Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir

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.