Born in Japan, Mizushima majored in Japanese traditional painting before working as a designer and Illustrator in Tokyo. But after some moving around, she found she was much more drawn to craft than art. Now based in Vancouver, Canada, she describes herself as a slow crafter, with her work including needle felting, miniature collage making, and stop-motion animation videos.

As part of her work, Mizushima has been commissioned to make music videos for the band They Might Be Giants, and has made miniature collages for several book covers in Japan.

“It takes a long time to make a needle-felted piece,” she remarked in an interview with Frankie, “especially for me (I’m a slow crafter). It has also crippled me! (Seriously, I have been having a problem in my shoulder and arm for months!)”

“My work is a bit retro, twisted, fun, colorful, nerdy, and cute (but in questionable taste),” she adds. “Luckily I usually make what I want. And I hope my work can make people smile!”

Indeed, if her work doesn’t make you smile, we regret to say that nothing will.

The post Hiné Mizushima Takes Needle Felting to the Next Level appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Based in San Francisco, DiCioccio took to sewing with no past experience outside of watching her mom hand-sew Halloween costumes when she was a child. “I‘ve always been attracted to the medium of textiles,” she told Textile Artist. “I think primarily because of the sense of nostalgia they hold for me.”

“I did a lot of craft projects as a kid and it seems like there was always some kind of textile-based project, from sewing Halloween costumes to doing cross-stitch samplers,” she went on to say. “The tactility of the material really makes me feel connected to those memories of my first discoveries of making things and I think this is part of what makes the material so evocative for me.”

Indeed, there’s an air of nostalgia in her work, but one that’s hard to pinpoint. Each piece – upholstered, embroidered, and embellished – has its own unique identity, demanding a closer look.

Follow her Instagram page for more.

The post This Artist Explores the Tactility of Fabric Through Sculpting appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I find it interesting to see how these objects transform in a new context; the obsolete, the things we do not want any longer, the old and forgotten things,” writes Wikander on her website. “They become artifacts from a bygone era, disguised, camouflaged and dressed. I give them a second life and although I cut the embroideries into pieces, I think they look very beautiful when they have been ‘dressed up.’”

She “dresses” her objects up with fabrics made of cross-stitched embroideries she has collected over the years. Most of these embroideries were bought from flea markets and thrift stores, and carefully chosen for their pattern and color.

“I definitely have some favorite patterns and colors, but I buy all the embroideries I find because sometimes I need to cover parts that you hardly see,” she told My Modern Met. “Red cottages and birches, flowers, deer, and moose pattern and nature motifs are the ones I like best. If the colors are brilliant and they are well made, I like them even better.”

Take a look at some of her transformative work in the gallery below:

The post Artist Transforms Household Items by Dressing Them Up appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“When I was younger I only associated textiles with quilts and clothing, more functional items,” she admitted in an interview Textile Artist. “I had a lot of stigmas about what art was, and it took a lot of time, exploration, and life experience to break down those perimeters.”

These explorations included dabbling in fine art, graphic design, and textiles. “I struggled with labels and thought I could only be one type of artist,” Kozma explained. “Initially, I was convinced I would become a figure painter, as many of us do, being immersed in countless hours of drawing nude models in art school. It wasn’t until I started painting life-size portraits on fabric that I started to get the textile itch.”

That textile itch got her to where she is today. Her untraditional art is exhibited in solo exhibitions around the US, but you can also follow her on Instagram:

The post Kelly Kozma Will Make You Fall In Love with Fabric appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Ipnot is a Japanese embroidery artist who’s invented her own style of embroidery. She originally learned how to embroider from her grandmother, and used the craft as a creative outlet.

But soon she started experimenting with the craft, she discovered that by using a specia stitch known as the French knot, she could create 3D embroidery. She used the new technique to create tiny embroidered sculptures.

Ipnot’s sculptures evolved with time, and today she’s able to create 3D miniatures that pop of the fabric and look incredibly realistic. She can create tiny pizza slices that seem to float in the air above the pizza or coffee that’s spilling from a floating mug.

She makes more than just food sculptures: she can also recreate popular emojis, logos of famous brands, tiny animals, and even people! Sometimes her art is so realistic, the only way to tell if from the real thing is by its tiny scale.

We hope Ipnot keeps creating her lovely embroidery and that she continues adding beauty to our world with her art!

The post This Artist’s Embroideries Literally Pop Off the Fabric appeared first on MobiSpirit.

