(The extremely creative and artistically gifted Niamh.)
Taea Made: When did you first become interested in machine embroidery?
Niamh: I fell into machine embroidery almost by accident. It was offered as an internship position from my Art College, and I jumped at the chance to do in-house art & design. Once I found out how much potential there was in the art of machine embroidery, I just had to keep going!
TM: Did someone else teach you machine embroidery, or were you self-taught?
N: Everything I learned about machine embroidery has been on the job. In some ways it was self taught, because there were a good few weeks where I sat in front of my little home machine with a manual and a confused expression just like every other newbie. Learning how the designs are created though certainly helps me as a designer!
TM: What are your inspirations for the designs you create?
N: All over the place! Fashion, nature, classic art, tattoos. Almost everything becomes something new when you give it a new context or a new twist. Combining baroque art with tattoo themes was what created our Baroque Punk series. Combinations are my favorite kind of inspiration.
TM: How did Urban Threads come to be?
N: After I had been working as an in-house artist for Embroidery Library, I quickly got a desire to be able to create embroidery projects more in my taste... offbeat and alternative. That desire eventually turned into a
whole business!
TM: Do you have any favorite stories of when you've seen your work while you've been out and about?
N: I totally ran into some of my plushies at a local store once. That was so weird! It was only about a year or so after I started Urban Threads. Since then I've seen our stuff show up at all kinds of craft fairs, Steampunk events, and Ren Fests. It's so fun to see it because everyone makes the design their own, so it never looks the same twice!
TM: What do you most love about your job?
N: That I get to sit down and create new things every day. It's a dream job for an artist!
TM: What's the most favorite embroidery design you've created?
N: You know, Lonely Robot was one of the first designs I ever made for Urban Threads, so he has a special place in my heart. Plus he's just so cute with his little balloon.
Thank you, Niamh, for taking the time to share your story! Your work is truly inspiring!!
(*Photos courtesy of Urban Threads.)
