The Stitch Safari Podcast

01/07/2025

What happens when one lets go of convention, yet still retains strong connections with beauty and craftsmanship? We can still utilise symbolism and fine work to explore and disrupt norms by using non-traditional materials, aggressive motifs, unusual threads and unconventional imagery, making textile and embroidery art one of the most interesting artistic genres to explore for the up-and-coming while maintaining craftsmanship.
Join me as I explore how bridal couture is honouring yet redefining tradition.
https://stitchsafari.com/the-subversive-bridal-gown/

11/06/2025

This is the episode where fabric and thread meet imagination. Can a needle and thread truly be used to trick the eye? Is it magic or simply sleight of hand? For centuries, artists and embroiderers have been playing games with our minds to suggest that what we see might just represent something else. The thing is, these illusions are still in use today.
In today's episode of Embroidery Illusion: Distorting the Senses, I'll explore the fascinating worlds of trompe l'oeil, shading, dimension, shadow work, transparency and perspective as they are used in the art of embroidery.

Show Notes: https://stitchsafari.com/embroidered-illu…rting-the-senses/

26/05/2025

So why do people fall in love with embroidery, and what keeps them hooked? We know it's a sensory experience that's soothing and engaging, allowing personal creativity free rein. But embroidery is also a learned skill, one that can be successfully self-taught, providing a sense of accomplishment and confidence-building. It's continuous learning and curiosity that sparks further innovation, still able to offer a connection with our past and an appreciation of the artistic heritage of embroidery.
In this episode, I explore the connective power of passion and curiosity in embroidery through the stories of five fascinating embroiderers who have followed their own paths to create unique textile art.
Listen here: https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/
Show Notes:
https://stitchsafari.com/the-connective-p…ty-in-embroidery/

12/05/2025

The legacy of Hand & Lock is the championing of artists through their annual Prize, reminding us that even the most delicate threads carry powerful and insightful stories across the centuries and cultures.
Join me as I explore this pillar of excellence, a house where embroidery is not simply a craft but an art, a legacy and a living, breathing story - all recorded in stylish stitching.
Listen or read the show notes here: https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/

08/05/2025

The Intentional Thread, by Susan Brandeis, leads the reader through a lyrical but logical journey of skill-building and creative imagining, demonstrating ways stitch can be used intentionally to fully capture self-expression.
I know I dip into this book regularly, learning each time I do.
A needle and thread, in the right hands, can speak volumes to many.
https://stitchsafari.com/book-review-the-intentional-thread/

28/04/2025

This inspiring form of embroidery offers a deep dive into how easily obtained natural elements, such as leaves, can be transformed through embroidery.
To help round out this episode, I'll explore how natural design motifs such as leaves have been used in traditional and modern design, and delve into historical practices and the cultural significance of the leaf motif.
Listen here: https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/

13/04/2025

In 2025, gloves are emerging as a prominent and versatile medium for artistic expression. More and more artists are using them as repurposed items, or to explore their symbolism and narrative potential. Join me as I briefly journey through the history of gloves and their uses, to the modern-day culture of the iconic embroidered glove.
Listen here: https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/

31/03/2025

Join me as I explore the predictions from 2024 for embroidery trends in 2025. Are they correct? Do they tally with what embroiderers are creating now? Let's find out together.
Listen here: https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/

17/03/2025

Hoops can be used to maintain tension while stitching but also to display the finished work, as I'm doing with my 100 Stitched Circles. En masse, they make a great installation. They can be hung from the ceiling or used for 3D embroidery, and they make fantastic wall art incorporating different shapes and sizes. Join me as I jump through some hoops in today's episode.
https://stitchsafari.com/podcast/

11/03/2025

One of the greatest attributes of working with a needle and thread is its ability to create and record memories and connections. Indeed, that may be one of the main reasons so many people love stitching and embroidery.
Read the rest of my latest blog post on Memories and Connections here:
https://cathyjackcoupland.com/memories-and-connections/

03/03/2025

30,000 years ago, needles looked like this.

These needles are made from different types of bone and date to around 30,000 years ago!

Eyed needles made of bone, antler, and ivory had been found at a number of Palaeolithic sites in Europe, Asia, and North America. A study from 2018, took on the task of gathering all the available data - information on thousands of needles from hundreds of sites, and combining them with analyses of new collections with the aim of understanding the first 30,000 years of the history of sewing. The results of this study, to which Chinese, Canadian, Czech and French researchers have participated, is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Human Evolution.

"Our research shows that eyed needles were probably independently invented in China and Siberia, around 42 000 years ago, and became more and more diversified since then, probably to fullfil new tasks such as the production of embroidery, undergarments, clothes for children and similar", says d’Errico.

If this has made you want to learn more about needles - read the rest of the article at https://www.uib.no/en/sapience/121841/uib-researcher-sheds-new-light-origin-sewing-technologies

https://www.jjneedles.com/buy-needles

02/03/2025

Join me on this examination and inspection of anatomic embroidery as I dissect, audit and review the whys and wherefores and artistic evaluation and interpretation of this genre of embroidery. It's unique, it's educative, and it may not be for everyone - but it's out there and needs to be explored. These embroidered artworks will make you marvel at how we are made and function.
https://stitchsafari.com/anatomical-embroidery/