Modern Textile Art is the New Macrame

And these three artists are the ones to know.

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The recent revival of macrame wall hangings put textile-based art back on trend for the masses, but there is much more to discover when it comes to woven or fabric-based art. Three overseas artists, Jane Denton, Maxine Sutton, and Rachel Castle share their modern approach to creating art with woven materials and discuss how they draw inspiration from their respective parts of the world. Familiarize yourself with their techniques of choice—such as screen-printing, embroidery, and applique—and you’re guaranteed to be ahead of the curve.

Jane Denton

New Zealand based creative Jane Denton is creating modern embroidery inspired by color and pattern from everyday life. She designs and hand stitches every piece, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Jane’s latest collection, STILL, incorporates the pale colors of the lush New Zealand beach landscape. Raw shades of pink, blue, taupe, and even hints of black, define her pieces.

You might recognize Jane’s work from the home of popular blogger and designer

emily henderson

where Jane’s graphic XO embroidery gives a special touch to Henderson’s nursery. Custom commissions are part of Jane’s creative process.

Maxine Sutton

Maxine Sutton is based in Kent, England where she curates an adorable shop filled with her screen-printed and hand stitched homewares in her small Georgian townhouse. Influenced by folk and outsider art, Maxine loves “using things up” and makes many of her pieces from collected or created textiles in her studio.

Maxine’s process often involves screen printing on fabric and then embellishing with freeform embroidery.

The textiles are then sewn into lamp shades, wall hangings, pillows, floor poufs, and more. All are available online, as well.

Rachel Castle

Australian Rachel Castle has a sunny and happy collection of homewares, fiber art, and bed linens. She describes Aussies as “people who like to live and play hard, with their hearts on their sleeve.” Her fun and irreverent work, full of color and pattern, fits the playful Aussie vibe perfectly.

Rachel paints on linen, uses screen printing techniques, and creates modern embroidery pieces, as well. Every piece of artwork is handmade or hand stitched, and many include typography with funny or inspiring messages.