I make large-scale fabric installations using brightly-colored fabrics to create designs that echo aspects of both Minimalist and Geometric art,” she explained to ArtFile Magazine. “A critical element to my work is that the fabric is donated by people from the area, and much of the assembly is done by community volunteers […]”

With the community involved not only with providing the material and sewing it together, but also with planning, the result isn’t just pretty covers for buildings; it’s an authentic expression of local sentiments, and something for residents to take pride in.

“I work with the community because this connection gives an organic creativity to the work,” Browder added. “The process opens up a space for volunteers to express their artistic impulses in collaboration with others in the community.”

Because the end result depends on what material happened to be donated, Browder’s huge canvases are truly a singular product of the occasion. They bring color and joy wherever they pop up and even help to turn non-sewers into enthusiasts!

Check out some examples below.

The post No Building is Too Large For Amanda Browder’s Colorful Fabrics appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Her pieces are a colorful burst of creativity and happiness. “My work is often a graphic and colorful explosion with great care in the details and color relations,” she tells Ape on the Moon. “This can be seen in my big compositions with hundreds of felt pieces embedded, overlapping, and glued, one by one.”

Drawing inspiration from ’60s and ’70s designs, her crafted pieces are carefully planned in advance. “Most of my work starts at the computer drawing and planning what will be hand made,” she explains. “Sometimes the reverse happens, starting manually and then going to the computer.”

“I’ve been working with hand-cut felt for a long time so I guess it’s fair to say that this is one of the main materials I use. But I have expanded this to other materials as well. From materials that require a long time of construction of the piece like hand made tapestries to faster and technological resources like the laser cut of acrylic.”

Check out some of her work below.

The post Naíma Almeida’s Artwork Is a Colorful Explosion appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I come from a long line of needleworkers, but didn’t pick up hand embroidery myself until the end of 2014,” writes the Colorado-based artist on her personal website. “While sidelined with an ankle injury, I ordered supplies on a whim and taught myself various stitches. I launched my first collection of work for sale in August 2015.”

“With each piece, I have a general concept in mind, but I don’t work with a template or pattern. All of my embroidery work is freehand, and I find beauty in the unknown of how a piece will turn out,” she added.

Her passion clearly paid off, with her embroideries being featured on Vogue and Martha Stewart, amongst others. “Each piece of hand embroidery is sold framed with a custom mat board selected especially for that design,” she explained. “No two pieces are alike and each takes many hours of hand stitching to complete.”

Check out some of her delicate creations in the gallery below.

The post Brannon Addison’s Embroideries Are Tiny and Endearing appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“As a teenager, I learned how to crochet from my mom, Takako Yamashiro,” she recalled in an interview with the Urban Outfitters blog. “I never learned how to read patterns. It definitely wasn’t an immediate love, I would crochet a scarf here and there, but it’s nothing serious. Then one summer, years ago, I decided to try to make matching costumes for my best friend and me. They were neon and rainbow and very short, because I got too excited and wanted us to wear them before they were actually ‘done.’ Once I figured out that crochet could be so much more than scarfs and baby blankets, the possibilities were endless. I have been consistently crocheting since then, making costumes, bikinis, soft sculpture, wall hangings, pillows, giant portraits based on the Cathy comics…”

“Crochet is a time-consuming process, so usually when I am half-way into a project, I have already gotten an idea for the next piece,” she added. “I try to challenge myself to do something new, whether it is a new technique or subject matter. Crochet is so versatile and I want to use this medium in new ways. With so much being produced by machine, ‘perfection’ is no longer interesting to me. I used to strive for the ability and skill to be able to produce physically what I envisioned mentally. But now, the changes that occur in the translation from the imagination to material, feel exciting and human. I see what is lost or misinterpreted in translation as the interesting and unique part of the magic that is created when something is made by hand.”

Indeed, her hand-crafted works are infused with the kind of magic that hand-crafted items always carry within them, making her items personal, endearing, and all the more creative. Take a look at some of her creations in the gallery below.

The post These Crocheted Pieces Are Anything But Traditional appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I have always been drawn to portraits,” Butler explains in her gallery’s website. “I was the little girl who would sit next to my grandmother and ask her to go through her old family photo albums. I was the one who wanted to hear the story behind every picture. This inquisitiveness has stayed with me to this day. I often start my pieces with a black and white photo and allow myself to tell the story.”

Butler studied fine art at Howard University. Born in Orange, New Jersey, she now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Through her work, she hopes to raise questions about identity and tradition.

“My portraits tell stories that may have been forgotten over time,” she adds. “When you see vintage lace and aged satin it tells you the story of delicacy and refinement of times gone by. When you see African printed cotton and mud cloth it tells the story of my ancestral homeland and the cradle of civilization.”

Check out her unique creations below.

