#talkingtextiles

By Ingrid Keneally

Discarded household items are given a second life through Ulla-Stina Wikander’s recovered embroidery creations. Wikander, who is based in Kullavik, Stockholm, rescues ordinary objects, mainly from the 1970s, such as toasters, telephones, typewriters, trays and hand-held mixers, and covers them with whimsical pieces of embroidery the world has forgotten. Elevated from the lost grounds of flea markets and vintage stores, these pieces are painstakingly turned into kitsch beauties which are impossible to miss. Wikanders installations have been exhibited in various galleries around the world and select pieces are available to buy on her website (www.ullastinawikander.com).

1. How do you work with wool/cotton?

I work with wool through embroideries. I cut them apart and then put them together again, covering ordinary household items but also larger installations.

2. What is a pivotal moment in your early career?

When I was 16 years old and went to high school, I started to join an evening class at art school. The teacher there was very encouraging. After I finished school, I decided to make an application to Havedskous Måkarsjika Art College and I was admitted and finished my studies in 1986.

3. What, if anything, in your childhood influenced what you do now? 

My mother and her relatives were artistic and very musical, so I was influenced by that. I also had the privilege of having an educated artist as a teacher in fourth grade that affected me very much.

4. What is a professional achievement you are most proud of? 

Two times I have been awarded a working grant from the Swedish government and that has made me feel very honoured.

5. What is one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out in wool/cotton? 

I would say that I am glad I did not know that it would take so long time to finish a work.

6. Why do you think hand-made textiles are so popular right now? 

I think that the time has come to make textile art as important as any other form of art. In Europe the big Biennale in Venice 2017 showed a lot of textile and art craft and also the Dokumenta 14 in Kassel had a focus on textile that they promoted.

7.  What is your dream wool/cotton project? 

I would like to create a really big installation with lots of objects that are covered with embroideries. It would be so interesting to have the possibility to do that.

8. Which artists who work in the wool/textiles field have inspired you? 

I have always been inspired and interested in ethnic minority peoples embroideries and fabrics, from all over the world. The colours, the patterns, everything.

9. What is your favourite woollen/cotton item in your wardrobe or home and why? 

I am obsessed with long wool cardigans and I wear theme all the time mostly in fall, winter and spring but even in the summertime because it can be quite cold here in Sweden.

 10. How would you describe your workspace? 

My workspace is very bright and clean, I have a big window and lots of daylight. When I am in the middle of a job it could be quite messy around me, because I don’t want to throw anything away during the process, sometimes I’m not sure when a piece or installation is done.

11. What is your favourite quote or mantra? 

You can do whatever you want, but be prepared to work hard and do not give up if you believe in your idea.

12. Best beginners task? 

Don´t sit and wait for inspiration, start to work.

13. What is the KPC Yarn hue that speaks to you and why?

All the beautiful colours and shades that are available, they all really inspired me.

By Ingrid Keneally

It would be impossible to not look happy in a Nicole Leybourne (aka the Knitter) piece. Their epic scale and bright visual feel bring a soothing sense of lightness, and her fantastical hand-knitted styles have attracted an ardent fanbase. Leybourne's garments are the result of craft-meets-cool-knitwear - oversized cardigans and ballooning jumpers in soft mohair and wool with quirky mistakes left in. 

Following a globetrotting life of modelling and living in different cities Leybourne re-settled in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lives and works. Her original design – an enchanting pink jumper called 'the Bubblegum' hand-knitted on a whim - has gone on to have something of a life of its own. In meetings with important buyers it is regularly revealed that the fresh excitement sparked by this piece on the internet, is what drew her work to them. The latest collection from Leybourne can be seen at theknitter.co

How do you work with wool/cotton? 

I use yarns to hand knit my designs that I create from the patterns that I make up as I go. It's very rewarding seeing such fun colours go on to become something wearable.

What is a pivotal moment in your early career?

Seeing the hard work I've put in pay off. The day I decided to take a leap of faith and actually make the Knitter my full-time thing. It paid off. And I still can't believe it.

What, if anything, from your childhood, influenced what you do now? 

I've always loved colours and fun things, even when I was a child. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so I never had the colourful clothes and the sparkly shiny toys and the things that I coveted. My love for sparkles and fun colours and fluffy things are still in me, though.

What are the professional achievements you are most proud of? 

Meeting with Vogue magazine in NY.  

Why do you think handmade textiles are so fashionable right now? 

