Textiles

Shepherds, small mills, and local yarn shops are working together to secure a more sustainable fiber economy—and to meet the growing demand for heritage sheep products.

Yes, professional upholsterers are still out there—reviving old armchairs, preserving a time-honored craft, and keeping many tons of furniture out of landfills every year.

The long march of espadrilles, from medieval Spanish peasantry to global shoe icon.

In Lyon, the silk-weaving capital of Europe for centuries, the rhythmic clatter of Jacquard Looms once emanated from about 30,000 workshops. Today, only three workshops still uphold this tradition.

When Joe Cunningham started making quilts, in 1979, it was an unusual occupation for a man—a fact that set him free as a fabric artist.

Maria Luisa Frongia sews and embroiders traditional garments by hand, one at a time, keeping a centuries-old custom alive in a rapidly changing world.

In Burano—a tiny island 4 miles from the city of Venice—the ancient art of ultra-fine, hand-sewn lace somehow remains alive. And so does the equally ancient culture surrounding it. Our correspondent visits with the master craftswomen of Burano to learn their history, their secrets, and the prospects for their future.

Sarie Gessner—known for her Western-inspired suits, custom embroidery, and passion for music—is dressing some of country and Americana’s brightest stars for the stage.

Mike Dangeli’s Chilliwack home is a gallery of First Nations art. Every wall and shelf showcases tribal regalia carved, painted, and/or woven by Dangeli himself, one of his sons, or another Pacific Northwest artist he admires. His own output is enormous; at one point Dangeli was producing 40 to 60 major pieces a month. “There…