NeedleXChange

32:50

Prisma Andrade: Making the Ordinary Sacred [NX152]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/09/28

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Prisma Andrade, a Chicago-based fiber and textile artist and recent School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate whose work turns her family's archive into material and asks what makes something sacred. Prisma recreates artworks and photographs from her family, past and present, using weaving, quilting and dye to disrupt the border between painting and textile. In Part 1 we get into sanctity and what becomes sacred, how framing tells us to pay

en

52:44

Margot Peer – Wonky in the Right Way Part 2 [NX151]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/09/21

This is Part 2 of my conversation with mixed-media artist Margot Peer. We open with her breakout piece, "Cross Stitch of Me Crying in My Bathroom When I Was 16," scaled up to a three-foot-by-four-foot, full-body stitching experience in yarn, and the accidental "glitch" of cascading threads that became part of her style. Margot talks candidly about what it means to sit and stitch your own crying face, the difference between documenting a real cry and performing one, and the low-resolution "loophole"

en

54:46

Masey Kaplan - Loose Ends [NX150]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/09/14

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Masey Kaplan, founder of the Loose Ends project, a global community that matches volunteer textile finishers with projects left unfinished by death, illness or disability.Masey launched Loose Ends with a friend after finishing a sweater for a grieving friend; four years on, nearly 40,000 finishers across 83 countries complete everything from quilts to woodworking and return it to the families.We get into the meditative pull of handwork, kindness between

en

37:31

Margot Peer – Wonky in the Right Way [NX149]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/09/07

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Margot Peer, a mixed-media artist and Rhode Island School of Design painting major whose hyperrealistic cross-stitches turn deeply personal photographs into universally resonant images. In Part 1 we get into her love of glitches, malfunctions and failing technology, how painting became the "trunk" that everything else grows out of, and the first cross stitch that started it all (an Aphex Twin album cover). Margot explains why she treats each stitch

en

52:30

REPLAY: Meredith Woolnough | Organic Machine...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/31

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites! This is a repeat of episode #8.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Meredith Woolnough.Meredith Woolnough is an Australian machine embroidery artist whose organic creations are instantly recognisable and simply stunning. Meredith’s art pieces are celebration of the beauty of nature and at the same time, a technical marvel. We talk about her passion for science and nature,

en

46:09

REPLAY: Peter Frederiksen - Tension In His Stitches...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/26

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #64.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Peter Frederiksen.Peter Frederiksen is a Chicago-based artist whose machine embroidered cartoon vignettes are filled with tension and dark humour. In this second part of our NeedleXChange we talk about the craft of old school animation, the joys of living in Chicago and why Peter's titles are in important

en

44:59

REPLAY: Peter Frederiksen - Tension In His Stitches...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/24

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #63.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Peter Frederiksen.Peter Frederiksen is a Chicago-based artist whose machine embroidered cartoon vignettes are filled with tension and dark humour. In this first part of our NeedleXChange we talk about how this particular combination of form and content has become Peter's signature style and how he shines

en

47:00

REPLAY: Stephanie Kelly Clark - Life Is Art Part 2...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/19

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #87.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Stephanie Kelly Clark.Stephanie is a contemporary embroidery artist whose work transforms humble homes and everyday moments into rich visual stories stitched with painterly precision. In this first part of our conversation, we explore her creative upbringing, the role of art in parenting, and her evolving

en

30:42

REPLAY: Stephanie Kelly Clark - Life Is Art [NX086]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/17

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #86. In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Stephanie Kelly Clark.Stephanie is a contemporary embroidery artist whose work transforms humble homes and everyday moments into rich visual stories stitched with painterly precision. In this first part of our conversation, we explore her creative upbringing, the role of art in parenting, and her

en

48:52

REPLAY: Orly Cogan - Modern Fictions Part 2 [NX034]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/12

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #[].In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Orly Cogan.Orly Cogan is a New York-based textile artist whose embroidered fabrics contain other-worldly images of modern concepts with a dream-like twist.In this second part of our NeedleXChange we discover Orly's creative process, how she explores power dynamics in her work, as well as her favourite

en

38:04

REPLAY: Orly Cogan - Modern Fictions [NX033]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/10

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #33.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Orly Cogan.Orly Cogan is a New York-based textile artist whose embroidered fabrics contain other-worldly images of modern concepts with a dream-like twist.In this first part of our NeedleXChange we find out how Orly came to needlework, how her work ties in with the modern art scene and we discover

en

65:14

REPLAY: Diana Weymar - Pricks of Inspiration Part 2...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/05

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites! This is a repeat of episode #56. In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Diana Weymar.Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project, a collaborative needlework project that immortalises quotes from Donald Trump as a crowdsourced documentary of an unusual part of American history. Diana is the author of Crafting A Better World, a

en

43:03

REPLAY: Diana Weymar - Pricks of Inspiration [NX055]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/08/03

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites! This is a repeat of episode #55. In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Diana Weymar.Diana Weymar is an embroidery artist and curator, and founder of the Tiny Pricks project, a collaborative needlework project that immortalises quotes from Donald Trump as a crowdsourced documentary of an unusual part of American history. Diana is the author of Crafting A Better World, a

en

37:43

REPLAY: John Thomas Paradiso | Exotic Embroiderings...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/29

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites! This is a repeat of episode #12.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso.John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years.Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask

en

31:39

REPLAY: John Thomas Paradiso | Exotic Embroiderings...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/27

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites! This is a repeat of episode #11. In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso.John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years.Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask

en

48:46

REPLAY: Emma McKee - On Becoming a StitchGawd in...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/22

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #52. In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Emma McKee.Emma McKee is a Chicago-based cross stitch artist whose work is adored by hip-hop artists and basketball icons.This is the second part of our NeedleXChange and we explore Emma's relationship with Chicago, her love of her Dad, how she has evolved as a designer and we check out her cultural

en

48:03

REPLAY: Emma McKee - On Becoming a StitchGawd in...

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/20

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #51.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Emma McKee.Emma McKee is a Chicago-based cross stitch artist whose work is adored by hip-hop artists and basketball icons.This is the first part of our NeedleXChange and we talk about how Emma came into cross stitch and the circumstances in which her work came to the attention of the hip-hop community. I

en

39:41

REPLAY: Danielle Clough - Making a Racket Part 2 [NX046]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/15

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #46.Danielle is an South African artist known for her vibrant and expressive embroidery work, characterised by bold colours, movement, and layering, creating a visual impact that evokes joy. She believes in the inherent goodness of people and the power of support and validation in fostering self-confidence.This is the second part of our NeedleXChange

en

50:36

REPLAY: Danielle Clough - Making a Racket [NX045]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/13

It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!This is a repeat of episode #45.In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Danielle Clough, aka Fiancé Knowles.Danielle is an South African artist known for her vibrant and expressive embroidery work, characterised by bold colours, movement, and layering, creating a visual impact that evokes joy. She believes in the inherent goodness of people and the power of support and

en

43:04

Róisín Phelan - Making Light of Things Part 2 [NX148]

NeedleXChange ·

2026/07/06

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Róisín Phelan, a contemporary embroidery and textile artist who has built her practice around punch needle.Part 2 opens with practical punch needle wisdom (use the flat "wrong" side for detail, match your needle to your cloth, and keep the fabric taut), then gets into how she taught herself to embroider water and people, why she leans into a blocky, illustrative style rather than photorealism, and where her signature blue figures came from (it started

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

American Public Media

The Moth

The Moth

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

Stage Whisper

Andrew Cortes and Hope Bird

Scary Stories and Rain

Being Scared