Interlaced
Textile Art Workshops
Textile art as a collaborative artistic process – textile art workshops in Frankfurt
This workshop series is the result of many years of research into textiles. I share insights into my working methods, the techniques I’ve developed, and how I incorporate them into my work. Traditional skills form a living foundation for working with textiles.
In the Grundlagenworkshops (foundation workshops), I demonstrate professional techniques for handling needles, thimbles, and thread, as taucht in The Art of Hand Sewing and Sashiko. Both methods are also relevant to quilting and embroidery. One workshop focuses on the sewing machine using the example of improvisational patchwork: The Sewing Machine as a Creative Tool, Improvisational Patchwork.
The masterclasses combine key steps in the creative process—from initial inspiration and design concepts to specific needle-and-thread techniques, and on to the development and production of custom materials, such as those used for batting, using unique quilting and patchwork methods.
Textiles are both material and carriers of history. They preserve collective memories and social relationships. Knowledge of the craft is passed down to this day; techniques are passed from hand to hand, and forms emerge through exchange. The workshops build on these traditions and open up a personal approach to textile art as a felted visual and conceptual language.
This series of workshops emerged from a long-standing engagement with textiles as an artistic medium, which began in 2015 when Felicity Brown was invited to my studio in Frankfurt. An initial dialogue gave rise to an ongoing exploration of textile practices, their material intelligence, and their cultural significance.
My research today draws heavily on the textile practices of local craftspeople and indigenous communities, where the creation of clothing and jewelry is still understood as a meaningful, often ritualistic act. These forms of work, which often take place outside the public eye, possess a quiet yet powerful force. The continuous transmission of this knowledge preserves this important cultural heritage and makes it accessible to future generations.
This understanding shapes the structure of the workshop series, which combines masterclasses with foundational textile workshops. While the masterclasses open up space for conceptual and artistic inquiries, the foundational courses teach basic techniques such as hand sewing, machine sewing, hand quilting, sashiko, felting, and embroidery. These practices are understood not merely as craft skills, but as fundamental cultural acts—as forms in which material, body, and creative design converge.
The workshops create a space for learning, experimentation, and exchange, inviting participants to experience textiles as a living practice that connects individual experiences with collective narratives.
Please note: The processes are usually slow, and the focus of the workshops is on teaching skills. It is possible that a project that has been started cannot be completed on site. The instructions, inspiration, and practical experience gained during the workshop are intended to enable participants to complete the projects they have started independently at home.
Anyone who has participated in one of my workshops is welcome to attend the Quilting Bee, which takes place on an irregular basis. There, participants can continue working on their own projects in a calm, friendly atmosphere, exchange ideas with others, or simply enjoy the creative community.
Textile handcraft traditions have their roots in the creative and sustainable use of resources. At the center of my workshops are repurposed fabrics and wool from local sheep. If not stated otherwise all materials are included.
Please note: Participation is at your own risk.
If you are in a difficult financial situation and the workshop fees are too high for your wallet, please let me know. We will discuss together whether I can grant a discount.