Josephine Knechtli is an embroidery artist who’s work is inspired by colours, tattoos and bold imagery.

How did you get into textiles?

When I was a kid, my mum bought me Jenny Hart’s Sublime Stitching Kits, which I took to immediately and since then embroidery has re-appeared into my creative focus eventually manifesting as my sole medium of choice when choosing to study textiles. The teachers said I could make moodboards and that reading proper magazines was part of the course; immediately I was sold.  Having not used a sewing machine for a good while before, I was the only one in the class who didn’t really know how to thread a machine. This pushed me to thoroughly engage with what domestic machines could achieve using freehand stitching. Soon I revisited hand embroidery once again with brash threads and imagery that was mostly quite peculiar. Relentless experimentation and practise of techniques has resulted in an obsessive commitment to the craft. Having the chance to study such a subject was a privilege that I am hugely grateful for.

For my final major project on the subsequent foundation course I completed I chose to centre the work on the history of tattooing and the surrounding industry from the legendary circuses of yesteryear to Russian prisons of today.  I linked the permanence of tattooing with the permanence that embroidery offers as a means of illustrating the research I conducted so that it was a fully stitched body of work – writing and all.  It was during this process that I freehand stitched patches of classic flash imagery as a means of representing the decorative aspects of tattooing.  These were received well and from then on I have been creating custom designs of hand-worked embroidered pieces.

What type of textiles do you work with?

As an embroidery designer, the tools I use are a Bernina 1008, its trusty freehand foot, felt and the highest quality threads of the brightest colours. When combined, these make up the boldest imagery with dense bodies of stitching.  Many find embroidery to be a relaxing past time but as I am controlling the machine by hand and struggle with focus it is a lot of noise and hard trap mixes to try and concentrate on.  I find it entertaining how my work finishes as a delicate, so to speak, piece when so much cussing, noise and manoeuvring went into the making process!

How do you know what you’re going to make?

I am surrounded by manic lists of ideas that get edited down so that I have a loosely cohesive plan of action (thanks to Tony Robbins for the list tips). There are today’s plan lists, patch idea lists, project ideas lists – I find organisation to be a headache so keeping everything written up and visualised is the only way forward for me. The ideas are always there, it’s the constant matter of when to find time to create the best ones.

My current main points of inspiration come from peculiar folk art, sujukan jackets, club jackets, Vietnam war Zippos and tour jackets and flash by the likes of Zeis and Dietzel. A lot of bold lines and bodies of colour is key. 

Do you draw your images and then stitch over them?

I create a template on tracing paper, which is then stitched over and ripped off so there’s an outline. The image is then coloured and shaded with thread before being outlined with a thicker stitch once again. 

What other textiles designers do you admire?

Tilleke Schwartz was a big influence in how I approached embroidery and what it can do. Her works are crafted by hand with mad, garish colour palettes and compositions of writing and loose imagery. I feel that that is how the inside of my head looks! I can’t not mention Louise Bourgeois we can’t give enough thanks for the honesty she includes within her works.  Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchoff’s collections still remain points of reference; they came and went too soon but definitely offered many gifts.

How do you find the balance of being creative and making money?

I feel that the two can never be a true balance but the challenge of making it so just adds to this game. Giving others a means of seeing how their embroideries are created is key to me as there are a lot of hours that go into my works, which isn’t immediately obvious as we are so used to computerised, cheap embroidery. I sell smaller pieces in independent shops and online as well as constantly having commissions coming in, these are challenges I embrace. 

Are there any other types of textiles you’d like to get into?

I am desperate to learn how to create works on a chain stitch machine. I’ve been following people such as the L.A. Chain Gang and Ft.Lonesome on Instagram for a long while and have a huge respect and admiration for what they can do.  Otherwise I am always looking for ways to improve my technique and approach to freehand embroidery. 

What do you love about textiles?

As someone who hasn’t always been the best with words, visual communication is a key means of expression for me.  While many still see embroidery as a twee craft of the hobby craft type, I’m not hesitant to subvert the medium to what I would like to say and represent. 

If a day has felt terrible I can still end it with something I have created. To be able to hold pieces in my hands shows myself that it wasn’t all bad and that negative energies have gone into something beautiful instead of melancholy nothingness.

You can follow Josephine on Instagram here and see more of her work here