Egyptian-French artist Ghada Amer has a widely varied practice spanning sculpture, printmaking, video and installation, but she is arguably best known for her alternative embroidered paintings. From a distance, they might look like expressionistic canvases, but peek closer and they are laced with hidden elements of erotica aimed not for the male gaze, but for…
Stitching and Subversion: The Erotic Embroidery of Ghada Amer
I am impatient. It’s one of the few bad qualities I have that I don’t actually feel bad about. I’m a foot tapper, a lane changer and for my sins, the kind of sewist who would cut straight into the good fabric. And of course, if you’re the same, you’ll know the highs and lows…
Indulgent shades of crimson and plum like Red Lilac were a recurring feature in the work of French intimiste painter Edouard Vuillard, depicting the lavish interiors and elaborately dressed women that set the stage for his life in late 19th and early 20th century Paris. Predominantly a painter of quiet, intimate indoor scenes brimming with…
With a history spanning five centuries, the Navajo (or Diné) weavers of the Southwest United States are among the greatest and most influential innovators the US has ever produced. Their traditional weavings and garments throughout American history are undoubtedly fascinating artefacts with rich stories to tell about the lives and spiritual beliefs of Native Americans….
Since I am such a fan of linen, its benefits and natural properties plus the look and feel of this beautiful fabric, this is an easy list to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you feel inspired to get sewing. Here are my favorite patterns to sew with…
Muted, elegant shades of grey and brown like UMBRA were transformed in the hands of Joseph Mallord William Turner into leaden skies and turbulent seas, capturing a raw and brutal side of nature capable of destroying anything in its midst. In Turner’s late paintings, we see the sublime awe and drama of sea storms coming…
Look closely at any traditional bordered garment made by the Navajo Weavers of Arizona, and it is likely that you’ll notice a small, but deliberate imperfection; a line of contrasting thread running from the inner design field into the outer layer. This line of thread is a release point from where the maker’s ch’ihónít’i, or…
I have done several pattern reviews for Fabrics-Store and I can say they are some of my favorites. When I begin a new project, I like to do a generalized Pinterest search to get inspiration. It helps me to imagine how I am going to style a garment before beginning to sew. After doing the…
Linen has been one of my favourite fabrics to sew and wear ever since I started sewing. It has the perfect blend of drape and structure, it can be the most satisfying fabric to work with, and it’s an absolute dream to wear in all seasons. Today I’m sharing seven of my favourite sewing patterns…
Fashion designer and multi-disciplinary artist Adriana Meunié makes work which responds to the traditional materials and crafts of Mallorca, where she grew up and now resides. She works with raw, organic materials such as wool and raffia to create weavings and garments loaded with richly sensorial, tactile properties, asking us to consider their roots as…
Summer pants, the ever-elusive search. When asked to make a pattern for the thread from the FS pattern catalog, I wanted to highlight a pattern which I haven’t come across much. I love a good linen pant especially one that would work for both work meetings and a night out with the girls. Mykonos is…
The warm, soft hue of CAMEL can be seen throughout the art of daring French realist painter Gustave Courbet, a raw, human, and naturalistic hue that allowed him to convey the humble, truthful elements of nature with great clarity and honesty. While Courbet might have attracted the most controversy and attention for his politicised figurative…
If you have read other articles of mine you may see a theme in what I tend to sew. Big pants. Button-ups. But I have been leaning into sewing dresses over the last couple of seasons and it has been a journey. A journey both fun as well as…exhausting? Is that the right word? As…
This past summer, I invested an extraordinary amount of time and creative energy into sewing what makes me happy. This broken record is called “Dopamine Sewing,” lest you not forget, haha. As the summer ended it was important for me to continue to practice this kind of sewing into fall: if it makes [me] happy…
With her remarkable sleight of hand, American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt was able to capture the breezy, airy effortlessness of daylight falling across the clothing and skin of her subjects. Cool pastel shades like BLUE QUARTZ were one tool in her armoury that she would return to over and over, for its ability to convey…
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