I think handmade textiles have always been ‘in fashion’… Handmade items of clothing have always served a purpose and have always been here. We all wear clothes and someone has to make them. I think a lot of things are handmade and made by beautiful people all around the world, but not all of these items are marketed as ‘handmade’ or ‘made by beautiful people with their own hands’, because the garments are undersold and produced in bulk, in terrible conditions. And the ‘handmade’ meaning kind of falls to the wayside … It becomes irrelevant or unimportant … But I do think people are starting to perhaps, just value, what it takes to actually make a piece of clothing. This is a good thing.

What is your dream wool/cotton project?

Having all the colours of the rainbow of wool right in front of me and being told to create whatever I want to.

Which artists who work in the wool/textiles field, have inspired you?

I love my Nan, who knits the most beautiful pieces.

What is your favourite woollen/cotton item in your wardrobe or home and why?

My Happy Hearts jumper. Because I made it and I never thought I would ever be able to say that I could knit. And because it makes me so happy whenever I wear it. It even fixes broken hearts.

How would you describe your work-space?

Me, a table, a chair, my laptop, some good music and lots of cups of tea. And of course, all my knitting needles and boxes of colourful yarns. I am so lucky.

Best beginner's task?

Just persevere. With whatever it is you are wanting to achieve. You'll get there in the end. Even if it really doesn't feel like it. And that goes beyond knitting too.

What is one KPC Yarn hue that speaks to you, and why?

By Ingrid Keneally

Australian textile artist Niki McDonald uses needle point on canvas to create brilliant works that somehow have all the urban boldness and edge of traffic-stopping graffiti art or mysteriously beautiful sleeper portraits hiding on the walls of city tunnels. Her work throws back to the old technique of tapestry but is reinvigorated with a modernity that makes them quite fascinating. At the art school where McDonald trained in the 80s, there was a particular emphasis on the Bauhaus method, but there she was also introduced to painting, collage, printmaking and sculpture, whose influences are all evident in her richly textured, layered work.

1. How do you work with work? 

To begin a new piece, I start by taking photos of our vibrant and ephemeral urban landscape and use them as inspiration to paint the tapestry canvases. I paint strong images of women’s faces over the backgrounds and allow the colours to show through.  I’m saying that the colours and shapes from our streets empower these women and give them sass and individuality.  I am drawn to colour, ply and texture and seek the wool that will best represent my intention. I try to limit my colours to around six and bring the image together with key black lines. Sometimes I use the repetition of the half cross stitch to emulate the pixilation in dot matrix, and at other times I try to create a more chaotic experience by changing the cross stitch size. 

2. If you could choose one pivotal moment in your career, what would it be?  

In 2012 and 2013 when I won prizes and first place in a variety of art prizes. It was validating and reassured me that the textile medium I had chosen was successfully expressing my creativity.

3. Are there any experiences in your childhood or adolescence that have positively impacted what you do now? 

I grew up in a household filled with creativity and making art was as natural to me as playing with toys. I sat with my nana as she knitted beautiful jumpers and played with the wool. Later, my mum bought me a weaving loom for my eighth birthday. I spent hours experimenting and pushing its boundaries. In high school I picked up needlepoint tapestry, my teacher was supportive, probably because it was containable, clean and kept me quiet. I still have a large tiger that I painted then diligently sewed and handed in as one of my senior major works. 

4. What are the professional achievements you are most proud of?

Winning the International Women’s Day art prize; having two large exhibitions every year, and making enough money with sales to support my art practice. A recent moment that stands out for me and cemented my true love of textiles was at my tapestry workshop in Gallery One88 in Katoomba. Adults, couples, teenagers and kids signed up for the workshop. Everyone received a 30 cm x 40 cm, 5 count tapestry canvas that I had painted with simple shapes and colours. The group learned quickly and it was a smooth transition to them finding their flow. People were selecting their wool, threading up, stitching and admiring their handiwork. There was no Wi -Fi or screens and I could literally see the makers being soothed by the act of focusing and creating. The next day I had parents report back to me that their kids took their tapestries to dinner, sewed them over breakfast and were completely screen free, which is a miracle in the age that we live in.

5. If there is one thing you wish you’d known when you were starting out in wool, what would it be?  

One thing that I wish I had known about wool when I first started was that I didn’t only have to use DMC tapestry wool.  As good as it is I found it restrictive in ply and costly in quantity. My work ached to grow and I wanted to maximize the medium - it was this desire for expansion that led me to try any wool that was on the market. I now source my wool for its qualities and how they will facilitate the finished piece.

