Talking Threads & Textile Art – Inspiration on TV

Talking Threads is a new, magazine style program, targeted specifically at the ever-increasing market for textile art that aims to inspire people to be creative with fabric. It is shown on The Country Channel, on Sky TV, but you can view it online and get lots of inspiration from it. I’ve watched these programs several time and have already started to experiment with some of the techniques you learn in them! Go check them out! I’ve made a list for easy access. Enjoy!

Talking Threads videos

Jill Kennedy – Episode 1 of Talking Threads features textile artist and teacher Jill Kennedy. She paints big colorful flowers with resists and silk paint on fabric!

Gilda Baron – Episode 2 features stitcher and teacher Gilda Baron who does fabric painting into landscapes where she combines machine and hand sewing stitching.

Di Wells – Episode 3 features patchworker and quilter Di Wells who stitches black thread onto tissue paper!

Kim Thittichai – Episode 4 of Talking Threads is about painting and melting tyvek

Fay Maxwell -Episode 5 features textile artist and teacher Fay Maxwell. She is my favorite in this series, and her method of slicing fabric intrigues me!

Linda Miller – who draws with the sewing machine like an artist, from sketch to free form stitching that is pictorial. Adorable stuff!

Myfanwy Hart shows us how to dye your own fabrics with cold-water dies.

Anne Griffiths – in episode 8 Anne shows her big sketchbooks and how to use water soluble fabric to create lacy effects on the sewing machine.

Angie Hughes – Episode 9 features multi-media artist Angie Hughes that creates landscapes using bondaweb and transfer foils onto black velvet. Mmm!

At the Talking Threads homepage you can buy these videos as DVD:s, they are made by the same people that made the DVD Inspired Quilt and Printmaking that I reviewed last week! But for now, they are still online and you can check them out for free, along with the Christmas specials. These videos are like a golden basket of inspiration!

And there is more! You have to check all these out. Enjoy!

Free form machine embroidery

Stitch Images Part 1 – Images in different media with Jan Beany
Stitch Images II – Free machinery embroidery with Jan Beany

Textile Artist inspiration

A special program featuring interviews with five well-known textile artists, in which they reveal the influences on their work. They explain the methods used to record their ideas and the techniques employed to create their exciting works of art, featuring Julia Caprara among others!

Inspirations Part 1
Inspirations Part 2
Inspirations Part 3

Bead Embroidery

This is the latest series of programs I’ve been enjoying. The art of bead embroidery is new and wonderous. The first show starts kind of silly with two ladies buying beads, but then the whole series is about how you can make your own beads from fabric, yarn and other materials! I think it’s full of inspiration, I hope you do too.

Bead Embroidery Part 1
Bead Embroidery Part 2
Bead Emroidery Part 3
Bead Embroidery Part 4

That’s it for today. Time to create something!