NeedleXChange

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 with a single blue felt tip). We range across the books she rereads, music and comfort telly, an Irish Catholic upbringing and a love of mythology, the fun fact that she had a painting in the Tate before she could read, and a generous case for why craft is art and everyone can draw.

Links:

Instagram: roisin_art

Intro music is Heart & Soul by Roots and Recognition via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Róisín Phelan, a contemporary embroidery and textile artist who has built her practice around punch needle.

We start on common ground (a shared love of squared notebooks and to-do lists) before getting into how she creates the visual identity for the family brewery, the cafe, and the Colours coffee company, and how building a whole visual "world" means a new design comes together in an afternoon rather than a fortnight. Róisín talks candidly about being at home with her baby, why making art is how she looks after herself, and how craft lets her switch off and tune in at the same time. We close on the writing behind her images and the story of her seagull piece "It's Never the Lettuce."

Róisín is a lovely person whose practice keeps her grounded, and it was a pleasure to chat with her. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and tune back in next week for the second part of our NeedleXChange.

Links:

Instagram: roisin_art

Intro music is Heart & Soul by Roots and Recognition via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Sean Alistair, a Germany-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for work that mixes beauty, chaos, identity and emotional honesty.

After the first chat, I realised I needed to ask Sean more directly about the work itself, so we spoke again. In this final part, we dig into Sean’s artistic practice: music as a way of naming and feeling the work, anti-war imagery, anger as creative fuel, why “pretty” can be the wrong read, how feedback can help or derail an artist, and how Sean is rebuilding a portfolio and a creative direction after a huge life shift.

Links:

Website: seanalistair.com

Instagram: sean.alistair

Intro music is Main Line (Instrumental Version) by Torii Wolf via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Sean Alistair, a Germany-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for work that mixes beauty, chaos, identity and emotional honesty.

In this part, we move from the studio into parenthood. Sean talks about becoming a dad, the strange way men are praised for basic childcare, how having a baby interrupts and reshapes a creative life, and the difference between Sean Alistair the artist and Sean the dad. We also spin through Sean's cultural touchpoints, but the conversation was so good that I omitted to dig into Sean's artistic practice. So tune in next week for that part of the chat!

Links:

Website: seanalistair.com

Instagram: sean.alistair

Intro music is Main Line (Instrumental Version) by Torii Wolf via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Sean Alistair, a Germany-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for work that mixes beauty, chaos, identity and emotional honesty.

In this first part we focus on Into the Wild, the exhibition Sean curated to build community rather than simply put work on walls. We talk about diversity without tokenism, what it means to be an outsider artist, labels like queer, bipolar and textile artist, and how Sean thinks about making, destroying and remaking work as part of the same creative life.

Links:

Website: seanalistair.com

Instagram: sean.alistair

Intro music is Main Line (Instrumental Version) by Torii Wolf via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre.

In this part we get into Maressia and Bataille's idea that the post-industrial body isn't allowed to rest, what slow work has taught Renan about his own queerness, why textile slips past the censors in ways photography doesn't, his current Marseille solo show L'Homme Renommé, and his cultural touchpoints.

Links:

Website: renanestivan.com

Instagram: renan.estivan

Intro music is Ordinary Love by Vicki Vox via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre.

In Part 1 we get into his mum's Arraíolos rugs and the embroidery tradition she passed on, choosing design at UNESP over art, how the pandemic in Salvador collided with a pixel-art drawing to spark his first erotic cross stitch, his shift onto the tufting gun, and the Brazilian tapestry lineage running from Kennedy Bahia and Tropicália through Leonilson.

Links:

Website: renanestivan.com

Instagram: renan.estivan

Intro music is Ordinary Love by Vicki Vox via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Shea Wilkinson, a contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for switching mediums to protect their balance - and chasing the next beautiful pattern.

Shea talks candidly about quitting quilting “at the snap of a finger,” taking a two-year hiatus from art, and why felting became a healthier, slower practice - less addictive, less competition-driven, and more sustainable day to day.

We get into process and motivation (including using audiobooks to pull yourself into the studio), plus how parenthood sparked a new series idea: photographing soap bubbles up close as bifurcation/fractal landscapes. And yes - we end on sequins, shiny things, and the weirdly deep joy of sparkle.

Links:

Website: sheawilkinson.com

Intro music is Martyr by Nevin via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Shea Wilkinson, a contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for turning big questions into fibre work - from the cosmic to the microscopic.

Shea’s practice moves between felt backgrounds, needle felting, hand embroidery, beading, and a research-led obsession with things like crystals, geometry, and the mystery of what we can’t quite explain.

Links:

Website: sheawilkinson.com

Intro music is Martyr by Nevin via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Charlotte Wood, a mixed media artist known for exploring the beauty in ugliness through character-led, emotionally resonant work.

Charlotte trained through an MA in embroidery and works across hand, machine, and sculptural textile approaches - with a deep curiosity for how craft and experimentation collide.

We go deep on her making: learning the rules before breaking them, moving from perfectionism towards controlled chaos, what commercial embroidery taught her about speed and being “less precious”, and how her technician/teaching role (plus special effects + foam fabrication skills) are shaping what she wants to build next.

Links:

Instagram: woodsembroidery

Website: woodsembroidery.weebly.com

Intro music is Ever So Blue by Hearth via Epidemic Sound.

About NeedleXChange

An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.

Stay Connected

needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews

mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn