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 first part of our NeedleXChange and we talk about how Emma came into cross stitch and the circumstances in which her work came to the attention of the hip-hop co...

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre. In this part we get into Maressia and Bataille's idea that the post-industrial body isn't allowed to rest, what slow work has taught Renan about his own queerness, why textile slips past the censors in ways photography doesn't, his current Marseille solo show L'Homme Renommé, and his cultural touchpoints....

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre. In Part 1 we get into his mum's Arraíolos rugs and the embroidery tradition she passed on, choosing design at UNESP over art, how the pandemic in Salvador collided with a pixel-art drawing to spark his first erotic cross stitch, his shift onto the tufting gun, and the Brazilian tapestry lineage running fr...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Charlie Reeder aka Stitchsperation. Charlie is a cross stitch designer with an unashamedly joyful aesthetic. In this first part of our NeedleXChange, we talk imposter syndrome, naming the inner critic (“Brenda”), and how stitching can be a safe, meditative place to build confidence. Charlie shares ideas around stitched affirmations and repetition, plus the beginnings of Stitchsperation: bold typographic work, painted backgrounds, and designing what...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Charlie Reeder aka Stitchsperation. Charlie is a cross stitch designer with an unashamedly joyful aesthetic. In this first part of our NeedleXChange, we talk imposter syndrome, naming the inner critic (“Brenda”), and how stitching can be a safe, meditative place to build confidence. Charlie shares ideas around stitched affirmations and repetition, plus the beginnings of Stitchsperation: bold typographic work, painted backgrounds, and designing what...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Robert John Hodge. Robert John Hodge makes cross-stitch work based on Renaissance sculptures, using a CMYK / screenprint-style layering approach and recurring Wingdings symbols. In this half we jump into Robert’s newer series - smaller, quicker pieces that work like little stitched collages: videogames, screenshots, photos, culture… and, for reasons we absolutely get into, a whole run of nuclear weapons tests. Part 2 is where we widen out into the ...

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Robert John Hodge. Robert John Hodge makes cross-stitch work based on Renaissance sculptures, using a CMYK / screenprint-style layering approach and recurring Wingdings symbols. We talk about being a finalist in the Hand & Lock Embroidery Prize, how the work is technically constructed (layer splitting, tonal shifts, letting the fabric show through to speed stitching), and the bigger ideas underneath it: art vs craft, nostalgia, digital “glitch” lang...