The Dress Diary: Secrets from a Woman’s Wardrobe by Kate Strasdin Fashion historian Kate Strasdin was given a book, which appeared to be someone’s scrapbook (literally). It’s an old album of fabric swatches from the very middle of the 19th century—from 1838-1890—which the giver found at a flea market in 1960.  Historians are drawn to collections. …

I recently had the pleasure of attending the May session of the Material Grrrlz Club, a monthly gathering of fibre artists in Brixton, London. Within the conference room of Brixton’s 3Space International House, the atmosphere buzzed with creativity and camaraderie. Workshop participants eagerly reconnected with one another, sharing details about their current projects, which yarn …

The name Chimeras pays homage to the legendary fire-breathing monster from Greek mythology, known for its composite features of a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. My works explore themes of hybridization, transformation, and interconnectedness. To make these sculptural quilts, I source inspiration from the botanical chimeras—plants or plant parts that are …

Intelligent Hands: why making is a skill for life by Charlotte Abrahams & Katy Bevan This examination into numerous places where craft and hand work is alive, well and serving people of all kinds is strictly British—beginning with a discussion of tacit knowledge as well as the purpose of practice and repetition of tasks in …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce Hunter / Gatherer, our Spring 2024 edition of Surface Design Journal. “As hunter-gatherers, our paleolithic forebearers foraged natural resources until about 12,000 years ago when archaeological evidence of agricultural practices started to appear. Our nomadic lifestyle waned as humans built permanent settlements and domesticated plants and animals. This issue …

Radical Fiber: Threads Connecting Art and Science edited by Rebecca McNamara Imagine you’re holding a knitted mass of colorful yarns. As you turn it over in your hands, the genius of this anatomical model called Knitted Brain #2 begins to reveal itself. Tightly coiled fibers represent sections of the brain with greater cellular density, while …

Dressing With Purpose: Belonging and Resistance in Scandinavia edited by Carrie Hertz The full cover of Dressing With Purpose is a photo of what appears to be a celebratory procession, prominently featuring flags of Norway and Sápmi, the Sámi people’s land. All the participants appear to be wearing culturally significant clothing. This image begs questions: …

The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the right Thing to Black Panther by Ruth E. Carter It seems to me that the debate of form versus function might be an eternal struggle for a costume designer. One might love the look of a costume, but will it …

I have a naturally tight craft hand, but this neatness is betrayed with one glance at the back of one of my pieces. I begin my embroideries with as little planning as possible—inviting colors to build and shapes to form as I stitch—leaving long floats in my wake. These floats look like brushstrokes, deliberate marks …

My current project, 3 Dykes Walk into a Bar…, involves tapestries, embroidered work, and textile sculpture that reveal three characters who are young dykes—coming of age between the 1990s and now. This work unfolds in a non-linear way, reflecting on the chaos and instability of the characters’ experiences.  The tapestries resemble film stills—acting as excerpts …