6. Why do you think wool and handmade textiles are so fashionable right now?  

Because people need something real to point to at the end of the day to reinforce their humanness. Hours spent on social media and the internet are just not soothing the soul. Anxiety and depression is at an all-time high and people are in danger every day of being frazzled and disconnected. The process of making, problem solving, evaluating and extending creativity brings people back to their ancestral roots. The act of buying and supporting creativity allows those who can’t prioritize making to feel that they are part of the process. 

7. What is your dream wool project? 

To create a piece that is over two metres in size using 3 count tapestry canvas and really maximising the medium. I’m in a bigger is better place, I want textile art to stand proud and be noticed.

8. Who are the artists who have most greatly inspired you?

In 2003 I visited the Art Gallery of NSW and was completely engaged and inspired by Tracey Emin’s textile art pieces. Her pieces were visceral and her message was accentuated by the use of cloth, stitching and wool. I was then struck by the permanency of Joseph Beuys'  artworks and his use of stitching and grey felt. I now follow the most amazing textile artists on Instagram and marvel at their wonderful and diverse use of wool. Artists like Natalie Miller, Erin Riley, Liz Payne, Jacqui Fink and Megan Shimek and many more inspire and engage me every day.

9. What is your favorite woollen item in your wardrobe or home? 

My favourite woollen item in my wardrobe is an intricately crocheted charcoal grey alpaca shawl made by my father-in-law Garry McDonald while he waited for his scenes doing a theatre production. It’s stunningly made, warm and elegant.

10. Where do you work?

Once I have painted my tapestry canvas and sourced the wool   I am free to sew wherever I go. Most of the time I work on a big comfy rug at home while I listen to audio books and watch TED talks. I feel lost and fidgety if I’m not sewing so the works come with me visiting friends, on car trips and train trips, on holidays and picnics. 

11. What is your idea of a good beginner’s task? 

Buy some tapestry canvas, draw or trace a simple image on it, select some wool that will keep you motivated and start with the half cross stitch. With a bit of persistence the piece will begin to grow and take shape. 

12. Which is the KPC Yarn hue that really speaks to you?  

I am in love with the Peacock and the Flame from the KPC Yarn, Glencoul Chunky range. The depth of colour and strength draws me to the Glencoul chunky and the vibrancy helps my tapestries to pop. 

Words: Ingrid Keneally Russian born Glushakova Oxana Nikolaevna, known as Kseniya, resides in Moscow and has transformed her dream job of knitting into a business. After having many different career moves it was the birth of her daughter who inspired Kseniya to create tools for knitting, design knitwear and to then hold knitting workshops. Her creations are incredible and her wooden tools and spools are divine.

1. Describe how you work with wool:

I work with different compositions and types of yarn, I usually resort to methods of manual winding. This allows me to create the desired color and thickness.

 2. A pivotal moment in your early career:

The turning point in my career was when I had my daughter Maya and I was on my maternity leave. During this happy time I realized that I could turn my hobby into my work!

3. Did anything in your childhood influence what you do now?

 As a child I was influenced by my mother, who did not allow me to sit around and dream but taught me everything she knows. It was because of this I was knitting and sewing clothes for myself in my early school years. Now my mum is still a big inspiration for me.

 4. The professional achievements you are most proud of:

I believe that the greatest achievements are ahead. At the moment I'm proud of the spokes we have made.

5. Is there anything you wish you’d known when you were starting out in wool?

I learned to knit in early childhood, but even now I can not say that I know everything. Russians have a very wise saying: "You live - and learn".

 6. Why do you think wool/handmade textiles are so fashionable right now?

I think there are a lot of factors that influence this trend: this recession and the mass market domination and the rush of our living and social networks as the replacement of live communication. People are drawn to the times of our civilization origins where everyone can do something with their hands. Owning a skill is excellent to stand out from the crowd. It is very cool when you can take a coil and a pair of sticks to create yourself a haute couture piece.

 7. What skill do you want to master next?

Next skill I want to master and I'm already working on it, is to learn weaving and yarn spinning.

8. Which artists who work in the wool/textiles field have inspired you?

 My idol number one is my mother, who never stops amazing me with her skills. She is now engaged in the restoration of knitwear. Of the worlds creators I admire and get inspiration from, they would be : Johan Ku, Craig Lawrence, Alison Tsai and many others. I love pinterest, tumblr for my daily channels of inspiration and new names.

9. Your favourite item of clothing made out of wool or cotton?

My favourite knitted clothes vest transformer – they are irreplaceable in our climate. Also our cold rescue caps as we have very cold winters in Russia.

10. Best beginners task?

For beginners: do not be afraid to experiment and break the rules.

11. The KPC Yarn hue that speaks to you and why?