NeedleXChange

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.renanestivan.com/"><strong>renanestivan.com</strong></a></p><p>Instagram:<strong> </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/renan.estivan/"><strong>renan.estivan</strong></a></p><p>Intro music is Ordinary Love by Vicki Vox via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx"><strong>Epidemic Sound</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>About NeedleXChange</strong></p><p>An artist interview podcast exploring <strong>contemporary embroidery and textile art</strong>. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.</p><p><strong>Stay Connected</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://needl.exchange">needl.exchange</a> | Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews">bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mrxstitch.com">mrxstitch.com</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://xstitchmag.com/">xstitchmag.com</a></p><p>Social: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/mrxstitch">Facebook</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch">Instagram</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrxstitch">Pinterest</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mrxstitch">YouTube</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiechalmers">LinkedIn</a></p>

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sheawilkinson.com/"><strong>sheawilkinson.com</strong></a></p><p>Intro music is Martyr by Nevin via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx"><strong>Epidemic Sound</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>About NeedleXChange</strong></p><p>An artist interview podcast exploring <strong>contemporary embroidery and textile art</strong>. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.</p><p><strong>Stay Connected</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://needl.exchange">needl.exchange</a> | Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews">bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mrxstitch.com">mrxstitch.com</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://xstitchmag.com/">xstitchmag.com</a></p><p>Social: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/mrxstitch">Facebook</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch">Instagram</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrxstitch">Pinterest</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mrxstitch">YouTube</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiechalmers">LinkedIn</a></p>

<p>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.</p><p>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 <em>can’t quite explain</em>.</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sheawilkinson.com/"><strong>sheawilkinson.com</strong></a></p><p>Intro music is Martyr by Nevin via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx"><strong>Epidemic Sound</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>About NeedleXChange</strong></p><p>An artist interview podcast exploring <strong>contemporary embroidery and textile art</strong>. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.</p><p><strong>Stay Connected</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://needl.exchange">needl.exchange</a> | Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews">bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mrxstitch.com">mrxstitch.com</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://xstitchmag.com/">xstitchmag.com</a></p><p>Social: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/mrxstitch">Facebook</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch">Instagram</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrxstitch">Pinterest</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mrxstitch">YouTube</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiechalmers">LinkedIn</a></p>

<p>In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview <strong>Charlotte Wood</strong>, a mixed media artist known for exploring the beauty in ugliness through character-led, emotionally resonant work.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><p>Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/woodsembroidery"><strong>woodsembroidery</strong></a></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://woodsembroidery.weebly.com/about.html"><strong>woodsembroidery.weebly.com</strong></a></p><p>Intro music is Ever So Blue by Hearth via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx"><strong>Epidemic Sound</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>About NeedleXChange</strong></p><p>An artist interview podcast exploring <strong>contemporary embroidery and textile art</strong>. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.</p><p><strong>Stay Connected</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://needl.exchange">needl.exchange</a> | Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews">bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mrxstitch.com">mrxstitch.com</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://xstitchmag.com/">xstitchmag.com</a></p><p>Social: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/mrxstitch">Facebook</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch">Instagram</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrxstitch">Pinterest</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mrxstitch">YouTube</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiechalmers">LinkedIn</a></p>

<p>In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview <strong>Charlotte Wood</strong>, a mixed media artist known for exploring the beauty in ugliness through character-led, emotionally resonant work.</p><p>Charlotte’s recent practice includes a standout 3D textile sculpture, “the man on the chair”, alongside layered narrative pieces where colour, form, and surface stitch carry memory and mood.</p><p>We talk about her Hand &amp; Lock journey, how she uses characters to hold sadness and introspection without losing joy, and the Leonard Cohen influence behind the work — plus how ideas like object constancy and “finding balance” show up in what she makes.</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><p>Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/woodsembroidery"><strong>woodsembroidery</strong></a></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://woodsembroidery.weebly.com/about.html"><strong>woodsembroidery.weebly.com</strong></a></p><p>Intro music is Ever So Blue by Hearth via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx"><strong>Epidemic Sound</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>About NeedleXChange</strong></p><p>An artist interview podcast exploring <strong>contemporary embroidery and textile art</strong>. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.</p><p><strong>Stay Connected</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://needl.exchange">needl.exchange</a> | Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews">bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mrxstitch.com">mrxstitch.com</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://xstitchmag.com/">xstitchmag.com</a></p><p>Social: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/mrxstitch">Facebook</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mrxstitch">Instagram</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrxstitch">Pinterest</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mrxstitch">YouTube</a> | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamiechalmers">LinkedIn</a></p>