There’s only so much you can do with a needle and thread… right? Meet three bold, creative artists dismantling that idea, and hopefully inspiring your next crafty endeavour.
Kristin Stattin
Kristin Stattin is a Swedish-born, France-based textile artist whose work lies between embroidery and abstract painting: she builds beautifully layered compositions with thread. Stattin relies on a limited set of techniques, primarily straight stitch, applied in varied lengths, as well as dense clusters of French knots. Stattin places great value on mindfulness in her practice, describing her process as “an exercise into being in the now, with my thoughts, feelings, senses, and to translate my inner voice through line, shape and colour”.
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Bethany Duffy
Instead of treating thread as a surface medium, Derbyshire-based Bethany Duffy uses it as a binding and connecting force, often creatively incorporating natural materials like seashells. Duffy is trained in classic hand embroidery techniques, goldwork, blackwork, whitework, stumpwork, canvas work and crewel work — and all of these elements are threaded into her practice!
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Joan Schulze
Joan Schulze is one of the key figures in contemporary art quilting, but her practice extends far beyond traditional textile work. She’s known for transforming fabric into layered visual narratives that incorporate collage, photography, painting, and print processes. Besides this, Schulze is also a lecturer and a poet — talk about a multidisciplinary creator!
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