The post Artist Creates Vibrant Portraits Using African Fabrics appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Born in Japan, Mizushima majored in Japanese traditional painting before working as a designer and Illustrator in Tokyo. But after some moving around, she found she was much more drawn to craft than art. Now based in Vancouver, Canada, she describes herself as a slow crafter, with her work including needle felting, miniature collage making, and stop-motion animation videos.

As part of her work, Mizushima has been commissioned to make music videos for the band They Might Be Giants, and has made miniature collages for several book covers in Japan.

“It takes a long time to make a needle-felted piece,” she remarked in an interview with Frankie, “especially for me (I’m a slow crafter). It has also crippled me! (Seriously, I have been having a problem in my shoulder and arm for months!)”

“My work is a bit retro, twisted, fun, colorful, nerdy, and cute (but in questionable taste),” she adds. “Luckily I usually make what I want. And I hope my work can make people smile!”

Indeed, if her work doesn’t make you smile, we regret to say that nothing will.

The post Hiné Mizushima Takes Needle Felting to the Next Level appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Based in San Francisco, DiCioccio took to sewing with no past experience outside of watching her mom hand-sew Halloween costumes when she was a child. “I‘ve always been attracted to the medium of textiles,” she told Textile Artist. “I think primarily because of the sense of nostalgia they hold for me.”

“I did a lot of craft projects as a kid and it seems like there was always some kind of textile-based project, from sewing Halloween costumes to doing cross-stitch samplers,” she went on to say. “The tactility of the material really makes me feel connected to those memories of my first discoveries of making things and I think this is part of what makes the material so evocative for me.”

Indeed, there’s an air of nostalgia in her work, but one that’s hard to pinpoint. Each piece – upholstered, embroidered, and embellished – has its own unique identity, demanding a closer look.

Follow her Instagram page for more.

The post This Artist Explores the Tactility of Fabric Through Sculpting appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I find it interesting to see how these objects transform in a new context; the obsolete, the things we do not want any longer, the old and forgotten things,” writes Wikander on her website. “They become artifacts from a bygone era, disguised, camouflaged and dressed. I give them a second life and although I cut the embroideries into pieces, I think they look very beautiful when they have been ‘dressed up.’”

She “dresses” her objects up with fabrics made of cross-stitched embroideries she has collected over the years. Most of these embroideries were bought from flea markets and thrift stores, and carefully chosen for their pattern and color.

“I definitely have some favorite patterns and colors, but I buy all the embroideries I find because sometimes I need to cover parts that you hardly see,” she told My Modern Met. “Red cottages and birches, flowers, deer, and moose pattern and nature motifs are the ones I like best. If the colors are brilliant and they are well made, I like them even better.”

Take a look at some of her transformative work in the gallery below:

The post Artist Transforms Household Items by Dressing Them Up appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“When I was younger I only associated textiles with quilts and clothing, more functional items,” she admitted in an interview Textile Artist. “I had a lot of stigmas about what art was, and it took a lot of time, exploration, and life experience to break down those perimeters.”

These explorations included dabbling in fine art, graphic design, and textiles. “I struggled with labels and thought I could only be one type of artist,” Kozma explained. “Initially, I was convinced I would become a figure painter, as many of us do, being immersed in countless hours of drawing nude models in art school. It wasn’t until I started painting life-size portraits on fabric that I started to get the textile itch.”

That textile itch got her to where she is today. Her untraditional art is exhibited in solo exhibitions around the US, but you can also follow her on Instagram:

The post Kelly Kozma Will Make You Fall In Love with Fabric appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Ipnot is a Japanese embroidery artist who’s invented her own style of embroidery. She originally learned how to embroider from her grandmother, and used the craft as a creative outlet.

But soon she started experimenting with the craft, she discovered that by using a specia stitch known as the French knot, she could create 3D embroidery. She used the new technique to create tiny embroidered sculptures.

Ipnot’s sculptures evolved with time, and today she’s able to create 3D miniatures that pop of the fabric and look incredibly realistic. She can create tiny pizza slices that seem to float in the air above the pizza or coffee that’s spilling from a floating mug.

She makes more than just food sculptures: she can also recreate popular emojis, logos of famous brands, tiny animals, and even people! Sometimes her art is so realistic, the only way to tell if from the real thing is by its tiny scale.

We hope Ipnot keeps creating her lovely embroidery and that she continues adding beauty to our world with her art!

The post This Artist’s Embroideries Literally Pop Off the Fabric appeared first on MobiSpirit.

I make large-scale fabric installations using brightly-colored fabrics to create designs that echo aspects of both Minimalist and Geometric art,” she explained to ArtFile Magazine. “A critical element to my work is that the fabric is donated by people from the area, and much of the assembly is done by community volunteers […]”

With the community involved not only with providing the material and sewing it together, but also with planning, the result isn’t just pretty covers for buildings; it’s an authentic expression of local sentiments, and something for residents to take pride in.

