One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about lace is how diverse it is. As a word it might seem limited to many; but as a family of techniques the scope for experimentation and creative expression is limitless. In this episode I wanted to give you a personal introduction to each of the artists/designers who will be presenting at the symposium in June. Behind each piece of work there is a story and a person who believes in the value of making lace by hand. To read more about each of the presenters and find links to their websites and social media profiles click here: https://www.doilyf ..read more

The last 22 months of the pandemic have had such a profound effect on the way we connect with each other and share our work with the world. In the case of TextileSupport and Doily Free Zone this has meant some HUGE (but very exciting!) changes. TextileSupport & the TextileStories podcast have been retired to allow me to devote more time and energy to the new digital version of DFZ. In this first mini-episode of the Doily Free Zone podcast I wanted to explain some of these changes and outline the changes that I have made. Looking forward to this new journey with you all ..read more

Two weeks have passed since the first online edition of Doily Free Zone and I wanted to share 21 lessons I learned along the way... When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in March last year many things were cancelled; workshops, exhibitions, tours...and in that overwhelming wave of uncertainty the 2021 Doily Free Zone symposium was nearly cancelled as well... BUT then I realised something; there was a general air of defeat creeping into my life and into the world that surrounded me so I decided to turn the ship around and transform the symposium and lace camp into an online event. The original p ..read more

Some textiles have such a unique, magical quality that it seems inevitable that they should be shrouded in mystery; sea silk, or byssus as it is also known, is one such fibre. The extraordinary golden thread spun from the beards of giant Mediterranean mussels has been known since ancient times but has always remained one of the worlds rarest fibres due to the complex nature of its production. In recent years it has garnered quite a bit of media attention with stories of “last woman in the world” to work this precious fibre…particularly on social media. But is this really the case? In this epis ..read more

For any creative person there is nothing better than being in the state of flow; when you are so engaged with your work that time disappears and there is no other place you would rather be. This is a true sign of being on the right path, of having found your special creative outlet and it is a beautiful thing. This week on TextileStories it was wonderful to chat with London-based Italian designer Giacomo Bevanati about his creative journey from a background in product design and architecture to a freelance artistic career making exquisite wearable sculptures and collaborating with fashion desi ..read more

Have you ever started working in a medium, transferring your approach from another only to discover that suddenly you have passed through the looking glass and into a whole new creative world? In this episode, Australian artist Paula Hart shares her journey working on large-scale public art pieces in a variety of media such as painted murals and laser cut panels to discovering Joep Verhoeven’s Lacefence which launched her into a whole new way of thinking and working. Paula explains her initial approach to working with the Lacefence team as thinking of the areas of different stitches as pattern ..read more

Lace is something which for many, conjures up images of doilies or Elizabethan collars or Marie Antoinette all covered in sumptuous ruffles…but it is also a unique and very special artform which is alive and well thanks to the innovative work of artists like Veronika Irvine who joined me to discuss her explorations of the possibilities of algorithmic lace. Passionate about moving lace forward, Veronika says that “we are always associating this past history kind of thing to lace as though it’s not alive” and that in the short, 500 year history of the technique we have hardly begun to harness al ..read more

Welcome to the new season of TextileStories. I have a line up of fascinating and diverse stories for you this season and am so delighted to open with this conversation with Australian sculptor Anita Larkin. Anita’s sculptures bring together an extraordinary combination of materials and sensations to explore the themes of mending, healing, memory, and our relationship to familiar objects. Her sensitivity to the energy which objects hold and how she conserves and interprets it results in unexpected juxtapositions of things and feelings, sparking conversations and evoking strong emotional reactio ..read more

Sydney-based artist Michele Morcos would describe herself as a mark maker. With her initial background in drawing and painting, learning the art of coil weaving some years ago from a group of indigenous weavers gave her a way to take her mark making into 3-dimensions. From a textile perspective it was fascinating to hear how Michele has absorbed weaving into her toolbox of mark making skills and she combines both traditional materials like raffia which essentially serve as a kind of canvas, with found materials from the urban environment which she uses to draw upon her woven forms. Considerati ..read more

This week we are back with an episode outlining the changes which will be happening so that we can continue to connect during this time of social distancing. For our followers around the world we will probably be closer as the coronavirus pandemic pushes me to get over my inhibitions and really show up on social media; speaking face to face on YouTube and livestreaming on other sites. Apart from moving our classes online I have a few other ideas about how we can support our community during this challenging period…including a digital artist’s residency! Tune in to find out more about our plans ..read more