Textile Art & Fine Craft
Creating a custom item for a client is often a pleasant path for all concerned. Existing work inspires possibilities for forming a specific product. Familiar techniques and materials are combined in fresh ways to make a unique studio crafted item. The lower center photograph depicts the materials and motif placement for a stole evolving from … Continue reading Conversation and Custom Work
Inspired by the bounty of garden produce in August and September, I created a stack of dyed and printed fabric on warm sunny days. On rainy days, I trimmed select fabric into squares and finished the edges. I call them furoshiki (Japanese cloths for wrapping and carrying objects). The squares debut this weekend at Oak … Continue reading Furoshiki, Table Cloth, Sewist Stash
Creating requires practice and it produces left overs. We are a studio mindful of good economy and careful stewardship. Practice prints of trees for a chasuble are reserved for other secular art work. Paint and dye techniques practiced on silk dyes reappear on clergy stoles and women's apparel. I learned the lessons of practice and … Continue reading Practice and Left Overs
Lutheran congregations use red paraments and vestments on Passion Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Reformation Sunday, and services that celebrate the life of a particular saint. Today these vibrant wall hangings were delivered to Shepherd of the Hills in Haymarket VA. Members of the congregation contributed the fabric and cut all the small crosses attached to the … Continue reading Imperfection Welcomes the Worshiper
Creating art work for a specific environment can offer the opportunity to use new sizes and proportions. The client wanted pulpit frontals that picked up colors in the stained glass, that did not obscure the cross in the pulpit, and that complemented the chapel furnishings. The results include bold cross designs in fresh proportions and … Continue reading Design for a Specific Space
It is not uncommon in artistic circles to use prompts to get creative juices flowing. Quilting bees issue monthly challenges to innovate familiar blocks. Writers share a verb and see what words appear on the page. Mica and Noah Scalin lead 30 day Creative Sprints on the internet and results are shared online by many … Continue reading A Blue Tangle
Custom work filled many summer days at the studio this year. Completed projects are now delivered. Before I completely shift into next season's work, my hands and mind are revisiting techniques and tools: a bit like a family reunion. Grandma Alice showed me how to tie quilts when I was a teenager. My fingers readily … Continue reading Joy of Making: Knots
One of my best creative companions is my husband Ned. He understands the studio schedule. He totes things here and there. He asks the piercing questions, such as "Is this the best use of your time?" His help and perspective keep art flowing from the studio. When Ned retired several years ago, he began art classes … Continue reading Who Encourages Whom
This composition is based on the petition from The Lord's Prayer, save us from the time of trial. As a child I was taught, save us from temptation. Having lived through a life altering trial, I prefer the more contemporary version. I selected the image for this week as Christians near the observance of Holy … Continue reading Temptation Or Trial
My fabric career spans decades, serving clients from Hawaii to Puerto Rico. I have worked on the dining table, in a spacious bedroom, down in the basement, and from the kitchen counter. Soon I will practice in a studio made just for me! Originally a two-part wooden door opened to the work bench / potting shed of … Continue reading Create A Space For Creating