The Stitch Safari Podcast

Far from being either small or insignificant, women's tie-on pockets, of which many were embroidered, were a portable and flexible item, forming insights into the lives of women and the things that mattered to them.

Maison Lesage is a French dynastic embroidery house that now operates under the brand Chanel.  Its history dates back as far as Napoleon III.  This episode begins with WWII.

Say hello to the stunningly beautiful, elegantly innovative and seductively alluring world of French Haute Couture embroidery and The House of Lesage - a journey through the who's who of couturiers worldwide and the French embroidery house that helped interpret their dreams in stitch.

A fascinating journey into three extremely simple embroidery techniques that have grown to encompass and embrace modern technology and advances, yet are basically worked exactly as our ancient forebears would have worked them.

This episode is about deep-diving to unearth some of the more unique and unusual tools and materials created by utilising Mother Nature.

Mexican Otomi embroidery, or the more simplified Tenangos embroidery, is a vibrant celebration of riotous colour using a mix of both ancient and modern culture, showing the Otomi's ability to overcome adversity.

Used for centuries, the exoskeletons or hard outer casings of the Jewel Beetle, have been incorporated into decorative jewellery, objects and stunning embroidery.

In this episode, the focus is on three very distinctive embroidery techniques easily associated with India - Indian Shisha work, Phulkari embroidery and the often overlooked, yet exotically beautiful Beatle Wing embroidery.

Indian Kantha embroidery breathes new life into old textiles and is one of India’s most treasured examples of artisanship.  The basis of the art of Kantha is the spiritual practice of ‘making whole again that which is fragmented or broken.’

Welcome to the kaleidoscope that is Indian textiles - a vividly colourful and unendingly inspiring world where embroidery, design and techniques are as varied as the very culture of India itself.