“I work with the community because this connection gives an organic creativity to the work,” Browder added. “The process opens up a space for volunteers to express their artistic impulses in collaboration with others in the community.”

Because the end result depends on what material happened to be donated, Browder’s huge canvases are truly a singular product of the occasion. They bring color and joy wherever they pop up and even help to turn non-sewers into enthusiasts!

Check out some examples below.

The post No Building is Too Large For Amanda Browder’s Colorful Fabrics appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Her pieces are a colorful burst of creativity and happiness. “My work is often a graphic and colorful explosion with great care in the details and color relations,” she tells Ape on the Moon. “This can be seen in my big compositions with hundreds of felt pieces embedded, overlapping, and glued, one by one.”

Drawing inspiration from ’60s and ’70s designs, her crafted pieces are carefully planned in advance. “Most of my work starts at the computer drawing and planning what will be hand made,” she explains. “Sometimes the reverse happens, starting manually and then going to the computer.”

“I’ve been working with hand-cut felt for a long time so I guess it’s fair to say that this is one of the main materials I use. But I have expanded this to other materials as well. From materials that require a long time of construction of the piece like hand made tapestries to faster and technological resources like the laser cut of acrylic.”

Check out some of her work below.

The post Naíma Almeida’s Artwork Is a Colorful Explosion appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I come from a long line of needleworkers, but didn’t pick up hand embroidery myself until the end of 2014,” writes the Colorado-based artist on her personal website. “While sidelined with an ankle injury, I ordered supplies on a whim and taught myself various stitches. I launched my first collection of work for sale in August 2015.”

“With each piece, I have a general concept in mind, but I don’t work with a template or pattern. All of my embroidery work is freehand, and I find beauty in the unknown of how a piece will turn out,” she added.

Her passion clearly paid off, with her embroideries being featured on Vogue and Martha Stewart, amongst others. “Each piece of hand embroidery is sold framed with a custom mat board selected especially for that design,” she explained. “No two pieces are alike and each takes many hours of hand stitching to complete.”

Check out some of her delicate creations in the gallery below.

The post Brannon Addison’s Embroideries Are Tiny and Endearing appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“As a teenager, I learned how to crochet from my mom, Takako Yamashiro,” she recalled in an interview with the Urban Outfitters blog. “I never learned how to read patterns. It definitely wasn’t an immediate love, I would crochet a scarf here and there, but it’s nothing serious. Then one summer, years ago, I decided to try to make matching costumes for my best friend and me. They were neon and rainbow and very short, because I got too excited and wanted us to wear them before they were actually ‘done.’ Once I figured out that crochet could be so much more than scarfs and baby blankets, the possibilities were endless. I have been consistently crocheting since then, making costumes, bikinis, soft sculpture, wall hangings, pillows, giant portraits based on the Cathy comics…”

“Crochet is a time-consuming process, so usually when I am half-way into a project, I have already gotten an idea for the next piece,” she added. “I try to challenge myself to do something new, whether it is a new technique or subject matter. Crochet is so versatile and I want to use this medium in new ways. With so much being produced by machine, ‘perfection’ is no longer interesting to me. I used to strive for the ability and skill to be able to produce physically what I envisioned mentally. But now, the changes that occur in the translation from the imagination to material, feel exciting and human. I see what is lost or misinterpreted in translation as the interesting and unique part of the magic that is created when something is made by hand.”

Indeed, her hand-crafted works are infused with the kind of magic that hand-crafted items always carry within them, making her items personal, endearing, and all the more creative. Take a look at some of her creations in the gallery below.

The post These Crocheted Pieces Are Anything But Traditional appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I have always been drawn to portraits,” Butler explains in her gallery’s website. “I was the little girl who would sit next to my grandmother and ask her to go through her old family photo albums. I was the one who wanted to hear the story behind every picture. This inquisitiveness has stayed with me to this day. I often start my pieces with a black and white photo and allow myself to tell the story.”

Butler studied fine art at Howard University. Born in Orange, New Jersey, she now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Through her work, she hopes to raise questions about identity and tradition.

“My portraits tell stories that may have been forgotten over time,” she adds. “When you see vintage lace and aged satin it tells you the story of delicacy and refinement of times gone by. When you see African printed cotton and mud cloth it tells the story of my ancestral homeland and the cradle of civilization.”

Check out her unique creations below.

The post Artist Creates Vibrant Portraits Using African Fabrics appeared first on MobiSpirit.