Janice Jakielski - Addressing and Redressing the body

Have you seen these incredible stitched headpieces? Janice Jalieski has no formal textiles training and she believes this gives her freedom to explore beyond rules and boundaries. Her work is inspired by her grandmother's circa 1930's hat collection and explores themes of communication and connectivity.

"I am also drawn to the labor of embroidery, 

I can easily lose myself when embroidering 

and hand sewing, the repetition becomes a 

form of meditation." - Janice Jakielski

So many gorgeous details, fine embroidery and beautiful colours...

Do you like to indulge in the labour of stitching too? do you find it meditative?
I find there is something endlessly satisfying about creating things.

images from here
want to read more? there is an interview with janice here

Crafty Artists - Nike Savvas

This is the first of a series of posts profiling visual artists who incorporate wool, craft, sewing or embroidery in their work:

Do you find inspiration in Nike Savvas' lovely geometric woolly intallations?
(Her exhibition is on at Breenspace gallery in Sydney until Sunday - 6th June 2010)

 Nike Savvas (pronounced 'Nikki') is an australian artist and her current work Sliding Ladders  is inspired by childhood algebra and geometry, op art, craft, colour theory and sun gazing among other things.

"wool is warm soft crafty, furry and lowbrow"

I love the effects of the overlapping colours...have you ever made something by with two kinds of yarn at once?