Local artist and teacher Meghan Maconochie, originally known for her pencil shaving artworks, is creating beautifully embroidered landscapes.

Here are 10 of our favourites:

See more of Meghan’s work on Instagram.

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Russian artist Ani Abakumova and her husband Andrey Abakumov have combined computer programming, mathematics and art to create replicas of some of the world’s most iconic paintings in thread.

Using specific algorithms, the equations are created digitally before being translated into the physical execution of laying every piece of thread onto the frame in the correct place.

Ani is responsible for the actual creation of the art itself, while Andrey is in charge of the calculations and the digital side of the process. Each portrait is made using more than 8 000 strands of thread.

Browse the gallery above for more and follow Ani on Instagram to keep up to date.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

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Self-taught London-based embroidery artist Lily Bloomwood uses antique fabrics, beads, sequins and lace to add texture to her portraits of women.

The majority of her works gain inspiration from the silent movie era, featuring striking portraits of women in 1920s fashion, adorned with lace, handkerchiefs and knits.

“My inspiration comes from all sorts of things; from old photographs of unknown people, to photos of old and mostly forgotten actresses of the Edwardian and silent movie era, as well as saint iconography and my own drawings and sketches,” she explains on Etsy.

Lily began her embroidery journey straight after finishing university and now focuses on memorialising female figures in thread, such as actresses Mary Pickford and Olive Thomas.

See more of her work on Behance. You can also shop online on Etsy.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

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Using wool and thread, Brighton-based artist Kate Jenkins creates fun crocheted designs by hand, focused on different kinds of food.

“It didn’t take me long to realise that I was much better at interpreting an idea by creating it in 3D using wool rather than through painting or drawing,” Kate explains on her website.

Her quirky and inventive designs include fish and chips, prawns, sushi and whopping hamburgers. She often takes the cute-factor up a notch, from adding little eyes to her meals or sequin sparkles as fish scales or creating very French, French fries.

“I was always looking for different ways to use my love of wool, textile and colour,” says Kate. “And that’s how my art was born. The everyday has always fascinated and inspired me, particularly food. So I began to take things we all know and love – like fish and chips – reinventing them in wool.”

See more of her work at katejenkinsstudio.co.za.

(h/t) designboom.com

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Japanese embroidery and thread artist ipnot creates tiny works of art using thread, complete with fun three-dimensional elements.

Her work, which ranges from miniature food and cute animals to cartoon characters and pop culture paraphernalia, often incorporates props to bring a new level to her pieces.

Her designs have a realistic element, with the addition of real-life objects creating a blur between where her art ends and reality begins.

See more of her work on Instagram and via ipnot.info.

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This short video clip shows how Oxford-based illustrator Chloe Giordano creates adorable textile art.

The clip takes us through her inspiration, as well as the process behind making her delicate, miniature freehand embroideries of animals and book covers.

She begins by gathering reference images, which she sketches down before translating them onto fabric. Chloe compares her work to needlepoint, although her work is a lot freer, without a set guide.

“It’s wonderful doing that last stitch. Knowing it’s done is really satisfying,” she says.

You can see more of her work on her Facebook page.

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Stephanie K. Clark creates beautiful works of art portraying whimsical architecture. She likens her work to paintings; her thread represents paint and the canvas her base for stitching.

“I consider myself a painter and I paint with thread,” explains Stephanie in her artist’s statement. “The process of transforming string into art struck me as something visually stimulating with complex simplicity. My background in painting has allowed me to explore the material using techniques that derive more from the worlds of drawing and painting, engaging both traditional and innovative techniques in employing formal qualities with density, texture and pattern. The embroidery floss is my palette and the needle is my paintbrush.”

View more of her work on her website.

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How did you come to be an artist working with wool?

It wasn’t something I had planned. As most visual artists do I started exploring different techniques to suit a theme, and yarn just seemed to fit with my concept. I must admit that I wasn’t that keen on the idea at first – the idea of covering 150 rugby balls with individually knitted socks was an incredibly daunting thought, but I am very glad I pushed through! Working with yarn lends such tactility to one’s art; it’s really evocative. 

Why do you think there’s such a burgeoning international trend towards thread, wool, knitting and yarn-bombing?

The whole idea behind yarn-bombing is to turn objects or spaces that appear cold and hostile into a welcoming display of colour and texture. You can’t help but smile when you encounter the colourful displays of yarn-bombing and thread art – I think it’s something that millions of people just react to positively. A great example is the US fibre artist, Gabriel Dawe, who creates rainbow installations of thread in sterile gallery spaces.

Please explain your Rainbow Room installation.

The Rainbow Room was an installation created for my graduate exhibition entitled Broederbond, held at the Lovell Gallery in 2012. The installation takes a critical look at the sociological implications of Afrikaner masculine hegemony on homosexuality in post-apartheid South Africa. The room was constructed from 17km of acrylic thread (in the colours of the gay pride flag), created to resemble a traditional Afrikaner voorkamer in the midst of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final match; a significant moment in South African history, and perhaps the last chance the Afrikaner male had to “prove his superiority”. Through the implementation of colourful and playful yarn-bombs onto traditional furniture (with styles such as ball-and-claw and a heritage riempiesbank) and over 150 rugby balls, the concept of homosexuality and masculinity is juxtaposed, questioning the acceptance of same-sex relations in Afrikaner culture. During the course of the exhibition I sat in the room knitting covers for white rugby balls and invited the viewers to join me. The rugby on television was muted against the backdrop, effectively breaking the silence homosexuality receives in the Afrikaner culture.

And Hiërargie, which is a finalist in this year’s Absa L’Atelier competition?

Hiërargie is a sculptural work that serves as an extension of the Rainbow Room installation. It comprises 91 rugby balls, yarn-bombed in the same gay pride colours, and stacked in a pyramid. Once again this work explores homosexuality in terms of Afrikaner masculinity, but in this case the shape of the triangle is explored for its metaphoric value with regards to the patriarchal structure.

What can we expect in Fragments of a Future Passed?

Fragments of a Future Passed is a body of work created exclusively for an online art platform entitled “Out of the Cube”. This collection of works will take a closer, more serious look at the political side of rugby during and post-apartheid. Keep an eye open on www.outofthecube.co.za in October!

Pierre works in Side Street Studios, an inspiringly grungy warehouse that we featured here.

Meet Cape Town’s guerrilla yarn-bomber, Isabeau Joubert, here.

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