Join us on Wednesday, May 13 at 2PM EDT on Zoom for (Un)Seen Labor: Motherhood and Care. What is the value of care? Whose labor is seen, and how does loss impress itself into our bodies? Fiber artists Cassie Arnold @cassiearnoldfiberart and Catherine Reinhart @catherine_reinhart_studio will discuss their artistic practice in relationship to carework, grief, and haptic (hand) practices.
Learn more and register at the link in our bio
Textile Talks are a collaboration between the Surface Design Association, The International Quilt Museum @internationalquiltmuseum , Quilt Alliance @quiltalliance , and Studio Art Quilt Associates @saqaart . ✨
Liminal Threads: Towards a Global Definition of Laceby Elena Kanagy -Loux @erenanaomi : “The question of how to define lace is deceptively simple, yet the deeper one delves into the recesses of lace research, the more difficult it becomes to answer. Unlike woven textiles, for example, which vary widely but are unified by the perpendicular warp and weft, lace does not refer to any one technique or structure. Rather, lace is an umbrella term for openwork textiles made using a range of methods that are associated with one another for primarily aesthetic reasons. Many definitions of lace are characterized by absence, including my own, which is that lace is a textile in which the pattern is defined by the spaces between threads.”
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From our Spring 2026 Surface Design Journal: Traditions and Techniques in Lace! To get your copy follow our link in bio!
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1) Maker unknown, Handmade ñandutí lace, acquired in 1986 in Asunción, Paraguay.
2) Maker unknown, Armenian janyak mat, Ca. 1900.
3) Maker unknown, Panel with Peonies and Butterfly, Ca. late 14th–15th century China.
Join us on Wednesday, May 13 at 2PM EDT on Zoom for (Un)Seen Labor: Motherhood and Care. What is the value of care? Whose labor is seen, and how does loss impress itself into our bodies? Fiber artists Catherine Reinhart @catherine_reinhart_studio and Cassie Arnold @cassiearnoldfiberart will discuss their artistic practice in relationship to carework, grief, and haptic (hand) practices.
Learn more and register at the link in our bio
Textile Talks are a collaboration between the Surface Design Association, The International Quilt Museum @internationalquiltmuseum , Quilt Alliance @quiltalliance , and Studio Art Quilt Associates @saqaart . ✨
🌻 Our Spring Surface Design Journal, Traditions and Techniques in Lace is here! 🌻
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"Exploring vast historical and material contexts, our Traditions & Techniques journals are always some of our most inspiring issues. Lace is no exception. The history of lace is one rich in luxury, ornamentation and skill. Like many textile techniques, lacemaking has seen a significant resurgence in conceptual and material recontextualization." –Lauren Sinner, Surface Design Journal Managing & Interim Editor @kritzrackerz
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Read the digital journal with a current membership at the link in our bio
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Cover artwork 📸: Magdalena Sophie Orland, BETWEEN_SPACES @magdalena_sophie_orland
Join us on Wednesday, May 13 at 2PM EDT on Zoom for (Un)Seen Labor: Motherhood and Care. What is the value of care? Whose labor is seen, and how does loss impress itself into our bodies? Fiber artists Cassie Arnold @cassiearnoldfiberart and Catherine Reinhart @catherine_reinhart_studio will discuss their artistic practice in relationship to carework, grief, and haptic (hand) practices.
Learn more and register at the link in our bio
Textile Talks are a collaboration between the Surface Design Association, The International Quilt Museum @internationalquiltmuseum , Quilt Alliance @quiltalliance , and Studio Art Quilt Associates @saqaart . ✨
🌍📚 Check out this month’s pick for SDA’s Book Club! 📚🌍
Louise Bourgeois Bibliographic Essay: "I have a favorite t-shirt, which reads 'Name Five Women Artists.' A lot of people have risen to the challenge, invariably naming Georgia O’Keefe and Frida Kahlo, both of whom have arrived at a place of pop culture familiarity, both painters. Louise Bourgeois’ name rarely comes up, perhaps because images of her work aren’t as commodifiable as O’Keefe’s and Kahlo’s are... Though recognition and interest in Bourgeois’ work came late in her life, many published works are now available. This essay covers four show catalogs and five picture books." Reviewed by Faith Hagenhofer @faithhagenhofer
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🎉 As an international organization committed to celebrating the art, history, and innovation of textiles, we believe there’s no better way to learn and grow together than by diving into captivating reads from all around the world. 🌐✨
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Each month, we’ll feature thought-provoking books—whether about the rich cultural heritage of textiles or the latest advancements in sustainable fashion. 🌱👗 This is the perfect space to explore ideas, share insights, and connect with fellow textile enthusiasts! 🤝
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Interested in submitting a review of your favorite fiber-related book for our blog? Check out our link in bio! (add actual link for FB)
Join us on Wednesday, May 13 at 2PM EDT on Zoom for (Un)Seen Labor: Motherhood and Care. What is the value of care? Whose labor is seen, and how does loss impress itself into our bodies? Fiber artists Catherine Reinhart @catherine_reinhart_studio and Cassie Arnold @cassiearnoldfiberart will discuss their artistic practice in relationship to carework, grief, and haptic (hand) practices.
Learn more and register at the link in our bio
Textile Talks are a collaboration between the Surface Design Association, The International Quilt Museum @internationalquiltmuseum , Quilt Alliance @quiltalliance , and Studio Art Quilt Associates @saqaart . ✨
Our artistic practices are a site for storytelling: where lived experience, inherited knowledge, and imagined worlds converge. Through material, surface pattern, and labor, we make memory and myth visible.
Submit your work to Memory and Myth, juried by Meli Bandera @melibandera , by May 18, 2026. Learn more at the link in our bio
SDA is more than just a membership. It's an investment in the future of fiber art. Our community encompasses the breadth and depth of contemporary artists and designers working with or inspired by fiber art, materials, methods, and techniques. Learn more and become a member today at the link in our bio.
📸: SDA Member, Michael F Rohde @michaelfrohde
📣 Our annual student juried exhibition, Future Tense, celebrates the work of student artist, designers, and makers working with or inspired by fiber or textile materials or techniques.
Juried by José Santiago Pérez @josesantiago.p . Apply by May 25, 2026!
Learn more at the link in our bio
Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th at 7PM EST on zoom to learn about our current opportunities all in one place and get real-time feedback!
We'll be digging in to our calls for entry - Future Tense + Memory and Myth - and our artist in residence application.
Free and open to all - register at the link in our bio.
Join us on April 15 at 2PM EDT on zoom as we celebrate the publication of Quilt of Souls: A Memoir by Phyllis Biffle-Elmore. Quilts have long held the heartbeat of storytelling and the passing down of oral history. Phyllis’ grandmother Lula Young Horn (1883-1988) told her the stories embedded in her Quilts of Souls. As a master quilter – Grandmother Lula only made quilts from the clothing of deceased family members, friends, and neighbors. Each piece of clothing contained stories of how their lives were lived and these quilts carried the stories of their demise.
In Phyllis’ memoir each chapter tells the stories of the people whose clothes make up her own Quilt of Souls. Her work challenges us to remember the history of quilting and the power and lives held within these objects.
This event is free and open to the public. Register at the link in our bio!
Textile Talks are a collaboration between SDA, The International Quilt Museum @internationalquiltmuseum , Quilt Alliance @quiltalliance , and Studio Art Quilt Associates @saqaart . ✨
