Call / Response Week 7

One of the marks of a gift is to have the courage of it. Katherine Anne Porter Heart's Desire began as fun, putting together tumbler patches in a neutral colorway. After I had layered it with batting and backing and quilted through the layers, I added tucks to the bottom of the hanging. The copper … Continue reading Call / Response Week 7

Call / Respond Week 6

A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. —Annie Dill Dance at Midnight is an early work, completed long before I found this quote. I chose it as an illustration … Continue reading Call / Respond Week 6

Wes and Will: More Good Questions

On good weather school days, my father Wes often managed to be in the farmyard when the school bus pulled in to drop off the three of us kids. We enjoyed seeing him there. But as we made our way off the bus, we prepared for the certainty of him asking, “What did you learn … Continue reading Wes and Will: More Good Questions

Call / Respond Week 1

You should withdraw inwardly and search for the ground upon which you stand: thereby you will find out what Truth is. —Yun-men Wen-yen Standing Ground, textile art by Norma Fredrickson About Call / Response: Quote-a-day calendars infuse my day with an unpredicted perspective. This year I will post weekly words of another person and my … Continue reading Call / Respond Week 1

Time for Amendment of Life

3 layered lectern frontal. Fabric screen printed and stenciled. Work engages and excites me when I explore new techniques but also when I use established process and pattern in a fresh way. A recent commission created a deep satisfaction through stewardship of materials, time, and relationship. My fingers repeated decades old take apart skills I … Continue reading Time for Amendment of Life

Woven Cross

An unexpected aspect of online worship is the opportunity to have a close up view of altar and pulpit furnishings. My pew partner Joan recently wrote me, asking that I expound on the woven cross she saw closely on Zoom Easter worship. I created this white frontal for our congregation, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in … Continue reading Woven Cross

Summer Solstice: Three Simple Stools

Three handcrafted wooden stools work in our home. Today they tell me to choose a summer that is a mix of work and rest. I struggle to overcome pandemic inertia; canceled events cleared the calendar of interaction but I have commissions to complete. The white stool was made by my grandfather when I was a … Continue reading Summer Solstice: Three Simple Stools

Joy of Making: Knots

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

Create A Space For Creating

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