Mixed Media Episodes

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Lesley Wheeler. Lesley is a poet, quilter, and textile artist whose work merges narrative, symbolism, and stitch. In this second half we discuss her development as a maker — from trusting her intuition with complex textile projects to learning embroidery, lace, and machine techniques. Lesley talks about fabric collecting, playful side projects that keep her creativity flowing, and how pop culture and music filter into her practice, from Busta Rhymes back patches to Beatles-inspired tarot cards. We also cover her favorite books, films, and poets, and the broader inspirations that shape her artistic life.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Lesley Wheeler. Lesley is a poet, quilter, and textile artist who brings tarot symbolism to life through fabric and thread. In this first half of our conversation we explore how she approaches tarot as both a meditative tool and a form of visual storytelling, her PhD in confessional poetry, and the ways writing and textiles draw from the same creative well. Lesley shares how quilting became a sustaining practice during lockdown, the historical tarot decks that inspire her, and her ideas about liminality, accessibility, and making art that exists beyond traditional institutions.

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 Melissa English Campbell. Melissa is a textile artist known for her experimental weaving practice that pushes the boundaries of pattern, structure, and meaning. In this second half of our conversation, Melissa shares how her signature style emerged -from weaving mirrored fabrics and incorporating sticks to reflecting on cultural history and appropriation. We also explore her teaching experience, her influences, and how music and podcasts keep her company in the studio.

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Melissa English Campbell. Melissa is a textile artist whose weaving combines painting, double-layer structures, and found objects to create works that shift between glitch-like distortion and serene beauty. In this first half of our conversation, Melissa talks about her upbringing across Europe and the US, how dyslexia shaped her way of thinking, and how she discovered weaving as a language of memory, disruption, and resilience.

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 Deborah Simon. Deborah is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and embroiderer whose work brings together faux fur, anatomy and a touch of the otherworldly. In this second half, we dive into how she moved beyond bears to create her transparent rabbits, how she experiments with organ systems, goldwork and reliquaries - and why she pushes herself to follow the ideas that make her most uncomfortable.

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Deborah Simon. Deborah is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and embroiderer known for her hauntingly beautiful bears and rabbits that blend faux fur, taxidermy and anatomy. We talk about her early influences, how she went from painting to sculpture, and why she’s so fascinated by the tension between the cuddly teddy bear and the deadly wild bear - plus how camping trips and natural history books shaped her work.

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.

CARO is a multidisciplinary artist who intertwines metalwork and embroidery to explore themes of time, devotion, and material storytelling.

CARO is a multidisciplinary artist who intertwines metalwork and embroidery to explore themes of time, devotion, and material storytelling.

Alison Carpenter-Hughes is a machine embroidery artist stitching emotion, texture, and storytelling into every piece.

Alison Carpenter-Hughes is a machine embroidery artist stitching emotion, texture, and storytelling into every piece.

Andrew Crummy is the designer of the Great Tapestry of Scotland

Andrew Crummy is the designer of the Great Tapestry of Scotland

Salley Mavor is a mixed media artist whose folk-art inspired vignettes tell stories of light and dark.

Salley Mavor is a mixed media artist whose folk-art inspired vignettes tell stories of light and dark.

Melissa Zexter is a Brooklyn-based artist whose embroidered photographs explore memory and meaning.

Melissa Zexter is a Brooklyn-based artist whose embroidered photographs explore memory and meaning.